Jungle Fun

Cuyabeno National Park is in the heart of Ecuador´s share of the Amazon rainforest; located in the North-East of the country, close to the borders with Colombia and Peru. It´s a short 11-hour bus journey from Quito.

 The Lodge is only accessible by boat and the journey there was a splendid 2-hour introduction to the area. The boat took the group of 6 very close to the trees, where we got a clear sight of 4 separate species of monkey - Flying Monkeys, Yellow-Handed Titi Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys and Capuchin Monkeys. The boat driver killed the engine and we drifted closer to the trees while the monkeys went about their ordinary tree-swinging business just above our heads and alongside us. We were shown, through binoculars, a Boa Constrictor sleeping off a large meal before getting much closer to a juvenile Anaconda. Huge butterflies that are bigger than I even knew existed ambled by as we made our way upstream. We found a group of tiny bats on the underside of a branch, which then flew just over our heads once disturbed. By the time we made it to the lodge, we´d already seen more than I expected to over the whole 3 day trip.

If you look closely, you´ll see a monkey...

After a welcome siesta, we took the boat out for a night ride.

We quickly saw some Toucans for the first time, although from a distance. The boat was parked up in the centre of a large lagoon (apparently, the Caimans and Piranhas stay around the outskirts), and we all dived in for a swim. The water was lovely and the area gorgeous, which made for a perfect evening dip.

After drying off and enjoying the sunset from the lagoon, it was time for a Caiman hunt. The Caiman is most closely related to the Alligator and is a pretty fearsome-looking beast. We were only able to spot a juvenile on this occasion (more impressive was yet to come), although we did also encounter a Boa Constrictor, Fireflies and huge Bats that ate the insects as we sped home. Before we made the return, we enjoyed an amazing night sky (including Venus and the Southern Cross). Without any light pollution or clouds, the whole night sky was there for us to enjoy and it was a truly remarkable experience. The wildlife was not quite finished there; when we returned for tea, we were sharing our hut with several Tarantulas, crickets and one huge moth.

The next morning was dedicated to a trek through boggy jungle, which allowed us to see an unreal amount of wildlife. Termites, deadly Bullet Ants, Lemon Ants, the highly poisonous Ruby Poison Dart Frog, a scary Wasp which lays its eggs inside Tarantulas, a huge Millipede and Stick Insects were all seen up close. On the way back, we spotted juvenile Pink River Dolphins. Unfortunately, they are a little more shy than their salt water cousins, so we could not get extremely close.

This little guy is much deadlier than he appears...

In the evening, after our nap, we headed out again and got a better look at some River Dolphins. We saw many more extremely cute Squirrel Monkeys. After another brief swim, we set off on a night walk. While out by torchlight, we saw a monstrous being which looked like a huge spider, but is apparently more closely related to a scorpion. Our excellent guide, Jairo, kindly placed this horrible thing on to our brave volunteer´s face. We spotted many species of spider, including a female Tarantula. We saw huge locusts, Grasshoppers and Locusts. Before we returned, Jairo had us stop and turn out our torches for a minute or so. It was so dark that I wasn´t sure if my eyes were open, and it allowed us to truly appreciate the magical noises of the forest. We rode back at speed with no lights, so that all we could see were the bats and insects doing battle around the boat.

We met at 06:15 the next morning for a spot of pre-breakfast bird-watching from the lodge´s own tower built for that very purpose. There were long periods of inactivity but it was made worth it by the colourful jungle birds we did see, including a Hawk and a Toucan. After breakfast we got even closer to a Toucan, when there was one perched on the top of our hut.

We visited a small, indigenous community in the morning. We watched a woman make bread from Yuca, which was a fascinating process. We then got to eat it for our lunch, and it was very tasty too! Afterwards, we shot darts from a long tube at at mango. I was amongst the closest of our group, getting one stuck in the stand. A member of the community then showed us how it should be done... A visit to the local shaman turned out to be a painful experience for one of our group. Poor Chad volunteered for some ´treatment´, which seemed to consist of being scratched and whipped with an extremely spiky stick. Afterwards, his back was very red and covered in welts. The ride home involved a speedy Anteater and more monkeys, including Noisy Night Monkeys, which are nocturnal, live in couples, look like Owls and are remarkably cute. 

That evening, we went out in the boat during an absolutely torrential tropical rainstorm. It was wonderful to see, although it was very painful on any exposed skin. While it was still raining quiet heavily, we were the only people in the lagoon so we went for out third, final and most exciting rainforest swim. Afterwards, we found an adult Caiman close to another lodge. While we were watching it, Jairo disappeared before returning with chicken meat. He then fed the chicken to the Caiman. It ended with its jaws snapping only inches from out faces. Jairo´s bravery gave us what was my highlight of the trip. Getting so close to that magnificent beast was incredible.

