Day one in the
jungle had involved a sunset with river dolphins. Day two involved a sunrise,
hike, and then sunset with the added bonus of sleeping in the jungle. A night of
sleeping in hammocks by our jungle campsite, with only a thin mosquito net
(with holes in!) for protection. It turned out to be a pretty good night’s
sleep for us both (better than in the lodge), and it was very cool falling
asleep to the jungle soundtrack. At around 4am, while it was still dark, we
were awoken by a troop of monkeys. These howler monkeys growl and moan like
zombies and when you are in the middle of the jungle with them, it can be
somewhat intimidating. The noise really is something to behold; the rhythmic chanting
and panting would intrigue even the most seasoned traveller. We spent the next
few hours drifting in and out of consciousness, listening to the monkeys,
insects and birds as they woke up and went about their morning rituals.
Climbing out of
a hammock is always difficult and after a night’s sleep it was even harder! But
they were surprisingly comfortable, I have to say. We ate a simple breakfast of
boiled eggs, crackers, guava jam and delicious fresh pineapple. The most
surprising part of the whole experience was when one of the French campers
turned to me and said, “I think I need a shower”. I never believed I would hear a French man
say he needed a shower, implying that even he, after sleeping in the humid
rainforest, though it was a good idea. Although I suppose he did say, “I
think”.
We tidied up the
campsite, taking all of our rubbish with us, and headed out once more on the
boat to visit a local family. Now’s the time to mention the hard wooden seats
on the boat that became the bane of our buttocks. Anyway, the local family we
visited aren’t the indigenous tribal family one might imagine. They live a
simple life on the bank of the river, farming various plants such a mandioca
(cassava), cotton, açaí, and making blowpipes. Ok, perhaps their set-up is
slightly geared towards the tourists who visit and often buy souvenirs. To
visit one of the indigenous Amazonian tribes, you need a special permit and it
wasn’t offered as part of any of the tours we saw from Manaus. The local people
were friendly and generous and it was a pleasant start to the morning.
We took the slow
boat back to the lodge and enjoyed the calm and peaceful feeling that comes
with being on the open water. The pace back at the lodge was somewhere between
laid back and passed out. However, a large influx of about fifteen new visitors
meant one of the guides decided to show off a bit and it was perfect timing. A
snake was spotted across the water and up a tree (giving me enough time to get
the photo below). Antonio, aka Crazy Antonio, took to the tree to catch the
snake, suffering a couple of bites in the process. It’s well worth watching the
video below. My favourite comment was from of the older Austrian ladies who,
after Antonio released the snake, said “He is just going to release it?! What
if it comes back?” I pointed out that we were in the middle of the jungle and
there were probably hundreds of snakes in the vicinity. She didn’t speak to me
after that…
Sunset Three
Crazy Antonio, or
“Clever” as he likes to be called (but who doesn’t like to be called clever?!)
took us on a boat ride to look for some animals. His style was louder and more
outgoing than our other guide Chitão, and both had their pros and cons.
“Clever” certainly had a great eye, and spotted capuchin monkeys, an owl,
dolphins and a lot of birds. He also climbed a tall tree to retrieve a sloth
for us to look at and hold. I sometimes feel bad holding animals, but the sloth
genuinely seemed to be having the time of his life. This stoned looking, lazy
bugger had a huge smile and seemed to enjoy the sensation of touch. Sloths are
solitary animals so I think we brightened up the little fella’s day.
We then watched
our third consecutive sunset back at the lodge and listened to a lecture by
another tour guide, where we learned some of the many things we have shared
with you in these last few posts.
The Final
Morning
The final day of
our jungle adventure included a canoeing expedition with our new friend Clever.
This was very Indiana Jones style, flying through the jungle, smashing into
trees, getting covered in biting ants and a big spider that ran up my arm – I
can still feel it. At least it wasn’t a snake…I hate snakes.
As well as this
more adventurous setting, Clever’s great eyes managed to spot some great
nature, including another owl, a red bushy-tailed squirrel, another sloth,
night monkeys, frogs, mosquitoes, iguanas that threw themselves out of trees
and into the water as we approached, various birds and last but not least, a porcupine.
The most amazing part of the canoe trip was the fact that during dry season,
the whole area that we were floating through is solid land. This means that
there were so many trees partially submerged in water with their leaves
brushing past us as we weaved our way through the forest. It really felt like
something out of a film, as it was just damn crazy at times – I’m pretty sure
my travel insurance didn’t cover me for that! It was a great way to end the
trip and after jumping in the Amazon river one last time to make sure that
spider was truly gone, I felt great.
We had our last meal
and headed back to Manaus, passing through the meeting of the waters again.
