El Rio Amazonas

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We knew we were in for a good experience when we decided to go to the Amazon. There aren’t many places in the world like it and in hindsight our time in the Amazon is up there with some of the best experiences we’ve had so far.

The story begins after our night out at Theatron. Bleary eyed and sleep deprived (Chris pulled an all-nighter) the three of us said goodbye to the chilly Bogota and flew to Leticia in the southernmost corner of Colombia on the three way border with Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Like many travelers we based ourselves here before continuing our journey into the Amazon proper. We hadn’t booked anything apart from our return flights. It is best to organise yourself a tour once in Leticia and the only way to reach Leticia is to fly as it isn’t connected to anywhere by roads. If you look at a map of Colombia, you’ll see that the whole bottom third of the country is dense green vegetation. It’s hard not to get confused flying over it. I thought we were flying over ocean, until I found the mighty brown el rio Amazonas winding its way through the landscape.

We flew with Aires, a low cost Colombian airline which cost $75.00 AUD per person each way. The flight took about two hours and all three of us slept for most of it. Once in Leticia we were immediately hit by the humidity…after the chilly heights of Bogota it was good to be back in the heat. We were also hit with the compulsory 16,500 pesos tax! We jumped into a taxi and asked to be driven into the main plaza. We could have walked as the airport is only 1km out of the main town, but we definitely weren’t walking in the heat. The taxi ended up costing 7,000 pesos which we thought was a huge rip off but felt it beat getting hot and stinky.

Once in the main plaza we opened the guidebook and decided on Hostel Mahatu. It apparently wasn’t too far away so we decided to walk. However, upon arrival at the stated address there was no Hostel Mahatu to be found. Yet again Berni and I were beat by the grid system! We walked several more blocks to try and find it before Berni had the brilliant idea to call Hostel Mahatu using Chris’ new phone. No wonder we couldn’t find it. Hostel Mahatu had moved since our guidebook had been published. The owner, who could speak fluent English offered to come and collect us. So there we were sweating it out on the street corner coping curious stares from the locals. The owner, Gustavo soon rocked up on his scooter. He told me to jump on… and thankful that I didn’t have to walk anymore, I did. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have just jumped on the back of a random Colombian’s scooter, one who apparently joked to Berni that he was kidnapping me… but it was hot, I was wearing pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt in the ridiculous heat and my guard was down.

When Gustavo and I arrived at HosteI Mahatu I had a few minutes to check out the place before the boys arrived. It was a really cool hostel on a property on the triple boarder region with Tabatinga, Brasil and Santa Rosa, Peru. There is a lake with turtles, gardens, canoes, a kitchen and swimming pool, also hammocks to relax in and bar area serving cold beers. It is also a short walk to the center of Leticia. We paid 20,000 pesos each and had a six person dorm to ourselves. Once we were settled in we questioned Gustavo on options for our Amazon trip. He was really helpful and gave us a well planned trip to consider. He proposed we spend a night at Marasha, on a private Nature Reserve about 20km from Leticia in Peru. Followed by two nights with an indigenous guide from one of the tiny communities on el rio Amazonas called La Libertad. We liked the sound of it but told Gustavo we would think it over and get back to him after lunch. We then walked into Leticia and found a lovely family run restaurant with a delicious and cheap menu del dia. With a bit of food in us, we were thinking clearly, weighing up our options and deciding to go with the trip Gustavo offered. We had been warned touts would approach us in the street to offer jungle tours, but there were none in site. Perhaps Sunday was their day off. Anyway, what Gustavo was offering consisted of a night at Marasha including all meals, our guide and activities for 220,000 pesos each. Then two nights in the jungle for 50,000 pesos each, return transport by boat for 30,000 pesos each and food for the three days 50,000 pesos each. All up 365,000 pesos (roughly $180.00 AUD) each with everything included. We worked out this cost less per day than our daily budget in Bogota so we were really happy. We also had to hire gumboots which we did from Gustavo for a deposit of 20,000 pesos. Berni and I had our hiking boots but in the end we were glad we had the gumboots, for two reasons. One… because we spent a lot of time trudging through ankle deep mud, and two… for protection against snakebites!

