Tuesday, February 21, 2012

amazon jungle


The boat motor was loud and the smell of exhaust was strong in the air as we started our four hour boat ride from Iquitos to the very remote jungle lodge on the Amazon river. Not really knowing what we were in for, but knowing this was going to be a very different experience than we have ever had before. We knew that the lodge was an Eco lodge far into the jungle, where we would be able to experience the real amazon. This was going to be great.

 And it is!

We have been in the jungle now for 4 days. We have tried to experience everything that this lodge has to offer. What it doesn't have to offer is a menu of foods to choose from. They cook one food for meals, and that is what we eat. They don't have hot or warm water, but one tap in the shower with river water to wash the sweat off before crawling into our screen enclosure room for the night. No A/C, no T.V. just chirping birds, bugs and other amazon jungle creatures to lull us to sleep at night.

A typical day in the jungle for us has started at 5am. We awaken to people getting ready for the day and once again, the loud jungle creatures that are starting their day. We get dressed, wash the sleep out of our eyes and get into the waiting boat that will take us deep into the river jungle to see if we can spot the early morning creatures that live there.
  Breakfast was prepared for us by the lodge. One day it was peanut butter and jam and star fruit juice, another day it was fried egg, cheese and ham on bread with another fresh tropical fruit to drink.
   As we hiked through the dense primary jungle, we are always on the lookout for something new to see. Some of the creatures we have seen are, poison dart frogs, leaf frogs, Pygmy marmoset, wholly monkey, squirrel monkey, black monkey, 3 toed sloth, jungle tree anaconda, yellow viper snake, jungle rats, tarantula, camen, many, many spiders as big as a mans hand, big bugs, little bugs, swimming spiders and my favorite,  pink river dolphins. The other ways we have been exploring is in canoes. Everywhere we go, there is water.
The amazon region in northern Peru in very different than I was expecting. It is the rainy season now, and everything is under 12 feet of water. Something like 1/2 a millions square miles are partially under water.  So when we first arrived, I was expecting to see mountains, and a very distinct river. But everything is flat and under water. So much so that the huge trees that we pass in the boats, really don't look that big because we are boating up in the canopy instead of down by the base of the trees. All of the buildings are built on stilts and there is very little dry land. Everywhere we go is by boat or canoe. Very odd to spend a week without seeing or walking on much dry land. Though today we boated an hour and a half to hike in the jungle. Felt good to stretch our legs and do some hiking.

Another fun thing we did yesterday was go fishing. I caught a piranha!! We ate it for supper.

It is no wonder why this is one of the 7 natural  wonders of the world.

                                                                       My piranha!!

our room at the lodge


                                                               the view from our room

                                                           a pink dolphin splash

We visited a nearby village. One of the only places with dry land. Very friendly people!!

                                                                     The village kids



                        One of the walkways around the lodge and my jogging path


3 comments:

rachel said...

That is the coolest thing yet you have done..
Ty thinks you ROCK.. Eating his fav fish..
Rory thinks you are crazy sleeping with the spiders.

Anonymous said...

I agree, this is very cool!

Allan

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy reading about your adventures Wendy. Thanks for sharing.

Lori