The Adventures of Rob & Lauren

Here is one last look at this wonderful little place. Pucallpa was our first taste of the Amazon, and completely charmed us. It was gorgeous during the day, at night, and especially during golden hour, right before sunset. What we loved most about it, however, was the people. They were so warm, friendly, and beautiful. I really can’t wait to return to photograph them more. 

First up, some night time shots. I love the shadow in this first one.

This is a motocarro zipping along outside our hotel.

A ferris wheel in the main square.

Our initial plan was to take a river boat from Pucallpa up north along the Amazon to Iquitos. We made our way down to the port to check out the ship we would take. It was really quite the scene there, with all these machines loading enormous logs onto cargo boats. Alongside them were dozens of men walking up and down planks to transport the smaller items as quickly as possible. These boats leave when they are full, so the faster they work the better.  

I didn’t shoot too much around there, since things were a little serious, and I was getting in the way of everyone trying to load these boats! To make a long story short, we checked out one of the boats and the cabins we’d need to stay in (most people just hang up a hammock and chill there during the 3 day trip, but with all our expensive gear we’d need a place to lock everything up). The conditions were…well…I’d say the prison cells I’ve seen looked nicer. No windows, a ratty bunkbed with some questionable looking mattresses, and the teeniest amount of room possible. It didn’t seem like a very enjoyable experience, and the cost was a lot higher than we thought reasonable (around $75 per person). We checked out the cost of a flight, and it was only $100! We changed our plans at the last minute and flew instead. We were looking forward to the experience of putting along the river in a cool boat, but this just didn’t look like it would be enjoyable at all. In the end we’re glad we flew, and hopefully will find a neat riverboat excursion to go on next time we’re here!

We took advantage of our last evening in Pucallpa and went for a photowalk. There was some amazing light and everyone was out and about.

There is one area near the main square where people set up typewriters and type up documents for people. 

 Some neat light on this motocarro.

Further down the street are a bunch of cobblers. 

As we were strolling I saw this man and just had to take his portrait. I believe his friends were saying he was 85. 

After I shot him with our digital camera he actually asked if we had “instant”. That was pretty neat! Naturally Rob pulled out the Instax and took a shot for him. I think he enjoyed it. 

Shooting during golden hour here is just wonderful. It’s quick, though. In Canada we are quite lucky and it can last for hours, but here, closer to the equator, it’s short and sweet. We need to always be timing our photo walks to try to take advantage of it. It’s worth it though! 

One of my favorite things to shoot on this trip has been everyday life for Peruvians. They are such a vibrant people and are always so social. We ran across a street volleyball game and sat and watched for a while. 

We wandered further down the street and naturally came across people cooking dinner outside on charcoal grills. Looks good!

And the kids had joined in the fun as well and started their own volleyball game.  

As I hope you can see, Pucallpa is a very charming place, and I highly recommend visiting it when you travel Peru! It doesn’t have the landscapes of the Sacred Valley, or a ton of “touristy” things to do, but it certainly provides an incredible glimpse at life in the Amazon.