I met a Columbia University student named Cina who is here in Iquitos studying the Belen fish market. On Sunday, the 15th we decided to explore and we took a trip upriver.

We arrived in Padre Cocha, a small town about 3o minutes upriver on the Nanay, to find a motorcross tournament in progress. This tiny town was overwhelmed with crowds of people to watch the tournament along with a couple of local bands playing cumbia and crowds of vendors just like the fair.

These boys were sitting in a small tree watching the action, mostly motocyclists having to hop off and push the moto up the imbankment!

I can´t explain how amusing it was to see this tiny town host a motorcross event – a surreal experience. But as you might imagine, do the conditions of the roads and the excess of motorcycles in the Iquitos area, motorcross is a popular event.  

Afterwards, we enjoyed the sunset on the Boulevard in Iquitos.