Photos

During my visit to Iquitos, I was befriended by several of the kids who walk up and down the malecon selling to the tourists - T-shirts, pan flutes, trinkets, shoeshines - anything they can.

I was sitting at the outside table at the Fitzcarraldo restaurant when Jesus (not pictured here) approached me and introduced himself, calling himself Jesus in the way the English pronounce Jesus Christ. I chuckled a bit and asked him if it wasn't really pronouced like "Hey-sous" like the Spanish pronounce it. He smiled and agreed.

He then showed me his shoeshine kit and asked if I wanted a shoe shine. I showed him I was wearing sandals. He chuckled again.

I guess because I hadn't shooed him away, a few of his friends thought they might have a buyer and and started gathering. Jesus and Juan (who introduced himself as "John") began entertaining me with Juan playing the pan flute (very well I might say) and Jesus banging on his shoe shine kit for the drums.

Over the next couple of days, these boys would come over and chat with me as I ate on the malecon. In total, I met Jesus, Juan, Roberto, Jose, and Roy.

On a couple of occasions I took them to an inexpensive restaurant and got them something to eat. I eventually bought a T-shirt from Roberto and gave them each a few soles to be kind and to thank them for the information about the city they'd given me over the few days I was there.

I had told them that I wanted to take a boat trip out to see Belen, the poor part of Iquitos that is built on the water. Pictured here (from left to right) is Roy, Juan (wearing my sunglasses), and Jose (the boatman's name I didn't get), who offered to go with me to show me Belen. I hired a boat for 20 soles (about $7) and spent a couple of hours floating around and taking photos.

I like this one especially, because I've come to realize my best memories about traveling aren't the buildings and monuments I see, but the people I meet and the story of their lives that gives me a better understanding of the world.

This was originally shot in color with a Canon Digitial Rebel 300D and converted to B&W in Photoshop, with a little sepia tone added.