So I am running a couple of weeks behind on my blog as I have been having too much fun. Now that I don't have such a full schedule I'm hoping to catch up a little.
First stop in Peru (after one night in Lima... arriving late and flying out again early) was the Peruvian Amazon. We flew into Puerto Maldonado which airport for the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Over half of Peru lies in the Amazon but aparently less than 5 percent of the population live there. However there are still tribes living in the rainforest that have had very little contact with the "outside" world!
After swapping our bags for a smaller duffle bag we took a 2 1/2 hour boat ride along the Tambopata River( tributary of the Amazon ) to our eco lodge (www.tambopatalodge.com) where we would be spending the next 2 nights. Tambopata Eco Lodge is situated within the Tambopata National Reserve and is on the edge of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park, creating an immense area totaling more than 3,000,000 acres of sub-tropical rainforest.
Sadly due to farming and mining the river is not as healthy as it should be and a lot of the banks where I was expecting thick forest was cleared for bananas and papaya. Luckily the government is cracking down on the illegal gold mining, where they use mercury to separate the gold from the sediment. Sadly years of mining has meant mercury is into the river systems and has polluted it. Hense, sadly, no swimming in the Tambopata River.
After arriving to the lodge we found our room and then went on a night walk through the forest spotting spiders, night owl monkeys, lizards, and lots of different insects. It was a shock to the senses when we all put out our head torches and stood in the dark listening to the sounds of the jungle including the loud calls of the smokey jungle frog and jungle bamboo rat and watching the fireflies flitter through the forest. It was equally exciting knowing that all these sounds would continue all around us as we slept. Sadly no jaguars or pumas sighted... but maybe thats a good thing!
The next day we had a walk through the rain forest to an oxbow lake. Animals spotted were: tarantula, tortoise, crested owls, agutee, heron, weavers, hoatzin (bird), leaf cutter ants, one massive snake that I cant remember the name of (but no not an anaconda!), yellow headed vulture, toucan, macaws and lots of other parrots. Oh yeah, not to forget pirahnas and sardines in the lake. We were assured that it was safe to swim but no one volunteered!
Our guide, Edwin showed us lots of different trees like the walking tree (which can move uo to 20cm a year), erotic tree (yes... looks like a penis), kapok tree and super old trees including fig, iron trees. Edwin told us some of the local treatments the shamans(witchdoctor) uses. One in particular which was pretty interesting... If you break a bone your, lets say your arm, it is then wrapped up in a bandage soaked in the sap of a particular tree. In the next 3 weeks the patient is told to catch a toad and then return to the Sharman. The toad is then deboned and then the body of the toad is wrapped around the break, covered again with a cloth covered in the sap of a tree and left for a couple of weeks!! Then aparently it heals! Okay for some I guess but I think I'll stick to modern medicine. There were also plenty of other bush medicines such as bush viagra and hallucinogenics.
That afternoon we were offered to visit a local farm, however I felt a nap in the hammock outside my room was where my time would best be spent. Alas it wasn't as peaceful as first planned as I was joined by Homer... the lodges tame Amazon Parrot which used to come every morning to talk. He had a very wicked laugh, like a creepy kid, and would politely say "Hola" when you greeted him.
After a few cervesas and dinner we were off again onto the boat down the river to spot cayman. We were lucky as in a matter of minutes we spotted our first one on a bank. This was followed by many more including a few babies. My most treasured moment of this trip was when they turned the boat off and the spot light and we sat admiring the myriad of starsfrom one horizon to the other. It was the most stars I have seen with the exception of visiting Uluru. Magical, especially when you spot the southern cross.
Although the Amazon didn't live up to my expectations, mainly due to the lack of animals. (I blame the Galapogas for that!) I did enjoy my time at the lodge and would have been happy to have a few more nights there. Maybe then I could have spotted the allusive Jaguar!
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