4th March
Leticia was always going to be a stepping stone on our journey to Cusco so plans were quickly put in place to catch a ferry to Santa Rosa, a small island on the Peruvian side of the river where we’d complete immigration into Peru and catch our boat to Iquitos. After a few days relaxing by the pool and having a bimble around Leticia it was time to move on.
Ok, let me set the scene and our expectations. The arrangements were that we’d catch a taxi from the hotel to the dock in Leticia to arrive by 4.00am; catch the ferry to Santa Rosa to complete immigration; board the speedboat at 5.00am and 9 to 10 hours later arrive in Iquitos. Fairly straightforward we thought? The reality was that we were greeted by torrential rain the following morning and the taxi driver didn’t turn up. With the streets deserted there was nothing else to do but make our own way down to the dock. In spite of Goretex jackets we quickly reached that point when you just can’t get any wetter so when the ‘ferry’ turned out to be an open canoe we just accepted it with a wry smile.
It’s easy for me to write that sentence but in hindsight we have two young ladies with us and their fortitude and resilience on this trip constantly amazes me.
So the four of us and another couple piled our bags onto the canoe and in the pitch black started to make our way towards the lights of Santa Rosa. About 5 or 6 minutes into the journey the chap steering the boat said we were too heavy and in danger of sinking so he dropped me and the other couple off at one of the floating houses we were passing and continued on with Lorraine, the girls and the bags. There I was at just gone four in the morning, in the dark, stood next to people sleeping who had no idea what the hell I was doing there, praying my family and our bags would make it to the other end. At least we were temporarily out of the rain.
Eventually I heard the sound of a little 2-stroke engine heading our way. We were picked up and made the 10 minute journey to Santa Rosa, completed the necessary forms and boarded our boat believing the worst was now over.
We made good progress in the first few hours in spite of the boat’s roof leaking and people stringing plastic bags above them to catch the drips. Unfortunately about two thirds of the way there it became apparent that the crew of two were decidedly unhappy. There was much discussion about the engine and much more tinkering which meant we made several stops to pick up additional fuel and oil. At least the weather had picked up so when the engine finally gave up we were able to step outside onto the 4ft by 4ft deck and enjoy the sunshine as we drifted out of control the wrong way down the amazon. Fortunately the current usually pushed us into the bank and the chaps set to work finding a temporary fix. So that became the pattern for the next few hours; fix – travel – breakdown – drift – moor – repeat. Fourteen hours after we set off and with the lights of Iquitos about two miles in the distance the engine decided to stop playing altogether. There was nothing for it but to radio for help and await rescue. A boat arrived some thirty minutes later and towed us towards port. The police however had other ideas and we were quickly brought to a halt as we were boarded, searched and had our documentation checked. One of the passengers lost it big style and gave the police so much grief I thought he and potentially us would be thrown into jail for the night. At least we’d be warm, fed and dry! With the police satisfied we were allowed on our way and eventually pulled into Iquitos. We gathered our bags on the dock and were quickly surrounded by Moto-taxi drivers vying for our business. As the town centre was only a few blocks away we elected to walk, however the drivers had other ideas and two of them tried to take my rucksack. I didn’t take kindly to this and shouted oy! meaning oy, get your hands off my gear. It was only afterwards that I remembered that they probably thought I was shouting Hoy! meaning today. In there world they were trying to offer assistance and make an honest living, and had this crazy Gringo shouting ‘Today! Today!’ at them. Assuming me to be a lunatic they backed off and we were able to make the journey to the main square despite repeated interference from half a dozen drivers who just wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Having found a hotel and settled in, we reflected on the day. The general consensus was that we had come on the trip to find adventure, but there is a limit!