I{ve been to the jungle!

Yep, have just spent 3 days in the most pristine bit of the amazon basin rainforest and managed not to do anything too horfific to destroy it! Had a bif of a splurge on this as the lodge where i stayed is owned and run by the local community and has proved a really effective way to bring money to the community, preserve the rainforest and provide an alternative to logging so am currently feeling very self satisfied and worthy! Plus it helped that it had the nicest beds, showers and food that i have had ina long time.....when i get home my new speciality (or rather my first ever) will be catfish cooked in bamboo! Only need to find somewhere that sells huge bits of bamboo, some catfish and an oven big enough!

So anyway, first day we had to leave ridiculously early (well, 7.30) to get on a boat for 5 hours to the lodge. Actually lovely as v scenic and nice and sunny so all well. Then got to sleep a bit before our first hike into the jungle...and then we had a night hike. And i think its fair to say this day was all about the monkeys and the frogs! We saw a lot.....spider monkeys, cappuchino monkeys, red howler monkeys, cane toad frogs, amazon frogs, tree frogs, hallucenogenic frogs, an unidentifiable frog...we saw them all! And it was great, if a little sweaty

Second day we were forced to get up even earlier (5.30!) so we could have the pleasure of tramping around at dawn...only to see a stick insect (wahoo) and a couple of monkeys (yawn!). Was then ecstatic when it started to piss it down at brekkie so we could postpone our 4 hour hike and i could get some much needed sleep. Unfortunately god wasnt feeling all that charitable, the rain stopped at 10 and I was hauled from my bed by a machochistic guide to go on a 90min walk to a mirador and then on a 4 hour hike after lunch to learn all about medicinal plants etc. All much fun, especially in the afternoon when after much pointing out of "fresh pig tracks" (second day was all about the pig tracks....every time he stopped you could guarentee that was what was about to be pointed out) we got to smell them and then track them! We all got very excited when he stopped adn pointed at something white and black in the distance. the rumour went round that they were wild pigs, lots of photos were taken, and then it turns out that we had stopped tracking pigs a while back and we were now looking at black and white birds!!!! Ah well. Guess famous wildlife spotters (cant think of any in particular right now) have nothing to fear from us!

On the wayback it then started to rain and has only just stopped now....am now back in town and laughing at all the backpackers who have been stuck here for a couple of days ...lots of rain = wet runway = no flights =lots of stranded backpackers. Am off on tour of the pampas tommorrow and am praying that the rain stays stopped so i dont drown in mud! Do hopefully get to see pink dolphins though