Hi everyone!
I came to Iquitos this morning on Viva Air Peru flight VV400. It was a fantastic flight, with the best legroom I have ever seen, a great BOB service, and the most amazing views of the exact point where the Amazon river is born!
But now it's time to fly back to Lima after a surreal day in this city in the middle of the jungle.
By the way, this flight is the fourth leg of this trip around Peru. Here are the links to the other legs:
? ?? Santiago (SCL) ? ?? Arica (ARI) on LATAM
? Bonus: Tacna
? ?? Tacna (TCQ) ? ?? Lima (LIM) on Peruvian Airlines
? Bonus: Lima (Miraflores; Historic quarter)
? ?? Lima (LIM) ? ?? Iquitos (IQT) on Viva Air Peru
? Bonus: Iquitos (Amazon Rescue Center; Downtown)
? ?? Iquitos (IQT) ? ?? Lima (LIM) on Viva Air Peru (You are here)
? Bonus: Pilpintuhuasi
? ?? Lima (LIM) ? ?? Tacna (TCQ) on Peruvian Airlines
? Bonus: Erotic Incas?! (Larco Museum, Lima)
? ?? Arica (ARI) ? ?? Santiago (SCL) on LATAM
? Bonus: Arica
? ?? Santiago (SCL) ? ?? Valdivia (ZAL) on JetSmart (Coming soon)
But before we head for the airport, let's float a little - they all float down here! (on the river, I mean ) - and visit a special wasi (house)
pre-flight bonus — a house for pilpintus
Iquitos lies at the point where river Nanay meets river Amazon. We'll visit a refuge for… pilpintus. Have you ever seen one? :D
To get to the refuge I have to take a boat like the one in this photo along river Nanay to a little place called Padre Cocha.
The ride lasts about 30 minutes.
Rivers are the highways of the Amazon.
Just like in normal highways, you can stop for a snack here and there…
…though these stops are usually out of reach for the locals. Wages in Peru are extremely low.
I forgot to ask about piranhas. Are there piranhas in this river? I hope there aren't, because I'm keeping my hand in the water!
And here we are at Padre Cocha.
It's a very little town…
…with narrow paths instead of streets.
I walk happily for some minutes… until I realize I'm lost! Luckily, a motokar comes my way and offers to take me to Pilpintuwasi. This path is the entrance.
Pilpintuwasi was born when the owner of this property, grew interested in local butterflies…
…and started doing research about them. She has found, for example, that many endangered species depend on one single, particular kind of plant to eat and lay their eggs. This has helped to understand how local ecosystems work.
Here's one of her babies. There are many of them around her, actually. In fact, pilpintu wasi is Quechua for butterfly house! A house full of pilpintus!
You can see them here in several stages of development. All of these are real, living baby butterflies…
…and the plants they depend on.
In time, Pilpintuwasi has welcomed other creatures that also needed a home.
A tapir.
A sloth.
This is the only decent photo I was able to take of a pilpintu. They are incredibly active!! Besides, there was a group of visitors at the moment, so the butterflies were always flying around or away. This butterfly is brown on the outside, but blue on the inside.
You can see the owner of Pilpintuwasi showing her work, and explaining the same things I learned when I was there:
It was a beautiful experience but it's getting late. It's time to go back to Iquitos for a late lunch.
As you see here, you can also traverse the Amazon in style.
I wonder how much longer will the pristine jungle around Iquitos last.
I wish the city were as pristine as the jungle!
I understand that Iquitos is an isolated place, but it's also a tourist spot! The Bellavista Nanay area (from where the boats to nearby towns depart) could really use some investment!
We engage warp speed from Bellavista Nanay to downtown Iquitos along La Marina Avenue, but a sudden shower forces the driver to stop and deploy this innovative high-tech rain shield. And this is also where I almost broke my spine because of a pot hole. It hurt!
I found this plastic cockade in the mud around the dock. I think that Peru is awarding it to me for my reporting services. I'll wear it proudly.
Upon arriving downtown I ask the motokar driver if he knows some place where I can try the local cuisine. At that very moment we are passing by a well-kept old building. He stops and says: That seems to be a restaurant!
The atmosphere inside is relaxed. The furniture is of good, heavy wood. There's low, calm music playing, and some affluent-looking people are talking in an affected way around a table at the other end of the room. "Should I stay or should I go?" I think to myself. But the menu is very convincing. They specialize in local food, which is precisely what I'm looking for.
This is their statement hanging on the wall. The name Iquitos is based on the name of the local original inhabitants, the Ikíitu (ee - KEE - ee - two) people, and this is what the restaurant was called because they want to promote the local cuisine.
