The Amazon Basin

On Friday, after one night spent in Quito, we leave for our excursion into the Amazon. We are both shitting ourselves. I can´t stand moths or cockroaches to the point that I feel sick and dizzy even thinking about them. Ad is putting on a brave face but I know he is as apprehensive as I am and I´m sure that if either of us had said they had changed their minds and didn't want to go, then the other would have sighed a big sigh of relief. But neither of us did and we set off on another adventure.



A half hour flight from Quito and we arrive in Largo Agrio in the North East Oriente region of Ecuador. This is the beginning of the vast Amazon jungle. As we disembark the heat and humidity hit us like a frying pan in the face. Blimey its hot. We were freezing our nuts off two days previous!! As we approach the tiny airport terminal we can both hear over the roar of the plane engines thousands of cheeping birds. How fantastic we thought, our first taste of jungle inhabitants. Until we get into the terminal and realise that the beautiful cacophony of singing parrots, toucans and tropical birdies is really 200 boxes cram packed with baby chicks waiting to be transported back to Quito!!!!!














We are staying at the Samona Lodge. To get there we take a 2 hour coach ride from the airport and then transfer to a motorised canoe for a further 2 hours up river into primary jungle. The heat is sweltering and humidity almost suffocating, but it´s good to be warm. We meet up with the rest of the people on our trip and head off up river. We have a guide who is an expert on all things jungle who will be with us over the next few days pointing out animals, birds, plants etc. A few minutes into our journey and the canoe slows down and manoeuvres under the branches off a overhanging tree. Nazier, the guide, points out a boa constrictor curled up having a nap about 10 feet away. We all feel excited at our first animal sighting.

After 2 hours of a bum-numbing but beautiful ride along the river we arrive at our lodge. The accommodation is basic. No electricity, and wooden huts as our rooms. Candles are used after dark and there are plenty of holes, gaps and spaces for the insects to invade our rooms after night fall!!

We all eat together in a communal hut and then head out into the jungle for an hours night walk.

Just past the camp Nazier spots a little frog perched on a branch and we all gather round to take photos. As Nazier explains about this amphibian one of our group nonchalantly points out to him that he has a huge tarantula crawling up his wellington boot!!!! Three of us fainted, one person started to cry and two run off screaming into the jungle never to be seen again - not really but we were all a bit jittery, looking down apprehensively at our own boots!!!

We carry on and see some great spiders, frogs and a moth that was the size of a dinner plate - no joke. Although the walk was scary it was really exhilarating and we all came back full of excitement. Back at the communal hut Nazier points out a tarantula that lives in the eaves of the kitchen hut. The spider stays way up in the roof during the day but creeps down looking for food at night time. Ten minutes later and we spot another huge bird-eating tarantula walking along a beam just above our heads. They are really fantastic creatures, so huge but fascinating in the way that their big hairy legs move.

Sitting around chatting and having a few beers we soon realise that this is no Disney-style theme park. A girl who has been here for a few days informs us that the worst thing is the bugs in the rooms at night and her best advice would be to get drunk before going to bed. Gulp!!! We venture to our room with a torch. The room is crawling with cockroaches and things that I have no idea what they are and never want to see again. I am now starting to hyper-ventilate and Ad is looking a bit green. Luckily we had already put all our clothes and stuff under the mosquito net and tucked them under the mattresses. Ad, my hero, tells me to leave the room and go back for another drink. In my absence he sprays loads of 100% deet (insect repellent) over the whole room, which he repeats another twice during the evening. When we retire the room is bug free!!! Phew!!

In the morning we are woken by the lodge's resident monkey, Pancho. He is only about 8 months old and was rescued from the jungle after his mother had probably been killed for bush meat. He is so cute!! And so naughty! He is into everything, swinging around the bed and shower curtain and basically monkeying around. He takes a shine to us both and climbs up my arm to sit on my shoulder holding on with one hand on my hair and his tail wrapped around my neck. What a way to be woken up!!!

We take another trek through the jungle and Nazier again points out all the interesting creepy crawlies. flora and fauna. The mosquitoes are having a field day and I swear I saw a few with napkins tied round their necks and knives and forks in their hands. Some of us are bitten more than others and I have no bites at all: in an odd way I'm a bit annoyed... what's wrong with my blood!! Cheek.

In the evening we go fishing for piranhas, we dangle chunks of meat of bamboo rods and wiggle the bait in the river, wait for a bite and quickly jerk the pole out of the water. Ad catches one straight away but then you have to unhook the wriggly little blighters and throw them back - easier said than done with a fish that has razor sharp teeth that can bite through your fingers!!! I have no luck, thankfully, and soon get bored of this activity. Later we go and watch the sunset over a huge lake and the jungle canopy, although again this was a bit boring. Then we head off in search of Caiman. There are supposed to be thousands of these crocs around but we just end up staring into shallow pools convinced that every fallen tree trunk is a 25 foot monster waiting to eat us!!

Night has drawn in and we undergo another insect monster infested, sweaty, palpitation inducing evening. On going to bed I have taken to jumping quickly under the mossie net, fully clothed and undressing under it´s protection. All my clothes, shoes and everything is in the bed with me.... it's starting to stink!!

Or final day in the jungle and we wake up to little Pancho in our room again. We want to take him home with us, then he pisses all over the floor - but he is still so cute.

We set off on another jungle walk and the heavens open in a torrential down-pour, well it isn't called the rain forest for nothing. Today's trek is really good; lots of climbing over things and wading through streams and up to our knees in mud and shit. We see lots of wildlife, monkeys, parrots, tortoises and some great poisonous frogs with hallucinogenic qualities. After eating 7 I´m feeling a bit weird and have to wash them down with the wee from female stick-insect. Am now feeling fine.

Next stop is a visit to a local Shaman. It's all a bit staged but he is a genuine medicine man that locals come to see. Apparently when he has patients he downs some hallucinogenic mixture that sends him off his tits and he can then properly diagnose your problems. Sounds like a great job to me. The old man is dressed up in his ceremonial garb with a feather stuck through his nose. Why it doesn't tickle and make him sneeze is a mystery to me. Anyway he waves some leaves at us sings a little ditty, dances around a bit and blesses us all with good luck. ( Considering what happens in the next few days you´ll forgive me if I'm a little cynical as to whether this has actually worked).

That evening we spent a lovely time all round the table in the communal hut. The beer is flowing and our group has really bonded over the past few days. We have a great evening telling stories and fall into our cockroach infested bedrooms quite early as we have to leave at 4.30 am to travel via canoe, coach, plane, taxi and bus to our next destination - Baños.