the amazon.

landing in iquitos we were met at the airport and shuttled over to the tour company's office where we met with the rest of the group.. brought down to the water, we boarded the long, narrow boat, and started past floating villages, soon getting out into the middle of the river which looked more like a lake with the land growing more distant each second..

within minutes of being out in the open water, we saw the dorsel fins of two dolphins.. one grey and one pink.. they surfaced a few times and then were seen no more.. arriving an hour later at our camp, we walked down a long, covered boardwalk before our lodgings came into view.. a gazebo filled with hammocks quickly caught our eye, and it was there we spent the majority of our down time. lunching on rice, beans, a spicy stirfry of spinach and mushrooms, yuca root, and mango.. (every meal we ate there was absolutely incredible.. they always had a meat option, but they would bring danelle and i a vegetarian plate they prepared especially for us..) we were stuffed to the brim, and made use of said hammocks before boating over to 'monkey island'..

we were greeted by the friendly staff and almost immediately weighed down by curious monkeys of all different sizes and species.. we were their play-things.. there was no agenda, we were simply allowed to wander the area and interact with the animals at our own want and will.. my absolute favorite thing ever was holding the sloth! oh my gosh. if you have never held a sloth you have never lived. straw-haired et's with bowl cuts. so fabulous. other things i got to hold and hang with: a boa constrictor, an anaconda, a baby alligator, a tucan, and some koatis..

after monkey island we went to a swimming spot and anyone interested could go for a dip. then it was back to the lodge.. another fabulous meal.. and a night walk through the jungle where we saw several interesting creatures.. turantulas.. scorpion spiders larger than my outstretched hand.. antennaed beetles.. a toad the size of a chihuahua.. a millipede.. poisonous ants.. now, at first i thought we were seeing a single poisonous ant climbing a tree. we stopped to have a look, shining the flashlight on it.. our guide got him to climb on his walking stick so we could get a better look.. but after studying it for a moment, the flashlight was shone on the ground, and we discovered that we were actually standing right beside the large anthill. brilliant. we quickly continued, (although not all cases are fatal.. uh..) oh, and one turantula that i was somehow coerced into picking up quickly scurried all the way up my arm and nestled itself behind my ear.. i felt it there for hours after it was gone..

the next morning we walked over to a nearby tribe. we were welcomed by their adorable children and participated in ceremonial dancing with the men and women. the chief spoke a few words to us and confessed to having three wives, admitting that some have as many as five. everyone was adorned in face paint.. they painted our faces as well, with a red dye extracted from a fruit that grows in the forest. everyone was adorned in traditional clothing, (except the children who neglected clothing entirely).. the men wearing grass skirts and head pieces, the women wearing red skirts and a straw necklace which covers their chest and back.

we boated back to the lodge for lunch, afterwards walking the other direction to a nearby village about the size of foxwarren. i could totally relate. (just kidding). before dinner that evening, but after the sun had set, we piled into a canoe (that i wasn't entirely sure could hold our weight) and paddled off into the dark to see what we could see.. which was nothing beyond a single flashlight beam that ricardo (our guide) would sometimes switch on when he amazingly discovered something worthy of sharing in the darkness.. unfortunately no crocs. i was so disappointed. the stars and fireflies speckled around us and an hour later we were back at camp and enjoying another candlelit gourmet delight.

the next morning we woke to rain and therefore had to boycott our plans to get back out on the canoe and go bird watching.. which also meant we could sleep another hour before breakfast.. then we went out fishing for pirahna.. but all we caught were baby catfish.. (bunk). wrong time of year unfortunately, the water was too high.. went for a swim.. was in the water about 5 feet from the ladder when someone shouted from the boat something along the lines, "what the -- was that?!" i almost sprinted on water. from the boat a moment later, i discovered that it was another rose dolphin. pretty.. but after that i was done swimming. put a turantula behind my ear, no biggie.. but.. a girl has limits.

before we knew it it was time to pack up, lunch, and hit the dusty trail. it was still raining on the boat ride back to town, and the river was surprisingly choppy.. i was amazed at it's monstrosity. what a marvelous experience. i had three tasks set out for myself before heading down here.. i absolutely had to see iguazu falls, machu picchu, and the amazon.. if i accomplished nothing else in my time on the road, i would leave satisfied. fortunately, all three tasks are now complete.. my trip is not yet over.. and i have accomplished so much more that i could not have imagined before embarking over two months ago..

"the physical domain of the country had its counterpart in me. the trails i made led outward into the hills and swamps, but they led inward also. and from the study of things underfoot, and from reading and thinking, came a kind of exploration, myself and the land. in time the two became one in my mind." - john haines: the stars, the snow, the fire: twenty-five years in the northern wilderness.