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Our first jungle experience and we certainly felt like we were in the rainforest when we flew into the town of Leticia. Thunderous rain and a hot, humid atmosphere greeted us as we hit the runway. We'd pre-booked accommodation at a lodge outside of the town and were collected by a mototaxi (a motorbike with 3 wheels) to take us there. It was pitch black when we arrived so we were clueless as to our surroundings. The night was pretty restless as the noises of the jungle kept us awake… squawks, tweets, hoots, rustling…you name it we heard it.
The next morning looking out of the window was amazing. Luck was on our side, after 5 days of continuous rain, the sky cleared and the sun shone, illuminating the jungle on our doorstep. We were staying in an Indian community in the heart of the jungle, with an ex-pat English guy, his Indian wife, their 2 children and beautiful Macaw, Paco. With only 4 full days in the jungle we wanted to squeeze in as much as possible, so our first day was spent milling around the Indian community, chatting to the locals and tiptoeing through the jungle. That night we were taken on a jungle trek, it's amazing how many animals and creatures come out at night, especially the dangerous spiders, a sure cure for arachnophobia, up close and personal with tarantulas!
The 2nd day we went out cruising on the Amazon river, alongside pink river dolphins, jumping out of the water trying to catch fish. On the journey we stopped by a small wildlife reserve which is home to some cheeky monkeys, colourful parrots and luscious plant life. It was definitely a unique experience to hold a baby monkey and have it cuddle your body as it would its mother. The journey along the river was full of wonderful, sweetly perfumed scents and strange noises deep in the jungle canopies. After days and days of continuous rain, the river level was at a record high, great for some wildlife but a catastrophe for people who live by the river banks, some homes were destroyed, cattle lost or completely stranded, very sad to see. On a positive note it meant that the fish were plentiful and after an hour of chilled out fishing on the river, the score was 6-4 to Rachel, a well-deserved win for using a traditional wooden rod!
We were fortunate to visit an Indian tribe, the Maloca Makuna, deep in the jungle. The community consists of about 5 families with traditional roles - the men working in the jungle, cultivating crops, the women in the kitchen and looking after the children. We were "welcomed" with a ceremony of "energy", which consisted of snuff being strongly blown up each nostril, causing a short, intense pain near the eyes and an immense amount of tears, but which afterwards gave a lasting sensation of energy and happiness…one try was enough! The tribe invited us to help pick the coca leaves to make the coca powder they chew for energy all day, every day, so we went into the fields and harvested the leaves, praying that a US Army anti-drug plane didn't fly overhead! We then witnessed the process of grinding the leaves to make the powder, a laborious process but an essential one as the people of the tribe rely on this for their daily life.
Saturday night in the Amazonias…so we headed to Peru, Brazil and Colombia on our mammoth pub crawl. Starting at 5pm, we crossed the river to Peru and enjoyed a few local beers whilst watching the sun set, then on to Brazil for some Samba and finally to Colombia, a bit worse for wear but triumphant in having been to 3 countries in one night!
Our final day was spent in a canoe, floating down the river, fishing (with zero results) and observing families of monkeys passing noisily overhead in the jungle canopies. The jungle offers so much variety in terms of wildlife, both deep in the jungle and on the river. We couldn't help but smile when we were in the canoe with not another human life to be seen, or sound to be heard, the sun beaming down, the monkeys surrounding us and parrots flying overhead, absolute bliss. Unfortunately the time came for us to leave the jungle paradise. We left reluctantly, neither of us quite ready to go, but with a buzz and some incredible, happy memories.
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