Jungle Boogie

I should have a tshirt that says "I survived a stay in the Amazon jungle", that is if I actually wore tshirts.  What I can say is "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". 

The worst things were being so very hot that I constantly had sweat pouring down every inch of my body, the high humidity causing clothes to be constantly damp, the cockroaches that had to be killed every night before going to bed, and mosquitos. 

The best things, however, vastly outnumbered the worst things. The entire jungle experience was amazing. I saw dolphins for the first time in my life, and not just regular dolphins - we got to see pink dolphins.  I loved the sounds of the birds, particularly in the morning when the whole jungle comes alive with the different songs and sound, and I loved the peace and tranquility. 

This was an organized tour and while there each guest, or group of guests, had their own guide. Our guide was Tito.  He picked us up at our hotel in Iquitos, organized activities for us and accompanied us on all activities.  Activity choices included bird watching, hikes in the jungle day and night, looking for and swimming with the pink dolphins, fishing for piranha, night boat excursions on the river, visiting a village, and zip lining. I think there were a few more as well. 

The first activity we chose was the night jungle walk. Tito led the way with his machete into the inky darkness, the only lights being our flashlights.  It was very quiet and we didn't see much other than a tarantula and a couple of frogs but it was a neat experience.  Here I am in my rubber boots, which they supply, ready to go out on our night walk. 

 We also did a two hour day hike through the jungle where we saw frogs, tree squirrels, a couple of monkies, various insects and had a lesson in flora and fauna.  We learned about the medicinal and practical properties of various plants and roots.  

On our walk a woman from Los Angeles and her guide came with us.  In this photo the guide is explaining the cosmetic properties of this particular tree. 

We walked along trails and blazed our own as the guides cut away underbrush with their machetes. Much of the area was wet and muddy and at one point we had to cross a little stream on logs and I managed not to fall in. 

 

Dale was given a lesson in the use of a machete. 

We took a boat trip to see what we could see. We saw many different birds, none of whose names I can recall. When a bird was spotted the boat would be stopped so that photos could be taken and one of the guides would talk to us about the bird.  It was quite educational as well as fun.   It was during this excursion that we got to see a sloth. 

The pink dolphins were phenomenal. I had never known they existed. They are not as showy as regular   dolphins and it was difficult to get a photo but it was very easy to see that they definitely had bright pink on them.  There were 8 people on this tour and 4 of them jumped in and swam with the dolphins.  

To get to the lodge was a 4 hour speed boat trip along the Amazon and it's tributaries. There are several cabins, a dining room, kitchen, a hammock room, a quiet room and a wifi room. Yes, there was wifi  but with questionable reliability so we didn't use it. There was solar powered electricity so lighting was very dim and we were asked to participate in conserving energy. The bathrooms only had cold water but were modern and each cabin had a private bathroom. Water for the shower came directly from the Amazon and could not be used for drinking or brushing teeth.  Bottled water was supplied. 

The lodge is wood with thatched roofs and screens, and sits several feet above the ground with connecting walkways. 

We had meals supplied and they were announced by the beating of a drum. They were buffet style

and were varied and very delicious. 

Our last activity was a visit to a local community this morning before we left. We were able to visit with a couple of local residents as they picked fruits and another fellow invited us into his  home to see a typical Peruvian jungle home.  The homes are all elevated to prepare for eventual flooding and this home we went into had a walled and roofed sleeping quarters but otherwise there weren't walls. I couldn't believe they just wouldn't fall out of the living quarters from time to time. 

This photo shows their kitchen area. This shows the floor of their kitchen which is at least 6 to 8 feet above the ground and the boards are rotting and there are no walls.

Our walk about came to an abrupt end when a torrential downpour began. We took shelter where a couple of women were preparing lunch for the school children on an outdoor fire. Remember Tito was with us so we were able to stand by the fire and try to dry off. We were only in the rain for a couple of minutes but were completely drenched. We ended up helping prepare the food by stirring and Tito helped by removing the pots from the fire.  We had fun and the women were very friendly. 

Our jungle excursion ended by a two hour trip back to Iquitos by speedboat. Our trip to the jungle took four hours; this guy did it in two and that was in pouring rain. We pounded that water. If I was religious I think I would have crossed myself and done some praying, but as it was I put on my life jacket and read a book. 

Coming back into Iquitos we checked in for our last night at Casa Morey again and the room they put us in is what we asked for and is a perfect end to a perfect trip. There will be some activity tomorrow and it will get a separate post if it is worthy. We don't fly out until 2030 hours.