Jungle Boogie

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Trujillo wasn't the most exciting place, but went to look at Chan Chan a massive city built out of mud (chimu people, before the inca's).

Got the bus to Tarapoto at 3pm, and spent 16hrs bashing from one side of my seat to the other, windy roads/crazy driver! Another night bus journey though so couldn't see any impending accidents. Slept quite soundly though.

Arrived in Tarapoto about 8am, such an amazing place. So hot and sticky. Got a mototaxi, loads of fun, up to our hostal we picked out the guide book. Turned out to be an amazing place! Most expensive so far but we do have a twin room with tv and shower! Luxuries compared with the last two nights on buses!Watched the Ireland rugby game (Canice is an avid fan!), was rubbish, with a few beers and then had a laze in some hammocks, under the huge traditional house with no walls (like a jungle gazebo) in the courtyard!

Very lazy day followed with beers, chocolate and then rum and orange crush(tango) followed by a chinesse. A bit of shithead (world renown) more rum and fell asleep at some point to wake up at 4am with the tv on, radio blairing, light on and the curtains open! Oops! Still music coming from one of the neighbouring bars anyway!

Another lazy day and then off to Yurimaguas in the back of a pick-up truck! Took around 3 hrs, definately one of the most fun ways to travel, apart from the dust. Look like I've been rolling around in a builders yard! Drove through loads of jungle and all the jungle noises started to appear gradually. Getting more remote. Nearly hit a few cows on the way that were just standing in the middle of the road! Organised our jungle guide and planned to leave on a boat the following day.

Got on the boat at 10am and slept in our hammocks until 6pm, got off the boat in the same port! Boat hadn't moved all day. Kept being told different times for departure but ended up being the next day! Decided to get another boat first thing as it would be quicker!

Got on the new boat at 8am and left port at 12pm, waiting for loading and unloading etc etc, you just go when its all ready! An amazing journey down the river with the locals and 10 hrs later arrived in Lagunas. Even smaller jungle town, and very remote, the starting point for our jungle adventures.The guide met us off the boat and took us to our jungle hostal, then round to his to discuss the plan. Three days, two nights in the jungle! Getting very excited by this point!

He picked us up at 8am the following morning to have breakfast, fish and rice (a taste of things to come!). Then got two mototaxi's (one broke down and then we were saved from walking by another) down to the reserve entrance. Signed in and then we were showed to our canoe's!!!! Very low in the water and a bit wobbley, but once your used to it, it was amazing. The guide paddled me and Canice in one canoe, and another guide with the equipment in another.

Travelled down the river spotting different animals. Saw small monkey's, bats, frogs, loads of birds, a huge spider! Went into the night which was really surreal, jungle mist everywhere, lit by the full moon, noisier and noisier as all the animals come out to play! Arrived at camp and slept on the jungle floor, covered by tarp and lying in a mosquito net. Not what I had imagined, very exposed! Slept well though, apart from a few crashes in the night, apparently a large monkey decided to jump onto the tarp!

Day 2 spent fishing pirana and another jungle delicacies, and then went for a quick trek. After half an hour was so dead, heat and humidity just wipe you out. Saw some cool stuff though and the guide showed us different plants and uses etc. Had jam sandwiches and then banana and pineapple to recover! More fishing and then back into the canoes to travel back up river. Saw a huge eagle and also a massive anaconda! It was on the bank in the plants, so the guide decided to poke it! Coiled up the first time, couldn't see the head or tail, was so long, and the second time he poked it, lightening quick it went into the water! Never been so scared of an animal! Counting down the minutes on the way back to camp. Guide thought it was the biggest he'd ever seen, around 7 metres long!!!

Day three was just spent paddling back, had a go, jungle adventurer style! Also had a swim in the river! Was all such an amazing experience, seeing how everything works in harmony, and just being in such an untouched remote place, hardly saw any other people the whole time! Too much fun, and took over 200 photos! Unfortunately can't upload them all! Got a boat back the morning after (18hrs - overnight upriver) and then another truck 3hrs, got back to tarapoto last night, nice to be back in civilisation! And to be clean again.

Just having a relax today to recover from all the travelling, jungling etc. Going to visit a shaman tomorrow morning, for some purification, should be interesting, had a meeting with him earlier this afternoon! Then off to Mancora, beach town for some relaxing. Decided not to go all the way to Iquitos, a bit too touristy.

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