The boat leaves tomorrow afternoon said the captain, but you can put up your hammocks and sleep on board tonight. This came as a bit of a blow after struggling for six hours since dawn on the last 100km of road, some of which had been buried under landslides during torrential rain the previous night. It was quite emotional by the time we finally left Yurimagaus. After 28 hours we had almost become part of the town and were on first name terms with most of the hammock and soft drink vendors.

The rains have been heavy this year causing the rivers to rise to record levels, so the boats are sailing literally right into the villages. It's an odd sight seeing the big metal hull floating over a plaza or next to half submerged street lights. Some houses have been abandoned, whilst others have a new door torn in the thatched roof so that the family can live in the attic. I saw this at close hand when I took a canoe ride through Belén, the poorest area of Iquitos. Despite the hardships, I encountered only happy, smiling people who seem to take all this in their stride.

The villages on the two-day journey down the River Mariñón rarely comprised more than a dozen houses, and the arrival of our boat was always a big event - mainly because it gave the villagers a few minutes to jump aboard and attempt to sell something. Everything was on offer from fried fish to jungle fruit; from basket wares to live parrots. The treatment of animals on this trip was not easy to witness - endangered species of turtle being sliced up whilst still alive to make soup, and squealing pigs being dragged sideways across the deck by ropes tied to their hoofs.

Iquitos is the biggest city in the world that cannot be reached by road, but this doesn't mean it has no traffic. It is a dirty and noisy place, with three wheel moto taxis ready to knock you off your feet at every corner. It also sits at the source of the River Amazon, down which I will take my next journey.

Posted from Leticia, Colombia, April 22nd 2012