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Published: October 17th 2006
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Until we are home - yeah
Heather left us on the 14 October - we were alone again. We had about 2 months left to travel the 12000km to Rio in Brazil. Our first stage was to cross the Andes for the ninth and final time following which to travel to the Atlantic ocean via the mighty Amazon river. First stop was Chiclayo a small city merely a stopping point for our continuing travel to Chachapoyas. Here we visited the ruined pre Inca city of Kuelap. This is a massive walled city standing on the top of a small hill in the middle of nowhere. In a fantastically defensive position would be attackers were repelled for years until the Incas came and brokered a deal with them. As per usual the cloud was down and it was threatening rain. The road to reach the city was a torturous 3 hours along a horrible rutted dirt track. The entrances narrow as you enter the city to allow only one person at a time to enter. It reminded James of the city of Gondor from Lord of the Rings.
After a 300km taxi ride which included a 150km/h driver, a
driver who worked on a 3,4,2 formation (number of passengers in front, middle and boot), and a car which was barely road worthy we reached Yurimaguas. This was to be the start of our Amazon travel still about 4500km from the Atlantic Ocean. First was a short trip into the Jungle. We boarded an early boat for the 12 hour journey to Lagunas in the Pacaya Samiri National Reserve, strung our hammocks up and watched the river go by. After a short tropical rain storm where the boat filled with water we reached Lagunas a small friendly jungle town. Found two guides the following morning called Carlos and Aladino and set out into the dense forest for 5 days in only a paddle canoe. We were in search of the elusive Anaconda!
We found our first Anaconda only 2 hours into the trip, initially it appeared to be sleeping, it soon moved when we touched the undergrowth around it scaring Anne nearly to death. This was only a baby but was still perhaps 1.5m long and the width of a persons arm. After another 40mins or so we came across another this time it was a big one. 4-5metres
The Anaconda
This 4-5m beast attacked our small canoe trying to drag us under. long and at least the width of your leg it was curled up in the undergrowth. Carlos our guide prodded it with a paddle, it calmly slid under the water - the chase was on!!
With lightening fast reactions it wrapped itself around the paddle whilst under the water and you could feel the boat starting to be dragged under the water. Fortunately it released the paddle before it had tasted human flesh.
The final anaconda which we saw that day was again only small but had an enormous swelling in its stomach - it had just eaten a rat! Also on the first day we saw numerous birds including more kingfishers than you would see in a lifetime, macaws, monkeys and sloths. Prior to reaching our campsite it started to rain - you cannot appreciate how heavy the rain was unless you have been to a rainforest or Milford Sound in New Zealand. It was so heavy that we had to stop paddling to bale out water so we wouldn´t sink! Eventually we reached a suitable place to camp under tarpaulin and a mosquito net. I couldn´t get a fire started in the downpour - even using
Ray Mears techniques - so we forgot about it until morning.
The weather in the morning was clearer but Anne hadn´t slept very well because she thought she could hear Aligators sliding into the river at night. We continued along the river seeing more wildlife and a sloth from about 50cm - he had gone for a swim in the river! He moved so slowly and even when he fell into the water from the branch he was holding onto he just sank like a stone. We also saw lots of caimen (crocs) sliding into the water, river dolphins and more monkeys and some jungle pigs. Again it started raining in the afternoon and we stayed at a rough jungle lodge that night.
The third day we went trekking through the forest with Aladino, good job he was leading because there was a snake trailing across our path which was so well disguised it would of had us, also huge centipedes and very large ants. Anne got herself covered in the things up to her knees and James cut his head on a sharp plant! We tried some jungle fruit which James didn´t particular like and saw some
First nights camp in jungle
It rained like nothing else I have ever seen here. Not even James could light a fire in the downpour. monkeys.
That night we went croc hunting. Within a few minutes we had found baby crocidiles which we held, Anne was alittle scared when Aladino tried to wrestle a 2 metre croc into the boat so we could see one up close!! James also went spear fishing catching about 6 good sized fish which we later ate for breakfast.
The fourth and fifth days were taken up with paddling back up the river. Camp in a horrible hot tent for the final night - James was ill this night and had a fever over 40C - he claimed that he was probably going to die - but he pulled through what would have finished most people! Carlos went off into the jungle to find some tree medicine.
Finally back at Lagunas we went to get the boat to Iquitos 36 hours away. It was supposed to leave at 2am it eventually arrived at 6.30am. We had been sat outside on some drainpipes for hours waiting. Eventually got on the Edwardo VII and set sail for Iquitos.
River Travel - there is very little to do on these boats although James was quite happy just to sit
and rest!! Other activities include sleeping, reading, gambling (there always appears to be a syndicate going on). Food was rice, pasta and beans with some form of meat. Breakfast was banana soup which James refused to eat.
We eventually reached Iquitos the largest city in the world with no road access with a population of 600000. A couple of recuperation nights in a nice but noisy hotel including some very nice steaks in the Yellow Rose of Texas cafe. We were soon off again to the tri border between Peru, Columbia and Brazil. A fight started on the banks of the port whilst they tried to pull us into one boat or another but after shouting some spanish profanities they eventually left us alone to choose ourselves.
Only two hours late leaving and it was a mere 36 hours to the tri border - again time was spent invariably resting, sleeping and reading. Stamped out of Peru and into Brazil we then went semi legally across the border to Columbia where we stayed for two nights whilst waiting for another boat down to Manaus in the Amazon Basin. Confused with 4 different currencies, different laws and different foods
I´m not really sure we did whilst in Columbia but it was soon time to set off on the boat again.
This time the boat appeared to us as a luxury liner, 3 times as big, bar upstairs and even table to sit on to eat your meals. The four days down to Manaus passed slowly but we made some chat with the locals to help pass the time. Eventually at around midnight we arrived in Manaus. Spent the day relaxing and washing. Had a fantastic buffalo grill and went to watch a play at the Manaus Opera House (Teatro Amazonas) - it was in Portuguese and we didn´t understand a word! The Opera House was very impressive though - it had been made from material imported from Europe, the only thing Brazilian was the wood although much of this was shipped to England to be carved.
Once again it was back to the port and onto another boat this time 2 days down to Santarem, only one night here before getting on our final boat (which had an air conditioned hammock space) for the two day journey to Belem (where we are now). By this stage the
Amazon had increased in size and the sides could barely be seen. As it approaches the mouth and the Atlantic Ocean the width is nearly 200 miles.
Brazil is significantly more civilised than Peru and Bolivia but also much more expensive - donations welcome.
Finally the Amazon stage was over it has taken just over a month of somewhat tedious voyaging down the river. We have about 4 weeks left for the beaches of Brazil. Tomorrow we travel to Fortaleza with a 26 hours bus journey. We will never look on travel in the UK the same!! Enjoy the British Autumn.
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Heather
non-member comment
Wow
This blog is really really cool, i'd have loved to come to the jungle with you especially to ahve seen frank! james - i hope you have recovered from your fever it looked nasty, i'm sure if it was anyone else there would have been trouble....and anne i hope youve recovered from the snakes - they looked pretty nasty! lots of love xxxx