On the way back to our bus, we saw yet another species of monkey, which was the Woolly Monkey - the second biggest species of monkey in the Amazon. The Cuyabeno National Park provided us with a wonderful experience and a great taste of the Amazon. Our lodge was a very comfortable place to stay with excellent food. Jairo was a great guide - so knowledgable and enthusiastic. It also helped that we were with a great group with a great attituite so we got on very well with all of our fellow explorers. The three days went by so quickly, so we were sadly back in Quito before we knew it.

A tribute to Colombia

Dear reader,

You really must visit Colombia as soon as possible. It is a country of beauty, diversity, warm and friendly people, sensational wildlife and excellent plant life.

We landed in Bogotá and found it to be a modern, thriving and exciting city (see previous entry). We moved on to Villa de Leyva, which is a small, well-preserved, colonial city located in the hills. Its Spanish architecture is very appealing. It made for a lovely stop on the way north.

Colombia's Caribbean coast was our next stop. At first, we stayed near the beach just outside of Santa Marta. The beach was lovely although the opressive heat (approx. 42°C) meant that we did not manage much exploration. Santa Marta largely functioned as a stop off so that we could visit the jungle and gorgeous sands of the Tayrona national park. This features several pristine, beautiful and quiet beaches, only accessible by boat or foot. We trekked through the jungle for 2 hours to get there and spent the night underneath the stars in hammocks. The jungle was hot and difficult work but worth it for the many lizards and exotic birds and bugs that we managed to see. The jungle is apparently also home to cotton-top tamarins (a monkey exclusive to Colombia) but we were not fortunate enough to spot any.

Parque Tayrona

Cartagena is possibly the most beautiful city I've ever visited. The walled old town overlooks the Caribbean and contains wonderful, colourful and gorgeous old Colonial buildings. The walls of the city are majestic too. Cartagena was also too hot for our English bodies to cope with, but we managed to enjoy the incredible surroundings. We also made a trip to a nearby mud volcano, which involved climbing in to the volcano and floating in the mud before being washed by elderly Colombian women in a lake. It was much more enjoyable than it sounds. Cafe Havana is a wonderful club in which we drank amazing mojitos while the crowd danced to the live salsa band.

Cartagena

Medellín is another innovative and quite modern Colombian city. We took the cable car way above the city to a tremendous hilltop park area, where we spotted more diverse plant and animal life as well as strolling through woodland. Medellín has several quite lovely parks, including a central one which is complete with 23 bronze sculptures by Botero. The days of the cartels mean that Medellín hardly has a great reputation worldwide, but we found it to be a charming city and one that I would heartily recommend.

Botero Plaza, Medellín

We only stayed in Calí for 2 nights, so could not form a full impression of it, but it seemed quite pleasant. Next stop was San Agustín, where there are a series of statues, which were built by a mysterious people to honour their dead up to 1,500 years ago. The statues are brilliant, representing monsters, people, animals or a combination of all 3. We stayed in a wonderful place just outside the town, from where we could fully appreciate the stunning surrounding countryside.

The view from our bedroom in San Agustín

One of many statues in San Agustín

Our final stop was Ipiales, from where we journeyed to the nearby El Santuario de las Lajas; a gorgeous gothic church perched across a gorge. It looks like some sort of fairy tale castle.

El Santuario de las Lajas

This was a very brief review of the month we spent in Colombia and will not begin to do the country justice. We did not intend to spend as long as we did in Colombia. However, we found it impossible to leave and when we did, it was with great regret. There is still much more of this gem of a country that I intend to explore. We saw truly remarkable things every day and even our bus journeys were beautiful, one of which gave us a tour of the second largest canyon in the world and most took us through the Andean mountains. Colombia has some of the largest populations of birds, lizards and flowers in the entire world and they all seem to be worth seeing. It is also blessed with remarkable natural beauty. The people were lovely and welcoming to us as well as being extremely helpful. Just go to Colombia. You won't regret it. Colombia, I love you!

I now write to you from Quito, the capital of Ecuador and the early signs are that this country is going to be pretty special too...
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The following is a (probably incomplete) list of items that I have lost or broken so far during this trip:
Sun hat, walking pole, sunglasses (3 pairs!), jeans, flip-flops and a waterproof rucksack cover.

