Part of the engine visible in the room at the stern on the first level.
Before lunch Chino took us on a tour below deck where the crew bunks and the mechanicals are located, including the water purification system.
Lunch included a starter of ceviche and the main was peackoc bass, which I think was poached. We’ve been tasting a great deal of fish from the river.
After lunch we settled our bar bill – all those Pisco Sours and Camucamu Sours – and bidding farewell to the staff, we boarded the skiffs one last time for the ride back to the landing in Iquitos.
It was sunny and hot and I was glad of the air conditioning in the van. We veered our way through Iquitos to the wildlife rehabilitation center where we were to meet some manatees. There were more than manatees at the refuge with multitudinous turtles, a pair of scarlet macaws, a blue-and-yellow macaw, a squirrel monkey, and a pair of saddleback tamarins that had simply adopted the refuge as home.
We got a city tour that included the town of Belen which floods during high water season and the older parts of Iquitos where the rubber barons had their mansions, including the Iron House.
We’re now at the airport waiting for our flight to Lima after Rudy and Javier walked us through check-in and said their good-byes.
The flight to Lima was uneventful, and we said our good-byes to the rest of the Delfin passengers as we collected our luggage at the carousel. We were met by the guide from Metropolitan Touring, who walked us across the drop-off/pick-up lanes to the airport hotel and checked us in. The room included complementary Pisco Sours in the lobby bar, so after dropping our bags in our room, we returned to the lobby to collect our drinks. We were pleased to find Melissa and Steve collecting their Pisco Sours and spent some more time chatting before we all retired for the evening and a 0600 breakfast followed by a 0700 pick-up by Ulises.
Part of the engine visible in the room at the stern on the first level.
The engine was visible under the kayaks (first level). There are guest cabins on the rest of this level.
Below deck - the crew's sleeping quarters.
Chino shows the laundry storage.
The liquor storage - we didn't even make a dent in this!
Looking from the store rooms back to the sleeping quarters.
The steps back up to the first level - a second set was on the right (starboard) side.
Jonathan capturing a panorama.
Steve and Melissa looking over the rail.
Our last meal aboard the Delfin as we came into Iquitos to dock.
Evidence, appetizer: cerviche. I totally forgot to take shots of the remainder of the meal.
The tables had a snake-y theme going.
Heading back to shore; the building is a busy restaurant, only accessible by boat during high water season.
Look familiar in daylight? The dock from which we departed on the 15th.
An example of the motorcycle taxis that positively infest the streets of Iquitos.
The sign outside the nature preserve we visited.
Yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) - there was an enclosure where there were about 50 or more.
Scarlet macaw (Ara macao). It's partner was up in the tree.
The giant river otter (P. brasiliensis) greeting our guide - who is carefully keeping his fingers out of nibble range.
The otter had a pool, a den, and assorted toys in its enclosure.
Our guide (whose name I didn't record) and a juvenile squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).
Squirrel monkey.
Pirarucu (Arapaima arapaima) - this specimen was about 5 feet long.
Viewing the aquatic pens.
There were small river turtles being hatched and grown for release.
Saddle-backed tamarin - there were a pair that simply took up residence on the grounds of the facility.
Showing the full tail.
Feeding the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) water lettuce.
More feeding.
Those two gray flaps of skin act a bit like fingers, or even tongues, to help guide the food into the mouth.
A full length shot - about 5 to 6 feet long.
A blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) in motion (hence fuzzy photography).
One more tamarin shot - such a face.
Belen, a 'suburb' of Iquitos is flooded during high water season. I guess they can't resist the location.
Another shot of Belen.
Umari (Poraqueiba sericea) fruit.
A typical street scene in Iquitos.
The Iron House (Casa de Fierro) - supposedly designed by Eiffel during the rubber boom.
Supper in the Iquitos airport - *sigh* what a difference from the Delfin.