The Amazon Jungle- on everyone's bucket list!
A friend asked me to write my travel bucket list. That was easy: Peru, The Amazon Jungle, Machu Picchu, The Inka Trail, Carnival in Argentina… it was quickly becoming a long list.
Approximately a year ago, I rallied up my friend Kristen, and we decided to make our dreams a reality. We spent several months researching different tour options and considering cost, time, and the places we could visit. We narrowed down our “must see” list to include the Amazon.
Careful packing and off we go!
Since we arrived so late the night before, Kristen and I missed the pre-departure group meeting and walking tour of Lima with our guide, David. The next morning we were up by 6, and we were quickly informed that we had to transfer everything we needed for the next 3 days in the jungle to our “day packs” because we were putting our main bags in storage. I was never told that a “day pack” needed to be big enough for multiple days, and I had packed the smallest day pack imaginable, so you can imagine my surprise! Fortunately, I also had a carry on tote from the plane that was slightly larger.
The view from our canoe
After catching a flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado (via Cusco), our group of about 18 people was herded onto a lodge bus and taken to the office to repack and store our main bags.
After 10 minutes, we were transported again via bus to the dock to jump on the motorised canoe. The canoe ride lasted 1.5 hours down the river, and the weather was beautiful even though the water was a dirty brown! We passed several lodges along the river before getting to ours.
The lodge was impressive for being out in the middle of nowhere. There was a nice dining hall, a bar, pool, hammock lounge, and many individual bungalows for the visitors. The only two cons were the lack of hot water and the fact that we only had electricity for about 4 hours a day. A cold shower is not fun, especially in the dark. Since we arrived around 2:30 to the lodge, we had a late lunch of chicken and rice wrapped in a banana leaf.
After lunch, we had time to relax and enjoy the pool. It was freezing (or as described by the staff, refreshing!) and I did not last very long there before returning to my bungalow.
Canoes, caiman and crocodiles
That evening, we had a delicious buffet dinner before regrouping for our night canoe excursion on the river to search for caiman. We swiftly moved along with our guide carrying a giant flashlight. We were lucky enough to spot multiple caiman by the glow of their eyes. They are much smaller than the average crocodile, but I still wouldn’t want to cuddle with one. Even more amusing than the caiman were the stars! Maybe I should have known this, but the constellations in the southern hemisphere are different than those in the northern hemisphere. The Southern Cross was shining brilliantly in the sky! Before bed, we hit the bar for a traditional pisco sour and some socializing with the group.
I'm a fan of the jungle...
Our second day in the Amazon was very busy because we had to squeeze in a trip to Monkey Island that was intended for the day before.
After an early morning breakfast buffet, our group split into two for our journey into the jungle. The group I was in started off with a long hike through the wilderness. Our local guide led us along a path from the lodge. As we walked into the first clearing, I decided it was a good time to try out my Off fan. I switched it on, only to be dismayed by the louder than expected noise that was now coming from it rotating around. Our guide immediately stopped talking and looked directly at me, saying “What is that noise?” Uhh… I tried to explain to him that it was the fan that was clipped to my belt loops, but I’m not sure he ever really understood what it was meant for.
After a good laugh from the group, I noticed more people walking beside me trying to feel the benefit of my insect repelling technology. It may have been loud, but it definitely worked. I did not get any mosquito bites while in the jungle! It may also be because I started dousing myself in 100% deet mosquito spray. That is not something I would recommend for everyday use, but I figured two days can’t be that bad.
When the tarantula wasn't the scariest encounter!
Along our walk, we came across monkeys, fire ants, a termite nest, and many other creepy crawlies. At one point, our guide noticed a tarantula hole and decided it would be a good idea to try and coax it out by poking it with a stick. Sure enough, the tarantula crawled out of the hole for a quick photo!
Further along our walk, our path was intercepted by a family of peccaries, or wild pigs. They were really aggressive, and we had to stay back.
