Bienvenida a Iquitos!

Finally I arrive! But first, Fun Facts.

Fun Fact No. 2: Yuca accompanies every meal in the Amazon. Yuca is a starchy root kind of like a potato, but heavier and more carb-loaded. And it is made a thousand different ways - boiled, broiled, baked, fried, grilled, smoked, mashed, fermented, dried...

Fun Fact No. 3: Limp handshakes. Iquitos is the land of limp handshakes. I don`t know why, but it`s the dead fish thing. Kind of weird.

Fun Fact No. 4: Colectivos are safer than combis. Colectivos are buses about the size of school buses that have their destinations painted on the sides. Combis are kind of minivan sized and also have their destinations painted on the sides. You`re three times as likely to die in a combi than in a colectivo.

FINALLY IN IQUITOS! My flight got in last night at 11:30pm and Mario Sr. and Kirle (his oldest daughter) were there to pick me up. It was SO good to see them. Wonderful really. We went back home, Kirle and I shot the bull for a bit, and I hit the sack.

Today I went to the airport to get a suitcase that I shipped as cargo. Lo and behold, surprise surprise (please note sarcasm), it wasn`t there. O ye sweet bureaucracy that is Peru, thank you for your inefficiency. Oh well. It was a great way for me to start to learn the bus system. And I use the word system liberally. The destinations are painted on the sides but that doesn`t necessarily mean anything. They only cost 20 cents to ride, which is great, and they`ll let you off wherever whenever. But they`re also rickety and unpredictable. Quite an adventure.

Anyway, Mario Jr. feels about Iquitos the way I feel about Austin. He loves playing tour guide and he knows his city very very well. So today we tooled around on his motorcycle (I know, I`m crazy) and ate ceviche and ice cream and we reaquainted me with the city. He`s very proud of Iquitos and it makes him very enthusiastic.

Quick notes:
- the family is raising cui, small gerbils that you eat.
- there are now 6 dogs, 4 cats, 2 rabbits, and various chickens in the house. I`m always tripping over animals.
- i missed my family & they missed me. It`s good to be here despite the fact that I miss everyone in Austin terribly.
- it`s not as hot here as it is in Austin but there isn`t air conditioning, so I think it evens out.