Saturday, January 19, 2019

We left our ship, taking a zodiac to shore, in a downpour. During the 30 minute rain, we managed to get quite wet, in spite of our rain jackets.

We flew first from Baltra Island to Guayaquil on the mainland, then caught a flight to Lima, Peru, where we met up with friends for the next part of our adventure in the Upper Amazon. Our hotel is across the street from the airport, so very convenient since we’ll be in the air again early in the morning.

Sunday, January 20

We flew to Iquitos from Lima this morning, then got on a bus for a bumpy ride to the town of Nauta, where we boarded the Lindblad/National Geographic Delfin II. Nauta is a busy waterfront town, with lots of 3-wheeled taxis moving people around.

In Nauta, we stopped for lunch at Al Frio Y Al Fuego, a restaurant on the Rio Itaya.

Then, back on the bus to go to our ship. We were greeted by some local children as we boarded the Delfin II. We had a brief orientation, including the schedule for the next day, then dinner and off to bed.

The Delfin II has 12 cabins, and we quickly became acquainted with the other passengers. Also, this ship can access more of the rivers and streams in the Amazon Basin over a seven day period than can some larger ships.