Adventures in the Amazon: A Trip to the Market

by Kraig Becker on

Iquitos, Peru is, without a doubt, a unique city. Its colonial heritage can be seen at every turn, and its jungle roots can still be felt, despite the fact that modern conveniences have become a part of everyday life. No where is this contrasting lifestyle more evident then in the Belen district, home to a sprawling market that is loud, colorful, and hot.

The Belen Market is by far the largest in Iquitos, and people come from all over the city, and the surrounding jungle, to buy and sell their goods there. it can be approached by land or boat, and many of the merchants sell their goods from floating platforms and their own boats as well. When I visited Belen, it was Palm Sunday, and very crowded, so we elected to stroll through on foot rather than approach from the river.

The narrow streets are lined with stalls, and the crowds jam in tightly, examining the merchandise and haggling over prices. Thick plastic tarps are used to create makeshift awnings, and they prove their worth on the 270 days a year that it rains in the Amazon. While I was there, however, it was sunny, and hot, and those colorful tarps just trapped in the heat and cast an eerie blue or red glow over the entire place.

If the colors and heat don’t overwhelm you, the sounds just might. As you walk past the hundreds of tables, well stocked with a variety of goods, the merchants shout out prices and beckon for you to come nearer. The shoppers tend to shout right back with counter offers, which are met with a variety of reactions ranging from jubilation to outright disdain.. Some of the stalls have an old radio which contributes to the cacophony of the market, blaring out the unmistakable sounds of Latin music. The occasional scooter or motorbike adds to the din, puttering up the crowded streets, leaving exhaust in their wake.

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The real draw to this colorful market is the amazing array of things for sale. There are colorful fruits of all shapes and sizes, locally grown tobacco in a number of forms, unique meats, like monkey, turtle, and caiman, and of course, dozens of varieties of fish as well. The Amazon is the home for hundreds of species of fish, and most of them find their way into the market in a variety of sizes. Piranha were in abundance of course, as were Paiche, a species that can grow several meters in length.

One of the more interesting, and out of the way, sections of the Belen Market was a narrow alley where the merchants were selling home remedies and other concoctions. The stall that I stopped at had all kinds of odd looking elixirs poured into old coke bottles and a variety of jars. Most of them didn’t look appetizing in the least, but the young woman behind the table assured me that they could cure baldness, heal a variety of ailments, or serve as a powerful aphrodesiac. Each was made with planets and fruits gathered from the rainforest, and created from a formula that is passed down from one generation to the next verbally, and is committed to memory.

If you visit Belen, be sure to go early. I spent the morning there taking in the sights and marveling at the endless variety of things to purchase, but by late morning many of the shops were closing up, as they were either already out of their wares, or they were endanger of spoiling. This was especially the case for the meats and fish. The warm afternoon sun would make them go bad quickly, so if there was any hope of preserving them, they have to be removed quickly.

Visiting an open air market in a foreign country has always an interesting experience for me, and Belen continued that tradition. You get to see a “slice of life” from the place you are visiting, and a sense of how the locals life. You also learn about the local quisine as well, and if you’re luck, you might even get to sample some. In Belen, you can easily see the still very strong connections between the people of Iquitos and the Amazon.

Next: We head out on the river at last!

Read more Adventures in the Amazon posts HERE

Adventures in the Amazon: Iquitos, Peru

by Kraig Becker on

The Amazon River Basin is an amazing place. It is a vast ecosystem with the most diverse array of plant and animal life found anywhere on the planet. It is also one of those iconic destinations that sparks visions of adventure, with thoughts of Indiana Jones raiding lost temples for golden idols. It was all of these things, and more, that spurred my recent visit to the Peruvian Amazon, seeking a little adventure of my own.

The Amazon River officially begins at the confluence of the Ucayalli and Marañon Rivers in the Maynas Province of Peru. The largest city and capital of that region is Iquitos, which also serves as the gateway to the Amazon headwaters. With a population of nearly 400,000, Iquitos holds the distinction of being the largest city in the world that is not accessible by road. The city sits on the banks of the river, and is encroached on at all sides by the rainforest. Visitors to the city must arrive by plane or boat, and many goods still need to be shipped in via the river.

Iquitos was originally founded as a Jesuit mission around 1750, but it remained relatively small until the 1860’s when it became the seat of government for the region. It remained a modest sized town until the early 20th century, when the rubber industry exploded, and the population of the city followed suit. The remnants of that era can still be found all over the city, with large mansions still in use, and colonial architecture dominating certain districts as well.

