m is for manatees

One of the shortest but most memorable stops was the manatee sanctuary! These river manatees emit the same peaceful and lovable aura as their seaworthy counterparts, which has successfully prompted the creation of a sanctuary such as this.

Pame and I got to pet the manatees! They're not quite rubbery, though their skin is firm and not as smooth as you'd think.

Hello!

We were lucky enough to arrive right before feeding time. This baby manatee gets the royal treatment from a manatee expert.

I almost didn't get to see the manatees as a security guard demanded I show my passport, which I had left in my room. Luckily I have my passport number memorized and he accepted that and my CA ID. So bring your passports!

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.

a wrench in the plans

My tour group has changed the initial lodging twice. And this time, I'm not impressed.

Miss Maroney is not impressed with the change in accommodations.

In June, the "joining point" in Bogotá was changed from Casa Platypus to Hostel Masaya. Not a big deal, since both offer similar room styles catering to a younger crowd with nice common areas and internet access. More importantly, both are located in La Candelaria, the district with most everything you want to see in Bogotá. Say you want to hit up the main Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and Montserrate in one day? All are located in La Candelaria, and that's why to me, Casa Platypus and Hostel Masaya are both perfectly acceptable.

Now last Friday - just a week before the tour starts - I received an email from the tour group informing me that the joining point had changed again. Oh sure, Casa Paulina doesn't look as appealing. That's okay because the reviews say that they have great staff and an internet lounge. I'm not going to research more bus lines so I'll take a taxi to the hostel but that's not a problem. The problem is that Casa Paulina is in El Chapinero, which doesn't seem to be a neighborhood that is particularly threatening but is a good 5 kilometers from La Candelaria. El Chapinero borders the financial district of Bogotá... hurray? Reviewers argue that it's not difficult to take the bus from El Chapinero to La Candelaria but you know what? If I get less than 24 hours in a city, I'd like to be staying somewhere where I can step outside and immediately sample the flavors of the place.

Since this is something out of my control, I have been trying to look on the bright side of things. Casa Paulina isn't far from Avenida Chile, which is supposed to have a lot of street food vendors. Sounds like my first dinner is already picked out.

I've been researching Bogotá a lot because I want to make the most of the 16 or so hours I have there. But I looked into our "finishing point" in Cartagena and to my knowledge, we are still going to the same lodging which is BEAUTIFUL and is located within the original wall of old Cartagena de las Indias.

Anyways, if I don't see everything I want to in Bogotá, that's just one more excuse to return.

it's only 11 days

It's only an 11-day trip, including flying time. With 8 shirts and 2 dresses, I'm convinced that I am overpacked.

if you've been saving up

and I mean really saving up, Condé Nast Traveler will be holding a "World on Sale" promotion to celebrate the magazine's 25th birthday. The presale starts August 13 and you must be a subscriber (or special credit cardholder, whatever) to access the sale. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until August 21 like the non-subscribers.

With over 30 itineraries at discounts deep as 65% off, it's quite tempting to star planning my next vacation before my upcoming one even begins.

But I must warn you, Condé Nast Traveler is a bespoke traveler's magazine (and bespoke is one of their favorite words.) This periodical profiles luxury cruise ships and hotels in Dubai. Once in a while there's a bargain to be had between the glossy ads for Cartier and the latest review of Costa Rica's newest 5-star eco-lodge but they are few and far between. Condé Nast Traveler is what I aspire to be but in reality, I'm more akin to Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel.

As a price point, The New Tork Times reports that a $13,000 Nepal trip that includes a helicopter ride over Mt. Everest will be sold at about $7,300. Well gee, that's a nice discount but that's still well out of my price range. Good thing I have no desire to climb that mountain!



Still, it can't hurt to look, right?

cat nails

After leaving the Bora Bora to their jungle delicacies, we re-boarded the boat for the penultimate time! On our return to Nauta and Iquitos we passed this duo taking a daring shortcut through the greenery. I enjoyed all the boat time but except for a few trips at the lodge, I was always on a motorboat. I can't imagine rowing everywhere I need to be... I'm sure I'd have much bigger biceps if I loved here.

Our next stop was the labyrinthine market on the edge of town in the Belen district. Peering into the stalls revealed a menagerie of bottled jungle essences, exotic and varied enough to make any witch ecstatic. Pame purchased a kilo of marinated jerky-like meat... not sure what animal it was or if it really kept on her flight back to Lima but it was tasty.

We walked up and down slopes beneath tarps to protect the wares - not the shoppers - from the intense midday heat. The main city center of Iquitos sits right on the river and though it is hot and humid, the skies are usually gray and hazy. But the western parts of greater Iquitos - such as the Belen district - boast clear blue skies with no protection from the sun. It seemed like every other stall was selling some sort of plant or animal part suspended in liquid - things that might otherwise spoil in the sun - and shopkeepers saw it fit to shade their wares.

A selection of oils, elixirs, and magic powders...

Cat nails (uña de gato)? What in the world are cat nails used for?

I like to think that no cats were harmed in the making of this orange and white can in the center. I remember my first cat used to shed her claws with ease and I had a small collection of her abandoned crescents (as well as forgotten whiskers) growing on my desk. So it's not like cats had to be painfully declawed for that, right?

But really, what on earth are cat nails used for?

fruit juice, eh?

Since tribu Bora Bora is just a short boat trip away from Iquitos, they're very much onto the tourist game. Right after inviting Pame and I to "dance" with them...

... they besieged us with jewelry to sell. By the way, "admission" to see the tribe wasn't included in the price we paid to the tour company. Bleh.

After the siege of jewelry I followed our guide into the Bora Bora kitchen where this boy was picking fruit.

The tribu invited me to try some of their food.

I tasted the jungle flatbread and fruit sauce... I thought the fruit sauce tasted pretty meaty so I asked the chief if there was any meat in there. I didn't need my guide to translate "mono, perezoso, y anaconda."

Curses, I have eaten monkey and sloth... I felt so bad I almost spit it out. But I didn't want to offend the tribu so I swallowed the one bit and left the rest of the "fruity stew" alone.

I'm so sorry, sloth and monkey friends!