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Published: April 6th 2011
Absolutely breathtaking!
Words cannot describe the sheer scale and beauty of the Amazon rainforest and I was only scratching the surface!
Friday:
Arrival in the Amazon gateway town of Tena on Friday and spent the night sampling the local nightlife... bumped into a couple of Italian fellas and their Ecuadorian entourage and had a fantastic night with them. One of the Italians mentioned that he new a Scotsman who was married to a girl from his village outside Rome - it was only a mutual friend who Martin and I had met on our trip to Rome last year...small world case number 2!
Saturday:
Went on a jungle tour staying in a lovely lodge on a cliff face overlooking the splendour of the rainforest with the the mighty wall of the Andes towering in the background...as I lay swaying in my hammock admiring the sunset, I have to say I felt completely insignificant, though uttelry content with life.
I spent the day with my indigenous guide Matildo who descends from one of the local tribes and knew everything there was to know about the animal and plant life in that area of the forest -
Amazon Rainforest
Trekking the Amazon with the knowledgable Matildo.including the hideaways of the monkey spiders! In the morning we took a trail through the jungle and walked through a canyon as well, where we disturbed the local bat population! In the afternoon we took a swim in the river (thankfully the anaconda are hibernating!) and searched for gold on the riverbank and even managed to find quite a few particles!
Sunday:
Took a trip to Matildo's tribe and had a walk around the village, chatting to the locals and watching them go about their daily life. Was great to hear them chatting away in their native Kichwa language. We sampled some of the local Yucca juice which is said to have many remedial features and is cited as the reason many western illnesses are virtually non-existent among the tribal population.
Sunday afternoon we spent "tubing" along the river admiring the greenery and the animal and bird life. We saw tree monkeys, a small snake, and an endless array of colourful birds and when I got back to the viewpoint at the lodge to admire the sunset, there was a tarantula winking at me from the rooftop!
Monday:
We dook a drive deeper into
Amazon Rainforest
The view from my jungle lodge the rainforest and took a hike along a route known for its spectacular waterfalls. We scaled a few of the waterfalls, cooling off with a shower in the process and then spent the afternoon relaxing in one of the natural lagoons in the forest. The lagoon was in an absolutely beautiful spot surrounded by huge gleaming white rocks, a fast flowing tributary of the Amazon and every shade of green imaginable.
When I arrived back in Tena I fancied myself a relaxing beer by the waterfront and got chatting to a couple of (already well oiled) local folk musicians. They insisted I sample their folk music so we headed off to their friends shop (a half finished shoe shop which their friend was in the process of renovating) complete with a bottle of the local tipple and a variety of instruments. We spent a fantastic evening jamming with an eclectic mix of Ecuadorian indigenous folk music, Flower of Scotland and whatever English songs Hernando could muster on the guitar. I spent a fantastic night singing, chatting and laughing with Hernando, Luis, Ernesto and Amato and, though I'm not entirely sure, I might now be contractually obliged to tour with
them round South America. Thanks guys...I will never forget the night spent in your half-finished shoe shop!
Finally, a big congratulations to John, Fiona and Louise and their new arrival Daniel. Very best of wishes!
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Auntie
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Wow indeed!
Beautiful scenery. I would put the Amazon on my "someday list", but I wouldn't be so keen on the creepy crawlies! Glad you are keeping up your singing. How do you say "laldy" in Kichwa?