floating city

In the huge street market we were approached by a man who offered to take us on yet another boat tour of "the Venice of Peru." I am always inclined to turn down solicitors but Pame wanted to go so we went. Here follows the optional (not included in our original tour) boat ride into Belen.

And let me tell you, "Venice of Peru" is a pretty name for the poorest district of Iquitos. This is where the road turns into a canal of sorts...

They take their nickname seriously in Belen. Apparently the street/canal we are on is Venecia Way...

One of the busier avenues...

One of the houses had a few, er, frescoes showing more people on boats. And a caiman. Oh gawd, please don't let a caiman attack us here.

All roads lead to this wide waterway, which appears to be the main drag of Belen.

The building with the fenced patio is Belen's discotech!

The long elevated structure is the district school.

Houses in Belen vary from simple one-story bungalows to this two-story structure with a "garage."

Despite the poverty and pollution, Belen appears quite peaceful.

This should be higher up!

Kids playing in the river... it seemed nice until our Belen guide told us that the toilets dump directly into the river. Ewww.

A gas station for the motorboats.

From the main waterway looking into one of the avenues.

Returning to Iquitos and dry land.

Our boat ride was just one hour but the short time we spent in Belen was eye-opening. When people fly into Iquitos, they come to see the jungle, whether it be the land, the animals, or the people of a tribu. Tourists stay within the cozy confines of the city center and almost never venture to Belen... I'd never even heard of it until this man approached us in the market. I enjoyed our tour of Belen because it reminded me that Iquitos is not just a jumping-off point for jungle expeditions. It's a real city with real problems and real people who work out solutions that work for them. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that these places exist only to serve our sightseeing desires, and Belen is a good wake-up call.