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Today, tourism has become one of the biggest industries, with adventure travelers making the journey to gain access to both the Amazon River and Jungle. But even with the increased tourist trade, Iquitos is still far off the beaten path for most, as many who go to Peru are there to hike the Inca Trail and pay a visit to Machu Picchu. Indeed, in my time in the city, I saw few people who could easily be identified as tourists at all.

Iquitos is clearly a town steeped in tradition. On Saturday nights the Plaza de Armas, one of the major town squares, is lit up like a carnival, with music playing, bright lights flashing, and food and drink in abundance. On Sunday morning, the same plaza hosts an elaborate flag ceremony, with soldiers and sailors stationed in the city, marching the square, while the flags of Peru, the Maynas Province, and the city are run up the pole to great pomp and circumstance. Locals line the street watching the proceedings, as if they are watching the weekly ceremony for the first time.

Despite the fact that Iquitos is a fairly large city, the people that live there still have a sense of harmony with the Amazon. It may be the largest city in the region, but it is still a jungle town at heart, and that is reflected in the way its inhabitants live. Many of their homes are literally right on the water, and plenty still depend on the jungle in one fashion or another, for their livelihood. The town markets are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and other meats harvested from the Amazon.

Iquitos is indeed a fascinating and lively place, with a rich history. But its real allure is the huge natural resource that surrounds it, and in upcoming stories, I’ll share my experiences there. It is filled with life, both plant and animal, but also plenty of people as well. And the diversity of all three is amazing to behold.

Next: A Visit to the Market

Read more Adventures in the Amazon posts HERE.

Talking travel with David Grann

by Brenda Yun on

David Grann, author of the now New York Times Bestselling book “The Lost City of Z” and contributor to various publications such as The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, and Boston Globe, was gracious enough to set aside some precious time to correspond with me via email to talk travel and his latest travel and writing endeavors. This correspondence took place a few weeks ago, but I’ve only just now had the opportunity to post this Q&A.

BY: Thanks for taking time away from your busy book tour to correspond with Gadling. Where are you now, and what are your travel plans (both book and non-book related) for the coming year?
DG: I’ve been working on an article for The New Yorker that has led me to Texas and Oklahoma, two places I’ve never spent much time. I don’t yet know where my next destination will be, as I tend go wherever each new story leads me.


BY: Can you briefly describe for our Gadling readers the kind of traveler you are? How often do you travel? Where is your dream destination? What is your preferred mode of travel?

DG: As I describe in “The Lost City of Z,” I’m not an explorer or an adventurer. I don’t climb mountains or like to camp. But while I’m working on stories, I tend to go places and do things I never would otherwise. I’ve chased giant squid in a violent storm off the coast of New Zealand, crawled through tunnels thousands of feet beneath the street of Manhattan, and searched for a lost city in the middle of the Amazon. I never think of any of these places as my dream destination, but perhaps that is partly why I’m so drawn to them: they transport me into an unfamiliar world.
BY: Based on all of the failed missions to the Amazon to uncover the truth behind the Lost City of Z, why did you feel so compelled to embark on an expedition of your own?
DG: When I first started researching what has been described as “the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century,” I never thought that I would venture into the jungle. My intention was simply to write about Fawcett and the countless numbers who had perished trying to find evidence of his missing party and the City of Z. But one day, in the house of a Fawcett descendent, I uncovered a hidden trove of Fawcett’s diaries and logbooks. These held new clues about his fate and the whereabouts of Z. It was only then that I decided to do something totally out of character and head into the jungle.

BY: How would you qualify “The Lost City of Z” as a traveler’s tale?

DG: The book is partly a travelogue about a little known part of the world; it is also a biography of a once legendary explorer who has since been largely forgotten, and a guide to some of the archeological research that is exploding our perceptions about what the Americas really looked like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

BY: What did you learn about yourself as a writer/traveler? Would you do anything differently if you had another opportunity to travel in a similar fashion?
DG: I learned a lot about the nature of obsession. I had read about biographers who had been driven slightly mad by their subjects, and that’s how I sometimes felt chasing the specter of Fawcett. And if I could go back in time, the one thing I know I would do differently is make sure that I never became separated from my guide and got lost in the wilderness.


BY: The opening of your book describes an experience you had in the jungle when you felt you were in over your head. You asked yourself, “What am I doing here?” This is something nearly every traveler thinks at least once in their lives. Despite the fears and anxieties one might feel abroad, do you feel traveling is an essential part of the human experience? How so?

