Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Better late than never!!
Mon 16th-Fri 20th Jan
On Monday 16th we needed to travel between Latacunga and Lago Agrio so we first got a bus to Quito (1.5 hrs) then a bus to Lago Agrio. Luckily the buses arrived and left from the same terminal so it was an easy connection. They even gave us a pack of crackers and an orange juice for the journey! The bus left at around midday and took about 7 hours. The journey wasn't bad, despite the fact we have done too many long journies in succession recently! There was a lunch stop where we had some lunch but nearly got left behind- well not really but basically as soon as the driver and his assistant have eaten they leave; it was a bit hurried in the end but we got safely back on the bus!The LP recommends this bus ride for the scenery but due to cloud and the weather the views weren't as good as we'd thought they would be. We did see the oil pipeline that runs alongside or near the road all the way there- the area is known for its oil and there is a lot of associated business here. We arrived about 7pm, went to our hotel, had dinner and decided to pack for the jungle in the morning since it wasn't too early a start!
Visiting Amazonia
So our jungle trip was to the Amazon in north-east Ecuador to an area called the Cuyabeno Reserve. Someone I met in Colombia recommended it to me and Vanessa who I met in Latacunga had been to this particular lodge ("Nicky Lodge") and recommended it. I have been to the jungle (in Ecuador and Peru) but apart from the recommendations, my main reasons for choosing this area was that we would hopefully see river dolphins there. I also thought Mum should experience the jungle- it turned out to be a good choice. We both really enjoyed the trip, did a variety of activities and saw different wildlife, including pink river dolphins!
Tues 17th
Pick up from hotel at 9.30. Stopped to get supplies and drove to the river for the boat, which took about 2 hours. We had a nice small group, consisting of 2 Argentine girls, a man from Spain and us. On the way we saw the scenery and the pick up driver chatted to us about the area and so on. We had lunch before getting on the boat-a motorized canoe. It took about 3 hours to travel on the river to get to the lodge. We also stopped enroute to see a Quichwa community.On the last part of the journey to the lodge we saw pink river dolphins! Which unlike dolphins in the sea don't come out of the water so much but at least we got see them. The lodge, "Nicky Lodge", is really nice- very peaceful as I am sure you can imagine, as is the jungle in general! The only sounds were wildlife and very occasional boat motors but the lodge is in an area with no other lodges and is therefore secluded and quiet. Our hut was comfortable with open sides- there are mosquito nets so no need to worry about mosquitos or other insects at night as you can tuck yourself in with the net! We had a tasty dinner at 7 (all food at the lodge was lovely) then went for a night walk in the jungle, after being kitted out with wellingtons. Short ones for me since my calves are too big for normal ones! We saw lots of insects, including spiders and big crickets. There were also bats flying around, too low for my liking! We were in bed by 10, ready for an early get up the next day.
Wed 18th
Wake up call "Buenos dias" from our guide Andres at 5.45am! Best time of day to go out wildlife spotting. Robbie, or boat driver, took us out looking for animals- he was a good spotter, as well as our guide of course. We saw different monkeys up in the trees and a variety of birds, including toucans! Also saw herons and egrets. We then went back to lodge for breakfast and after that at 10 we set off for a jungle walk in the jungle near the lodge. It was a bit muddy so good job we had our wellingtons and fortunately no one fell over! The guide showed us lots of different things in the jungle and told and/or showed us how the people traditionally use the plants etc. He made a little water carrier 'bag' for mum out of one plant which she could put her water bottle in. He showed us a few toys that children make from plants too, including a whistle. I should have written this earlier as I'd have remembered more! We walked for about 4 hours, it was really hot but interesting. We had lunch on our return then free time (mostly lying in a hammock!!) til 5 when we went out again to the bird watching tower. Climbing up was not too bad but coming down was a bit scary, very steep steps which went up platform by platform with a massive tree in the centre of the platforms! We saw sunset from up here, very nice. It was so peaceful, just looking out across the trees from the top. After dinner there was a caiman spotting boat trip but no caiman were spotted.
Thurs 19th.
Another early start for a morning wildlife spotting trip though we didn't see as much as yesterday, less birds and monkeys around. After breakfast we had another walk in the jungle for about an hour where are guide showed us more things in the jungle. He made mum a bracelet out of the fibre from a tree and explained that it is used to make other things such as bags, in fact mum bought one later in the trip. Amazing what they do with loads of different stuff in the jungle! No wonder the people were able to live (and some still live) without everything, all the 'stuff' we have. We went by boat to the nearby community we had briefly visited on the first day. All of the community were in a meeting, held once a month, where they discuss all sorts of things- sounded like a good set up. We saw children in their lessons at the school- our guide had explained that they are trying to motivate the children to want to learn more and continue their education as traditionally there wasn't much interest in furthering their education. Teachers have been brought in from other areas and provided with housing within the community. I think there were roughly 100 children at the school but that could be wrong as I have forgotten!
Once we had visited the community we went to a family's house and had lunch then saw and helped with the process of making yucca bread! We first went to dig it up (they grow lots of it in the Amazon) then peeled it- the skin just peeled off once a cut was made with a machete. It was then grated on a massive grater. Then the yucca was put in some material which was then twisted together and all the water was squeezed out of the yucca to leave a kind of flour. This was then used to make the bread on a hot metal plate on top of the fire. If you imagine a tortilla it was kind of like that (not typical bread) and we ate it with jam and a tuna salad mix. It was nice and ideal for Mum as it had no wheat in- just pure 100% yucca!
Next on the agenda was piranha fishing- we fished with wooden rods in two different spots. Not many piranhas were caught though and the few that were went straight back in. I mostly just enjoyed the beauty of where we were sat as it was so beautiful with the reflections of the cloud and trees in the water were stunning (see photo). The cook had baked a cake for our final night, very nice! After dinner we saw 2 caimen in the water near the lodge, they live around there apparently and come closer for food. Our guide was very good at making noises to make them come closer too!
Fri 20th
The others all asked to do an extra early morning boat trip so they went- I opted out in favour of a little more sleep! I missed seeing the other type of river dolphins (grey ones) which come out of the water a bit more which was a shame for me but my own fault. I also missed seeing another type of monkey. After breakfast it was time for boat to start return journey. At 12 we had our packed lunch before mini bus back to Lago Agrio. On the way our mini bus got stuck on the side of the road, luckily a pickup truck could pull us out! Mum and I had arranged a flight back to Quito to save time and make sure we had time time to fit the other things in so we were dropped at the airport. Slight delay on flight but we managed to get a taxi to get us to the bus terminal in time to get a bus to Otavalo. All worked out as planned and we arrived there by 9.30pm!
Info on the jungle trip: for anyone looking into booking jungle trips I would recommend "Nicky Lodge" as it was a great trip. Good value for money. We had a great guide and staff at the lodge, lovely and varied food (cook had made different food for my mum when necessary but it was always tasty) and an interesting range of activities.
- comments