You Go Nate!

SOUTH AMERICAN ADVENTURES - Week 3

On Sunday we met a church member who offered to take us around Iquitos on Monday and show us around for a bit. We went to the market-district area called Belén. We hired a guy with a canoe and a small out-board motor to take us around "The Venice of the Amazon" (their title... not mine. It´s actually one of the poorer areas of town.)

So we boarded the boat and headed out...

All the homes were built to float on the continually rising and falling waters.


We passed by many boats, homes and people including this scene with kids playing around a canoe and swimming in the water.

After our canoe ride we explored a little bit of the Belén market where you can find everything from turtle meat to pet monkeys and parrots for sale.

On Tuesday we departed early in the morning on a rather cramped speedboat down the Amazon to the Tri-Border of Peru, Colombia and Brazil.



We arrived late that night in Leticia, Colombia and spent the night. The next day we went and explored the town. It is connected to the Brazilian town of Tabatinga and there are no border formalities between the two so we easily walked from Colombia to Brazil.


On Thursday we took a two-hour boat ride deeper into the Brazilian rainforest to our Jungle Lodge. It was a fairly nice place and while it sometimes caters to groups of 60 or more, we were the only people there and it was kind of fun having the place to ourselves.



One of the first things we did at the lodge was we took canoes out to one of the nearby lakes. Here we were able to go swimming.

It wasn´t until we got in the water that they told us that the water is infested with Piranhas, Caimans (alligators) and Anacondas. However the Piranhas only attack when there´s blood, Caimans are only out at night and the Anacondas are somewhat rare.

The water felt great after the heat of the jungle. It was so relaxing to just float by the canoes and listen to the birds.


The waters were also home to the Amazonian pink river dolphin. As we were swimming we soon caught a glimpse of several as they came by to inspect us. They didn´t jump too far out of the water like ocean dolphins but we did get some good views as they came up to breach. What I couldn´t get was a good picture.


That night we hopped in the canoes again with our flashlights and went caiman hunting. You would know when you saw one because their eyes reflect the light of the flashlights like a bright red light. Soon we got near enough to one that the guide was able to reach down and catch it. We each got to hold it as he explained the animal to us and then we let it go.

There were a great variety of birds and bugs around the lodge. Of course no jungle experience is complete without a tarantula.



The next day we followed our guide into the jungle. They gave us each a pair of big boots to wear which was a good idea as the jungle floor is very wet and sometimes inundated with water. There were a couple times where we would reach some bodies of water only crossable by a slippery log that just happened to be there for us.

Our guide was good to tell us different things about some of the trees and bugs in the area. We visited a rubber tree and were able to put some of the sap on our fingers. As it dried it indeed became rubbery. It reminded me of rubber cement but it smelled better.


We saw a few cool insects and a frog that jumped right onto Tammies face. Here I am holding a milipede.

The next morning we were in the lodge when one of the workers came back hauling a large dead anaconda that he accidentally caught in his fishing net overnight (where it drowned.) So here we are with the mighty anaconda. (They get much larger than this though.)


On Saturday afternoon we headed back to Leticia. We spent the night in a hostal in Tabatinga (Brazil) and headed off at 4AM back up the Amazon to Iquitos. However, about three hours into our trip our boat broke down and we had to pull off to a little village on the banks. We had no idea how long it would take to fix. (All I got when I asked how long was, "really soon") It ended up being over ten hours! The entire time all the kids from the village came over and just watched the boat and the people. It was probably the most exciting thing to happen to them in many moons. To pass the time I got chatting with some of the kids and taught them some English. I also taught them "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." It was also nice to walk around this tranquil little village. Of course there was no electricity (except a small generator used for something important) and no plumbing. Everyone seemed happy and healthy and very curious about us. Finally when it was time to leave, practically the whole village came to see us off. There was a beautiful sunset over the river.

Finally at 4AM on Monday we arrived back in Iquitos.

On Wednesday we fly back to Lima and I head north while the girls go back to Cusco.

Unfortunately at some point I can´t figure out, I lost the battery charger to my camera battery. They don´t sell them in Iquitos and I can only hope to find one in Lima during the brief time I am there. I have one fresh battery in my camera now, however I want to save it for the Galapagos. So in the meantime, if I can´t find a recharger in Lima I will have to buy a disposable camera or something and use that until the Galapagos next week and then have my parents bring me a new recharger when I meet up with them in two weeks. Therfore, I can´t guarantee much of an update next week but we´ll see...

UPDATE!!!!

I am now in Lima and I was able to find a universal recharger for my camera battery. I am very happy.

Way to go Nate!