Our current CACE house in Iquitos has been great for the past two years, but the owner finally sold it so we have to find a new place to store our equipment, distill our oil and have a place where I can stay when I come down. While one can find a few places online or through a rental agent, the only way to really find out what's available is to search the streets. I walked around our neighborhood first and then cruised around in numerous areas with Tulio on his motorcycle. We kept a sharp eye out for little paper or plastic signs that said "Casa para alquiler" (house for rent) instead of ones advertising houses, popsickles, or coconuts for sale." In the course of our ramblings, we toured some funky dwellings at the end of mud lanes and a spiffy place surrounded by a white picket fence. We made it to the Marona Cocha district where houses made of rough boards lay just above the land but in an area that would certainly flood in the coming rainy season. We had found a few places in between that might serve, but I was very happy when we finally got to see inside a house we had passed by the night before (while some festive neighbors played the Macarena). It offered just what we needed - a house in a safe (and kind of fun) neighborhood, adequate space to store our grinder, distiller, and other supplies, and a place where I and other visitors could sleep during our stays in the city.