Final Amazonian Thoughts
It’s impossible
to reflect on this trip and not consider it to be one of the greatest
experiences of my life. Of course we could have seen more wildlife but that’s
part of it – it’s all in the luck of the day and the skill of the tour guides.
Watching the sun set surrounded by dolphins on the first night, being woken by
a troupe of nearby howler monkeys, the final canoe trip…it was just
exceptional. If you are in Brazil, do this trip! We will be posting a shorter,
more concise post about how we chose the tour, the hours of painstaking
research and the truth about all of the “different” tours available.
There is not
much else left to say so we’ll leave you with the best photos from our last two
days in the jungle.
Jungle breakfast - freshly brewed coffee and the juiciest pineapple I have ever eaten!
Some local Manaus / Amazonian children
Mandioca / Manioc / Aipim / Tapioca / Cassava...so many names for a glorified potato!
We've seen this before but still find it interesting that pineapples grow like this
Achiote fruit is used as a colouring in Brazilian cooking
3D, 4N stay in the Amazon at Juma Lodge = r$720 pp for private double (£147 pp) 3D, 4N stay in the Amazon at Juma Lodge = r$600 pp for dorm (£122 pp) Fizzy Drink / Beer at Lodge = r$5 (£1)
After all the antics of day one in the jungle, our first night’s sleep in the Juma Lodge
was a little disturbed. As well as being a little frightened of the plethora of
killer animals – from jaguars, spiders and scorpions, to tropical diseases
spread by insects – the mosquito net we slept under was a little annoying, as
they always are. If you move in your sleep you are suddenly pressed against
this thin, grimy film that feels rough and reminds you of your vulnerability.
Not to mention they are rendered useless anywhere that they are in contact with
you as everything can bite through. Oh and it was humid. But what can you
expect in a bloody rainforest, ay?
All of this to contend with, plus a 5am
wake-up call so we could watch the sunrise meant neither of us were
particularly chirpy when we boarded the boat. That soon changed though, as the
wind blew through our hair. I remarked to Katie that this was most likely the
cleanest and freshest oxygen we had ever breathed, being surrounded by so many
trees (the boat fumes blew behind us). It was great riding through all the
birds and waking them up and seeing them from so close. It was just beautiful being
on a boat alone in the water surrounded by all these trees so early in the
dawn light.
As we glided over the river, we didn’t see
another tourist boat or even fishing boat – it was just the six of us and our
guide Chitão. It felt like our experience was more unique and genuine than,
say, Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, where we were surrounded by hundreds of
other boats.
I said “glided over the river” before
because we really did. The water was so smooth and flat, Katie wanted to get
out and walk on it as it looked like a solid mirror. After a while we stopped,
turned off the engine and started watching the sun do its thing. With the engine
off we started to hear the sounds of the birds and the very peaceful noises
coming from the jungle. Peaceful that is, except for one – the howler monkeys.
As you can probably guess from the name, these monkeys are loud as hell. What
they sound like though is utterly baffling – zombies. They moan and groan like
something out of a George A. Romero film or The Walking Dead. Watch the video
for yourself, as it is truly mind boggling.
Morning Trek
We survived our first encounter with the
zombie howler monkeys and had breakfast back at the lodge. It was important to be well
fed (like I need an excuse!), as we were going on a trek through the jungle. We
took the boat again and entered the forest through some low hanging trees,
parked up and began the hike. There were seven of us in total, including
Chitão, and no one else in sight. The first thing keen-eyed Katie spotted was a
nice hairy spider…great, a reminder of the critters. We saw a variety of
interesting flora (photos and explanations at the end of the post) and some
were fascinating – malaria fighting bark, a miscarriage inducing tree and a
tree that walks (like an Ent from LOTR but smaller). The animals included
bullet ants, which are used by tribes in ceremonies to prove that the boys are
ready to become men. They have to wear a glove containing these ants and endure
the pain without complaining or giving up. Apparently getting ten bites from
these ants can potentially kill a man – pretty dangerous if you ask me!
The ants in the following video are not the bullet ants. These ants have a chemical in them that acts as an insect repellent...apparently. Although using one insect to fend off another does seem a little bizarre.
The rest of the day was fairly slow and having read a lot of reviews, this seems to be the case with a lot of these Amazon tours in Brazil. It isn't a
non-stop adventure but a more slow paced tour of this beautiful and calm
place on our planet. It was lovely just to go swimming and keep a look out for
birds, as well as seeing next to no other human beings.
Camping in the Jungle
We had both been reluctant at first about
sleeping out in the jungle, with only a hammock, mosquito net and a few leaves
as shelter, for what can only be described as “sensible reasons”. However the
enthusiasm of everyone that had done it, coupled with Katie’s general life
motto of “regret what you did, not what you didn’t do”, (and maybe a little peer pressure) led to rationality and common
sense being thrown into the river. Travelling by slow boat again, as the fast
boat had broken down, we took a while to get to where we were going to sleep.