After we had sorted out the trip with Gustavo we ate dinner at a place our friends Tom and Jane recommended called Tierra Amazonas. Probably the most touristy place in town but with good food and huge portions. Later that night we got a tuk-tuk taxi to Tabatinga, Brasil. I thought it was hilarious that we just went to Brazil for the night. Gustavo mentioned there had been weeklong fiesta running so we were keen to check it out. The town even had a purpose built stadium, just for fiestas like this one. When we arrived it was absolute madness. There were two teams, red and blue and we quickly worked out we were in the middle of dance-off. A dance-off to end a weeklong dance-off. We stood on the side of team red who kicked things off… a two hour long dance with drummers, a stadium full of dancers in animal costumes, giant animal puppets, and a never ending song. The red side cheering nonstop for the whole two hours and the blue side sitting arms folded. An extremely impressive ordeal. Then two hours later, it was the blue sides turn. So out came the drummers, a stadium full of dancers in animal costumes, giant animal puppets, all to the same never ending song. By this stage it was 1.00am and we needed to get back to Colombia and to our beds as were getting up at 6.00am. We left the blue team, mid dance-off and got a taxi back to the hostel. I’m not sure who won.

The next morning we were up early. We were driven to the port in Tabatinga where we then boarded a covered gondola-style boat and disembarked for the Amazon. Once on el rio Amazonas we were impressed by its sheer size… and it wasn’t even at its full capacity. It was the middle of the dry season. Our guide said in the wet season it gets too 2km wide and 60m deep. Quite incredible. Gustavo had organised the slow gondola-style boat and this particular guide because he apparently is in tune with the Amazon and would be able to find the rivers elusive Amazon River dolphin…the pink dolphin. And yes they do exist, and yes they are very much indeed pink! Sure enough our guide found them. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

We arrived at the Marasha port two hours later, very happy with ourselves because we saw one of the Amazons most famous animals. At the port we met our guide from Marasha, Mario. From there it was an hour walk through the jungle to the lodge. Marasha is an amazing place and I would highly recommend it if you would prefer not to get your hands to dirty so to speak, but still see a lot of what the jungle has to offer. It is a jungle lodge set on a beautiful natural lake and consists of a series of raised huts with bunk beds, doubles or hammocks, all scattered around a central communal meal and activities hut. Plus there is an overwater hut on the lakes edge with hammocks and kayaks, and provides a lovely setting for watching the sunset. All meals were included, buffet style… and we had no complaints about the food, it was delicious and filling.

At Marasha we also met some really amazing animals. While relaxing in hammocks over the water after shortly after we arrived we met an extremely friendly Scarlet Macaw who loved being held and who liked to roll over like a puppy dog for a belly pat. We called him Red Bird. At first we loved Red Bird and thought it was such a novelty that we could put out our arms for him to jump on. However, by the end of our stay at Marasha we felt differently. He had slowly become the most jealous bird in the world. We had made many animal friends around the lodge and Red Bird hated the fact he wasn’t the centre of attention. If we even looked in the direction of another animal he would swoop in from nowhere and demand our immediate attention. Slightly annoying when you are trying to say… eat, as Chris found out. Some of you might be interested to know, Berni and Red Bird got on like a house on fire. Shall we say partners in crime. If you are Frost or Lederwasch and are reading this you’ll understand. For the rest of you, I’ll fill you in. Berni is the ultimate tormentor, just like Red Bird! Our other friends consisted of two colourful Toucans, who were also quite playful, and a very rare Tapir. I had never seen either of the above before so it was a very special experience.

During the afternoon we kayaked on the lake with our guide Mario, and then fished for Piranhas. They were small but I still wouldn’t have liked to encounter there razor sharp teeth. The whole fishing experience was hilarious as one of the Toucans (the most outgoing of the pair), Red Bird and also a wild Green Parrot all swooped in and were competing amongst themselves for our attention. It got a little crazy. Also at Marasha we got to see two Capybaras. Now my favourite movie of all time is The Princess Bride. If you know it you will be familiar with the ROUS’s or Rodent of Unusual Size… and that is exactly what a Capybara is! Crazy. After dinner that night we ventured out onto the lake again with Mario, this time in a wooden gondola to spot Caimans. It was really eerie out on the lake in the pitch black and dead quiet. We spent a while paddling close to the lakes edge looking for the glimmer of Caiman eyes in the dark, then before too long Mario found a baby Caiman which we all had a turn holding and posing for photos with. It was about 30cm long. After we freed the baby Caiman, Mario grabbed another, meter long Caiman. This one we brought back to the lake hut to show off. It was definitely more frightening holding this one. I figured he could probably do some damage if he wanted too and we did just snatch him from the otherwise peaceful evening he was enjoying. There were more photos and posing before we set him free.

