Bassman note: I somehow neglected to ever post this. I think it was mostly because it was such an inauspicious day with a lot of travel, and we got busy. Sorry.

Today was a travel day, leaving our hotel at 8:30 for the flight to Iquitos, where we boarded the riverboat we’ll be on for three nights. The Aqua Nera is a 20 cabin, 40 passenger boat that cruises the Amazon. We’re taking the three day option, but you can also go for a full seven days (1).

The traveling itself was uneventful, but we left the hotel at 8:30 and didn’t get to the boat until after 4:00. After landing in Iquitos, we were taken – along with 30 or so other guests – to a restaurant on the central square in Iquitos for lunch. The food there was surprisingly good; my experience with places that tours stop at is that they typically are mediocre.

There was lots about this town that reminded us of Southeast Asia: the crumbling buildings and infrastructure, the abundance of tuk tuks, and the heat and humidity. We are expecting temps in the high 80s everyday, with humidity near 100% giving a “heat index” near 100. It definitely felt like that to me. It didn’t feel as oppressive to Sally

The afternoon on the boat was spent getting unpacked, listening to some orientation and scheduling speeches, and having dinner. All of the twenty cabins are identical, distinguished only by which side of the boat and deck 1 or 2. Our cabin is lovely – roomy, bright (when the sun is shining outside) through the huge picture window, and with plenty of storage for our pretty limited luggage. Many of the people seemed to come with huge bags – 26” or more – and I can’t imagine they could unpack into this cabin.

At dinner you’re allowed to choose a table for two, or sit with other people at a table for four. We chose to sit with another couple, enjoyed the conversation, and had a nice dinner.

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(1) Seven days would be way too much for me.