IQUITOS

Two years ago, my family and I went to Iquitos. We traveled by plane. We arrived in Iquitos in the morning on February, 12th and we noticed the weather changed, it was so hot and we needed to take a shower immediately. We stayed in a nice hotel and took a shower. We rested all the afternoon, but at night we went to a restaurant to have dinner. We returned back to the hotel and met some tourists from different parts of Peru and another one from USA. We talked to them and enjoyed the time together. Then we had new firends.

Dorado Plaza Hotel

Next day we visited some tourist places, and we liked Iquitos very much, So I decided to talk about Iquitos in this work. Iquitos (Spanish pronunciation: [ikitos]) is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest and the capital of the of Loreto Region and Maynas Province. The city is considered the sixth largest city of Peru, with 457,865 inhabitants.. Its nickname as the Capital of the Peruvian Amazon adopted an international estatus by hosting the commemorative plaque of the Amazon River as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Iquitos is a strong receiver of tourism and economy, and main projection of "Charapa culture". It is a cosmopolitan city with strong Amazon roots and cultural diversity that encourages the creativity in the artistic community. Its architectural remnant of rubber boom is another characteristic identity. The city is also considered a party town because of its entertainment that encompasses both its nightlife and cultural movement. Its demography is the most multi-ethnic in the Peruvian Amazon and maintains a melting pot status that resulted from the large immigration of foreigners and mixing during the rubber boom. The city can be reached only by airplane or boat, with the exception of a road to Nauta, a small town roughly 100 km (62 mi) south. It is the largest city in the world which cannot be reached by road. Ocean vessels of 3,000 tons or 9,000 tons[4] and 5.5 metres (18 ft) draft can reach Iquitos from the Atlantic ocean, 3600 km away. Your first impression of Iquitos is the warm, oxygen rich, moist air. It feels good and is easy to breathe, particularly if you just came from the high altitude, low oxygen content of the Andes. Your next impression is the thousands of motorcycles and three wheel rickshaws called moto-kars (mototaxi, motocarro or motokar), which is essentially a modified motorcycle with a cabin behind supported by two wheels, seating three.. The biggest adventure most tourists have in Iquitos is racing recklessly through the streets in a moto-kar. The friendly non-violent people are the biggest attraction of Iquitos, Peru. The streets are safe and clean. Violent crime is rare. There are plenty of street hustlers and touts so please use common sense like in any city.

1.-HISTORY European-Peruvians established Iquitos as a Jesuit mission to the indigenous peoples in the 1750s. In 1864 it started to grow when the settlers created the Loreto Region and made Iquitos its capital. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate.[5] Iquitos was known for its rubber industry through the rubber boom of the 1900s (decade); it attracted thousands of immigrants from around the world, mostly young, single men who hoped to make their fortunes in rubber. The rise of the automobile and related industries had dramatically increased the worldwide demand for rubber. Some men became

