Coca
improvising a backrest After a fun-filled week in Quito we decided it was time to make our way into the jungle. After spending a day preparing for the trip, we hopped on a bus to Coca. The bus left late in the evening and arrived around 5:00am, which is usually too early to find a place to sleep so we chilled/napped at the bus terminal for a couple of hours. After the sun was up and things started moving outside we grabbed a cab to Hotel Florida ($12) near the river. It was without a doubt the filthiest place we've stayed yet, but it was at least a place to take a nap, shower and keep our stuff while we wandered around town looking for options to get to Nuevo Rocafuerte (NR). Coca is quite large and busy, and definitely not a tourist destination. We eventually found a couple of tourist offices and asked for information about tours and/or boats heading down the river. Tours into Yasuni National Park are expensive ($300 per person for 3 days) so we quickly ruled that out and decided to see if we could find a more affordable guide ourselves once we arrived in NR. We found that there was a boat through one of the transportation co-ops by the port due to head to NR the next morning (perfect!) and was only $15 each (though we later saw that some of the locals had paid as little as $4 each... we'd been Gringo’d again… but what can ya do).
Right after talking with the tourist office and buying our boat tickets, we decided to head back to the hotel and rest. We had just started down the street when a creepy looking guy on a motorcycle, who had been parked on a curb beside the tourist office, started his motor and began following very closely behind us. When I looked back it was super obvious that he had his sights set on us (though, as usual, we weren't carrying anything valuable along with us - just a small backpack with our Lonely Planet and Mandrew's slimy handkerchiefs). Before long, we noticed a little shop across the street with two big guys stocking the display, and we quickly crossed to duck inside. We pretended to look around for a few minutes but when we looked outside he was still there, staring at us maliciously. I smiled back as if to say “ok, we are on to you, it’s not going to happen so move on!” but he just stared back. I went back inside and told the store guys what was going on - they agreed we should stay in the store, and found us a place to wait where we couldn’t be seen from the street. We ended up having to wait over 20 minutes before the guy finally gave up! It was brutal how obvious he was - what the hell was his game? The storeowner said he was shocked by it, especially in this part of town, but we had been feeling a bit of an unfriendly vibe since we arrived. For the rest of the day we left the backpack at the hotel and stuck to busy streets.
Right after talking with the tourist office and buying our boat tickets, we decided to head back to the hotel and rest. We had just started down the street when a creepy looking guy on a motorcycle, who had been parked on a curb beside the tourist office, started his motor and began following very closely behind us. When I looked back it was super obvious that he had his sights set on us (though, as usual, we weren't carrying anything valuable along with us - just a small backpack with our Lonely Planet and Mandrew's slimy handkerchiefs). Before long, we noticed a little shop across the street with two big guys stocking the display, and we quickly crossed to duck inside. We pretended to look around for a few minutes but when we looked outside he was still there, staring at us maliciously. I smiled back as if to say “ok, we are on to you, it’s not going to happen so move on!” but he just stared back. I went back inside and told the store guys what was going on - they agreed we should stay in the store, and found us a place to wait where we couldn’t be seen from the street. We ended up having to wait over 20 minutes before the guy finally gave up! It was brutal how obvious he was - what the hell was his game? The storeowner said he was shocked by it, especially in this part of town, but we had been feeling a bit of an unfriendly vibe since we arrived. For the rest of the day we left the backpack at the hotel and stuck to busy streets.
Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte
setting off from Coca in our packed lancha The next morning at 7:00am we departed on a CRAZY packed lancha (like a really big canoe) to NR. We were told the trip would take 10 hours, so we arrived early and scored some seats near the front of the boat, maybe better for sightseeing. At first there weren’t too many people or things aboard, but as we waited to depart we realized that the massive crowd of people on the street above, as well as the mountain of stuff piled on the dock, was meant for our boat. To say the very least, it was insanely packed! And the boat wasn’t all that big. There were probably 30 or 40 women with newborn babies scattered in the crowd as well, and it seemed that no matter where you looked there was someone breastfeeding openly.