DG: I think that the desire to venture to distant places, and to hear stories about such journeys, are deeply ingrained in us. There is a reason why quests are so central to ancient myths and fairy tales, and why people for centuries have made journeys even at the risk of their own lives.

BY: What do you hope readers and travelers will learn from reading “The Lost City of Z”?

DG: I hope that they will learn not only about Fawcett, who was one of most daring and eccentric explorers ever to set foot in the Americas, but also about the Amazon-a wilderness area virtually the size of the continental United States. Even today, the Brazilian government estimates that there are more than sixty Amazonian tribes that have never been contacted by outsiders. Sydney Possuelo, who was in charge of the Brazilian department set up to protect Indian tribes, has said of these groups, “No one knows for sure who they are, where they are, how many they are, and what languages they speak.” In recent years, archeologists, using satellite imagery and ground penetrating radars to pinpoint buried artifacts, have begun to make discoveries that are overturning virtually everything that was once believed about the Amazon and its early inhabitants.

BY: What will be your next project? Has this book made you more or less ambitious to explore other parts or histories in the world?

DG: I’m still not sure what will be my next book. As with “The City of Z,” I often don’t realize I’m fully in the grip of a story, until I’m doing something I never thought I would, like following in the footsteps of an explorer who disappeared in the jungle some eighty years earlier. Yet researching the book-including studying the Victorian era and staying with many of the same Amazonian tribes that Fawcett had on his fateful journey–has only deepened my curiosity about the world.

Mr. Grann’s latest news and events can be found HERE. You can read my review of “The Lost City of Z” HERE. I would like to thank Mr. Grann taking time from his busy book tour and writing schedule to correspond with me, and look forward to his next installment.

Gadling Take FIVE Week of March – April 3

by Jamie Rhein on

Perhaps you noticed our annual April Fool’s offerings. Although there are some odd TRUE stories here at Gadling every once in awhile–sometimes daily, nothing this past Wednesday was true. At least, I don’t think China is planning to put an escalator up Mt. Everest.

Here is a sampling of what has been true this week.

  • Annie has happily continued to sample jerky. This week’s post on Oberto Beef Jerky made me hungry and itching for a road trip.
  • If you have not taken the time yet to watch the video in Jeffrey’s post “Afghanistan, an accordion, ‘Elvis’ and Johnny Cash,” do. It’s a wonderful example of an unexpected cross cultural-exchange.
  • For anyone 30 years or younger, Allison has news about a way you can win a trip through STA. There is a free trip being given away every day this month. With several days left, you might get lucky.
  • The golden arches of McDonald’s are almost a world-wide icon, although every country has its own version of some menu items. Aaron names some of them like Israel’s The McShawarma. He didn’t say if he tried some on his trip there.
  • In his post on tourism’s effect on the Amazon, Kraig talks about his upcoming trip to Peru where he’ll be traveling on the Amazon in a riverboat. We’re looking forward to what he discovers on this venture and shares with us here at Gadling.

And here’s one more. In case you missed this bit of news, our favorite pilot Kent Wien and his wife Linda won the Competitours race in Europe. Set up like an Amazing Race challenge, Competitours is offering a unique way to travel that Kent and Linda were happy to try. We’re certainly proud!!!

Tourism’s Impact on the Amazon

by Kraig Becker on

Ecotourism has become quite a buzz word over the past few years, and with an increased awareness of global climate change, many of us are more acutely aware of the impact of our travels then ever before. This is especially true when we journey to remote, fragile ecosystems, such as Antarctica or the Amazon, the latter of which is the subject of an article in the The Guardian today.

In the story, travel writer John O’Mahoney travels to Brazil to experience the greatest ecosystem on the planet, but in doing so, he’s also came face to face with the various threats (deforestation, encroachment by man, pollution, etc) that have put the health of the rain forest in jeopardy. He also can’t help but wonder if by visiting these places, we are contributing to their demise.

O’Mahoney visited the Mamirauá Preserve in Brazil, and got a chance to see some of the eco-friendly tourist options that are available there now, such as floating lodges that work hard to ensure that they have as little of an impact on the region as possible. The author makes it clear that now all the lodges in the region are eco-friendly, and encourages travelers to do their research, but the gist of his story is that it is indeed possible to now visit these locations, and have little impact on the environment and the species that live there.

The story was especially timely for me, as I leave Friday for the Amazon myself. I will not be staying in one of these lodges however, but will instead be living aboard an Amazon river boat for my stay. I’ll also be much further upstream, as I’ll be in the Peruvian Amazon, but I’m already looking forward to investigating this issue as well. Stay tuned for an update on my return.