So, what does the Amazon have to lure my empty, yet flabby belly? I love trying new foods and flavors, so I choose the weirdest name in the menu. I order ungurahui juice. And it's heavenly!! Later, I learn that it's the fruit of a palm! Here's a photo.
Then comes a big glass of arazá juice (I'm terribly thirsty!) along with the main course, which consists of yucca and other wonderful vegetables, aaaand these nuggets… that are not chicken… nor fish… nor pork… nor anything I have tried before. They are a huge revelation! The meat is a bit like chicken, but much better. Can you guess?
It's lagarto, which is Spanish for alligator or lizard. What kind of alligator? No idea! I only know that it was de - li - cious!
That's how coronaviruses start spreading among people. I feel guilty now! XD
This video shows how lagarto meat is sold at a local market.
iqt
After dining on the maneater and going for one more stroll around the city, I hail my last motokar of the day…
…and gladly surrender one more percentage point of my hearing capabilities…
…for a final ride in this noisy but unforgettable means of transport. 12 Soles (4 USD) to the airport. Una ganga!
For your information, IQT is not any airport.
It's the largest airport in the Amazon. Show some respect.
It's located 7km from downtown Iquitos…
…and serves about 1 million people every year.
A (blurry) sight of the main hall…
…to the right…
…and to the left.
A bit further left you find some services…
…souvenir shops (exceptionally good prices for an airport!)…
…ATMs, cafeteria…
…even bank offices!
…and an assortment of shops. Here on the right you see the access…
…to the boarding room.
Bottom left is the arrivals area that we saw in my previous report.
People are enjoying the warm tropical evening outside. Not me. 25°C is already too much for me, let alone 30 with this level of humidity.
It's supposed to be cooler inside…
…but they keep the doors open all evening. There only air conditioning system…
…are those fans!! What's the point of blowing hot air to an already languishing passenger? I'm soooo tired…. it's so hot in here….
…and nobody seems to care!!!! I think I'm gonna die here. Steamed like a dumpling.
At long last! They open the counter at 7:23.
That short-haired lady is determined to prove that her bag complies with the airline's baggage size policy. She forces the bag into the measuring bin savagely… and it gets stuck! And it gets stuck FOREVER!! When it's my time to go to the counter, she and that airline lady are still pulling and huffing and sweating… in vain. Where are men when you need one?! XD
Boarding pass.
Can you hurry, please? I really want to get into that plane.
The boarding room is spacious…
…and it's divided into at least two different areas…
…with all the amenities you might expect…
…including a cafeteria that sells home-made food.
This reminds me that I will arrive at my Arbnb after midnight, and I'll be hungry. So I buy these two examples of a local delicatessen called juanes. At first I thought it was one juan, two juanes, but it turned out to be one juane, two juanes. These banana leaf packets look interesting, but they are filled with simple chicken and rice. I had been told they were wonderful, but I didn't like this airport version very much.
Peruvian Airlines will be late, as usual, but at least it's confirmed.
Enter text here…
boarding
Oh, God. Thanks for this view! I'm so tired.
The apron is lit with an ugly yellow light. I wonder if there's some practical reason for using yellow light.
Somebody help that lady!
Our turn.
Goodbye Iquitos. You're interesting, but one day of you is enough for me.
If I'm coming back? Mmm… maybe. For some more lagarto, perhaps!
The seats in this cabin are much closer to what I've seen in other cabins. In my deep ignorance, I just fail to understand what that square in front of me is for, and the purpose of that space with the sign "Do not remove." Whatever was in there seems to have been removed already!
And, boo hoo, no trace of the great legroom in my inbound flight.
The tray table is larger, at least…
…and decorated by a local artist.
Safety card.
The armrest is showing signs of wear.
Not squeaky clean. But, exhausted as I am, I deeply appreciate the possibility to recline my cushioned, non-ironing-table seat.
While waiting for takeoff, I see this phenomenon for the first time ever. Lots of steam coming out of the air conditioning vents!
It's not just "a little" steam!
I guess it's due to the high humidity and the heat outside. The air moisture condenses into steam in the cooler cabin. And I'm right. Here's the scientific explanation.
no empanadas
We take off in the middle of the night. Not much to see outside. Shortly after takeoff the FAs hand out the menus. The alligator is long gone by now, so a little snack will be welcome. What about some Peruvian empanadas?
Or the veggie that I tried this morning and was so good? I think I'll go for it.
Aaaand… there you are, little friend!
Veggie? "No hay, señor." Empanadas? "No hay, señor." I'll have to make do with a lame cheese sandwich, the only thing that "sí hay, señor." :(
Nothing special, this coffee. LATAM's Colombian Juan Valdez is much better.
Cecilio thinks the size is not bad.
Let's see this beauty!
