Okey Dokey, well we have officially arrived to the jungle. Yesterday we flew out of Lima at around 9 am from the air force airport. So we flew in a cargo plane, and I can definetely say that that was a first for me. Not exactly first class flying, but I can't complain at all because it felt quite adventerous.
The flight was only about two hours long, but it seemed to be a lot longer, mostly because I had to pee really bad for the last hour of the flight. Needless to say I don't think there was a bathroom for me to use, and even if there were I would not have been able to find it amidst all of the "cargo." There were boxes piled high all around us, a car, tons of luggage, and maybe about 60-75 passengers. Jorge and I found a comfy spot right on top of some big metal pipes, which we later saw on the bed of a truck being delivered off base somewhere. Some people were sitting on top of boxes, some people found a seat on the benches, and some were standing where they could find space. After all, who needs seatbelts right?
Here they are unloading the car...
The plane was pretty noisy inside, especially during take off. It was hard to hear Jorge talking right next to me. For as many people as there were inside, the temperature felt nice and cool. But that was before we approached Iquitos. I had no idea how close we were to Iquitos during the entire flight, but I did start to feel the temperature changing quite rapidly and I knew we had to be getting close. By the time we arrived it felt pretty hot and I thought we might be running out of air, turns out that is just how 85% humidity feels.
The landing was the softest I had ever experienced in a plane. Jorge boasted of course, "Now that's how an air force pilot lands." As soon as we stepped out of the plane it was like a heat wave just slapped me in the face. And I hadn't really seen or felt the sun for a month so I felt like a nocturnal creature that had just been shoved into the direct sunlight. I felt like I wanted to run for cover.
The runway....
The air force airport is on the outskirts of the city so we had to wait for quite a while for our escort to take us to the base. Really all the air port had was one waiting room, an outdoor porch, a big hangar, and the runway. So while we were waiting, it rained. A dark thundering cloud rolled in and began pouring on the tin roof above us. It was so loud and there were puddles and rivers and mud within just a few minutes time. So when our escort finally did arrive we began heading out on a muddy dirt road. We didn't get far because we got stuck behind a line of trucks that were stuck in the mud. So we had to take all of our things and flag down a mototaxi.
We finally arrived to the base, and now I am staying with Jorge and a few of Jorge's friends who are also transport pilots. Right now we are in a guest house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Luckily there happens to be a random internet cable coming from the ceiling, and that is how I am here writing right now. I don't know if internet will usually be this easy to find, so I thought I would take advantage. I will be here for a few days and then we have to find another place for me to stay. Jorge has a friend that lives alone here on base and she said that she wouldn't mind having a roomate. She even has a bedroom to spare. Sounds like that could be the best possible living situation for me. However, she is going on vacation and won't be back for a month. So, I may have to find a temporary apartment for about a month. But we will see what happens....
Here's the view from the front door...
Another friendly house guest...
Tried some jungle food tonight. Everything is fried here in the jungle. Great. Apparently you can even have fried alligator meat. I didn't have the courage for that yet, but I will work up to it. Not exactly sure the names of the items we ate tonight, but Jorge's dish involved fried bananas and chicken, mine was a typical salad with the exception of a ribbon like vegetable that comes from palms. And we had some passion fruit juice to wash it all down. It was tasty.
Got my first real look at the Amazon River last night. What can I say? Wow. It's amazing. It's so vast and green and intimidating. It's something I only dreamed about seeing one day so I definetely felt pretty impressed to be standing there taking it all in. I have only really been here for a day so I haven't taken many pictures of the city, but there will be plenty of time for that later. For now, here is the view from the city's "boardwalk" that overlooks the Amazon....
For those of you who are wondering about the little kitty "Panda" that we rescued....he is safe and happy with Jorge's grandma. She took pitty on him the same way Jorge did and she agreed to take care of him untill she finds somebody who wants him permanently. But I am guessing she will probably get attached to him pretty quickly and she will end up keeping him. I think I might miss him a little bit.
Well that's all for now. I have to go find an apartment and a job....I love you all!
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