Muyuna Lodge Day 1

We got collected from our hotel and taken to the Muyuna Lodge office on Iquitos's harbour to meet the other intrepid explorers, our guides and for a gumboot fitting..?..?

Then we got on board and went for a 3 hour long speed-boat ride, taking us 140 km upstream from Iquitos.

I warmed to the Muyuna Lodge folk immediately when I spotted several fly curtain made of plastic water bottle tops

There are no roads to Iquitos, so the Amazon and its tributaries become the road system and this is what we saw.

An oil tanker,

Traffic, 

 

 

Side streets and the 'burbs

 

 

Roadside stop where the River bus stopped at the same time

 

 

For sale 'PW', as John Mottram called them in his notes.

 

Before we knew it we went around yet another bend and arrived at Muyuna Lodge, our home for the next 4 days

 

 

 

After settling in and lunch, we went for our 1st walk, guided by 2 men weilding machetes... I wasn't worried... 

 

 

 

 

They showed us which tree barks worked for medicine, how they used to tap for rubber and we saw lots of animals including Dusky Titi Monkeys, Brown Cappuchin Monkeys but the highlight of the walk came when Ian spotted a Yellow Footed Tortoise!!... and then it rained ...and rained...and the real purpose of the gumboots became clear

  

After dinner a nocturnal boat ride to spot more wildlife, making for one very happy Pop.