pushing our way to freedom With all the people and stuff aboard, it's a wonder the little boat could stay afloat. After running through some disaster scenarios - okay, if the boat tips, we swim off to the side and don't let any panicking people drown us - we learned that there wasn't much to worry about: the river was extremely shallow. In fact, within the first couple of hours the boat had completely bottomed out and remained stuck for 30-40 minutes, until the navigator dude and a couple of his friends jumped out and pushed the boat free. The second time we got stuck, some passing boats stopped to help us out - (we unloaded half our passengers and then combined motor power to haul us free). Finally, about 7 hours later we arrived at a small town and everyone started to get off - we thought we'd made it to NR at last! It turned out, though, that this was just our half-way lunch break…
After grabbing some food (rice and chicken for Mandrew, rice and beans for me), unloading some cargo (including a couple mattresses and a bicycle) and cramming on some new people, we continued on our way. From there on, the boat seemed to stop around every river bend to unload people or stuff, and bottomed out around every two bends. When the sun went down and we couldn’t see anything anymore we figured we would probably be spending the night on the boat. The load was finally lightening so we were able to stretch out our cramped legs after about 11pm. At around the same time we came to another town that looked reasonably sized, but of course, we were still a "few hours" away from NR. We may have previously mentioned, in passing, our general "Latino time" rule of thumb: (estimated time) x (two to three). In this respect, then, a "ten hour" boat ride taking only eighteen hours could be considered a relative success.
After grabbing some food (rice and chicken for Mandrew, rice and beans for me), unloading some cargo (including a couple mattresses and a bicycle) and cramming on some new people, we continued on our way. From there on, the boat seemed to stop around every river bend to unload people or stuff, and bottomed out around every two bends. When the sun went down and we couldn’t see anything anymore we figured we would probably be spending the night on the boat. The load was finally lightening so we were able to stretch out our cramped legs after about 11pm. At around the same time we came to another town that looked reasonably sized, but of course, we were still a "few hours" away from NR. We may have previously mentioned, in passing, our general "Latino time" rule of thumb: (estimated time) x (two to three). In this respect, then, a "ten hour" boat ride taking only eighteen hours could be considered a relative success.
Nuevo Rocafuerte
our first night in NR When we finally arrived in Nuevo Rocafuerte it was after 1:00am and not a light was on in the town. There were some other travellers on the boat that needed a hostel so we joined forces with them, until it was obvious that nothing was going to work out. Instead, we gave up and just set up our tent by the boat dock and tried to get some rest. A couple of hours later we heard the others knocking loudly on doors of an advertised “hostel” and finally they were able to wake someone up and secure a few beds for the rest of the night.
NR was pretty much as expected: a small river town with only a couple main streets running parallel to the river, and stretching a little ways along the bank. There were a couple of small stores, two hostels and even one place with wifi (though we never got to use it). Food was a little weird – there were a few little comedors with the usual two or three dollar rice and meat plate, but you had to arrive right when the food was ready or else they didn’t feel like serving you… That was a little weird for us especially since we were staying in the hostel attached to one comedor (the Chimborazo). One time, after denying us a meal, they proceeded to serve the next guy (a local) who went in, another time they told us to come back in 30 minutes, but when we did they were closed, and another time that we went they were angry with us for eating there and slammed our plates down when they served us… not such a nice vibe!
NR was pretty much as expected: a small river town with only a couple main streets running parallel to the river, and stretching a little ways along the bank. There were a couple of small stores, two hostels and even one place with wifi (though we never got to use it). Food was a little weird – there were a few little comedors with the usual two or three dollar rice and meat plate, but you had to arrive right when the food was ready or else they didn’t feel like serving you… That was a little weird for us especially since we were staying in the hostel attached to one comedor (the Chimborazo). One time, after denying us a meal, they proceeded to serve the next guy (a local) who went in, another time they told us to come back in 30 minutes, but when we did they were closed, and another time that we went they were angry with us for eating there and slammed our plates down when they served us… not such a nice vibe!
Yasuni Crew 2014 One of our first tasks in NR was to figure out when the next barca (cargo ship) would be leaving for Iquitos from Pantoja (the first town on the Peruvian side of the border). We heard that there was one due to leave in the next couple days, with the next one anywhere from 6 to 10 days (Latino time?) later. We decided to take the chance and miss the first one, giving us some time to make our way into the surrounding jungle.
