We were finishing our tour of Iquitos when and our guide took us to see the Belen Market. Below the Market was the floating city of Belen. It has been called the Venice of Peru. We were fortunate to have our local guide with us and he asked us if we wanted to tour the floating city by boat. Here canoes are like bicycles. Of course we said “Yes” and off we went. Our guide informed us that this is a very
poor area of Peru and to be careful. Belen is a profoundly poor riverside community town. There is approximately 74,000 people living in this 110 sq.Km district. The houses are either on stilts or
built on balsa rafts and float up and down as the river rises and falls. One can see hydro lines crossing channels that serve as roads in the rainy season. Sanitation is extremely poor and facilities drain into the river. Residents of Belen often experience serious health conditions. Organizations such as Patch Adam’s Gesundheit Institute have had projects there to help local government and citizens improve health and living condition. Satellite TV receivers, children swimming, laundry hanging, children playing, pets on ladders, and happy Peruvian faces can be seen as one motors by. It was truly a remarkable experience and I look forward to what this year might bring.