In Iquitos

So, I´m in Iquitos! Trying to figure out ths keyboard is a challenge... =P

I got in last night, exhausted and starving after 48 hours of travel. Martin met me at the airport and had already found a hotel, which was nice. The cost of our hotel is 15 soles per night, for two beds. (10 soles for 1 person). That equals about $2.50 per person, which is sweet since we´ll be here for a while. It´s low-end but good enough, with a toilet and shower in the room, run by nice people.

This morning we went to the zoo. I´m not normally a huge zoo fan, but they have a really great one here with 100kg amazon fish, leopards, pumas, all types of monkeys, tapirs, coatis, pink river dolphins, anacondas, etc. and they´re all quite well kept in large cages on a jugle reserve. There was also a guy there charging 50 cents to pose with his large boa constrictors (we played with them for a long time), a "Tarzan vine" swing set up so that people can swing out over the jungle, and a beach where you can swim in a lake. If there´s time, we should go there together.

It´s warm and muggy here, but it´s totally bearable. Not scorching, just hot. I haven´t seen a mosquito since I arrived, even at the zoo. They say that the malaria risk here is minimal.

I´ll be trudging back out to the airport this afternoon to pick up my luggage, which was sent to Fort Lauderdale intead of Lima (wtf??? retards). So yeah, I´ve been wearing the same clothes since Monday and I´m really looking forward to brushing my teeth. My fingers and toes are all crossed, hoping that the paddles have arrived without being broken.... >=0

Later today I´ll be trying to track down Mike Collis to figure out how much work we can do on the raft in advance. Got to see what the rules are... whether we´re allowed to varnish it, etc. There´s an art market where it will be easy to find someone to paint the wooden paddles that we´re given for the race, so I´ll see if I can get the paddles before we arrive in Nauta for the race so that there´s time for them to be painted.

Gatorade is sold here, probably Powerade too. I haven´t seen any powdered stuff, but haven´t been through the big grocery store yet. Bottled water we can buy here easily. If you guys have any questions about the area, let me know. Internet service is good here, so I´ll be in touch regularly.

Iquitos is a nice place, busy but friendly. Julie, I can´t wait to see the expressions on your face during your first few days here! We´re going to have an awesome time.

Julie, have fun in Catalina!!! Lili, good luck with your marathon!!!