The plus side is this meant we could take in another beautiful sunset in this
oasis of nature. I cannot remember a day when I so actively watched a sunrise
and sunset. As the sky darkened, we approached our jungle campsite. The long journey only added to the feeling
that we were really going to be sleeping deep in nature, far from people,
running water, medical assistance…
X marks the entrance to the "campsite"
With our guide’s help we set up our
hammocks and mosquito nets and I noticed a huge spider very close to where we
would be sleeping, which really put the fear in me! But once darkness fell we were able to forget about the uglies for a
while and enjoy the wonder of the fireflies and glow-worms, which were seemingly
enjoying a silent rave that our mp3 players could not tune into.
The next task was to build the campfire –
it’s amazing how much comfort a fire can give but it definitely felt like a
good idea when there were caiman, tarantulas and a whole host of other
murderers lurking around. We roasted a whole chicken on the fire and ate it
with rice and cucumber. The chicken was really succulent and tasty. To prepare
us for the night of “sleep” we had a few beers and some Amazonian “wine”. The
“wine” tasted more like alcoholic grape soda and it was hilarious watching our
French campmates try it! But it seemed to do the job and soon we were all merry
and blissfully ignorant of the huge tarantula nest just twenty metres from our
hammocks. It was a bit surreal to be drinking ice cold beer in the middle
of the jungle but thanks for a quality cool box we were living the 21st
Century traveller’s dream.
Due to the beverages, campfire stories
became amusing rather than terrifying – like the story about the guide who now
has a permanent limp thanks to a venomous snake bite that would have killed him
if he had been as far away from the hospital as we are. Or the one about a
previous visitor who woke up with a tarantula in her hammock. We did check our
hammocks thoroughly before getting in though! And with this Dutch courage we
also went back out in the boat for some midnight stargazing. We saw three
planets – Saturn, which was very close to the full moon, Jupiter, and Venus.
Jupiter and Venus were very close to each other and at one point we saw the
International Space Station pass between them. Very cool. What made this experience both more interesting and a little surreal
was that Chitão had an app on his phone that, when held up to the sky, not only
named the stars and planets you could see but formed images around the
constellations. While being totally “unplugged” is something people seem to
really love about their time in the jungle, I have to say this app was pretty
amazing.
Our beds for the night
The volume of insects in the Amazon was
significantly less than when we visited the rainforest in Borneo. I remember
being attacked by 2-3 inch insects while eating in Mulu but in the Amazon the
main concerns were the mosquitoes and spiders. Perhaps the number of large
spiders explains the lack of large insects, or maybe it has something to do
with the water. Either way it made being outside at night much easier.
Unfortunately, the alcoholic beverages meant we needed to wee and when
surrounded by mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies it can be a little
daunting. There was a slightly more open space about 30 metres from the
campsite that was used as a "bathroom", but unfortunately to get there you had to walk past the
aforementioned tarantula nest…Dave might
have been intimidated by the toilet situation but I was downright terrified.
It’s all very well standing there, weeing up a tree and having to keep a look
out for attackers but as a lady, things are…well to put it bluntly, things are
closer to the ground, harder to keep an eye on and more exposed. I wish I had
taken a shewee thingy but unfortunately I wasn’t so well prepared and left the
next morning with a few unwelcome bites.
We eventually ran out of alcohol so it
seemed like a good idea to go to sleep. As we were snuggled up in our hammocks,
both fully dressed (hiking boots and all!) we had no idea what was coming to
wake us…
Below
are some more photos of our second day in the Amazon and be sure to join us
next time for more jungle antics!
The bark of this tree, when brewed into a cuppa, can cure malaria
This husk contained about 30 Brazil nuts (here they call them nuts) before a pesky aguti gobbled them all.
The aguti is the only animal in the Amazon with teeth strong enough to crack the shell.
This bark could be used like Vicks VapoRub
This sap is used for glue and to make candles
Banging on this "communication tree", which towers high into the jungle, can be heard up to 4 km away
Forget "I'm a Celebrity" - we were the true King and Queen of the jungle!
It took some googling but we finally identified this as a Black-Fronted Nunbird
A Long Billed Woodcreeper
Cormorants on a partially submerged tree
Doesn't it look quite inviting during the daylight?
3D, 4N stay in the Amazon at Juma Lodge = r$720 pp for private double (£147 pp) 3D, 4N stay in the Amazon at Juma Lodge = r$600 pp for dorm (£122 pp) Fizzy Drink / Beer at Lodge = r$5 (£1)
