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The Slow Boat to Iquitos

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  Throughout an around-the-world trip, it's natural to strike up conversations with other travelers about some of their favorite experiences and recommendations. It was through one such conversation that I first heard about a multi-day boat trip down the Amazon. Often referred to as "taking the slow boat to Iquitos", it sounds more like a euphonism for someone of low intelligence, but is, in fact, a cargo ship whose main design is to bring supplies into the remote jungle towns of Northern Peru. Iquitos itself is a city that can only be accessed via boat or plane as there are no roads leading that far North into the Amazon basin.  From what I could gather from the smattering of backpacker blogs I could find online, it is not for the casual tourist, nor the type of experience can be booked with a travel agent, however if you could, it would come with a waiver stating that you must be okay with insects, bathing in dirty river water, and a very unreliable timetable of departu
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Peru, the Penultimate: Part 1

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June 11, 2024 - Machu Picchu Our last stop in Bolivia was right on the Peruvian border, leading to a very uneventful customs and immigration... just the way I like my border crossing. After a delay because the road was closed for two hours (?) we arrived at our first stop in Peru, Puno. Still located on Lake Titicaca, this city is a pretty major thoroughfare for people traveling to/from Peru and Bolivia but is even more noteworthy for its floating villages.  Although we were on a bit of a time crunch, I made it a priority to at least do a half-day trip out to the Isles de Uros, and I was glad that I did.  Not sure what to expect, I was fascinated by village life out on the manmade islands constructed of reeds. Our tour included a tutorial on how the islands are made and what it takes to keep their community afloat....literally. With less than 24 hours in Puno, as soon as the tour was done, it was a quick lunch of Cuy (Guinea pig, a traditional dish here) and then on a bus to Arequipa. 
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Bolivia, the Wild West of South America

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May 13, 2024 -  Laguna Colorada in the  Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve After our month in Patagonia, we returned the camper van and intended to spend some time checking out some spots in northern Chile, however, plans took a turn when I decided to accept a teaching position in DCPS for the next school year. You can read all about it here if you're interested (including what I'll be teaching), but the short of it was that I unexpectedly had to return to the US for a few days for my employment clearance. Leaving Santiago, Chile, I took a return ticket to La Paz, Bolivia for 6 days later in hopes that Johnny would easily be able to meet up with me there and we could resume our South American trip together.  Because our buses were booked separately while Johnny was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his few days of "freedom" as he called it, we ended up on two different overnight buses from Puerto Varas to Santiago, arriving just 30 minutes apar
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