6/15/2014 Iquitos

Today was a second leisurely day in Iquitos. We tried unsuccessfully all morning to upload photos to our blog from our excursion on the Clavero to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. However, we were continually defeated by the low bandwidth at the Casa Fitzcarraldo and the large size of our photo files. Hopefully, we will figure out soon how to reduce their size so as to facilitate their transfer.

We had lunch at an impressive floating restaurant (El Fuego y Agua) offshore from the city and accessible only by shuttle boats. The clientele appeared to be from the elite of Iquitos, although the prices were reasonable and the food very good. There were numerous local families there using the swimming pool built into the floating structure.

After lunch, we visited the Museum of the Amazon, the historic Ayapua river boat, a museum tied up to shore , and the Casa Moray hotel. Interestingly, all are owned by the same Englishman who owns the Clavero. He has obviously made quite an investment in Iquitos tourism infrastructure. The Museum of the Amazon has extensive displays of the clothing, headdresses and other adornments, pottery, hunting gear, etc. from a wide range of Indian cultures from throughout the Amazon region. We took photos which we hope to post soon.

The Casa Moray is a recently opened boutique hotel in a renovated warehouse and residence of the rubber boom years.

After dinner at the hotel, we and several other guests watched, in an improvised theater, the movie Fitzcarraldo after which our hotel was named. Walter Saxer, owner of the hotel and executive producer of both Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: Wrath of God, set up the showing as he has undoubtedly done hundreds of times for earlier guests. Walter is quite a character and had much to say about the making of the two movies, which we hope to share at a later date.

One correction: Iquitos has 600,000 people, not the much lower figure cited previously.

Iquitos taxi.

Iquitos waterfront.



Door of the Iron House.