By cargo ship across the Amazon

Arriving in Yurimaguas, we were pleased with our hotel room. Equipped with air conditioning, a good shower, and a great location. The heat was almost unbearable! After a short lunch break and devouring our food, we headed to the port. Here, we wanted to find out when our ship to Iquitos would depart and which one of the many it would be. It seemed like we were lucky and it was scheduled to leave the next afternoon between 2 and 3 pm. After a short tour of the ship, we were once again reminded that it was mainly used for cargo transport. The small cabins that were offered were not an option for us, as we had our hammocks with us.

For the rest of the day, we stocked up on enough water, fruit, and snacks for the journey. We even packed the toilet paper from the hotel. We had read often enough that the ships would depart later than planned, so we wanted to make sure we had enough supplies.

The next morning, we promptly made our way to the ship. A quick stop at the bakery was, of course, necessary - breakfast is important after all.

On the ship, we managed to secure two great spots on the upper deck. Our hammocks were quickly set up, hoping they would hold. The ship filled up more and more... The diligent crew carried crates of mangoes, melons, beer, and countless bags of salt and rice on board in sweaty work. It was still uncertain when exactly we would depart. To our right and left, we quickly made acquaintances with two Swiss, one German, and two French people. And suddenly, the time had come, we actually set sail around 3 pm. The journey to Iquitos began, which is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by land.

In general, we spent an incredible amount of time chilling in the hammock and observing the passing nature. Huge trees, palm trees, vines, and the sounds from the middle of the jungle fascinated us. So far away from any civilization, feeling like we were in the middle of nowhere.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were included, so whenever the bell rang from the kitchen, we walked down to the food distribution with our collapsible bowls and spork (a combination of a fork and a spoon). Rice, noodles, a sauce with chicken, soup with rice and noodles, or milk with rice and noodles. In other words, rice and noodles in every imaginable way. The plantains were always part of the meal as well. It was delicious, but a bit monotonous. It was good that we were able to create some variety with our own supplies.

Whenever the ship made a stop to unload goods, women and children came on board to sell cakes, fruit, and sweets - very convenient for our cravings.

The weather changed constantly. Heavy rain with lightning and thunder, sunshine with a pleasant breeze, or unbearable heat without a breath of wind. We tried to avoid the showers and toilets at first, but that was impossible in the midday heat. The cabins were equipped with a toilet and shower in one. So you showered just before the toilet, where there was a tap hanging from the ceiling that pumped up the river water. It was astonishingly simple and actually quite unhygienic, but it felt incredibly good.

At night, it became surprisingly chilly and we tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags in the hammock. We slept close together, and it was fortunate that we got along so well with the others. We always took our valuables with us into the hammock, which turned out to be a wise decision. Our neighbors had their cameras, iPods, and even shoes stolen, annoying that no one noticed anything. On the lower deck, there were mostly locals, whole families with all sorts of things in their luggage. Small baby monkeys, chickens, parrots, dogs...

The time on board was super relaxing despite the simplicity, it brought interesting conversations and beautiful sunsets. At the last stop before Iquitos, almost all the people got off in Nauta. However, we were excited to continue sailing on the Amazon. It still hadn't completely sunk in - are we really doing this, traveling by cargo ship on the Amazon?!

After two nights, we arrived in Iquitos on the third day around 8 pm, and here we had to find a hostel and plan the next few days until our flight to Cusco.