We ended up finding two other backpackers also looking to head into Yasuni and set things up with a local guide. Upon returning to NR after a few action-packed days of watching pink river dolphins, giant river otters, caiman, and countless birds, we heard some more rumours that a barca would be leaving Pantoja the following Sunday or Monday, giving us five more days to kill. We thought it would make more sense to cross into Peru and wait in Pantoja, though we had been told that there was nothing in Pantoja (no stores, no comedors, no hostel, etc.) so we weren't sure what to do.
We ended up finding two other backpackers also looking to head into Yasuni and set things up with a local guide. Upon returning to NR after a few action-packed days of watching pink river dolphins, giant river otters, caiman, and countless birds, we heard some more rumours that a barca would be leaving Pantoja the following Sunday or Monday, giving us five more days to kill. We thought it would make more sense to cross into Peru and wait in Pantoja, though we had been told that there was nothing in Pantoja (no stores, no comedors, no hostel, etc.) so we weren't sure what to do.
a fine young cannibal? While we were sitting in our hostel room deciding what to do, a little girl about 6 or 7 years old who lived in the building (probably the owner's daughter) came upstairs to hang out. We chatted for a while and I showed her a few games on our Iphone that she seemed to already know. She was a very funny, friendly, and seemingly innocent little girl. Eventually, she told me about some Gringo friends she'd once had who were staying in the hostel and had taught her some English words “hello, how are you”, and that she has another friend in town who doesn’t like Gringos, and who took them out in a red boat and cut their heads off. She said the water turned all red with their blood, as if she'd personally witnessed the event, and seemed truly upset while she told me! She then added that they cut out their hearts and cooked them in the restaurant below us. I figured I must be hearing her wrong with my beginner Spanish so I got her to repeat it a couple more times, and then grabbed Andrew and got her to repeat it once more. We both understood more or less the same thing... Andrew tried to play it off as a child's overactive imagination, seeded by a nasty horror movie she'd seen, though I wasn't so sure. We were later told, upon sharing this story with some other travellers, that there's a tribe of head-shrinking cannibals not so far from NR, which perhaps lends some truth to the little girl's story...
Needless to say, that was our last night in Nuevo Rocafuerte. We decided to find a way to get to Pantoja the next morning (as long as it wasn't in a red boat). Expecting that Pantoja wouldn't have food for us we stocked up on groceries that night so we could be ready to hitch a ride on a whim in the morning (after getting our Ecuador exit stamps, of course). That evening we made some more friends, Diana, a travelling (since 2007) Colombian jeweller and midwife in training, Ernesto, an Argentinian fisherman/surfer dude, and Stefano, a funny Italian guy who made us pasta for dinner. Diana had used her gypsy skills to acquire a place to camp in someone’s yard by their abandoned house, so the five of us hung out by a campfire and ate some strange fruits and vegetables that Diana had picked from the trees that day. Later, Andrew and Stefano picked up a few beers and Ferrero Rocher chocolates to share. It was a very fun evening.
Needless to say, that was our last night in Nuevo Rocafuerte. We decided to find a way to get to Pantoja the next morning (as long as it wasn't in a red boat). Expecting that Pantoja wouldn't have food for us we stocked up on groceries that night so we could be ready to hitch a ride on a whim in the morning (after getting our Ecuador exit stamps, of course). That evening we made some more friends, Diana, a travelling (since 2007) Colombian jeweller and midwife in training, Ernesto, an Argentinian fisherman/surfer dude, and Stefano, a funny Italian guy who made us pasta for dinner. Diana had used her gypsy skills to acquire a place to camp in someone’s yard by their abandoned house, so the five of us hung out by a campfire and ate some strange fruits and vegetables that Diana had picked from the trees that day. Later, Andrew and Stefano picked up a few beers and Ferrero Rocher chocolates to share. It was a very fun evening.
Pantoja
checking out the small hilly town of Pantoja After a little asking around, we found someone willing to take us in their boat for $10 each, so we let Diana and Ernesto know since they, too, were going the same way. In the end the guy had to track down a larger boat to fit us all, and a few locals hitched a ride last-minute (including the older woman who had been preparing our meals at the hostel comedor, and who we logically deduced would be the one who would carve out our hearts, if it came down to it). Right before we left, Ernesto ran back to their hostel to tell Stefano that we were going (we hadn't realized he was also heading in the same direction - oops!). Sadly he was in the middle of doing laundry and couldn’t hop in.
