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Lago Agrio, Ecuador
It was a really long day travelling from New York to Quito. My pickup was at 2am in the morning for a 5am flight. I stayed at a beautiful, quaint and traditional guesthouse called Portal de Cantuña, in the old historic town of Quito which looks steeped in history. The next morning I headed off to the Amazon Jungle in the Cuyabeno Reserve for 5 days. It was a 30 minute flight from Quito to Lago Agrio, a 2 hour drive to a bridge on the river at the start of the reserve and another two hour motorised canoe ride through the channels to the lodge. This place is not for sissies that's for sure. No wifi and no mobile reception has been an absolute dream. No electricity meant early to bed. The stars shine so brightly at night and reflect on the water, it was like something out of a story book. I've spent my days exploring the jungle, both day and night by canoe, motor and paddling, or on foot, some days more difficult than others. We paddled across the big lakes down through the rivers channels. We hiked through dense jungle, swamps, and mangroves. We took the motor boats through the channels too. The beautiful, complex Eco system in the jungle is ever changing and there's never a dull moment. I got stuck in the the mud on one hike, knee deep, lost my balance and fell over. We all had a good laugh and I've learnt to love and have embraced wellies! The accommodation was wonderful, simple log cabins at Siona Lodge in the heart of the jungle surrounded by a huge lagoon on one side and a channel on the other. Some resident jungle friends were included too, free of charge. The food was really tasty and the staff very pleasant. My Spanish has improved a little too. Our guide, Neiser, was exceptionally experienced and very knowledgable about absolutely everything in the jungle. He was really brave too, catching Caymans (similar to a baby alligator) in the water for us to see, seeking out the huge anacondas resting deep in the trunks of big trees, coaxing huge teranchilas out of their holes, finding other snakes, scorpions, monkeys and much more for us to see. He mimicked and called birds, it's quite extraordinary. He had such a good eye and sensitivity to sound. I've seen some of the most beautiful birds and animals and have really had the opportunity to enjoy my new camera. He's pretty much Spanish Crocodile Dundee, but looks like Rambo! Lol!! I've seen incredible sunrises and sunsets. This morning was a dramatically misty sunrise, with beautiful birds, what an incredible send off I had by canoe on our last exploring adventure through the channels before breakfast.
Things I've seen, just to name a few.
Heron, egret, common squirrel monkey, monk saki monkey, golden mantled tamarin monkey, dusky titi monkey, two & three toed sloth, yellow headed vulture, black vulture, eagle, caracara, spotted sandpiper, macaw, manakin, parrot, jays, swallows, attila, fork tailed flycatcher, kingfisher, toucan, antbird, woodpecker, frogs, toads, snakes, spiders, anacondas, bats, spiders, scorpions, insects, beautiful flowers, orchids and pink dolphins.
We went to a native local community of Puerto Bolivar. They are the largest ethnic group in the reserve. We hiked through around where the community live learning about their customs, way of life, plants, fruit and vegetables that they grow. We had the opportunity to take yukka out of the ground, peel it, grate it, take the water out of it and make a bread called casabe which is a local dish. It's cooked like a pancake over hot wood coals on a round cast iron flat pan. We visited a local Shaman in a nearby village too to learn more about his culture and medicine. This was very interesting.
I'm back in The historic town of Quito today before heading off to the Galápagos Islands for 8 days of diving and exploring.
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