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With a great sense of relief and a fair bit of satisfaction, we've just escaped from the Amazon Jungle!Our journey started with a van journey from Manaus to the harbour where we jumped on a speedboat, which took us to another harbour where we climbed into another van, which took us to another speedboat which finally dropped us off at the Amazon Lodge, basically a set of huts which float on one of the Amazon rivers.This all took just over 3 hours and should give you an idea how far we travelled away from civilisation into the jungle.The Lodge itself was very basic, with copious gaps in the palm-leaf roof, making the mosquito mesh a bit of a joke!To further illustrate the gaps, Emma woke me up on the first night with a worried voice saying: "Chris! Chrrrrris!... will the bats land on our heads?!"...Ultimately the bats kept to themselves, but did circle our little room relentlessly, swooping to within arm's reach on many occasions.
Day 2 was the start of our proper jungle experience, and we set off in a motorised canoe with just a few essentials in a bag to make camp in the jungle, far, far away from civilisation.We quickly learnt some bushcraft in order to build a "jungle-table", a "jungle-BBQ" and to set up our hammocks.Our guide did ask whether I wanted a mosquito net for my hammock, recognising that I'm sweating constantly in the brutal heat and counselling that "mosquito net is extra hot".I gave this serious consideration, worried that I might expire from the inevitable jungle basting, but eventually opted for the net... I realised this was the right choice when both our guides, jungle experts, put their nets on without hesitation!This should help you understand why, throughout our adventure, I was pretty suspicious that our main guide, Osma, didn't have my best interests at heart!
Day 3 included a trek through the jungle, led by a rather fast-paced Osma with his big machete and a penchant for annoying ants, termites and spiders in an effort to properly demonstrate their grossness.Osma showed us some tips on surviving in the jungle, including how to find the inch-long grubs that you can, should you be completely mad and desperate, eat.We also learnt that strips can be cut off a menthol tree and inhaled to treat a cold - given the location (and let me now point out that a guide was recently bitten by a poisonous snake!), I really can't imagine that treating a cold would be high on anyone's priority list!
The first night in the hammocks was mentally hot and uncomfortable.The second night, however, we'd begun to run low on mosquito repellent and I had valiantly decided to go without, such that Emma could douse herself in the stuff - didn't seem like too big a deal since we had mosquito nets... 52 bloody mosquito bites later I rather regretted my decision!To rub salt into the 52 wounds, the repellent then lasted us well into the following day when we were back in the Lodge with backup repellent freely available.My plan might have worked better had the nets themselves not been speckled with large holes!
Beyond the horrors of actually camping, cooking and washing in the jungle (take bar of soap into piranha and alligator-infested river and clean your bits real quick!), we had some great experiences, catching some rather big piranha and peacock bass via traditional fishing methods and 2 alligators via the less-well-known technique of "jump in the river in the dead of night and grab the thing with glowing red eyes by the throat!"Rest assured, it was not me or Em doing the gator-grabbing but our rather unhinged guide.
All in all, it was a real relief to be allowed back to civilisation after 5 days in the wild, and, while we would never, ever do it again, we are very pleased that we did it.It is not for the faint-hearted... or anyone with a fear of spiders, snakes, alligators, piranha, bats, armadillos (they are so cute!), big lizards, howler monkeys, or anything that rustles or growls in the bushes just a few feet from your hammock.
All the best,
Chris (and Emma)
- comments
Lin Ohhh my word !!!! Thank goodness you're both back safe and sound !! I'm soooo glad I didn't know all this before you went. What an experience though. You'll remember that (maybe for the wrong reasons!) forever, and you'll be able to dine out on it with your friends and family for years after !!! Hope the bites are easing up now and you're relaxing back in civilization. Love to you both from Lin xxx
Debi Hall what an experience fabulous pictures you are both so much braver than me i would not of suvived a night in the lodge let alone in a camp hammock take care enjoy next adventure