The next day we woke at 4.30am. We watched the sunrise on the lake, went bird watching and followed Mario into the jungle for a two hour trek. All this before 11.00am! We then enjoyed a quick lunch before heading back to the port for our next Amazon experience. From the port we were picked up at 2.30pm, this time by a speed boat, and delivered to the indigenous town of La Libertad. Here we were welcomed by our guide, Gustavo… yes, another Gustavo. We were also welcomed by half of La Libertad, curious to see the gringos. We didn’t stay long in La Libertad. After some quick introductions and a brief rundown of the plan for the next two days we were off. Gustavo wanted to beat the imposing rain, and I did too as we had a two hour walk ahead of us. The walk was brisk and involved a lot of mud and stepping, or sometime in my case climbing over fallen tree trunks and tree roots. Gustavo was a fantastic guide. He is the town’s healer so understands the jungle’s flora like none other. We stopped several times so Gustavo could point out trees used for medicinal purposes. We were a lot deeper in the jungle compared to Marasha. The three of us we certain we wouldn’t be able to find out way back to La Libertad if we needed too. Gustavo was pretty much cutting a path through the jungle with his machete. His wife Rosalba followed behind us with the supplies. She carried a bag almost as big as her by tying a dried palm frond around the bag which she then placed around her forehead to carry the bag. Indigenous women must have extremely strong neck muscles!

We made it to the camp by 6.30pm. Gustavo stopped suddenly in the middle of the dense jungle and told us this is where we were going to make camp. He used his machete to make a clearing and to cut down small trees for a shelter. Under the shelter he then laid cut palm fronds on the ground while we helped to set up the tent we would be spending the night in. While we were busy with the shelter and tent, Rosalba was busy making a camp fire and cooking dinner. While we waited for dinner we drank cafe tinto which Rosalba had boiling over the campfire. Dinner consisted of local Amazonian Piraricu fish, served with rice and vegetables… an extremely simple but very enjoyable meal. Then after dinner we followed Gustavo further into the jungle to try to spot some of it nocturnal wildlife. Chris and Berni were dying to find a tarantula, but thankfully we didn’t. Do you reckon you could sleep in the middle of the jungle after seeing a giant tarantula? Definitely not. It was quite exciting walking through the jungle at night though, with only the light of Gustavo’s torch. There were some crazy noises. One noise we were told came from a giant frog. Whatever it was it definitely sounded big. We sadly didn’t get to see too much that night. It had rained earlier on the walk, an unusual occurrence for the middle of the dry season… but it meant the animals were spending the night lying low. Still an amazing experience. Returning to camp around 10.00pm we then went straight to bed. I thought I was in for a long, uncomfortable night, with only the palm fronds to cushion the hard ground. However, we were all so tired we slept soundly and woke to Rosalba’s scrambled eggs at 7.00am.

We had a very big day ahead of us. Gustavo told us we had to eat up so we had enough energy. We first walked for two hours to a small waterfall. There are lots of tiny creeks in the Amazon which we had come across already, but a waterfall I thought was quite unusual. We spent the morning swimming in the pool under the waterfall and also using the time to have a shower! We ate lunch here, which consisted of chicken, rice with vegetables and brown lentils… another delicious and very filling meal. Gustavo was still on his personal mission to feed us up for the afternoon of walking. Following lunch we had a tough four hour walk. This time the walk was a little more intense, with lots of fallen trees to contend with and river crossings. It definitely took it out of me. It wasn’t an intense cardio workout, but the stepping over things and trying not to get caught in jungle vines wore a little thin by the fourth hour. We made it back to La Libertad by 4.00pm where we were grateful to be able to rest for a few moments.

