Amazon Adventure

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(by Callum) After yet another wild night bus we finally made it to Cusco!! We had a day to quickly look around, checking out the many Spanish churches built on Inca ruins. Cusco is a beautiful city loaded with cobblestone streets which cater for traffic in both directions even though they are singled laned and tiny!!! It has loads of great restaurants, bars and of course the ever present handy craft markets!

We had just enough time to learn the layout of the city and get our gear ready for our Amazon adventure. We always seem to be in a rush to get to the next place, but there is so much to do in this region there is just no time to muck about. We did have some extra days after the Amazon trip and the Inca trail to give Cusco a thorough going over and the best recommendation is Tango Beif, possibly the best steak I have ever tasted!

The next morning we boarded a plane bound for Puerto Maldonado, leaving the high altitude of Cusco for the dense Peruvian Amazon rain forest (sea leavelish). The heat and humidity hits you as soon you step of the plane and doesn’t let up. Our guide meet us and we were whisked away to a river port where a long boat was waiting. Heading up the river when we are given a strange leaf raped package which turns out to be our lunch hmmmmm jungle rice.

It took an hour and a half to reach the lodge jetty. Climbing some stairs to enter the jungle, the sound of the river boat went, and our ears were filled with the sounds of birds, insects, and God knows what else. Five minutes later, we got the first glimpse of our accommodation. Iawatoa lodge consists of a large central wooden building with bamboo rooms, completely open to the jungle not to mention surrounded by it. This was especially noticeable after Nicole’s apple got eaten in the night, and we spied the bats that slept above our bed during the day!

The lodge was truly relaxing, it had its own pet macaw and an orange howler monkey called Pepe. Nicole and Pepe got on well, he would curl up on her lap and let us take photos. That was until she pushed him, which resulted in a quick but hard bite with his lips (he just bite me!).

We ventured out at dusk to watch the jungle come alive, and were treated to tarantulas, snakes, butterflies, frogs etc. The next morning we were up early to watch the local parrots and macaws get there daily minerals. Apparently to counter the acids in the local Brazil nut the birds must lick clay to help neutralize the acids effects. The birds where truly stunning and entreating, but the show was stolen when they where spooked and took flight. We looked around for what coursed it and we were shocked to see a Jaguar steering back up at us. AMAZING!

With this and the promise of Caimans, Piranha fishing and more amazing birds, which all eventuated we were stoked with our jungle experience and recommend it all round.

Highlight: Jaguar sighting and swimming in Piranha and Caimans infested lake
Lowlight: Bites (monkey and mosquito)
Best Munch: Jungle tice raped in a leaf
Best Gulp: Coca Cashasa
Rate: 9/10
Interesting Fact: Birds that eat the Brazil nut must neutralise the acid produced by the nut by licking the minerals in clay.

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