merchants and bankers, and made their fortunes that way. Many of the European men married indigenous women and stayed in Peru the rest of their lives, founding ethnically mixed families. The immigrants brought European clothing styles, music and other cultural elements to Iquitos. On August 13, 2012, they put a special plaque in the plaza 28 de Julio of the city in a big ceremony to commemorate the Amazon River and rainforest as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The 21st-century-style plaque was imitated by the one to the Iguazu Falls in Munich, Germany 2.-GEOGRAPHY Iquitos is located in the boundaries of the Province of Maynas, north of Loreto. It covers an area of 368.9 km2 (142.4 mi2), comprising the districts of Beln, San Juan Bautista y Punchana. The town is 106 m above sea level. It is also the most northern Peruvian city. The city is located in the middle of the Amazon river system. It is located on the left bank of the Amazon River, which provides an economic life property, including trade and transport. Itaya and Nanay rivers are a natural boundary of the physical expansion of the city: one located in the south and the second to the north, which both flow into the Amazon. Near Iquitos also there are a number of ponds and lakes, Moronococha Lake prominently, which defines the city in the northeast. This feature makes the city on an fluvial island. Earthquakes in the city are very rare, if any, are very deep. Iquitos is located in Region 3 of Systematic Regionalization Map of Peru, which means that the city has a low coefficient seismic value, 3.-CLIMATE The climate in the Amazon is tropical, hot and humid with an average temperature of 28C. In spite of the heat, it can rain frequently and suddenly; so always pack a raincoat and insect repellent just in case. Iquitos has a tropical rainforest climate (Kppen Af) with abundant rainfall and hot temperatures all year round. Rainfall experiences two peak periods: November to January and March to May, with April typically being the wettest month of the year. 4.-TOURISM Tourism is one of the most vital industries in Iquitos, which has a growing reputation as a honeypot due to its location on the banks of the Amazon River, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Through the years, Iquitos receives a considerable amount of foreigners; the tourist index grew by international flights offered by the city's airport. Tourism in the city formed into European-style architecture, cuisine, drinks, art, culture, worldview, Spanish accent and historical references of Loreto. Iquitos has adequate

infrastructure to accommodate tourists from all levels. It has a 5-star hotel, many of 3, 2 and 1 star. The major tourist attractions include Barrio de Beln, Plaza de Armas, Casa de Fierro, Ex Hotel Palace, Iglesia Matriz de Iquitos, Allpahuayo Mishana; Embarcadero BellavistaNanay, ethnic communities located around the city, Quistococha Resort and Zoo; Mercado Artesanal of San Juan. iper is the leading tourist guide service that is offered to tourists at the airport and the city center of the city.

A bridge in the jungle

The Iron House

The Casa de Fierro in Iquitos is just thata house made of iron. Gustave Eiffel, the same architect who created the Eiffel Tower, built the Iron House for the Paris Exhibition in 1889. Tycoon Anselmo del guila bought it and shipped it in pieces from Europe during the

rubber-boom period. Natural rubber made from trees tapped in the jungle was big business for Iquitos during the late 19th century and early 20th century. BELEN NEIGHBORHOOD

My family and I visited Belen neighborhood, it is called the Peruvian Venecia because its houses are on the river. People are very poor there, and it is a very dangerous place too The Belen neighborhood consists of small floating houses. It is a very poor neighborhood that rises and falls with the river. Located on the left bank of the Itaya River, southeast of Iquitos. Morning visits are recommended. Its origins date back to the beginning of the twentieth century, and it is composed of homes built on top of balsa wood rafts that float on the waters during the flood season. It is a traditional regional style. With the passage of time and the increase in population, the style has changed and more houses are built on a fixed construction on top of wooden pillars, some of them of two stories. During the dry season, people use both floors, but during the flood season, only the second floor is used; since the entire lower zone of Belen remains under water, the population uses boats and canoes for transport, which is why it is considered the "Venice of Loreto". Belen has two districts the upper zone where the Belen market and main warehouse are and the lower zone, an informal port and lively commercial center for jungle goods. Today, there are buildings of high quality materials. It is possible to take boat rides on the Amazon and Itaya Rivers.

MUSEO AMAZNICO

It was built in 1863. What stands out the most in the museum are the large windows ending in semi-circular arches and protected by strong iron bars, the decoratively carved wooden interior walls, and the furniture designed in the fashion of the time. It preserves a collection of more than 80 life-sized fiberglass sculptures representing the main ethnic groups found in the Peruvian, Brazilian, and Venezuelan Amazon Rainforest and a photographic retelling of the city history. It shares the premises with the Military Museum

IGLESIA MATRIZ OF IQUITOS

This Neo-gothic church was built between 1911 and 1924. The building has just one nave and features a carved wood pulpit on the right hand side. The Swiss clock, installed in 1925, is an interesting detail. .

