scrambled eggs

River cruise number 3

thehappyeggs — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:02:00 GMT

Finally pushed out of Port this evening. Only 1 day and 3 hours late. Not bad. This is huge boat compared to our last boat. It's at least 4 stories high and has 2 level of human cargo. We're in a large area with about 100 other people. Hammocks are about 80cm apart. Our moazzie nets have been a bonus for privacy. We all lineup for meals and the locals are impressed to find gringos roughing it instead of just flying. There is 3 other gringos on the boat. They're from Denmark and flew in to one town, got the boat and will fly out again. Brekkie is rice in starch water, so we hoe into our stash of manderins. Spent a cruisy afternoon reading and playing cards. The locals love Uno. Skipped dinner and watched the sunset over the Amazon from the front of the boat, and wondered where the 6 comws came from that are now standing on the front of our boat. Glen is stalked by the local children. they can't get enough of him and I've gotten use to little hands all over my hammock as the spy on him.

Happy Mother's day

thehappyeggs — Sat, 12 May 2007 21:59:00 GMT

Well at 2am got an early Mother’s day pressie with a lady giving birth to a gorgeous girl underneath Glen’s hammock. Ah adventures.

Reached Pucullpa today, crazy mad jungle town where everyone rides motorbikes r travels in motor taxis. It’s nice to be back in a bed that doesn’t move.

Boat babblings

thehappyeggs — Thu, 10 May 2007 21:58:00 GMT

Slept pretty well, was sung to sleep by a drunk also sleeping aboard who this morning packed up his hammock and left. By the time we pulled away from the dock there was about 20 hammocks, 7 others up on our level. Spent today moored along the river loading huge planks of wood., deforestation of the Amazon basin witnessed first hand!

Had been surprised to find chooks wandering around downstairs in the engine room yesterday, we were a little less surprised when we heard a squwark and then watched the feather trail from the back of the boat. Lunch was delicious, and fresh. We pulled over and anchored about 11pm, spent the evening watching the fireflies zoom past and feel asleep to the sounds of the jungle. Bliss.

When does the boat leave?

thehappyeggs — Wed, 9 May 2007 21:56:00 GMT

Excited about a boat in 2 days we head out to buy beer and enjoy our last day in this town (in our hotel with fan and t.v) and heading back to the hotel when we meet the Captain. He informs us the boat is now leaving tomorrow, do we still want to come? A resounding yes and we hurry home to pack and spend tonight on the boat for an early departure. It seems our fears about showing up for a boat that’s already departed has been well founded. It’s the cargo where these guys earn their money, passangers are an extra bonus. Spent this afternoon and this evening trying out our new hammocks.

In a small town blah!!

thehappyeggs — Tue, 8 May 2007 21:55:00 GMT

Boat decided to go up river and not down like we need – starting to wonder if the town is plotting to keep us here. Enjoying the Ceviche for lunch everyday. It’s fish (and other seafood) cooked with lime juice and is as fresh as can get. Found a launcha leaving in 2 days. Yay!!

Have I mentioned we're stuck in a small town?

thehappyeggs — Mon, 7 May 2007 21:54:00 GMT

Everywhere we go the shopkeepers offer us hammocks, word has gotten ‘round. We head back to a lady with the coolest hammocks finally buy from her (after haggling muchly) and hope word passes around town just as quick that we’re no longer in the market. Chatted to a captain today about a boat out of here tomorrow. Yay! Small town and we’re ready to move on. It’s strange being the main exhibit in a small town.

Small town blues

thehappyeggs — Sun, 6 May 2007 21:52:00 GMT

Found out we may be stuck here for about 5 days until a launcha (big boat) gets here to head down river. We collect locals wherever we go, which is getting tiring fast – these guys don’t talk, just stare and listen in to others who are brave enough to talk. Went looking for hammocks today for the boat and found they’re double the price we were expecting. Not sure if it’s small town prices or if it’s a gringo price. Gave up and headed back to the hotel for a cold shower.

Canoe rides through the jungle

thehappyeggs — Sat, 5 May 2007 21:50:00 GMT

Up early with the sunrise (no curtains), mozzie net worked a treat. Spent a long day on a motorized canoe with many other people. Scenery was stunning, and stopped for a quick lunch in a small village and ate (what I found out later) was Jungle rat (a guinea pig the size of a cat). Tasty. Thought it was pig. Landed in Atalaya at dusk and freaked the locals out ( no white people visit here) and the word was quickly passed around the port (so we and every could here) ‘gringos’, kinda funny but got less funny when everyone stopped to stare and they stopped RIGHT in front of you, so you smile and step around them, small town but it got tiring fast.

Tiny town travels

thehappyeggs — Fri, 4 May 2007 21:48:00 GMT

Landed in Satipo at 5am after an amazing trip via bus down into the jungle lowlands, through rock carved tunnels, past amazing waterfalls and watching the vegetation become more lush. Waited for a taxi to fill to our next stop Porto Ocopa for over an hour, then our 2 hour taxi ride took about 3. We were dropped at a tiny hamlet next to a river and found a hostel complete with mozzie net (thank goodness) and then explored the village for about 10 minutes (told you it was tiny). Played cards ‘til dark, then waited until 7pm when the generators got turned on and we got lights. No electricity in this town.

Laying in bed under our mozzie net we got to see our first firefly buzzing around flashing neon green, we watched it for a while until it flew over the wall into the next room. Oh yeah the walls don’t go the whole way up to save money and to help circulation and the windows are just holes in our walls.

Long travels through tiny towns

thehappyeggs — Thu, 3 May 2007 18:21:00 GMT

Well after 3 night buses and numerous tiny towns all starting with A or H I'm not really sure where we are currently but we're still attempting to get to the Amazon and boat it to Iquitos (largest city with no roads in or out). We've hit a a small snag with buses being stopped to our next town (gotta love politics) So met a lovely local who is a local guide that has drawn us a lovely map of another way up to Iquitos (no other gringos for sure) So our adventures continue.

We're in a part of Peru that has been off limits for a few decades and is slowly opening up to travellers, and the local reactions have been amazing. We constantly get stared at, people walk back past us for another look, some just stop in front of us to stare. I'm kinda use to it now, but we get the brave men that actually stop us in the markets to shake our hand (oh they touched a white person, actually that's a game over here, touch the gringo, played by children, often started by parents) The men shake our hands, I get kissed, and they want to know where we're from, explain where Australia is, yes we like Peru and they thank us for coming this far off the gringo trail to see their town. It's good fun but it does get tiring walking through a market and getting stopped lots, and listening to the mutterings around us. (old women particually 'oh gringitos' = 'Oh little white people')

But the people are lovely and it's amazing to see the culture and clothing changes in just 300kms. Our adventure continues.