Jungle is massive, and full of MONKEYS!

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We checked on to a three day adventure trip to take in Rainforest and rafting.

DAY 1
Panning for Gold!!!
we spent the morning doing the old school panning for gold thing. You dig up some mud, fish out any major rocks then spin it round to centrifuge stuff out. Its harder than it looks, but even so we managed to find a few actual bits of gold amongst the grit. About the same as in a bottle of Goldschlager. Its pretty amazing though actually getting hold of real gold!

In the afternoon our indigenous guides took us on into Primary Rainforest. It is just like in geography lessons (suprisingly enough). you can see the different layers and when one tree falls, you can see where the others race to the light.

One of the first plants we got a look at was this one with red fruits. When you stick a twig in it you get bright red face paint and use it to decorate yourself.

i got to decorate Rich, and had I known he would destroy my most valuable possession within hours, I wouldnt have decorated him so nicely. I think I would have just written DOUGHNUT on him instead.

Off we went in our wellies through seriously lush rain forest. the animals must have heard us coming and done one, but there was plenty of stuff to take in....

Upon arriving at one of many waterfalls we had to climb up, Rich was foolishly left in charge of my camera, and decided to shimmy up the waterfall (the only person to do so without a harness I may add). when I met my beloved at the top, I said how I dearly hoped the camera was ok, and the dry bag had worked. And yes, the drybag had worked, but Brains decided not to bother putting my camera inside it, and just left it to drown in another pocket. So not only did we take in wonderful scenery, we also took in a gallon of water. ten out of ten.

but the walk was splendid. I aquired blisters while some of our guides did it barefoot. amazing really.



In the evening.....

We sat on our porch in the darkness of the jungle marvelling at these THINGS in the jungle ahead of us, particularly some things that lit up intermitantly. as it was pitch black we decided to shine a torch at them to see if we could see it. however, the beam of the maglite seemed to work as a mating call for the things that lit up, and they started to get closer, and closer, until I got scared and went inside the hut!

It has to be said as well, cheesy as it may be, but the noise that comes from the rain forest at night is IMMENSE! The frogs were particularly loud and loadsa insects, but to be honest, I wasn´t gonna venture outside to find out what they were!




and finally,
at this little outpost in the jungle, we were lucky to meet one of those Americans you pray aren´t real. Her name was molly.
You thought me and Rich were loud? we pale into insignificance!
And she was enormous.
I did find it rather difficult to keep a straight face as I climbed up some rocks, with her extremely oversized posterior, clad in white, see-through when wet, skin tight, trousers in my unfortunate face. In between gasping for breaths (Molly, not me) she announced, loudly of course,

Its at times like these you realise how outta shape I am

hmmmm.

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Photos

Rich
QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE

the joke is on me, it would seem
Little did I know my camera would only be alive for a few more seconds, hence I´m still smiling.