Tag Archives: Peru

27 Jan
Amazonia (Iquitos)

Amazonia

Iquitos, Peru

Nearly 2,000 miles up-river from the mouth of the Amazon lies the jungle-locked city of Iquitos. Accessible only by boat or plane, Iquitos holds the title of being the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road.

Iquitos was known for its rubber industry through the rubber boom of the first decade of the 20th century; it attracted thousands of immigrants from around the world, mostly young, single men who hoped to make their fortunes in rubber. The rise of the automobile and related industries had dramatically increased the worldwide demand for rubber. Some men became merchants and bankers, and made their fortunes that way. Many of the European men married indigenous women and stayed in Peru the rest of their lives, founding ethnically mixed families. The immigrants brought European clothing styles, music and other cultural elements to Iquitos.

The wealthiest Europeans built great mansions in the late 19th century, some of which survive. Casa de Fierro (Spanish for the Iron House) was designed by Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower.

After rubber seeds were smuggled out of the country and began to be cultivated in quantity elsewhere, the Peruvian boom came to an end. The city is still an important trading port in the Amazon basin.

Camera: Canon G9

Amazonia Iquitos, Peru Nearly 2,000 miles up-river from the mouth of the Amazon lies the jungle-locked city of Iquitos. Accessible only by boat or plane, Iquitos holds the title of being the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road. Iquitos was known for its rubber industry through the rubber boom of the first decade

12 Aug
The Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca

These floating islands are the home of the Uros tribe, one which pre-dates the Incan civilization. According to their legends, they existed before the sun, when the earth was still dark and cold. They were impervious to drowining or being struck by lightning. They lost their status as super beings when they disobeyed universal order and mixed with humans, making them susceptible to contempt.

These floating islands are the home of the Uros tribe, one which pre-dates the Incan civilization. According to their legends, they existed before the sun, when the earth was still dark and cold. They were impervious to drowining or being struck by lightning. They lost their status as super beings when they disobeyed universal order

07 Jun
Peruvian Culture – Arequipa

After booking a trip to the Colca Canyon (arguably the deepest canyon in the world, twice that of the ‘Grand Canyon) just north of Arequipa, we were picked up from our hostel at 2am to start the long drive up to see the Condors at ‘Cruz del Condor’. After about 1 hour of driving in the pitch black in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain, our driver decided to fall asleep and slowly drift over to the edge of the road.

Thankfully it wasn’t the edge of the mountain, but the side of the upwards slope that the driver was pointing towards, and with a massive sudden jolt of the wheel, and a minivan full of gringos snapped out of their sleep, I forced myself to stay awake and watch the driver for the remaining 4/5 hours of the journey.


After booking a trip to the Colca Canyon (arguably the deepest canyon in the world, twice that of the ‘Grand Canyon) just north of Arequipa, we were picked up from our hostel at 2am to start the long drive up to see the Condors at ‘Cruz del Condor’. After about 1 hour of driving in

28 Apr
Yagua Tribe, Amazon Basin

Towards the end of 2009 I spent a month in Peru, and I was lucky enough to also visit Iquitos located on the Amazon River in the Peruvian rain forest. Iquitos is the largest jungle city thats inaccessible by road.

After a near death experience on the plane over the jungle to get there, I finally arrived and took a trip into the Amazon Jungle. As part of this trip, I was welcomed by some of the Yagua Tribe, and invited to use their trademark blowguns. The Yagua Indians are an indigenous tribe who mainly live in the western Amazon basin. The Yagua people live a simple lifestyle supported by small scale agriculture, fishing and some hunting.

Below are some images taken from this trip to the jungle.

Towards the end of 2009 I spent a month in Peru, and I was lucky enough to also visit Iquitos located on the Amazon River in the Peruvian rain forest. Iquitos is the largest jungle city thats inaccessible by road. After a near death experience on the plane over the jungle to get there, I