Free Food And Free Accommodation
We were ready to leave Iquitos so we went to the port to look for a barge that would take us to Pucallpa. We chose the Gilmer IV, a large good-looking vessel with open sides. Though it was more expensive, I thought the other option in a small old ship with enclosed walls would make the four day trip unbearable. It was quite empty of passengers and of cargo, and Joel reckoned it wouldn't leave that day. He was right, but we decided to stay onboard that night, hoping it would leave the next night.
We were to spend another painful and boring day on the vessel. It was particularly difficult to be cooped there because one of us always had to stay with our bags in case someone came onboard and then back off with them. So, we couldn't even go for a wander in the nearby markets together to entertain ourselves. We planned to get our money back and seek an alternate vessel if it didn't leave that night.
As dinner was served, Joel spoke to the gay cooks and learned that the boat wouldn't depart for another two days, as no food supplies had been brought onboard for the trip. So we got our money back and returned to the hostel for clean water showers and decent sleeps on proper beds. It turned out that leaving Iquitos would be more difficult than we thought.
During one of the long days waiting aboard the Gilmer, Joel thought we could kill some time doing a bit of fishing off the back. Using chicken skin from our lunch scraps, we dropped our line in, having seen fish teeming in the water over food scraps tossed overboard in the morning. We caught a couple of small silver catfish, exciting the small children who watched us. Joel threw the line in again for more, but then... someone flushed the toilet.
A fully formed turd floated up to the surface of the water, and bobbed a few times as it was slowly carried downstream. Joel and I looked at each other in stunned silence before fits of laughter gripped us. Needless to say, we were put off fishing any more and went without showers for the rest of the hot sticky time.
We were to spend another painful and boring day on the vessel. It was particularly difficult to be cooped there because one of us always had to stay with our bags in case someone came onboard and then back off with them. So, we couldn't even go for a wander in the nearby markets together to entertain ourselves. We planned to get our money back and seek an alternate vessel if it didn't leave that night.
As dinner was served, Joel spoke to the gay cooks and learned that the boat wouldn't depart for another two days, as no food supplies had been brought onboard for the trip. So we got our money back and returned to the hostel for clean water showers and decent sleeps on proper beds. It turned out that leaving Iquitos would be more difficult than we thought.
Warning! Do Not Fish Here!
During one of the long days waiting aboard the Gilmer, Joel thought we could kill some time doing a bit of fishing off the back. Using chicken skin from our lunch scraps, we dropped our line in, having seen fish teeming in the water over food scraps tossed overboard in the morning. We caught a couple of small silver catfish, exciting the small children who watched us. Joel threw the line in again for more, but then... someone flushed the toilet.
A fully formed turd floated up to the surface of the water, and bobbed a few times as it was slowly carried downstream. Joel and I looked at each other in stunned silence before fits of laughter gripped us. Needless to say, we were put off fishing any more and went without showers for the rest of the hot sticky time.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Don't forget to choose Name/URL from the drop down menu if you are not logged in.