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Now in Ecuador it was time for our five day trek to the jungle. It all started with an overnight bus trip, a 3 hour (very bumpy) minibus and finally a 2 hour canoe ride in order to get to the primary rainforest of the Amazon basin. We eventually reached 'Samona lodge' deep in the jungle and we were shown to our rustic little cabin called 'Piranha' (which was a little reminder of what was to come!) It was pretty basic, candle-lit with no electricity and was essentially just a bed with a big mosi net draping over it. We had time for a little siesta in the hammock and then boarded the canoe again for our first night-time jungle walk. It wasn't long before we caught sight of some serious creepy crawlies and Lou had her first 'Get me out of here' moment!
At first we were a little envious of the other group's guide as he had, shall we say, a more hands-on 'Steve Irwin' type approach! He also looked the part with sheath + knife attached to his belt, cut-off shorts and a capped sleeve camouflage shirt....in fact he was a ringer for Rambo! As it turned
out we had no complaints from our guide, Lenin, who was full of enthusiasm and had an uncanny knack of spotting wildlife in the most impossible places.
Over the next few day's we were lucky enough to see a variety of wildlife including many species of monkeys, pink dolphins, snakes, spiders and also caimans (type of alligator) which we saw on a very cool night-time canoe trip....Bruce Parry style! And there was more....beautiful coloured birds including Toucans and Macaws but the prize for best name had to go to the 'Stinky Turkeys!' But of course no Amazon trip would be complete without a few Tarantula's and my word there were a few....a couple of which had a particular fancy for the roof of our hut! Lou was thrilled or should that be petrified, thank god for that net!
So we should really mention those Piranha's shouldn't we? Found a great little fishing spot and with little chunks of meat for bait dangling on the end of rods (which were basically a stick and a hook) we waited to see what would bite. I felt a nibble which quickly turned into a tug and before I knew it I
had landed my first (and last) Piranha. It was only a tiddler but I was pleased all the same. Lenin, our guide, caught a whopper and showed us at close quarters just how scary those teeth are! (see picture) So what do you do after Piranha fishing? well you jump in of course! To be honest it was a bit further up the river but you can't go all the way to the Amazon without having a dip can you?!
We really had a great time in the jungle and seeing the wildlife served as a great appetiser for the Galapagos...bring it on!!!
P.S. Check the newly added Moon Walk video in the 'Desert Adventures´ blog......I couldn´t resist!
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Not so Incy Wincy....
