Iquitos is an Island created by the Amazon River flowing around it. The population of the island is approximately 500,000 and the weather is very hot and humid. The island is a lot more run down than other areas of Peru and due to the soft soil no high rise apartments or hotels can be built on it. Buildings and homes shown faint signs of their former glory during the days when the island was a boom town from the rubber trade. Now all signs of wealth have long gone especially when walking through the shanty town of Belen. Despite the now obvious poverty the island has a lot of character.

During the day the streets are filled with motor-taxis (rickshaws) and the nearby markets are packed with people looking to buy anything from natural medicines to hallucinogenic drugs made out of jungle plants. It's a dirty and overwhelming experience walking through the market. All sorts of animals are being offered and butchered in front of you with vultures and dogs waiting nearby for their chance to snatch discarded scraps. There is an array of strange vegetables, fruits and meats some offering delicious smells and some, such as pig guts sitting in the sun, offer a less enjoyable fragrance.

The sad side to this market is the sale of endangered animals either alive or dead. It sadden us to see that wild animals are still being considered a commodity. It was even more disserting to hear their apparent value; an Ocelot's price is approx. 100 soles ($40 AU) and a large Amazonian Parrot is 40 soles ($16 AU).

We had the wonderful experience of meeting a bird that had been bought from the black market by a conservationist and was being rehabilitated to the wild. As the bird did not have a name and we were the first tourists to meet him our tour guide May decided to call it Soda after SOphie and DAn. Soda was a little character. Given his time in captivity he developed some human noises such as giggling like a child and screaming. It broke our hearts when he would yell 'mummy' repeatedly when left alone at the camp site. Despite this he is a lucky bird as he has been given a second opportunity at freedom.

Our time in the Peruvian jungle was quiet and relaxing. It is interesting to see the difference between the Bolivian and Peruvian Amazon. Here the trees were less dense allowing more sunlight to reach through and therefore more ground foliage to flourish. The mosquitoes were a nightmare however and by the end of our stay I had little flesh that had not been bitten.

From Iquitos we caught a speed boat down the Amazon river into Leticia, Colombia and then from here took a flight to Medellin.