The Amazon: day 3

Well today we really learned what the rain forest was all about.

I accidentally set my alarm for 2:30am instead of 5:30 because the time on my phone never changed since arriving in Peru because of the two hour time difference.

After that, I couldn't go to sleep. Then around 3 or 4 the birds were so loud and active. So I just laid there, in a perfect temperature cause it had just rained that night, listening to the different birds. There's one bird that has nests in the tree next door to our bungalow that sounds like a drop of water in a bucket. It sounds so cool and I didn't even realize it was a bird call at first.

We finally got up at 5:30 for breakfast at 6. We had Sunnyside up eggs, bacon, mangos, and other fruit.

It felt cooler than the last couple days because of last night's rain so we were ready for today's 9 mile hike through the rainforest!

We took the rickety boat down the river a bit with the new English group that just came last night. Thus boat is actually ridiculous. You need the exact amount of weight on each side or else it tips so much.

our group always got on first to the back of the boat then the Germans would get on but they couldn't understand the equal weight concept! It's actually kind of scary when the boat starts tipping back and forth! We couldn't even explain what they were doing wrong cause of the language barrier!

Bea and Peter are a couple from Belgium who is in the group with us girls. They've basically become our parents for the trip and Claus is like our cool, doesn't give an ish about anything but still gets mad at us for doing stupid things, grumpy uncle.

Bea and Peter are so so nice to us. We always eat with them and we entertain them during our hikes. During our hike today we had to be quiet at first to look for wildlife and Bea said they were sad they couldn't listen into our ridiculous conversions... Apparently our 6-girl group is so obnoxious we're funny.

At first we didn't like Claus so much because he always seemed to be trekking at us for doing dumb stuff or talking down to us. Then we got used to him, he got used to us and eventually we could make fun of each other. He loves when we soak Spanish to him and he laughs at our exaggerated "shj" Buenos Aires accent.

We started on our hike today normally. It drizzled a couple times but only enough to cool us off from the hot day. Then suddenly, BAM! a clap of thunder.

After that came rain. Then more rain. And Sheridan, Mindee, Christina and I forgot our ponchos. Crap.

It was a downpour. And we couldn't stop. Finally after waking in the downpour for 15 min we stopped at a rest area with a long picnic bench and a metal roof. It was only around 9 so we couldn't eat our lunches yet. Instead we snacked on plantain chips and oranges from the fruit farm we visited yesterday. We sat and talked until 11 waiting for the rain to calm down but it never did. It was thundering and raining so hard. Finally, we ate our banana leaf-covered chicken and rice lunch and packed up.

It was kind of cold under the roof because we all had wet clothes, even the extra clothes in my bag were wet. However, my shoes and socks were still pretty dry. So I got the idea (from my mom actually) to put plastic bags I brought over my socks then put my shoes back on. I hoped it'd help a little while slopping through those puddles for another 4.5 miles through the jungle. I looked kind of ridiculous and Claus and everyone else was making fun of me but I hoped for the best and began our hike...

Well the bags helped for the first 10 minutes of waking through puddles...

We were all so soaked. And the bridges we had to cross over were crazy. Cruising them when it wasn't training wasn't bad but in the rain was kinda scary.

One bridge was two 6-inch diameter branches with a small log handrail... I was really trusting the handrail because that's what was keeping nee from falling into the ditch below... That wasn't too safe.

we had to cross two log bridges... One had a branch handrail, one had a floppy rope held up in the center of the bridge by a single extremely wobbly sick that someone put in the mid in the river below. So basically there was no handrail at all for that one.

Then there were rickety bridges made of wood that swung and wobbled a bit. Those we had to go one at a time. What made it worse was seeing past failed attempts at bridges below the one we were crossing so obviously these bridges have collapsed before.

Crossing them in the rain made everything slipper and made the rivers below higher, rougher and scarier.

But, we survived.

I don't think I've ever been so soaked in my life. My hair was dripping wet, my pants were falling of cause they were so heavy, and I stopped trying to avoid the puddles because my feet were just sopping. At last it wasn't cold while we were walking.

Everyone was feeling a little stomach achey through all of this except me. And poor Carla was not feeling well at all. I'd probably be miserable if I was feeling sick through all that but for some reason my stomach and intestines are made of steel and I was fine the while time.

G lodge gives us purified water so out couldn't be out drinking water. Maybe its the water we brush our teeth with. it could also just be our body's reaction to traveling so much. Who knows.

But finally Claus walked us to another lodging camp where he called for a boat to pick us up and we had to wait for the other British group. White waiting we had instant coffee and Milo which is a cocoa mix with tons of nutrients in it.

Claus saw that I was shivering (I only had a soaked tank top) and he had me change out of my wet shirt and put on his dry raincoat. He actually saved me I felt so much better.

Poor Carla was trying to sleep and we all charted at a picnic bench inside as we waited for the other group. Bea and Peter Todd us how they choose not to have children so they could travel the world and they have. They've been all over Asia (China being Bea's favorite), Europe, Africa, South America and New York. They said when they get older and aren't able to do physical trips like the Amazon they wasn't to see the rest of the USA. They take one bug trip per year because in Belgium, Peter gets 52 days a year of at work! Must be nice to be a worker in Belgium.

They started dating in 1983 or so when Peter went into the military for a year in Germany when Belgium had their draft. They've been together every since. They're such nice people and they were great adopted parents for a few days.

Finally after like an hour at the other lodge, Claus called us and we all got onto the boat. We picked up the British people a minute downriver. It was such a funny sight. They were all soaked sitting and waiting in the muddy riverbank looking miserable and in need of saving. But honestly, that's probably how we looked as well.

We got back to the eco lodge and we all got hot showers right away. Our things were so wet and muddy but we laid everything out to dry and hoped for the best.

Sheridan, Sam and I (bungalow 133A) went over to the main lodge area to have some hot cocoa and tea. The powdered cocoa was straight cocoa... Even with sugar it want very good with the hot water. But the mansilla tea was awesome.

We talked with an old British couple who were one of the ones waiting on the river banks for our boat. They both were German language professors and they were very sweet and SUPER British.

Sam, Sheridan and I sat around, listened to American club music the bartender was playing and swapped embarrassing stories.

We took naps after that and met at the lodge at 6:20 for camen watching. A guide, Julio told us all about them and their differences from crocs.

We got on the boat and Claus had a huge light searching the riverbank for these camens in the pitch black. Idk how he did it but he found camens in the water and baby camens that weren't more than 10 inches long. It was really cool to see them.

Apparently he couldn't find as many as he hoped because of the weather but we went into the muddle of the river, he turned out the light and he told us to just sit silently and appreciate the dark and quiet. And it was dark! I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. It was also incredibly noisy, but it was amazing noise. It was the same noises I hear while going to bed: monkeys, cicadas, birds, frogs, you name it! It was such a rewarding moment for me in that silence. I thought about where I am.

I am in the again rainforest doing things 99% of the people in this world will never be able to do. I appreciated getting soaked on our hike today and all of my mosquito bites (which I actually have less than I expected). I'm doing amazing things with my life and I'm loving every second of it.

We had our last dinner with mama Bea, papa Peter, and crazy uncle Claus at which we all took an awkward family photo.

After having a definite plan for flights the next day, it was bed time. We were so exhausted. Tomorrow we head to Cusco... Hopefully we don't get altitude sickness! Watch, because I didn't get sick in the Amazon I'm gonna get sick in Cusco (knock on wood).

Chau, Amazon jungle!