As our speedboat rush to our final Amazon destination Jon and I were both thrilled to have 5 glorious days, before our pre-booked flight, in one place off of a boat. After approximately 3,900 miles on the Amazon we had just about as much river as we could take. We were greeted by a moto-taxi driver (Iquitos has 50,000 motor bikes, not a peaceful place) who tried to convince us to go to a hotel other than the one we had pre-booked. We insisted on our current one but showed slight hesitation when we saw the outside.
We walked into a long dark windowless hallway. The owner, all 5 ft. of him, greeted us shirtless and ushered us into the first room off the hallway. Also, windowless with the exception of a screen window in the hallway. As we were spending 5 days the common areas, kitchen and outdoor space were important to us. We inquired and the owner told us we could not see them as they were pulling things apart cleaning. Suspicious. We returned later to find the kitchen not much better than the rest of the place and there was an outdoor space if I wanted I could have a lovely time just standing in it. Overall, we felt as if we were staying in someone’s cluttered home who was not sure if they really wanted us there.
I wanted to stay in this B&B as they offered reputable Ayahuasca sessions, the main reason I wanted to go to Iquitos. There is a more medical analysis but basically you drink some hallucinogenic plant and go into a hot tipi like tent and work through your issues during a ceremony lead by a Shaman. The retreats (the real ones) are typically several days long and you are required to stop all medications including over the counter several weeks to several days in advance. In addition, you need to eat clean, no sugar, no salt, no caffeine.
By this point Jon and I had caught a nasty cold, which the Shaman had said was “river sickness”, and were overdosing on vitamins and anything the pharmacies would give us, which happens to be a lot. Jon was out of the session due to his high blood pressure but I was ready to throw caution to the wind and jump right in. Jon convinced me that it might not be such a good idea considering I had just popped about 7 pills that morning.
After switching hotels, we ended up spending the time in Iquitos finding a more reputable Shaman center for when I return someday, getting caught up on personal items, nursing our colds and doing a few small outings. Jon was in heaven as this allowed him to watch an excessive amount of movies.
From top left; view of the river from the boardwalk, Casa de Fierro built by Eiffel for the 1889 Paris exhibition which is now a pharmacy, I think this one speaks for itself, pool at La Casa Fitzcarraldo from the movie where we spent the afternoon, me at the Mercado Belen which is huge and sells everything, typical family on a motorbike, this is nothing we commonly saw families of 4, mothers nursing, babies hanging off the side and one women with a broken leg and crutches.
Where we stayed No 1, Cristal Corazon B&B, which has seen better days but was recommended from two sources. We had a dark private fan-cooled room with a bathroom for under $20 a night not including breakfast. We did not have a window but were lucky enough to have a screen into the Hall so that we could provide free entertainment to anyone who walked in the front door.
The outside of the B&B, reviews said don’t let the outside scare you away but I think the outside pretty much speaks for itself. Me in the hall waving to Jon in the room.
Where we stayed take two, El Colibri, which had a window to the outside, private bath and air-conditioning for about $30 a night not including breakfast.
View of the hotel.
Journey with Christina 