Today we set out for the Amazon. We had a very early wake-up call at 4AM and we were catching a 6:15 AM flight for Iquitos. The checkin was easy as Erik had our boarding passes already and we just had to check our luggage. The flight was full but LAN does a good job and the seats were comfortable. When we arrived, we were taken to the VIP lounge where we had snacks and restrooms and seats to wait while our luggage was retrieved and put on the bus. We got our briefing there about what to expect next. We drove through Iquitos and saw it is a much larger place than I was expecting. We were given 15 minutes to walk around the park or do whatever. We then headed off to board our ship, the Arapaima. It is a nice new ship and well maintained. Eric had told us that we were going to get the one suite that was on the ship since we had the most OAT/GCT trips. When we went in our room, it was a tiny room with twin beds and was certainly not what we were expecting. I checked with him and he was upset to see that he had given us the wrong room number and we were supposed to be in the room next door. This room is quite nice, a king sized bed and a big bathroom with a tub. The whole ship is not as fancy as the European riverboats, but this is nice and perfect for a trip like this. The observation deck upstairs is covered except for a small part which helps with the sun and also when it rains, like it did during our talk this afternoon. We got onboard this morning and then went almost immediately to get on the skiff for our first ride. We went to see an area near Iquitos called “Berlin” I think it is. These are reed houses up on stilts and accessible only by water. They have water taxis and boats that sell things. It is rather amazing to see people live like this.
We went back to the boat and as soon as we were aboard, we cast off for the Amazon. We had a good lunch and the dining room is set up with tables for 4 and it is mostly buffet. Everyone in our group is very congenial and moves around to get to know the other folks which is great.
After lunch it was Siesta time but some of us started out up on the observation deck where we had fun watching the river banks and trees. There are some very knowledgable birders on this trip so that is quite helpful. I am frustrated that I am having trouble spotting the birds -I had done so well in Africa that I feel like I have lost my touch. The difference is that the trees and foliage is so much thicker here and when you say “over by that tree” , it is hard to figure which tree someone is talking about. But we did get to see a female 3 toed sloth this afternoon. She was high in the tree and when Erik whistled like the harpy eagle, she turned to look. It was neat. We also saw some dolphin playing around in the water several times. We saw a big green iguana way up in a tree. We did our sightseeing today from the ship since it started pouring rain. It really did not last long and I am sure we will go out in the rain quite a few times, but today we were having good luck from the boat.
The crew entertained us with music after our talk with the boat captain. They were very good and we enjoyed it. We finished the day off with a wonderful dinner and with instructions for our early morning start tomorrow.
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