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Published: August 12th 2006
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I love Ecuador... We´ve gone from the Beach... 8 hours and we were in Quito... then another 8 hours and we were in Lago Agrio - a jumping off point to the Primary rainforest of Cuyabeno nature reserve! Well it was another 4 hours on the this rickety bus and it was very bouncy to the bridge where we got on a motorised canoe for a 3 hour boat ride to our jungle lodge!
We arrived in Lago Agrio at 5am after going on the night bus, so we were pretty knackered. We met the rest of our group - 3 couples (2 french, 1 french-canadian) and a spanish girl. It turns out that everyone speaks French better than English - except Cam and I. I can follow the French but every word I try and say comes out in Spanish! The guides spoke French and English.
On the drive to the canoe we passed a number of petrochemical plants. In the late 70s they formed Cuyabeno National Park to preserve the area. There is still a huge amount of pressure on the Ecuadorian government to open up the area to the petrochemical industries. Our guide says that the
government won´t resist much longer. Terribly sad if that happens.
At the Bridge we got into our canoe. 3 hours in a motorised canoe is a loooooong time when you realise after about 15 minutes that there is a small leak and the bottom is filling up with water! Eventually they realised and just bailed water every so often. It was getting darker by the time we reached our lodge.
The lodge is great. There are 4 raised, open huts - one for the dining area, one for guest sleeping areas, and 2 small ones for the guides and the family living there. There are rainwater showers and toilets. Everything we need.
We had dinner when we arrived and during dinner we had the pleasure of noticing a tarantula on the roof (about the size of Cam´s spread hand - shudder). I have to say I did keep looking at it all through dinner... I don´t mind it when I know where it is... but when you lose sight of it... then you worry!!
We went to bed really early - we all had mosquito nets with just mattresses. I love mosquito nets... they keep out
Tarantula!
This delightful little friend lived on the roof of the Dining Hut. Lovely. mosquitos...
and any other bugs!! The amazing thing is how noisy it is at all times... there are always so many insects and birds.
The next day we were dropped off by the boat to go on a 3.5 hour walk back to the camp. So off we went into the jungle. Then mini disaster struck Cam - poor thing got diahoerra. So he had the pleasure of frequent jungle toilet usage - at one point he even went next to a semi dead tarantula.
The walk was amazing (if you weren´t ill). We saw loads of medicinal plants - some of them being natural anasthetics, some for headaches, stomach aches, halluinogenic plants. We didn´t see too many animals. They run as soon as they hear us trudging through the jungle. We saw loads of insects and I saw some Lion Head Monkeys - white monkeys - in the trees.
Some more people joined our group, 2 Japanese, 4 Canadians and 2 Swiss... So there was more of a mix of languages after this... this helped a lot!
We went to a community to watch traditional bread making. Basically we picked some manioc and then we
Jungle Walk
This is our French speaking group. Cam isn´t in the photo as he was relieving himself next to a tarantula. had to grate it, squeeze all the water out with this woven mat, sieve it and then sort of dry fry it on a very hot plate. It was really nice! We had some with Jam the guide had brought with him as well.
The next day Cam was feeling a little better... we went on another jungle walk for 2.5 hours. We saw Tamarind monkeys and a gorgeous toucan... an Iguana and loads more bugs.
Then we went Piranha fishing. I wasn´t sure whether I liked the idea of fishing. Fishing has always seemed a bit mean if you´re not going to eat the fish! But hey... these are piranhas and they are carnivores... so sod it.
Lenin (our guide - yes Lenin is a popular name here! There was even a report in the newspaper that mentioned a little kid called Stalin - I wonder if they realise they´ve named their son after a murderous dictator?!?)... anyways Lenin caught a rather large piranha. Cam and I were the only ones to catch anything. I didn´t know what to do with mine once I´d caught it... so my fish experienced the joy of flight before being
thrown back in the water. Cam managed to catch a dogfish, a baracuda and a piranha... so he was doing well.
We fished in this big lake and on the way back to the camp (a long way) we saw pink river dolphins!!!! It was dark on the way back and we could see the Southern Cross! We were scanning the river sides for the reflective eyes of Caiman aligators. We saw 3!! One little one and we saw his whole body and the heads of two much larger ones.
The next day we swam in the that same river!!! I have to admit that I was somewhat nervous, knowing that there were piranhas, snakes and caiman in the river.... but we all swam. So I just enjoy saying that I´ve swum in piranha infested waters... sounds dramatic like that!
3 of us didn´t want to go on the walk the last day so we fished with the two local little boys... they caught some fish, gutted them and then had them cooked for us to try - quite nice actually!
We went to another community and we all had a go with a BlowPipe. Only
Cam and one of the Canadians managed to hit the target (a lime on a stick). We also met the extremely old chief (I think he´s about 93!!!!). He lives in the same area as his 70 relatives.
We headed back the next day... so another 3 hour canoe ride... the last half an hour it peeeeeeed with rain and we were drenched! Then a 3 hour bus ride back to town... before heading back to Quito with a couple of Swiss girls from our trip... we had to do all the Spanish speaking for them.
The Jungle trip was absolutely fantastic (apart from Cam´s getting ill... ). I just hope that the Ecuadorian government maintain and protect the area!!
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