The Amazon is Dangerous
When I told people I was going to the Amazon with my family, their reactions surprised me. Some of them include:
“Isn’t it dangerous? I heard people eat each other.”
“Be careful and safe in the Amazon. I heard there are crazy creatures over there!”
“Are you crazy? You are going to die there.”
Little is known about the biggest rainforest in the world which represents more than half of the planet’s remaining forest.
My response to the skeptics, to those who are curious, and to the wanderlusts.
- How did Tarapoto welcome us? Not so bad with that view.
2. You can eat/find fish, bananas, fresh fruits all day:
We first ate street food:
This is what we got for $4. Fresh catfish aka doncella grilled in leafs. We had already started eating when I took this photo :).
We also ate in a famous restaurant in town.
- Pork ribs marinated in fruit sauce: pineapple + blueberries + passion fruit. This was definitely my favorite!
- Paiche: you have to click here to see how big this fish is
- Tacacho con cecina: pork (from the high lands)+ chorizo + bananas. This dish is very famous in the Peruvian Amazon.
Restaurant view #goals.
3. Heading to Laguna Azul (Blue Lake)
We drove away from the city. Within 15 minutes, we were surrounded by this:
Then, we had to cross the Huallaga River on a ferry.
No complaints even though it didn’t look very safe, I must admit.
Because while we waited, we drank fresh coconut juice for less than 50 cents.
and we had this panoramic view once we got off and drove up 3 minutes.
Upon arrival, we rented for $30 a boat the whole day for 10 people. Here is what we did.
- Zip lining ($10). I apologize for screaming in advance.
- Hangout with this little monkey. They don’t bite FYI.
- Or just sleep and meditate after swimming in the lake
4. Heading to see the waterfalls and swim there!
There are tons of hikes and waterfalls around Tarapoto. Our first stop was Ahuashiyacu Waterfall.
We paid $2 to get in and we started hiking.
and we finally got there! I didn’t take that many pictures here unfortunately since I immediately went swimming. Water is very very cold and going to the base of the waterfall was incredibly fun!
Now tell me how dangerous does the Amazon look?
This trip was very very cheap; we didn’t booked any tours. For the first time as a tourist, I felt that I wasn’t getting tricked. Speaking Spanish helped a lot! Thank you to the people in Tarapoto for their hospitality and kindness.
All photos were taken with my iPhone 5S.
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Questions? I am on Twitter @lisamsilvia
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