I’m leaving Fantasy Island Iquitos, Peru in the heart of the Amazon after seven months in the rainforest Big Rock Candy Mountain, where everything has gone right, including:

  •         15 hands on fights without suffering a loss.
  •         13 dog bites without turning rabid.
  •         Chased by a hundred senoritas without stumbling.
  •         All drugs are legal but haven’t used any.
  •         Published five books including one on Iquitos without being sued.
  •         The police bow to tourists.
  •         Government officials take bribes to do anything.
  •         My dollar has 8x the buying power.
  •         Recovered from the worst case of anemia in jungle history and able to leap tall snakes.
  •         Great food and hot weather.
  •         I went to the zoo and dozens of children turned from the cages of monkeys and lions and exclaimed, ‘Look, a tourist!’

You too may visit this most magical spot in the world.