The people I met on the slow boat through the Amazon:

— Hector, my hammock neighbor, returning to his village after two years working in Lima

— Juan, 12, who I bonding with over a push-up competition and had never seen a deck of playing cards

— Wilson, who wanted to practice his English and came prepared with a blow-up mattress and 3 days worth of movies

— Jose, a truck driver hauling imported frozen meat to Iquitos, cheaper than local livestock

Plus, I wasn’t the only outsider. For more on who rides the cargo ship, check out the latest edition of Sternberg Heads South