The ride to Pantoja was quick, maybe 40 minutes, and from the the second we stepped off the boats we loved the place! We first saw the military buildings on a high riverbank just outside of town, nicely groomed and landscaped. And then we came to the town itself, a bit smaller than NR, but so much prettier! Trees and green everywhere, and every single person smiling and welcoming us to the town. Such a drastic contrast to the brown, dirty and much less friendly Nuevo Rocafuerte. And, despite what we'd been told, there was indeed a hostel and a number of restaurants - we'd stocked up on food for nothing!
The ride to Pantoja was quick, maybe 40 minutes, and from the the second we stepped off the boats we loved the place! We first saw the military buildings on a high riverbank just outside of town, nicely groomed and landscaped. And then we came to the town itself, a bit smaller than NR, but so much prettier! Trees and green everywhere, and every single person smiling and welcoming us to the town. Such a drastic contrast to the brown, dirty and much less friendly Nuevo Rocafuerte. And, despite what we'd been told, there was indeed a hostel and a number of restaurants - we'd stocked up on food for nothing!
setting off for Pantoja In the morning we packed our bags and went down to eat breakfast before stationing ourselves at the dock to find a ride to Pantoja. Just after we sat to eat, Piotr, a Polish guy fully decked out in "Survivor Man" gear sat down and joined us. A couple minutes later two more guys, Nick (an American writer/adventurer who is currently cycling around South America) and Marcos (a retired car salesman from London, now traveling the world), came in and joined us. We quickly found that all of us were hoping to go to Pantoja and decided to join forces.
camping out beside the police station Nick and Marcos were eager to find a guide to go into the jungle while the rest of us searched around for a place to pitch our tents. We soon confirmed that the next barca was due to arrive on Saturday and depart on Monday, so we had a few days to kill in town.
But when we found out that Nick, Marcos and Piotr had found themselves a guide into the jungle for 3 days, 2 nights for $130 total (less than half of what we'd paid from NR), we decided that we should consider doing the same.
But when we found out that Nick, Marcos and Piotr had found themselves a guide into the jungle for 3 days, 2 nights for $130 total (less than half of what we'd paid from NR), we decided that we should consider doing the same.
Of course we ended up going and having a totally different experience than in Yasuni. We explored the Rio Aguarico in two tiny canoas, spent a lot of time fishing and hunting (illegally...?), and also spent a day visiting one of the indigenous tribes of Secoya people.
The best part of this trip was the people we were with. We had all met at different points along the way but ended up spending the next leg of our trip to Iquitos with the same group. There wasn't anything anyone had that wasn't shared. We were like a family, in our own little way.
Diana is from Colombia but has spent much of her life travelling throughout South America. She makes enough money to get by through selling her hand-made jewellery and clothing, playing the clarinet, singing, and who knows what else, and she is one year away from becoming a fully trained mid-wife in Brazil. She is extremely generous and patient. She doesn't speak much english so it was a bit tough to communicate at first, but in no time we were chatting like old friends because she was willing to help us by speaking slowly in spanish and adjusting her talk to our level, and teaching us a lot as well. Ernesto is a super fit phys-ed teacher who always has a fishing rod in his hands, talks super fast and with a think Argentinian accent ("y" and "ll" sound like "dj") and has the same birthday as me. Stefano is a very Italian guy who's passionate about his pasta and pizza and always seems to be in search of authentic Italian cuisine (though he'll probably never find it in South America) and who is striving to experience jungle life from the perspective of the indigenous people.
The best part of this trip was the people we were with. We had all met at different points along the way but ended up spending the next leg of our trip to Iquitos with the same group. There wasn't anything anyone had that wasn't shared. We were like a family, in our own little way.
