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Watching on
Just one of the locals watching us Forgot to mention we had golden catfish for lunch and chicken for dinner last night.
Didn’t get that much sleep as I’m a light sleeper, it was due to frogs and other jungle critters (should have stuck my ear plugs in) Jeff snored all night and couldn’t wake him, wrist still burning . . . bloody ant.
We were up for breaky around 6.00am where we had a feed of two bread rolls, jam and some omelette that had potato in it which was nice and some fresh local purple fruit juice and a coffee.
After breakfast we were off to meet a local tribal tribe which is about an hour and a bit walk through the jungle and a short boat ride up a river. The walk was good and not many mossies around but it was starting to steam up again, we walked through banana plantations that were damaged in the flood, through a little village with the locals looking on and through some nice looking forest. We got to end of the track we were following and had to board a dugout canoe for the last 20 minutes on this smaller river which is very
Watching on
Another little sticky beak black because of the soil but can be drunk if need be. It was a great little ride, the black water being so calm, the rainforest around you, fisherman out doing what they do best and so serene . . .and the Irish girls taking photos of each other. If you looked hard enough there were people around you on this river and you wouldn't even know it, fisherman are tucked in against the shore lines under trees and people on the banks. If you weren't looking, you would never know they were there.
We arrived at this tribal area where there were trinkets and other items to buy and you also got to use a blowgun and darts (how cool Matt) but before any of this we had to be accepted in by joining them in a tribal dance . . .oh great, how I love to dance!, well we were introduced to the elders and then this older lady took a liking to me, around late seventies, grass skirt, no top on, not many teeth and her body needed a good ironing. She took my hand and led me out to the grass area where we had
The locals
Some more friendly locals who live on the Amazon to dance with the tribe so she was running around doing little skips and I followed her lead, I looked over and every one also has a partner and so does Jeff so I didn't feel to bad, Jeff and I looked totally silly holding these woman's hands running around swinging our arms up in the air.
After 5 minutes it all stopped, we sat down and got a demonstration on how to use a blow gun, so I got up first and the idea was to hit this head on a pole with the dart, well the first 3 missed but the fourth hit the head but didn't stick, when Jeff had his turn he did better he made the dart stick in eye of the head and another girl with us got the darts to stick 3 out of 4 shots. The head was about 15 metres away so it wasn't an easy target but the blowgun was accurate and with just the right amount of breath that dart came sailing out pretty quick.
This tribe doesn’t speak Spanish or English so it was hard to communicate as they spoke their own language, but as we
Local house
A family of more than 12 live in here were all sitting down, the old lady said something to the guide and the others that made them laugh, she told him she wanted to take me back to the jungle, I was strong and handsome and to come and live with her . . . well if I was thirty years older I would probably would, beats going into a nursing home.
They're a nice bunch of people and they dress up in their traditional gear for tourists, they are a tribe and do live here, but don't always walk around half naked. (Though it would be tempting living in this heat)
We made our way back to the village where a dugout was waiting for us to take us back to lodge with was about 15 minutes upstream, once we got back we had to shower as we were totally covered in sweat and some sticky fruit the tribal people put on our faces as we were welcomed in.
A cold shower never felt so good, mind you the water is straight from the Amazon as there is no fresh water around here, but it was great still the same.
After lunch which
Our boat awaits
Our boat that will escort us to the tribe consisted of Deer today, we are to go off on another jungle walk at 3pm, so Jeff and I decided to catch an hour’s sleep before we have to lather ourselves in repellent again. After last night the back and front of our legs looks like we have broken out in chicken pox and so itchy and if we have a fever when we get home, don't get us checked for swine flu, it will either be Dengue fever, Ross river, yellow fever or Malaria, take your pick. We aren’t too bad compared to some of the others, as one of the girls has welts about the size of your thumbnails on the backs of her legs. The guide (his name is Joken …we called him walkin…that’s how it was pronounced) said there are no Malaria Mosquitoes around here so we should be safe.
We hit the jungle path again after lunch and it was pretty steamy under the canopy of the trees, again we walked through mud and slush and tried to keep the mossies at bay. There are some terrific trees and bushes which the guide explained some of their medicinal purposes and how they still use
The dugout
Serenity along this narrow river, yet if you look hard enough you will find fisherman amongst the trees and people going about their daily activities them in the jungle today to treat people.
Guess what? our guide got lost, only because we were supposed to have crossed a dry stream but since all this rain it was too wet to cross so we had to find another way over, so he said we will follow the water back as it should lead us to the lodge, which it did after awhile. Once back we decided to chill out for as we were going Caiman spotting at 6:00pm.
At 6.15 on dusk we boarded two dugouts and hit the swamp at the back of the lodge, I had a Spanish guide with these other two Peruvians on holidays and Jeff was in the other with the Canadians and the Irish dolls, I think I was the lucky one.
Took a little while to spot one and the Guide was trying to tell me where to look in Spanish, I was the only English speaking person in my boat and I couldn't understand a word, I was going to yell out to the other boat but they were further down the lagoon somewhere as you could just make out their torch lights. So I
Jeff with hair
Jeff showing us his skills with the blowgun tried so hard to listen and follow his finger, finally I spotted it, little red beady eyes poking out of the water amongst the reeds, then another pair not to far from them, couldn't make out any body or head though. Paddling through the swamp at night is very relaxing and weren't that many mossies for a change. Bats and fire flies are also seen regularly and the swamp itself is full of life, large palms trees, reeds, fish, bright yellow frogs, green frogs, everything is there amongst the murky black water.
We got back to the jetty just in time to scrub up and make way our way to the dining hall where we were having marinated chicken tonight. (It didn't look like chicken, but tasted pretty good) We had a couple of beers with our meal and listened to the Spanish guitarist who is also a pretty good singer, played a few games of cards in the dining hall then headed of to bed where we had to be ready at 6am to go piranha fishing. Before bed always check for tarantulas and make sure where they should be and that's outside far from your room.
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