Earlier in our walk, our guide told us that if a peccary attacked us, we would have to climb a tree to escape. You can bet I was checking out the trees while we waited for them to pass. By the time our walk was ending, we were all very hot and sweaty, but the last stop of the walking part of our morning was to the lagoon to search for anacondas.
You may be wondering what type of incredibly safe boat we took to protect us from these large snakes. The answer is… a rickety old canoe that almost tipped over several times! As our guide paddled us around the lagoon, vultures soared overhead. Taking that as a good sign, we continued for about 15 minutes, but could not find any animals.
You know who your friends are
The second part of our morning tour was to paddle a canoe down a small river. After walking for hours and literally dripping with sweat (Kristen’s hair never dried that day), we all piled into a canoe and attempted to row with 30+ lb. wooden oars.
I can honestly say I was not a very effective contributor to the team that day. My oar was so heavy, but after switching with Kristen, I found hers was even heavier, so I made her switch back. Good thing she is such a good friend! We saw a few other birds, including a flycatcher. I did manage to pluck some aguaje fruit from an overhanging tree. They are supposed to be very healthy and delicious, but it takes two days to soak them in water so they are soft enough to peel and eat.
Would you eat a worm?
During our morning hike, our guide continuously cracked open various nuts in search of the elusive “white worm” also known as a Sago worm. As we made our way back to the lodge, we finally found some. As he was handing them out for us to hold and inspect, he popped one into his mouth and spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince us of the wonderful health properties of this worm. We all looked at each other trying to decide how much we believed him, and who would be the first to eat the live worm.
The first one to try said it tasted like coconut. After him, a few other people, including me, decided to try. Yes, I am not proud to say I ate a live worm and it wiggled in my mouth. Just kidding, it did not wiggle, but it tasted like goo, not like a coconut. It wasn’t crunchy either. Was it delicious? No, but it wasn’t horrible either. I probably wouldn’t want to eat a bowl of them though.
Monkey Island
We made our way back to the lodge for lunch, and then had a quick turnaround to Monkey Island. The island is owned by the lodge as a place to house rescued monkeys. There are capuchins, spider monkeys, and tamarins. We became very popular with all of them when we were handing out the bananas. We only stayed there for an hour before jumping in a canoe to go fishing for piranhas.
Mind out for Piranhas..they bite!
Off the main river was an inlet where piranhas like to hang out. Mind you, we were still in a little canoe that could easily tip over if someone were to stand up too quickly. When we reached our destination, our guide handed everyone a stick with a piece of rope tied to it and some kind of meat fastened to the end.
Most of our sticks had makeshift weights made from nails, a washer, or various other rusted tools. After about 10 minutes, someone caught a piranha!
We all said oooh and ahh because it is actually a pretty little fish. It was thrown back in and we continue to fish. Shortly after, another person caught one! She flung her fish into the boat. It fell off the hook and started flapping around. This fish has very sharp teeth and could easily bite someone’s ankle. Not being very brave, so we backed away and huddled on one side of the boat. As our guide tried to grab the fish, it bit his finger and he started bleeding profusely. Another guide caught it by the tail with pliers and threw it overboard.
Our guide had a nasty cut, but nothing that the first aid and a lot of laughter can’t fix.
More amazing wildlife...this time in the bathroom
We returned to our bungalow, and Kristen said she had to use the toilet. She rushed into the bathroom and came right back out screaming! Much to her surprise, there was a frog hopping around in our shower. In any normal situation, one of us would probably grab the frog and haul it outside, but we are in the jungle! There are poisonous frogs in the jungle! Neither of us wanted to seem like a sissy, so we decided not to go find someone to help. Kristen grabbed a plastic zip lock bag and tried to convince the frog to jump in the bag. By some miracle, he jumped right in and she was able to take him outside to freedom. How the little guy made it into our completely screened in lodge is still a mystery!
So, bugs, spiders, man-eating fish, more bugs and a frog in the toilet. It was worth every second and we can’t wait to do it all again!
