People and noise

Dolphins

Yesterday I was tired, a touch hungover, listless and not really feeling like doing much, so in the middle of the afternoon we popped to the Amazon river and sat in a little boat while pink river dolphins swam around us.

For newcomers to the blog, I promise it won’t all be as smug as that opening line. In fact, it’s more a reminder to myself, than a brag at any of you (though yes, it probably is that too). It’s quite easy to get caught up in the grind of Iquitos and forget about the little bits of amazingness that are more or less on your doorstep. (Read more)

The Beautiful Game

Most Saturdays I play football (or fulbito I think it’s called here, basically 6-a-side) on a bumpy, patchy little grass pitch at IIAP ( the Institute for Investigations of the Peruvian Amazon) just out of town. One of the best things about this game is that it seems to be a genuinely Iquitenian thing. Sometimes life in the centre of Iquitos can feel a little touristy, so I’m glad to have this little social space where (as one of currently just two gringos amongst over twenty players) I am having one of those “real” cultural experiences that us overseas folk bang on about. (Read more)

Finally

I did it. (Read more)

Poetic Justice

A month ago Deysi, my Spanish teacher, asked if Helen might be available to judge a poetry competition at her school. I replied I was afraid she would be in the communities at the time, and, after a not inconsiderable pause, Deysi asked whether I’d be up for it instead. Now, under normal circumstances I might object to being such a clear second choice, but these are a little way from being normal circumstances. There’s no surprise that being much more fluent at Spanish, female (this was apparently an important factor, as it seems in Peru that poetry as largely seen as ‘a girls’ thing’) and probably considerably less likely to scare the children, Helen was by far the preferable choice. Anyway I said I’d be up for it (what the heck, I thought, it might be interesting, maybe even fun) and so it was that yesterday morning I found myself getting up at 0630 to make my way to Deysi’s school. (Read more)

On Sunrises

This morning I saw my first Amazon sunrise, and whilst I was watching it a couple of things occurred to me.

Firstly, I don’t remember seeing a lot of sunrises in my life. Maybe this is because they’ve mostly been unmemorable (this was certainly the case with a number of Sheffield’s attempts at sunrises as I trundled home from a night of clubbing) but happily, it’s probably mostly because I’ve spent most my life being pretty darn good at sleeping.

Secondly, maybe, just maybe, I might not have been missing out on all that much. (Read more)

Today was a Good Day

“So, you’re saying you like the climate, you like the people and you like the food?” said my Spanish teacher (in Spanish). “Well I’m glad.”
“You asked on a good day,” I replied. Also in Spanish. Possibly feeling slightly smug.

To be honest, I’ve got criticisms of all of the above which I’m sure will get a decent airing at a later date, but today’s just had such a nice vibe about it so far that I thought I’d spend a moment to share that. (Read more)

No hay atención por motivo el paro*

An odd day, but perhaps as good a place to start as any.

Today Iquitos was closed. The streets, normally roaring with hoardes of motortaxis, were quiet. The vast majority of shops were shuttered up. A few had signs in their windows like the one in the title (seen in a local bank) but most hadn’t bothered to explain themselves.

This is because everyone knew ther was a regional strike to support the indigenous peoples campaigning for their rights. Everyone, that is, except me and Helen. (Read more)