NEWSFLASH: after A LOT of scrubbing and 2 washing machine runs it appears it may just be possible to save my clothes!!!! :)

So i`m back fromt he reserve nowand have soaked for the day in the pool and laid in hammocks and drunk cold beer, and it seems the tan was in fact REAL and no the dirt i suspected it might have been! lol

so quick roundup, sorry i`ve not been able to before, not a lot of internet in the amazon! So ...

• Crazy taxi - boat - taxi - boat journey to the reserve in Brazil (very China like becks) and after meeting the cook all thoughts of using this holiday to get in shape for the crazy Moonwalk next week had to be abandoned, fabulous brazillian food, i think she thought i was too skinny and adopted me as a bit of a mission!
• stayed overnight in the jungle ... translated into Brazillain that means a cool trek followed by a hysterical effort to erect hammocks between trees, followed by a glass of rum, camp fire, salsa lessons! more rum! bit of singing, bit more rum and sleep to the sound of frogs and cicadas! (by the way to anyone who has ever commented on my bum in a positiv way, its official the mossies agree with you after a night in a hammock i had loads of bites on my arse!! how rude!!!!!
• incidentally if someone could give the British Olympic Asso a quick call and reassure them i`m ok for the London games this summer I`d appreciate it. I`ve spent most days in a kayak for 4-5 hours, paddling through the flooded jungle, its easier than walking but you have to slalom the trees whist trying to dodge the triantulas on the trunks!! we got a tad lost on final day - me, diego (my comical guide) and 2 americans who i tried very hard to feed to the aligators! we basically stayed out too late and ended up kayking in the dark by head torch - very funny from diego and my point of view, not so the americans who didnt actually seem to like anything that moved, it was hysterical listening to them behind us crashing into everything branches AND cobwebs! (the Americans didnt drink AND had wheelie bags i should have known)

so basically i`ve eaten too much, become a Olympic standard kayaker and seen some cool wildlife, oh and mad some great friends, the guides at Palmari thought i was cool because i drank! what else are you going to do after a 5 hour kayak but have a semi cold beer! the rest were weird folk, so spent most nights chatting and enjoying a drink with guides and listening to Seju (Korean volunteer at reserve) sing and play her banjo - AWESOME singer! the guides also introduced me to a brazillian drink which i cant spell but its great, James i have some dont fret, though i did think they were trying to make me go blind when i first took a sip, it grows on you very quickly!

so back in Leticia and flying back to cold Bogota tomorrow, JUST about figured out the roads here, there are only 4 sets of traffic lights in Leticia (which is a little smaller thn warrington) and it seem to be that if you are on aroad parrallel with river you have right of way! basicaaly everyone roars up the the crossrads beeping horns and swerve around each other at high spped, theyre very good at it though not seen an accident yet (touch wood) as for pedestrians you such have to be brave and run - my advice if your not brave enough stay on the side your on and have another beer! Another pearl of wisdom from the gemma school of travelling!!

so thats my ramble, I`ll try and put photos up but i dont fancy my chances the computers VERY slow.

p.s Helen can you check out the company policy on having feather braided into hair, hypothetically of course!!! :) xx