Hola All,

I am writing from the town of Banos, which is famous for it natural hot springs that are heated by a nearby volcano! Matt and I are resting after our adventure in the Amazon, which was amazing. We took a propeller plane from Quito to Coca where we were met by our guides (one was born in Ottawa). Then we began our three hour motorized canoe ride towards the Sani Lodge. The night before I was quite excited about the remoteness of the lodge and the boat ride, however within twenty minutes of the ride I decided three hours was two and a half hours too long. After three hours of riding along the Rio Napo we reached a small canal into the Amazon. We switched into a paddled canoe and reached our lodge after thirty minutes of paddling through different small and intersecting creeks. Our lodge was situated on a small black lagoon (the color of the water was dark due to the dead leaves & vegetation falling into, think tea on a larger scale). The lagoon is home to a wide variety of wildlife and insects. Matt and I decided to camp because it was the more affordable option, so we were dropped at the camping grounds. Our tent was inside a permanent A-Frame and we quickly unpacked to rejoin the rest of our group. That evening after dinner, we paddled around the lagoon to go looking for caiman (think alligators). The species that lives in the lagoon are Black Caiman and can grow up to FIVE METERS long! I didn´t know this when I sat in the front of the canoe right behind the guide. We turned on our flashlights and then you see all these red eyes staring back at you! We approuched one that turned out to be four & a half meters long. I was feeling highly stressed at this point, especially when we had to go to the camping grounds by ourselves since we were the only ones sleeping there. The noise of the animals and insects at night made me feel like we were in a nightclub in our tent. I had very little sleep as I thought of the various creatures that could be making said noises and might come visit us. The next morning we rose at five o´clock to begin the rainest hike of my life. It literally poured rain the entire time, we were drenched and saw very little since the wildlife was wisely hiding from the rain. Luckily in the evening the rain had cleared and we went to the bird tower (30 meters tall and built into an enormous tree). It is official that I am now a birder, I just adore. It is the perfect combination of peaceful and exciting. Later that evening we went for an evening hike to view various insects. I saw enough spiders, stick insects and grasshoppers to fuel another sleepless night. We rose early to go to Piranha Lake where we spotted fresh water dolphins and a string ray! Amazing! Afterwards, we went swimming, which was highly resfreshing until I commented that it was too bad we could not swim in the lagoon by our lodge because of the caimans and he responded that there were even more caimans in this lake. I quickly quit swimming. We went Piranha fishing and visited the home of a local guide. Luckily, I was so exhausted after all the activities I slept wonderful during the night. The next day we took a morning hike and experienced a group of seven squirrel monkeys swing right over our heads. It was magical! We also learned alot about the healing/medicinal qualities of the plants in the Amazon. One tree is called Dragon´s Blood by the locals since when you cut into its bark, a sap that is red comes out and it can be used to help heal cuts. That afternoon Matt and I took it easy by resting and reading on hammocks. We shared many beers with our group and guides after dinner, and on our way to our canoe we saw a baby Anaconda! The next day was entirely dedicated to our trip to Banos, it was a hot and humid day. We had to endure an eight hour bus ride on a road that was so sketchy that it panics me to remember it! Banos is a really delightful town, it is only 7 by 11 blocks so it is easy to explore. We are really enjoying relaxing, reading, napping, writing, eating, and drinking according to no schedule but our own desire.

Ciao

E