As you can probably infer, the residents of the floating islands take boats to get around to the different islands and return to the mainland. The reed-based boats have been beautifully decorated to show the amazing marine animals that live in the waters.
Getting sea-sick?! Don't worry, we've only got one more stop. Take a flight heading northeast of Peru, but before landing back in Colombia, stop in Mompiche, Ecuador! Mompiche is a hot, muddy fishing village surrounded by beautiful beaches. While most use their small motor boats to catch fish for frying or ceviche, a raw-fish salad, some locals act as a shuttle service to visit some of the beautiful beaches. The boat drivers frequently helped me get to and from Playa Blanca (white beach), and for only $1.00 round trip. That's less than the subway!
Each type of boat or canoe had its advantages and disadvantages. In Camarones, the canoe with the sail attached was certainly the most relaxing and eco-friendly without the motor, but it was also very slow and blazingly hot in the sun. In contrast, the longer canoes with motors attached that we used in Leticia and Iquitos were certainly faster, however, they were at times incredibly loud! My head was throbbing after listening to the furiously growling motor during our three-hour canoe ride in Iquitos. Also in those cities, the larger ferries and cargo boats were very efficient, kind of like the subway. On the other hand, those were more stressful for a number of reasons. Cargo boats can carry a lot of weight, and passengers will often bring large sacks of food, or even livestock! In addition, the stops on the ferries were not clear at all.
