As I told you about in my last post, Leticia is a multi-cultural city sandwiched between Brazil and Peru. Since Leticia is a river city right on the Amazon river, people often take canoes to get around. Some folks will use oars to paddle themselves along short distances, while others will install a motor on the back for farther distances. There are also larger motorboats called ferries that take people to the smaller river towns along the river. These towns, like the one that we visited called Mocagua, even have big signs out in front, like the kind that you'd see in the subway or on the highway!
Next, take a cargo boat west from Leticia along the massive Amazon river and you'll eventually arrive in Iquitos, Peru. Similar to Leticia, Peruvians will often hop around the various river towns on long, wooden canoes that may have motors chugging along. Don't forget to put the tarp up before you head out on your canoe ride! Remember that you're still in the rainforest, and it could start pouring instantly!
From Iquitos, flyway south but stop before you reach Chile or Bolivia! Here you'll find the lake town of Puno, which is adjacent to Lago (lake) Titikaka, often called the, "highest navigable lake," in the world! In other words, it's the largest lake in South America, and one of the highest: it stands at about 3,800 meters, or 12,500 feet, in altitude! Charter a boat and feast your eyes on the bamboozling Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca. These impressively constructed islands are made of a reed from the nearby marshes that is very buoyant, meaning that it floats when it is constructed with dirt in the form of bricks.
