For those of you who don't know much about the south American continent, I'll start with some background info!

The Amazon River

The Amazon river, the largest river in the world by water flow (and second largest by length), travels through 9 different countries: Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador. But to be fair, only Peru and Brazil get a proper flow of the river within their expance.

Numerous villages are located on the banks of the Amazon, access to which is only possible by air or by water. The absence of roads leaves the lush rainforest relatively impenetrable (I'm saying relatively because objectively speaking the rainforest is suffering massive destruction and abuse due to soya bean plantations and ranching -- the list is never-ending, but let's leave all that for another article!). These villages retain a considerable amount not only of their natural wealth but also of their precious natal authenticity.

The river is calling me!

Flying is surely the fastest way but not the most adventurous one! On that account, it gets promptly rejected, dumped, humiliated and overshadowed by the alluring alternative of... the BOAT! I mean, who would say no to a five-day-long journey along the greatest of all rivers and through the most prestigious of all rainforests? Well, to be frank, lots of people would! Because....passengers sleep in their own hammocks that are set up on the open-air deck, they shower in tiny room-showers with cold river water, they receive three meat meals daily. The latter is the biggest bummer for me but I can't let food get in the way! The call for adventure is irresistible!

The route I will be taking begins at the city of Tarapoto which is 1000km away from Lima, the capital of Peru. From Tarapoto, there's a 3-hour-bus ride (130km) to the port village of Yurimaguas. From the port there are several options for getting to Iquitos. There's a fast river boat that takes only 3 days, but I will be taking the slower version, the old-timer! ;)

For those who aren't familiar with the south American timetables, let me give you a heads-up: they do not exist!! I was told, at the town of Tarapoto, that the boats to Iquitos depart from the village of Yurimaguas (only a few km from Tarapoto) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Vague much? When I asked about the times, the señor replied with a considerable amount of confidence "always in the evenings". When the source is not the most reliable one, I always double check the information I am given. But when all the available sources of information are far from reliable...then what?! Some said evening, others said afternoon, others even mentioned different days of the week! Yurimaguas, the village where the port is located, is only a couple of hours away so I decide to just go there and ask directly at the port.

My journey begins

It's Monday morning. I get there at noon. I am told that the boat departs in the afternoon and I can already board and set up my hammock. Fantastic! That's some luck! I'm one of the first passengers so I get to choose a good spot for my hammock.

And now waiting.. and waiting ...... and waiting . . . . . . and waiiiiting.... . . ... .. . . ... Hmmmmmm the sun has set, the boat is packed with hammocks and nobody seems to know why we're not heading off. Well, we've got our hanging beds so let's just sleep in them. And like so, my first night on the boat was spent at the port!

Sailing away!

In the morning there's hope that today will be the day of departure! And indeed it is. By noon we're sailing away.

Oh how exhilarating to be voyaging across the master of the rivers! There's so much energy surrounding me. The mystical waters, concealing an entire world underneath; the lush vegetation all around, thriving on the abundance of moisture and rainfall; the birds by the shore, hunting for fish and frogs; and left to my imagination are the myriads of animals that inhabit the tropical networks of trees and bushes.

My days on the boat

When I'm not bathing my eyes on the vigorous natural elements, I like to watch the people on the boat. I observe and meditate. There are little stories unfolding before my eyes but there's also the enticing opportunity of letting my imagination fly , and weave stories in my mind. I have the characters, I have the set and setting, all that's missing is a whimsical scenario! Time flies when you're hanging out with your brain in such ways ;)

I am not the only gringa (coloquial latin term for 'foreigner') on the boat. There's an Italian girl, Elena, who's also a solo traveler and a Canadian guy, John, who is making his way to Brazil to meet his latin crush!

Meals

One's got a lot of time on this boat! My self-entertaining activities get interrupted only by the meal times. There's chicken in each one of them (breakfast included) , something far from appetizing for a vegan. At first I wasn't going at all for food but then I thought I could take my portion and give it to someone else in the boat (each passenger gets one plate - no right to refill!). So I started sharing my meals with my sweet neighbours, two young boys. I was impressed by how much they could eat but hey they're growing lots at that age!

Stops

Other interesting moments on the boat are when we make stops at little villages. Some people get off, others come aboard. Along with the new passengers and the new cargo, some food sellers hop in the boat too. And in case you were wondering what the hell I've been eating for five days, here's your answer! They sell different kinds of snacks like grilled plantains, coconut chunks, pop corn and chips, and my absolute favorite..peach palms (pijuayos in spanish). Oh I love these; I can eat a dozen at one go.