Okay little Dorothy, so Diplomonkey this time around is cheating with his latest chimping excursion.  Diplomonkey took this batch of pictures of Peru’s Iquitos while on leave.  Diplomonkey taking time off?  Oh how scandalous, I do say little Dorothy – what is this world coming to!

Iquitos’ lively neighborhood of Belen – also known as the Amazon Venice.

Rushhour in downtown Iquitos (along the Iron House supposedly designed by Gustave Eiffel).

Iquitos is a really cool place to visit.  Its hot and humid much like Miami, so Diplomonkey feels right at home.  The people are however even nicer; always with a smile on their faces and not in too much of a rush.  It seems that the pace of life, much like the Amazon river’s current, runs at 4-6 kilometers per hour.

Iquitos Street Scene #1

What Diplomonkey find really great about this island city in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon are the street scenes of people engaged in their daily activities.

Iquitos Street Scene #2

Yes, little Dorothy, Iquitos (capital of Peru’s Amazon) connects to the rest of the country only by air and the river; so if it is not manufactured or grown locally, it has to come in by plane or by boat (Pucallpa is a 4-7 days sail away).  There are no roadways in or out of the city linking it with the rest of the country, giving Iquitos a surreal frontier town feel.

Iquitos Street Scene #3

Hope the pictures entices others to pay a visit.  Nothing can beat the smell of oxygen rich air that permeates the city, nor a tropical downpour.

Cheers and more to follow from Peru!