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Published: August 18th 2007
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There are few words that can accuratly describe the jungle, but I will do my best. To start off with its hot. Not only is it ridiculously hot, it is also unbearably humid. The entire day from sunrise to sunset you spend sweating, you are always sweating. We arrived in Puerto Maldonado around 11 am where we met our guides and ditched most of our luggage before the hour bus ride with no air conditioning to the river town Inferno or Hell town. (side note: The town was settled by people immigrating from the highlands. They found the weather so unbearable that they names their settlement Hell. I think it fits) We took a boat down the Tambopata river 2 hours from Hell to our lodge. The lodge itself was georgous. Each hut was covered with a thatched leaf roof, and sceens. There was no electricity anywhere in the lodge so everything was light by candles and oil lamps. Mosquito nets covered the beds and a hammock hung on our porch. Basically it was paradise.
The first night we took a night hike on one of the trails by the lodge. We saw some amazing insects, lots of army ants,
butterflies and moths. There were a few large moths about the sife of a small bird, one of which decided to attack us. well, considering it was only a moth and was attracted to our flashlights I don´t think it really attacked. We also saw the largest spider of my life sitting on a leaf. It was yellow and huge and when I learned it could jump I quickly walked past. In the middle of the hike we turned off our flashlights and listened to the sounds of the night. There are no many noises in the jungle, the recordings you here in the zoo are actually accurate. It really does sounds like that. Our peaceful listening ended when an enormous bat swooped down and brushed our heads. After that we walked back.
Early wake up calls every morning got us out of bed at 5:30 and breakfast at 6. A short hike on the first dayled us around a primary rain forrest where we saw amazing trees and birds. We also saw some little black monkeys jumping from tree to tree as well as a tucan near the lake where we fished for pirahna with no luck. Apart
from these animals we saw a large black tarantula that our guide coaxed out of its hole. It was definitly larger than my hand and hairier. Lisa and I were also fortunate enough to be stung by wasps as we were walking. Very painful, after a few curse words the pain went away and we pressed on. After an afternoon boat ride to a small water fall to beat the heat we prepared for caimen hunting at night. The boat took our group onto the river after dark with only a spot light and searched for caimen, a relative of the alligator. We saw a few, one large and one on a nest before heading into dinner. We also saw a deer, a howler monkey and a large caimen that afternoon.
The next day was our long hike. A two hour hike brought us tired and sweating to a large lake. More fishing with a little more luck caught us a sardine and another group a pirahna. Unfortunatly we didn´t see the giant river otters that live on the lake. After lunch of chick and rice wrapped in a bannana leaf we hiked the two more hours out of
the jungle through bamboo groves and past enormous trees. Apart from the lizard who made his home in one of the bathrooms we didn´t see too much wildlife. Everyonce in a while we would see mccaws flying over head or perched in trees. There were so many birds in the jungle it was beautiful.
Most of the nights were spent relaxing, reading, playing cards and having a beer by candle light. We were safe and sound in the jungle when the earthquakes happened so we didn´t even hear about them until the next morning when we got back into town. Apparently the majority of the damage was is in Ica and along the Coast. every one that I know is safe and travel is continuing as normal.
we are now in cuzco awaiting our departure for the inca Trail. The jungle was amazing and beautiful and I would love to return someday. I would come prepared though, more bug spray and lighter clothes. My arms and legs have the appearance of chicken pox but I have been taking my malaria pills so I should be fine. More on cuzco later.
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