In 2010, Iquitos received about 150 thousand tourists. The following year, in 2011, the index fell to 46,000 tourist foreigners,

5.-SPANISH ACCENT Iquitos is also attractive for its Amazonic Spanish, a dialect of Spanish spoken in the Amazon. The dialect is most noticeable in speech than in writing, (e.g., Juana is pronouned /fana/), especially when it is next to one or semivowel. and the preemption of articles against the names (Juana, L Fuana). There are also other languages spoken as Iquito, Yagua, ese eja or other native languages in Loreto, and foreign languages like English and French because of increasing globalization.

6.-FOOD Juane .It is one of the main dishes of cuisine of the Peruvian jungle. It is widely consumed during the Catholic Feast of San Juan (St. John), held on 24 June each year. The dish was named in honor of San Juan Bautista. The dish could have a pre-Columbian origin. With the arrival of the Spanish, missionaries popularized the Biblical story of Salome, John and Herodias. Some believe the dish's name comes from the reference to the head of San Juan. "Juanes": Pottage made with rice, pieces of poultry meat, eggs, olives, aromatic herbs and spices, all wrapped up in "bijao" (plant from the jungle) leaves and boiled in clay pots. "Nina Juanes": Of similar characteristic to the juanes, the only difference is that they are made with chicken meat and they are roasted.

Tacacho with chorizo..Another popular dish is Tacacho, made from fried slices of plaintain mashed with chicharones (fried pork fat). It is usually accompanied with chorizo (fried sausage) making it a savory combination.

The dish is typical of Iquitos as well as the Peruvian Amazon. It is widespread in the rest of the country. The term tacacho derives from the Quechua term, taka chu, which means beaten. Tacacho consumption varies depending on the region where it is made. In Madre de Dios and San Martn, many people eat tacachos for breakfast, while in other regions, it is a dish served at lunch or dinner. In the San Martn region, tacacho is included in the Christmas dinner. In the Amazon region of Ecuador, the dish is known as bolon. It has a counterpart in the Caribbean islands, where it is called mofongo. Inchi capi.Exquisite soup prepared with peanut, pieces of poultry meat, aromatic herbs and spices. Sarapatera.Kind of stew prepared with "Charapa" (Turtle variety) meat, spiced with onions, garlic, green banana, and spices. The final cooking of the stew is made in the shell of the turtle and it is served in the same shell. Fish.There are a great variety of presentations and the "paiche" is recommended (fish of more than 2 m. length and 130 kg. weight) the zngaro, the dorado, that are those of finer and exquisite meat. You can try them in cebiche (raw fish marinated and cooked in lemon juice), roasted, or in stews. Salads.You must try the one prepared with "chonta" (kind of palm tree) or palmettos. Desserts.yucca donuts, and great quantity of regional fruits such as "cocona", pineapple, "aguaje" (fruits from the jungle), "maracuy". Iquitos is also famed by the variety of its liquors and beverages, prepared with the maceration of herbs, wood and other regional elements that are known to have an aphrodisiac character. The beverages.Pusanga", "chamico", "siete raices" (seven roots), "huitochado", etc. Ayahuasca.Ayahuasca is known as a major cultural landmark, and mystic tourism has increased in Iquitos in recent years. The drink made from the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, is investigated by the Western people with a medicinal purpose and study, and was named the nation's cultural heritage.

7.-TRANSPORT Iquitos has a personality very different from the rest of Peru and even different from other South-American Amazonian cities. The streets of Iquitos are dominated by more than 25,000 auto rickshaws or motokars, known in the rest of Peru under the name of mototaxi, and for foreigners as auto rickshaw or tuk-tuk, providing taxi service. The buses are large vehicle made of wood with direct routes. Iquitos is widely regarded as the largest inland city that is inaccessible by road. The air and river transport are the main means for entry or exit of people and goods to the city, since the cost of living in this city and people of the region is generally higher than the Peruvian standard. It is considered that Iquitos is the second most expensive city in Peru after Cusco.

Streets in Iquitos

Finally we returned back to Lima and came to Chimbote. It was amazing..!!