It´s like being on another planet. I felt such surprise at the thought when I realised how this was actually the same planet Ive always been on. Now I know what a precious thing the Amazon is. Imagine not being able to hear any traffic. Nor any people. You close your eyes, and all you can hear is what sounds like a hollywood soundtrack in a wilderness film. It´s actually like that. Birdsong, monkeys and really loud, persistent toads! And the occasional roar...
We spent 4 days, 3 nights in a jungle lodge called Muyuna. It lies 3 hours by boat up the Amazon from Iquitos, past a tributary with sucicidal barracuda (we left him in the boat for lunch later on) past the river dolphins and through the odd clump of vegetation floating downstream. The lodge was constructed locally, ran by locals who all took turns to work for the company. The rooms are netted (good job! It kept out a rather large tarantula! We even heard the cruch when it caught a passing bug) The roofs are made from a type of palm, plaited together. I dont recall the name, I know it´s not Ivory palm, we learnt that that lasts 3 years, and the type they used for our rooms lasts 4 to 5. The locals dont have to buy the land, there are no taxes. You simply have to get permission from the local governor (volunteer, elected every couple of years). Imagine life with no taxes!! Mind you, it´s also life with little electricity and if you fall in love with someone in another village apparently it´s a 7 day canoe ride to visit! That´s dedication.
I´ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. I dont have too many as the humidity killed my camera, mp3 player and curled the pages of my book! Needless to say after one downpour we were wet for the rest of the trip. The Amazon is worth a visit. I miss it already.
Oh we also met the shaman, wearing his Nike cap and shorts, carrying a machete, I think he was helping build a house at the time. Just what you´d expect a shaman to look like, right?
We spent 4 days, 3 nights in a jungle lodge called Muyuna. It lies 3 hours by boat up the Amazon from Iquitos, past a tributary with sucicidal barracuda (we left him in the boat for lunch later on) past the river dolphins and through the odd clump of vegetation floating downstream. The lodge was constructed locally, ran by locals who all took turns to work for the company. The rooms are netted (good job! It kept out a rather large tarantula! We even heard the cruch when it caught a passing bug) The roofs are made from a type of palm, plaited together. I dont recall the name, I know it´s not Ivory palm, we learnt that that lasts 3 years, and the type they used for our rooms lasts 4 to 5. The locals dont have to buy the land, there are no taxes. You simply have to get permission from the local governor (volunteer, elected every couple of years). Imagine life with no taxes!! Mind you, it´s also life with little electricity and if you fall in love with someone in another village apparently it´s a 7 day canoe ride to visit! That´s dedication.
I´ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. I dont have too many as the humidity killed my camera, mp3 player and curled the pages of my book! Needless to say after one downpour we were wet for the rest of the trip. The Amazon is worth a visit. I miss it already.
Oh we also met the shaman, wearing his Nike cap and shorts, carrying a machete, I think he was helping build a house at the time. Just what you´d expect a shaman to look like, right?
hung-lay!!!! te echo de menos!!!! muchisimos!!!!! emailing...now!!!
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