Isn't it lovely?!
Needless to say, I quickly fall asleep after this unforgettable day. I just can't believe the things I've seen, the people I've met… and the food I've eaten!!
The landing announcement wakes me up. LIM is as yellow as IQT.
We're welcomed at a remote position.
Straight to the exit…
…and I call an Uber with my last 4% of battery!!! I couldn't charge it at IQT because I forgot my adapter. :(
Only one last piece of advice if you're planning to visit LIM. Carefull with the traffic. I can never repeat that enough when it comes to Lima!!
Gracias for reading! :D
Hi Alvarez,
Thank you for this report and the bonus at the beginning of the report!
The sandwich they served was really... basic!
I didn't know that LATAM serves Juan Valdez coffee on there flight! The only time I took LATAM was from Salta to Buenos Aires and I don't have any memory of there coffee.
And for Iquitos, I would like to visit, but I would stay 2 days minimum ;-)
Hi NKGflyer
Glad you liked it! Iquitos can be an enjoyable destination, indeed, especially if you're a lover of nature. The Amazon jungle in Peru is very different from the scattered depressing patches of jungle that I have seen in Argentina and Brazil. And if the heat and mosquitos are not a serious inconvenience for you, I think that a ride in one of those elegant, well-equipped boats in one of the photos is a great idea to get immersed in the forest, away from the "civilized" polluted world.
Juan Valdez is one of the (few) good things about latam. They serve it in domestic flights within Chile, at least. I think I've seen it on international flights, too, but I'm not really sure.
Of course! hahaha This was just a crazy getaway because I found the exact timing. I had already booked another activity in Lima for the next day, so there was no way I could stay in Iquitos for longer.
Thanks for reading!! :D
Oh, by the way, it's "Hi, Nelson", not "Hi, Álvarez". Álvarez is my family name and Nelson is my given name (which I deeply hate, anyway!) But Fernando is my middle name. You can call me that if you like. Cheers!
Hi Fernando! ^^ I agree that Fernando sounds better than Nelson ;-D
I have tried Juan Valdez in Colombia it's good! I also brought back some.
I am fine with the heat (and the humidity I imagine!) but for the mosquitos I don't know... The place really looks very... original and not two touristic, that's exactly what I am looking for! The food is also a plus, but more generally Peruvian cuisine is so good!
Another name change done by Nelson? It's a good thing that you don't change your profile photo that often, so we still recognize it's you, though the profile photo you have now really matches well with that silver lining haha!
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I guess we could expect another report of your favourite airline! :p
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I still wonder if you ever manage to find a tray table that is untouched and clean... though knowing your luck over the past reports you posted, I guess it's a minimal chance!
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So I guess there is no equipment to support handicapped people? Can't imagine what would happen if someone in a wheelchair had to depart from IQT!
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Thanks for your entertaining report as usual!
Hi!
Yes, I guess I'm going through an identity crisis. Delayed adolescence, perhaps?? XDD
I must have been a very bad person in some previous life to deserve this. :'''(
Talking about luck, did you read the last Paris - Tunis report by Flying-Kolia?? It's amazing. Completely the opposite of my rotten luck.
I think they could deploy the slide and push them down... on a wheelchair!! hahahaha... That would save them the transfer home! XDDDD
Er... I think this explains my bad karma!!
Thanks for reading! :D
Hola Nelson!
I must admit, like Pilpintu much better than Shisdu, which made me think of a Shih Tzu ?. Pilpintu, meaning butterfly in some Andean languages fits you perfectly! ?
Ok, now no more changes...you're stuck forever ?
Though your routing is very pretty--too bad the flags only show up on mobile devices.
Well...the bright side is they haven't been late since October 2019...since they ceased operations
I've been intrigued by Viva Air as they've been expanding like crazy the past few years in Colombia and Peru. The market is obviously growing in this area and Viva has ridden a wave to success, but their quick expansion has meant sourcing used aircraft all over the place making for some product disparities--granted it's pretty bare bones regardless of whether it's a newer or older bird with IFE ripped out, like in this report. Your last 2 reviews are a perfect example that slimline seats provide more space. This aircraft with the older cabin has 180 seats but seemingly less legroom than the aircraft you had in the previous report with 188 seats with new cabins. Just a fun thing to note!
Thanks for sharing! It's nice to be able to travel to South America virtually!
Hm... that's funny. I can see all the icons (including the flags) correctly on Firefox and Chrome on a PC on Linux. I wonder if this is a Windows or Mac problem. Could you tell me what browser and what platform (Windows / Mac) are you using? Thanks.
An important thing to know! Thanks for the insight! :D
I'm using chrome on a WIndows PC...so yeah, it's probably a windows thing!