In The Jungle...

As if I hadn't travelled enough last week, I thought I'd cram it all in again this week! The bus ride to Lago Agrio last Sunday night was relatively straightforward, although it has been a while since I have been on a road quite that bumpy! I managed to get a bit of sleep, in between remembering about a bus crash in Ecuador on the news last year and wondering which road in particular it involved... Sorry Mum! We arrived a little before 7am and it was absolutely heaving it down! I was well prepared though, and I immediately put on my Vietnamese poncho to protect me and my bags as I walked to the tour meeting point. Believe me, it did in fact feel as if I was back in Hanoi last November again!!!

At the hotel, I met Doris (Switzerland) and Connor & Al (USA) and we chatted to pass the time until someone came to meet us. None of us knew at what time that would be, but we agreed that it would most likely be at least an hour after that, even if we did know! Luckily, the rain had eased off and the sun had come out by the time the bus arrived. It took a few hours to then make it to El Puente, at the Cuyabeno Reserve entrance. There are extensive road constructions in progress all the way there, so it was another bumpy ride! We paid our park entry fees, gratefully utilised the bathrooms, had a boxed lunch and loaded ourselves and our bags onto motor canoes. We were given large ponchos at that point, but the rubber boots would come later on, so I made sure I was armed with polyethene bags to cover my shoes if necessary. Well, they are my only pair and they have to last another couple of months yet!

It was a pleasant journey downstream, which I spent chatting with Connor, and we were lucky to only get rained on for the last stretch! The poncho was appreciated, but not entirely efficient, so I ended up with a wet backside, but it could have been worse. I then caused great amusement amongst my companions when I swathed my feet in plastic! Erika had told me that there would be a fair walk from the canoe to the lodge, and that sandals would be inadequate - as it turned out, the jetty was part of the lodge itself and everything was connected by boardwalks, but I was determined to use the bags after all the effort I had gone to to obtain them!!!

It was mid-afternoon by that point and we had free time to settle into to our huts. Just before sunset, we boarded the canoes again (which was to become a very regular part of our routine for the week) and headed to Laguna Grande. There we saw river dolphins and Hiram, one of the lodge's guides, enticed a large caiman close to the other canoe with so meat! Because we were going to swim in the lake afterwards, I didn't bother to take my camera, much to my annoyance as there was a spectacular sunset on one side of the sky, with an amazing rainbow on the other! So amazing, that there were 3 rainbows visible, something that I have never seen before! it was rather chilly by that point, so I wans't going to bother to swim after all, but once everyone else from the canoe had jumped in and assured my that the water was lovely and warm, I caved! Wel, how often do you get to swim in a black lake, complete with caimans and piranhas, in the Amazon rainforest!!! It was still quite cold, so I didn't last long, and then the heavens opened again, so I threw the poncho over my bikini and shivered all the way back to the lodge before towelling off!

At dinner, we met our guide, Lenny, for the first time as he had been out all day with the group we would join for the rest of the tour. Connor and Al were also booked in for five days, so we would spend the rest of the week together and we also met Javier (USA), whose travel plans that day hadn't gone quite a smoothly! The food was good and it was a really enjoyable meal... until I looked up! Right above where I was sitting was a large tarantula on the ceiling! Trust me to find one on the very first day! Luckily, it didn't move, but I was certainly ready to make a hasty exit if necessary!

Damn Big Caterpillar!!!

On Tuesday, we covered ourselves in mosquito repellent and walked through the forest for a few hours. Lenny was a great guide and we spotted night monkeys, howler monkeys and a sloth! Admittedly, the sloth looked like a nest, then (with binoculars) a huge ball of wet fur, but it was great to see one in the wild! I also saw a toucan, just seconds before it flew away over the trees. That afternoon, we took to the water again for a spot of piranha fishing! I had several bites, but each time, my line came up empty, so at first, we were simply feeding them! However, I eventually felt a huge tug and I began to haul in something rather heavy! We were all stunned when I finally pulled it above the water level - I didn't realise piranhas grew that big, although we only had enough time to say "Wow!" as it then wriggled free! It was probably a good 30cm in length. Our luck soon changed and we all eventually managed to catch at least one or two, taking several photos before putting them back into the river. As you would expect, they have a lot of teeth, but several sets which go all the way down their throats. Don't put your finger down there is all I can say! It was then time for another sunset (with camera, but not as impressive) before heading back.