Diana is from Colombia but has spent much of her life travelling throughout South America. She makes enough money to get by through selling her hand-made jewellery and clothing, playing the clarinet, singing, and who knows what else, and she is one year away from becoming a fully trained mid-wife in Brazil. She is extremely generous and patient. She doesn't speak much english so it was a bit tough to communicate at first, but in no time we were chatting like old friends because she was willing to help us by speaking slowly in spanish and adjusting her talk to our level, and teaching us a lot as well. Ernesto is a super fit phys-ed teacher who always has a fishing rod in his hands, talks super fast and with a think Argentinian accent ("y" and "ll" sound like "dj") and has the same birthday as me. Stefano is a very Italian guy who's passionate about his pasta and pizza and always seems to be in search of authentic Italian cuisine (though he'll probably never find it in South America) and who is striving to experience jungle life from the perspective of the indigenous people.
hanging out with our new jungle friends
amazing the kids with magic After returning from the jungle, we killed another couple days in Pantoja drinking agua ardiente ("burning water", a cheap home-made local liquor), playing cards, and hanging out with the locals who eagerly shared with us some of their local delicacies (crocodile, turtle, peccary, etc...). And Andrew became popular with the local kids who totally fell for his magic trick (he has only the one).
Pantoja to Iquitos
Cargo/passenger ship "Arabela I" Finally, when Sunday evening came around it was time to move into our new homes aboard the "Arabela I", due to depart at first light the next morning. We talked to the captain and bought our tickets (80 soles or about $30 each), and then hung our hammocks aboard the upper passenger level and settled in for the three to five (or more??) day ride. Our bit of reading and talking to other travellers had allowed us to mentally prepare ourselves for an extremely uncomfortable experience, being jammed in with hundreds of other passengers, using filthy bathrooms, and eating something on the level of prison food. On some levels, our expectations were right on the money.
The food, for example, can be summed up perfectly by Stefano's reaction to our being served some kind of mystery liquid (likely plantains boiled down in river water) for dinner, after already having to choke it down for breakfast. Lunches, at least, were something substantial - rice, yucca or plantains, and freshly slaughtered pork (the boat was carrying a few pigs in the cargo hold especially for feeding to the passengers).
hanging out in our hammocks Besides the fairly crappy food, however, the boat wasn't all that terrible. It took a little while to get comfortable hanging out in our hammocks, and it was generally quite boring, but we passed the time napping, reading, studying Spanish, and hanging out with our new friends. There were even some movies shown in the evening, with everyone crowded around a computer screen at one end of the boat. Mandrew got to further refine his Spanish through watching Problem Child One and Two (back to back!).
picking up some more plantains?! It was also interesting to watch the many small towns we passed along the river, and to try and count the bunches of plantains that were loaded onto the boat at nearly every stop. They should be able to grow anything they want to in such a lush and humid environment ... so why so many plantains???
One thing that was definitely tough to handle, however, was the amount of garbage simply thrown overboard. It seems to just be the way of life here, but it's completely obsurd! Every morning someone would sweep the deck, working their way toward the back of the boat where we were stationed. Once they had all the plastic wrappers, bottles, and other garbage in a neat pile, they'd simply sweep it all off the side and into the river. Even in towns, where there's an actual garbage bin people use, when it gets too full it's just carried to the riverbank and dumped in! Absolutely crazy.
One thing that was definitely tough to handle, however, was the amount of garbage simply thrown overboard. It seems to just be the way of life here, but it's completely obsurd! Every morning someone would sweep the deck, working their way toward the back of the boat where we were stationed. Once they had all the plastic wrappers, bottles, and other garbage in a neat pile, they'd simply sweep it all off the side and into the river. Even in towns, where there's an actual garbage bin people use, when it gets too full it's just carried to the riverbank and dumped in! Absolutely crazy.
an exciting moto-taxi ride to the other side Just after lunch on the third day we arrived at Mazán, a town on the upstream end of a large oxbow, and the point at which most travellers hop off. By leaving the barca at Mazán, taking a ten-minute moto-taxi ride across the narrow strip of land to the other side of the oxbow, and then taking an hour-long ride in a faster boat, we were able to save ourselves a day of travel (and only had to spend an extra 10 soles or $4 each). A no-brainer, as we were all looking forward to tracking down a decent meal.
Finally, after an interesting couple weeks along the Rio Napo, our final boat pulled into the harbour along the Amazon River at Iquitos. We'd survived to trip and were ready to celebrate with some cold beers and non-poisonous food, but first things first - a shower!
Finally, after an interesting couple weeks along the Rio Napo, our final boat pulled into the harbour along the Amazon River at Iquitos. We'd survived to trip and were ready to celebrate with some cold beers and non-poisonous food, but first things first - a shower!
Photos
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