Nov 8 - I flew through the sky, but not with the greatest of ease



Went to the zip lines today. They haul you up to the top with ropes (these guys have muscles). There were 5 of us, so we had plenty of time to view the top of the canopy while we waited. Soon it was time to take off to the 2nd of 3 platforms. I forgot how scary that first leap into nothingness is. But soon I took off to the 2nd and then the 3rd platform (the 2nd leap was much easier than the first). I know I heard someone scream on both rides and since I was the only one moving, I suppose it was me. Can't say whether in fear or joy. We slid down a rope at the end - straight down. Everyone was laughing when I for down...I had my toes pointed the whole way down. They said I looked very graceful - I guess 5 years of ballet leaves it ingrained forever. What was really amazing was that one of the people with me was a woman in her early 70's (so all you who think you are too old to come next time should reconsider)!



Paca - permanent guest at lodge



After lunch I sat on the end of the dock soaking my feet in the river and watching the butterflies fly around. Two lit on me briefly.

Hike to see Hoatzin

Then it was time for the next excursion - a boat ride and hike to see the hoatzin bird, a large bird unique to the amazon that has its own biological family classification and suborder. After a really crazy hike, Josius, a guide, pointed out a 6 foot long electric eel in a small pool of water. We could only see the head, because it was huge. The rest was under the ground in one of the many waterways that run under the land.

We made it to the bird viewing platform, and saw 2 hoatzin birds, as well as several other types of birds.

Nov 7 - Help, the jungle's trying to keep me

Owl Monkeys

Went for a hike this morning. We have a permanent guide assigned to each group, and mine is Orlando. He grew up in village near the lodge and has been working here forever. Orlando and I get along great - he teases me just like my brother, Chris, and he's very goal-oriented. I mentioned I want to see monkeys since I didn't last time I was here, so we went looking for monkeys. And I saw more monkeys than anyone else (5 species), as well as a cute tree rat.

At one point, we heard monkeys, and sat on a moss covered log to wait for them to move toward us.  I noticed a tree by me with lots of ants and brushed a few off of me.  I didn´t think anything about it until one bit me in the butt...they were red fire ants.



Walking in the jungle



The mosquitos are huge - bigger than I´ve ever seen.  Several were at least the size of a quarter, including the legs.  Luckily they all "bugged" Orlando instead of me.  But he got me back - he threw one on me and I didn´t realize he'd already killed it.  Needless to say, he got the reaction he wanted.

At one point in the path my foot sank into the mud up to the tops of the rubber boots they provide.  In trying to get out, I pushed my other foot deep into the mud, too.  I know not to touch trees without looking first, so I find a limb nearby that was safe, grabbed it, and yanked on my one foot.  My foot got free, but not my boot.  So I´m standing on one foot know, stuck in the mud holding a branch, calling for Orlando.  He came over and helped my get free.  A little later we got off the path to get a better look at some monkeys and I step in a hole 12-18 inch hole that was covered by leaves.  After that Orlando made a point of pointing out every hole, no matter how small.



Sloth

Orlando, aka "Little Red Riding Hood"

In the afternoon, we went boating to see a sloth that had been found in a nearby tree.  It started raining, but, with my Cleveland blood, it didn´t bother me.  So I gave my red raincoat to Orlando who was freezing.  By the time we got back to the lodge, the rain had stopped, so we kept going.  We found 3 more sloths - one was even pregnant.  Sloths don't typically move very much, so they are hard to find.  Finding three, was a great treat.  Even better, we saw them moving to keep safe because of the wind.

Nov 6 - I'm Heeeree

I arrived in Lima last night.  Got to the hotel around 11 PM (midnight EST).  The flight was not bad, but all the layovers were a pain...1 to 1.5 hour flight, then 3 hour layover again and again.  Atlanta airport was the most memorable. They had a couple of fire and rescue guys on bicycles driving around.  Also there was a lady on a segway.  Both gave me a smile.  Also I noticed the people movers were extremely fast, or maybe I´ve gotten slower...probably the latter unfortunately.  Also, I seem to be allergic to the Atlanta airport.  I coughed and sneezed non-stop the whole time I was there.  It stopped within 30 minutes after I left.

  

Bill with Caiman dish



After a short night, I was picked up at 6 AM this morning to catch my flight to Iquitos.  I arrived at Iquitos, and was immediately hit by a wall of heat.  I love it.  We had lunch in Iquitos - I had caiman (alligator family) in a garlic sauce.  It was really good, much better than the crocodile in Australia. Not sure if that's because of the different species or how it was fixed. One of the ladies who arrived with me (there were 7 of us) ordered a turtle dish which I tried - it reminded me of pork, but spicier. I liked the Caiman better.

After lunch I rode in an autocarro (think motorcycle with a buggy built on the back). These and motorcycles make up about 80% of the vehicles I saw on the road.

The Lodge in daylight

Because of boat troubles, we got a late start to the lodge. We got half way there and it got dark. One of the guides shone a flashlight in front looking for logs, caiman, etc. For us to avoid. Another in the back shone his light Aa well. Suddenly I heard small thump and I thought a small rock had hit boat. But nope, a fish had jumped out of the water and hit the guide in the arm - I guess he was attracted by the light. A little later, there was a bigger thump - we'd hit a log. I was sitting next to Barbara, a 70ish year old lady and she commented that she wondered what she was getting into.  Luckily we arrived not long after before anything else could go wrong, just in time for dinner and an early night.

More Tomorrow