On to Iquitos

This morning was our last in Lima, though I will have many a long layover there in the next few weeks, so who knows, maybe I'll end up there for an hour or so again. Anyways, I didn't sleep super great last night since I was so hot! I realized late in the night that one of our roommates had closed the window, subsequently turning the room into a humid furnace. I opened it and just as it finally cool down slightly she closed it again. It was a tiny bit noisy, but she had ear plugs and I didn't have a refrigerator, so I wasn't super happy. They left early though and I reopened the window.

Anyways, after that I woke up around 7AM to finish my presentation and have some breakfast. We then packed and around 10AM decided we wanted to get some early lunch ceviche. We got a cab to La Mar Cebicheria (they have one in SF too!), but they didn't open until noon. We tried another place and they said the same thing, which was disappointing. Oh well. We thought it was a bit weird since we were told earlier that people from Lima don't eat ceviche after 1 or 2PM, but I guess things don't have to make sense. 

After our ceviche bust we walked the 25-30 minute walk back to the hostel. Along the way we stopped at a grocery store where we got some bread, spreadable peppered cheese, and avocados for sandwiches for the plane, as well as some tamarind, satsumas, and these mini watermelon things that turned out to taste like cucumbers. We also stopped by the cat park to see the kitties, but most were sleeping since it was hot out.  

When we finally got back we paid for the three nights stay and the waters we had purchased, and then caught a cab to the airport. Once at the airport I found a place to wrap my bag that was falling apart and then we checked our luggage. I had to pay about $37 for being overweight, but it wasn't too bad, and I got rid of all the over weight stuff in Iquitos. We saw our Kiwi friend from the food tours at the airport again and said hello, and then went to our gate. 

Getting on the plane meant taking a bus to the Tarmac. They loaded the bus way before it left, which was annoying, but we eventually got there. We were sitting together and no one was between us, so we had good space. I fell asleep for most of the flight to Tarapoto where we had a short layover (we got to stay on the plane), and I had my sandwich which was actually really yummy! I slept some on the next flight as well and we eventually made it to Iquitos. 

Getting on the plane to Iquitos

On arrival we met our driver as well as two girls from North Carolina, one of whom lives in Iquitos doing missionary work. They knew our driver so he have them a ride on our way to the hotel and it was nice to hear about the city from their perspective. The hotel is pretty nice, though basic, but it has AC and a safe for my electronics, so I'm more than happy. 

Once we put our stuff down we set out to bring the donations to the Amazon Promise office, but it was then pouring! I put on my rain jacket, but apparently it is not so waterproof, because my arms were really wet. My pants and shoes are still soaked hours later. I'm hoping they don't get all mildew-y and and praying for some good overnight drying. Thank goodness we got those donations there though because my suitcase was really falling apart. I noticed as we were taking the bags the four blocks to the office that one of the wheels fell off on the flight here. Luckily I was getting rid of it now anyways! 

After dropping the donations we went back to the hotel and connected with Stephane and Lindsey and the rest of the team. We all went out for dinner at a local Italian place where I had a yummy calzone. I also finally got a Pisco Sour and its National Pisco Sour day, so that was fun. After dinner we picked up some big waters and now it's time for bed. Tomorrow is a city tour and I'm hoping to avoid rain, though it doesn't look promising! Suck a stark difference here from Lima, where the average yearly rainfall is 2mm!!