This was my first time traveling out of the country alone. Flying solo, so to speak.
I was looking forward to a great experience but also concerned that I’d fuck something up, miss a connecting flight and end up completely lost.
(It all turned out great though; really I shouldn’t doubt myself so much.)
There were many things to see and explore once I arrived. After the long process of traveling though the only thing on my mind was shower + naps. 
Loreto, Iquitos is the district where I stayed; it borders Equador, Columbia, and Brasil.
Definitely check out the following if you’d like to learn more about this region: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/amazon-basin/iquitos
I traveled mainly by boat or motorkar (a motorcycle with a buggy for carrying passengers).
The food was great! The ingredients were mostly local to Peru & came from the Amazon or the Andes. My favorites were the chonta salad & the different kinds of fish (dorado & paiche)
What I thought was the coolest part was being there to experience the Amazon river & jungle for myself. It really comes alive at night! (party animals, heheheh)
^ That’s just a snippet of the boat ride along the Amazon river. It truly is vast.
The animals were beautiful, even if a little intimidating. I saw sloth, crocodile, giant catfish “paiche”, piranha, toucan, ocelot, jaguar, tarantula, I even got to hang out with a parrot until it got bold enough to climb my chair and steal my rice.
(that’s ok, I was done anyways… *sob*)
For those of you that have yet to know me, I’m quite shy in person. Being able to talk to the locals a bit and listen to their stories was a special & unique experience – the people I met were all lovely and kind, even when I stumbled over a few words.
I felt so social! 
So what was the gem that I found while out on this excursion?
These beauties right here:
Praise helix!
The ammonites are my favorite. I got the big one from a Shipibo gentleman whom I purchased a macrame & stone necklace from and he included a smaller ammonite to go with it. 
There were other gems, both physical & intangible, that I had the opportunity to experience – including holding an anaconda & learning about the jungle spirits from a shaman.
I might share more, but I’m tired of typing and need to go eat.
Until then, take care!
Leave a Reply