That night we were staying with Gustavo’s family. Their house consisted of three raised pavilions with thatched palm frond roofs. We asked how often they had to replace the palm fronds and he told us they replace the roof every ten months. So much work! I really liked Gustavo’s house. They had a fully enclosed, timber clad pavilion where the whole family slept (2 adults and 7 children), and two open pavilions - one with a stone stove for cooking and the other with bench seating where they spent most their time… a living room equivalent. After we spent a few moments recovering, Gustavo took us for a walk around La Libertad. Now this is my favourite part of the story… he took us to see the town’s pet baby sloth. When I saw it I died. I thought the little girl holding it was playing with a toy. It was so tiny… almost unbelievable. I spend most the afternoon holding it… I called him Slothy. It was an unforgettable experience. There were other animals in the town too. We also held baby monkeys and went to find the baby anaconda apparently making the town its home. We never found it. A little concerning the town’s anaconda was on the loose! Gustavo also showed us the town’s communal bathing spot in one of the creeks running into the Amazon River. By this stage we had an audience. A little annoying when you are trying to have a bath. We then pigged out on popcorn before dinner, which consisted of fried eggs, rice with vegetables and plantain. We were definitely fed well. Later that night we went with the family to a fiesta. One of the boys in the town was turning 18 and the whole of La Libertad was invited. It was in the town’s communal hut. We sat with Gustavo and tried what the locals drink, chicha. It’s made from the Yuka plant which is a potato type root. Hmmm how best to describe the taste. Kind of like sour fermented fruit with the consistency of curdled milk, thick and white. I didn’t enjoy it at all and frankly didn’t know how the locals could drink bowls full of it. The chicha maker poured out bowls from a huge barrel and passed them around the circle of fiesta-goers. I found it interesting that everyone could drink it, adults and children. Not sure how much you would need to get yourself proper drunk, but it would be more than you could physically stomach. The three of us got a few stares at the fiesta and a few of the young boys showing off with arm wrestles and races… including hoping races and wheelbarrow races. The fiesta went on all night, but we were so tired we left around 11.00pm and set up camp for another night in the tent under one of the pavilions. When we woke at 2.00am for a group trip to the toilet… the nearest tree, we heard the fiesta was still ragging.

The next morning we were up at 7.30am and Gustavo had breakfast ready for us. We had scrambled eggs, plantain and cheese and tomato sandwiches. Berni and I then said goodbye to Chris as he was staying for another night and said a huge thank you to Gustavo’s family. We then hurried off behind Gustavo to meet the boat. We were on the speedboat again which took us directly back to Leticia. From there we walked to Hostel Mahatu, thanked the other Gustavo for organising such a wonderful trip and returned our gumboots. We then got a taxi to the airport and flew back to the cold Bogota for an overnight bus to Salento in Zona Cafetera, Colombia’s coffee growing region.

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Photos

A rare moment on the Amazon
A brief glimpse of one of the Amazon River's pink dolphins

Doesn't get any better than this
Enjoying a lazy afternoon on the lake at Marasha

Red Bird
The most jealous bird in the world

The naughty Toucan
There was something about the Toucan's beak that scared us a little

Red Bird attack
Trying to enjoy a nice meal... when all of a sudden... Red Bird attack

Berni's first Piranha
Fishing for Piranhas off the lake hut at Marasha

Red vs Green
The birds wanting our attention while we were trying to fish

Gondolas at sunset
Watching the sunset from hammocks in the lake hut

Me and the baby Caiman
The first Caiman Mario caught under the Victoria Amazonica water lilies on the lake

Berni and the meter long Caiman
Once we brought it back to the lake hut for show and tell with the other guests staying at Marasha that night

ROUS's
Rodent of Unusual Size. The two resident Capybaras at Marasha

The Capybara and the boys
Just to help you with the scale

Up early and on the lake again
Bird watching at sunrise on the lake

Marasha at dawn
The jungle lodge, Marasha at sunrise from the lake

The friendly baby Tapir
We found him wandering around the lodge. Apparently his Mother also visits Marasha who is a lot bigger

The men at work
Making kindling for the fire. Our first night with Gustavo in the jungle

La Libertad's resident Sloth
The baby Sloth I fell in love with and wanted to take home with me. Not sure how Australian Customs would feel... let alone our neighbours in Georgetown

La Libertad boys
The crazy boys the night of the fiesta. They hadn't even had any chicha yet

Comments

[Tahlei]

Rodents of unusual size? I don't beleive they exist.
I do now! Amazing blog, again. Slothy is adorable! I want to see more photos!! xox Tahlei

[Yannick]

Hi guys, I was reading your blog cse I\'m planning my trip to South America, beginning with Colombia and your trip to Rio Amazon was so cool that I think I will do the same... Then, where are you going to? Seems cool to see you one day.. I\'m arriving in Bogota on friday 14 oct, staying in Colombia for 3 weeks, and then Peru, Chile, to Argentina, I will leave from Buenos Aires on the 22 of dec Hope to see you somewhere, HAve a great trip, YAnnick