Somewhat apprehensive, the plane touched down in Iquitos just as the sun was setting - the sky glowed red and pink and the surrounding forest reminded me how isolated the town is. Deep in the Amazon, searing heat and high humidity and excitement brewed amongst passengers and their family waiting to greet them.

I was met - thank go - by a happy and smiley Emily from Operation Wallacea, tanned and blonde. I secretly hoped that I might metamorphosise into a bronzed jungle jane too. So far, I haven't.

We went straight to the hotel in a motortaxi (see pics) and arrived at the Doral Inn . With rather grim, grubby white walls and a scent of urine creeping from the bathroom to the bedroom the saving grace was the aircon, even if thoughts of Legionnaire's disease did cross my mind briefly.

Some other volunteers were hanging around, eager to show me the local bar. I didn't need much persuasion. They had already completed 4 weeks on the research ship and I listened with glee and their exciting stories and advice for the forthcoming expedition, which starts tomorrow. Rum, biscuits and anything to make rice more appealing were the hot tips. Rum and biscuits, for anyone who knows me, were already on my list!

The local bar was a popular gringo hangout, single, old, portly men who had been consuming too many beers and had local girls hanging around them. One went off for a private chat with a pretty teenage girl and another got abusive with a waitor, at one point telling the waiter that he was going to chop his head off, shouting f*ck off at locals and causing a commotion. I receeded in mild horror and made a mental note about the how placid the locals were, showing integrity and carrying on as normal. "Charming" I said to the others.

After a few cold beers and a dose of Malarone, accompanied by heart of palm salad, we regressed back to the relative comfort of the hotel. The cold shower was just the ticket and I then slathered myself in Deet before retiring to my bead.

Unable to sleep much, myself and my new roommate Kay, had a light breakfast on the roof terrace at the 'hotel' and strolled along the promenade. Iquitos was stirring and by 9am, was in full swing, with motor taxi's zipping along without hesitation and streetside vendors waiting for business. My first impressions were that Iquitos is a relatively poor jungle town, people confident and eager to chat in broken English. You can't sit still for long, or jungle 'immigrants' swarm around, showing off their handmade jewellery made from anaconda skin and jaguar teeth. I succumbed to a acai seed necklace and wondered how many bits of jewellery I would end up taking home. I am a sucker for a polite street seller! The traffic warden proposed to me, I declined, saving myself for tarzan. The heat is mildly debilitating after spending the past week at high altitude and the Andean winter. With the rest of the group making their way to the butterfly farm, I decided to chill out, enjoy some ice cream and explore the town on foot. Alas, running the gauntlet of 'hello precious' was too muc for today and I decided to put my feet up in reception and day dream about the next month. By the sounds of things, I am going to enjoy the next month on board the boat with Dr Bodmer, I just can't wait to get started! Finally, I am here and although slightly drained, I am ready for business and enjoying every moment. It really is a priviledge to be here and I am going to bleed Dr Bodmer dry of info about the conservation efforts in the jungle. I think it is going to be a truly eye opening experience! At the moment, I am keeping my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut, I don't know anything about the political situation and history between jungle inhabitants and the town-folk, I found the Andean people easier to talk to for some reason, but until I get more of a feel for the place, I will observe and then form my hypothesis....

Tomorrow morning, we will depart at 8am for our 2 or 3 day boat journey to the start of our expedition, deep in the Amazon basin. Update to follow soon I hope - until then, thanks for the messages and all the support! Hasta luego....x