On Wednesday, we had a full day ahead of us, visiting a local community. The weather was glorious as we set off downstream in the canoe and we had been extremely lucky so far. It had rained on and off but never when we were in the middle of an activity, and we had got back from our walk on Tuesday mere minutes before it really poured down. Hiram's group weren't so lucky... As we made a pit stop en route to the village, I unfortunately felt quite weak. A nasty headache had settled in and my muscles felt trembly. I didn't really want to admit it to myself, but it felt like the start of a fever, and of course, my first thoughts were about Dengue! Of course, what a story that would make for the grandkids, but really not something I wanted to go down with! I kept my fingers crossed and tried to make the most of the day.

Once at the village, we just had enough time to put on our ponchos and make it to shelter before another huge deluge. It was clear to see why it is called rainforest! Once it had eased off, we watched a village girl (whose name I have forgotten) uproot a manioc tree and harvest the tubers. Back in her hut, she then showed us how it is then prepared to make cassava, a kind of flatbread that is an important staple of indigenious Amazonian communities. It was fascinating, although by this point, my head was exploding and the smoke from the fire was making it worse. Please, please, don't be ill in the middle of the jungle!!!

Making Manioc Bread

That afternoon, Lenny guided us through a different part of the forest where we saw different plants and some more animals. we also saw a lot of mud - thank goodness for the wellies - and becuase I was getting rather weak by that point, my co-ordination had gone and so I walked right into an overhanging branch, Of course, my instant reaction was to grab the branch to protect my head, shame it was covered in 3 inch thorns! Ouch! I was glad to make it to the end of the walk where we visited a local shaman. He explained how he became a shaman and demonstrated a ritual for identifying illnesses, for which I volunteered. I'm not sure if he picked up on my banging headache or not! Luckily, we didn't have to take the same path back through the mud to the canoe, as we were now further upstream and the boat was waiting for us. Back at the lodge, I knew that things were bad as I had very little appetite and struggled to finish dinner. I went to bed early and then awoke a few hours later with a burning temperature... please, don't be Dengue fever!

On Thursday morning, I was till feeling quite rough, the headache was still hanging around but I managed to eat breakfast. Thankfully, our day was to be quite leisurely. We tok the motor canoe back to the lake, where we switched to dug-out canoes and then paddled around for a few hours. It was very peaceful and Lenny spotted more sloths and birdlife. I felt much better by that point and that evening, we watched sunset again before searching for caimans after dark. We were all armed with torches and we soon spotted pairs of red eyes moving towards the boat. After a few minutes, a rather large caiman surfaced next to my seat, less than a metre away!

White Caiman, Laguna Grande

Today has been a long day! I woke up at 2.30am with a strange feeling and I couldn't decide whether I needed to vomit, or, well... the other end! Our room in the lodge had a private bathroom, but being a simple hut, it was barely partioned off. Also, all the rooms in our hut were separated only by thin wooden panels that didn't reach the ceiling, so I was practically in a room with at least 8 other people. Not convenient. Not wanting to cause any noise in the hut (and not wanting to be overheard either), I armed myself with a toilet roll, put on my wellies and crept out into the jungle... like a bear in the woods! That wasn't a success and so I just had to return to the bathroom. It was about 4am by this point and I needed to sleep, but I couldn't get my wellies out, not without making a lot of noise as they had suctioned themselves onto my feet! I therefore couldn't get back into bed (which was a good job really, as I had noticed a cockroach crawling in earlier on), so I got into the hammock hanging in the porch.

I'd barely managed to get to sleep when I was awakened at 5.30 to go birdwatching! Drat it! Off we set at sunrise to the lake for the last time, before returning for breakfast. As I was packing, I then managed to bang my head on the bunk above my bed FIVE times, at which point the jungle air turned blue! I also managed to obtain some Imodium from another family as I was not looking forward to the journey ahead: 1½ hours in the motor canoe, 2½ in a bus back over the bumpy roads to Lago Agrio and then an overnight journey to Quito before then taking yet another bus to Tulcán at the Colombian border!

Anyway, the day hasn't been too bad, just a little arduous and no accidents thus far! The tour driver dropped us off at the bus terminal, where I was pleased to find that there was a direct service to Tulcán, saving me a fair bit of time and money! Unfortunately, I now have to wait 7 hours before it departs! So, I have managed to find an internet cafe and the owner has very kindly let me leave my bags here while I wait. Good job really as I have heard that Lago Agrio is Ecuador's second most dangerous town and I didn't fancy a trip to the cash machine loaded p with all my bags! He closes at 7pm though, so I will still have a fair wait, but the bus company's office is next door, so I can wait there. I now just have to survive the overnight ride to the border... and then make it across in one piece!