3 weeks down, 45 to go...

Hello!

What a hectic 3 weeks we have had. I write from Bogotá, the trendy, exciting and wonderful capital of Colombia. We're mainly spending today resting after I hurt my shoulder quite badly when I fell off a bike in the wet yesterday, which will be a surprise to nobody. I hope that no long-term damage has been done and we move on to Villa de Leyva tomorrow. Colombians have treated us very kindly so far. They really do love football here - everyone seems to be wearing a Colombia national team shirt - even the customs officials at Bogotá airport were wearing them. They are quite rightly very proud of their team's performances during the World Cup and thousands of people were at Bogotá airport a couple of days ago to greet the returning heroes. Colombia were already out of the tournament by the time we arrived, but we did watch their game against Ivory Coast in a bar in Lima that was full of Colombians, which was tremendous fun. 

Yesterday, we took in a cycle tour of the city, which despite my injuries, was extremely enjoyable. We tried several exotic fruits at the market, as well as seeing some excellent street art, the bull-fighting arena (which, thankfully, has not been used for a few years) and several important historical and cultural sites. We even had time to stop for a hot drink at a coffee factory. Nic and I then went to a wonderful free art gallery, which mainly focused on the Colombian artist Botero, who does really interesting paintings and sculptures, mainly of fat people and animals. His fat Mona Lisa is brilliant.

Bogotá has a lot of really good street art and many cool bars. It's a thriving, young and dynamic city. There's a big hill just outside the city, which offers excellent views. Nic and I walked up to the top on Sunday, which was extremely difficult, especially as it was very busy as Sunday is the day that many locals do the same thing to visit the church at the summit.

Before Colombia, there was Perú. We flew to Lima, where we stayed on the Pacific coast for two nights. It was pleasant enough, although we did not venture into the centre of Lima. We moved on to the little desert paradise of Huacachina, which is a tiny, touristy village around a lake in the middle of the desert. While there, we took a buggy ride onto the huge dune system which stretches for hundreds of miles all around Huacachina. The buggy ride was scary (I'm the type of wimp who doesn't like roller coasters) and when it felt like the buggy was about to flip right over and our feet left the floor, I did get a little nervous. I'd recommend it though, it's fun. We then proceeded to fly down these huge dunes on what were essentially snowboards.

The Salkantay trek starts in Cusco, with the intention of reaching Machu Picchu 5 days later. It is suggested that we arrive in Cusco a couple of days early in order to get used to operating at high altitude. We gave ourselves 4 days and I'm not sure if it was enough. When we arrived, walking up simple steps felt like the height of physical endurance. A few steps left me out of breath with my heart pumping like crazy. Every day helped a little, but it did not truly prepare me for what was to come.

Cusco itself is a beautiful little city, which we were sad to leave. Built high in the mountains, it was the capital of the Incan empire. Sadly, the Spanish destroyed most of the evidence of this, but a few pieces remain. Every day we were there seemed to also have a different colourful, exciting and noisy Catholic festival.



Our trek was made up of tough, long days. We typically woke up at about 4 am (although sometimes earlier) for breakfast. Trekking uphill at already great altitude was physically the most difficult thing I've ever done and I really struggled to breathe in places and at one point our guide made me do a small section of the steepest gradient on horseback (poor horse!). The guides were excellent and helped massively. The whole set up was superb - the food was ridiculously good by any standards, but when you consider that it was usually prepared in a tent in the middle of the Andes, it seems miraculous. I can only say positive things about our tour company, Llama Path.

Of course, the hardships were totally worth it for the stunning scenery during the trek alone. The Andean hillsides were truly breathtakingly beautiful.

As for the main event, I'm happy to say that we made it! There's not much I can say or show you that will even begin to do justice to the majesty of Machu Picchu. Upon arrival, it was almost completely covered by mist and we were concerned that we might not even be able to see the whole site. As the mist lifted and Machu Picchu slowly revealed itself to us, we were astonished by its beauty. It really is stunning, even more than we had expected it to be.

We did, of course, also go to New York, which feels like it was a long time ago now. New York was brilliant; we hired bikes and rode over the Brooklyn bridge to Manhattan and Central Park, we went to the top of the Rockefeller centre and we took the Staten Island ferry and watched a game of baseball. The undoubted highlight, however, was Nic falling backwards on a subway train whilst wearing her heavy backpack and being unable to get up again, her limbs flailing around like a beetle that had flipped over. Hilarious.

That's enough for now, I think. I'll leave you with some more photos. I'll try and write again soon.

Love,
H and Nic xxx

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