Amazon River Cruise by Art & Gloria Netzer

December 1, 2008

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Amazon River Cruise by Art & Gloria Netzer

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Amazon River Cruise by Art & Gloria Netzer

Our friend Art Netzer recently took a cruise down the Amazon and came back with these stunning images

Article rating: 9.44

We like to travel to different places and see different ways of life and a learn about different cultures. The Amazon Rainforest cruise promised to be one of our most memorable. So after an early morning flight from Lima to Iquitos we had a tour of the town and opportunity to visit the local market place. It was crowded, noisy, filthy with flies everywhere! Iquitos was founded in 1757 and is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest with a population of around 380,000. Iquitos is 348 ft above sea level and more than 1,864 miles from the mouth of the Amazon. Iquitos is also known as ‘the Island in the mountains‘. It is generally considered the most populous city in the world that cannot be reached by road. The only way to get to Iquitos is via the Amazon River or by air. Everything has to be imported or exported the same way. Iquitos is surrounded by three rivers: the Nanay, the Itaya, and the Amazon of which hundreds of smaller rivers flowing into all three. Travel within t he city itself is via bus, motorcycle, or auto rickshaw or walking.

Iquitos was known for its rubber industry through the rubber boom of the first decade of the 20th century, and there are still ruins of great mansions from people like Henry Ford who built plantations and factories to grow rubber trees for the production of rubber. The boom came to an end during World War II when rubber seeds were smuggled out of the country and planted elsewhere. Then came the discovery of synthetic rubber which was easier and cheaper to produce. Iquitos then became important for it’s lumber, oil, rum and beer production from the Amazon Rainforest to the outside world, and more recently it offers somewhat modern amenities for the residents and tourists in the area. A visit to the town square showed modern shops, street peddlers and of course the outdoor market. This is a picture of Gloria talking to a little boy who was very proud of having been featured in the local newspaper as "The Homeless Boy of the Month" !

Peruvian crafts are extremely diverse ranging from woven baskets, jewelry, blowguns and bows and arrows. There are fine carvings and furnishings made from palo sangre (blood wood) and fired ceramic pottery. The historic charm, mystery and romantic intrigue of Iquitos was evident everywhere we went.

There are many different native groups that live in the rainforest most of which are in sporadic contact with the outside world. These groups generally live on the banks of the Amazon river making daily or weekly trips in their small motorized dugout type boats or rafts bringing their goods to the market in Iquitos to trade or sell. That evening we boarded our boat 'La Turmalina', a very charming paddlewheeler.

This was to be home for the next 6 days. Little did we know what we could expect on the stops along the way. Our resident naturalist was with us throughout our journey. The first evening was a review of where we were and what we were going to see. He was helpful in pointing out some of the unique bird, plant, and animal species found in the Amazon rain forest. Throughout our journey we kept a close watch from the forest canopy to the jungle floor for the unforgettable flora and fauna of the Amazon.

The river was not lined with docks or anything that would come close to modern. It was just after the dry season so the water was approximately 20 feet lower than wet season tides and we were able to see farmers harvesting their crops in land which could have 20 feet of water during the rainy season. These families would then retreat to higher ground to live. All along the course of the river there are seasonal floods.

Although the temperature was comfortable the humidity was very high so the air conditioned dining room, lounge and cabins were very welcome. Whenever you left an air conditioned room you felt like a wet rag with steamy eyeglasses. So after the first day we learned to keep our cameras somewhat protected to avoid serious condensation. There were many side trips both day and night in small boats. One such trip was to go fishing for piranha. There are myths about piranhas eating cattle and other large animals while trying to cross the Amazon. This rarely ever happens. But there are times that smaller animal often don’t make the crossing. And you almost never see kids swimming because piranhas are really dangerous due to their great number and razor sharp teeth. Our experience of piranha fishing was to get a small hook with a little piece of bloody meat and just drop it in the water. The piranha are very quick and if you pull up your hook the minute you feel a nibble you can catch the little devils. Of the 10 of us that went we caught about 50 fish in 30 minutes. The crew cleaned them and served them for dinner that night. Just for the novelty everyone had one and although very bony it had a very sweet mild taste.

Almost all the time we would see natives fishing on the river banks. Catfish is plentiful year round and apparently one of the things piranha won’t eat. The natives eat them year round often several times a day. One if the highlight of the trip was to have lunch prepared by a local family. We met with the family who spoke no English and lived in a town that had electricity for only 1 hour each night. The father of the hut was 42 and his wife just 29 was holding her ninth child only 8 days old. They lived in a straw hut and prepared lunch for our group. It was a mixtures of all local foods and served on huge 6 foot leaves placed on the floor. We ate with our fingers and everything tasted good especially the catfish. When we asked our guide what certain mystery items were his answer was "I will tell you later".

The climate is hot and humid, with an average relative humidity of 85%. The wet season lasts from around November to May, (we were there in December) with the river reaching its highest point in May. Rainforests, are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 68 inches to 78 inches. However the Amazon also gets lots of water year round from all the rivers and streams from the Peruvian Mountains. This rainforests is home to two thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. The most beautiful creature that we saw were the pink dolphins that only exist here. It has been estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects and microorganisms are still undiscovered here. Tropical rain forests are called the "jewels of the earth", and the "world's largest pharmacy" because of the large number of natural medicines discovered there. There were several opportunities t o trek through the rainforest seeing beautiful butterflies, flowers, birds, insects, and snakes. We had to wear heavy leather leg protectors to avoid snake bites. On one such walk we were invited to plant a seedling tree to help in the renewal of the rainforest. We wondered if they survived.

A few of the group would venture out in small boats after dark to see some of the creatures not normally seen during the day. It was extremely dark in the jungle and filled with all sorts of night sounds. We were advised to keep waving our hands in front of our faces to help keep the bats from flying into us. When the guides spotted something moving they either caught it or shined lights on it for us to see.

One of our walks included crossing hand made rope bridges over the forest canopy. It was suggested that only 1 person go across at a time. Whether we were 20 feet or 100 feet above ground it was a little scary as these were quite long and very shaky bridges.

Back along the river we saw natives tying mahogany logs together and taking them upriver to Iquitos where they would shipped all over the world.

The native people and how they live is amazing! Most of them are practically self sufficient. They either catch or grow most of what they eat. There is no health care and they rely on the natural medicines that have been used for centuries and here are local spiritual and medial advisors. Very few villages have electricity and rely on taking water out of the Amazon setting it aside for 24 hours letting whatever sink to the bottom, then boiling it for cooking, washing and drinking purposes. Imagine that! The sunrises and sunsets and river reflections were mind boggling! We may never go back again but we wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

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