Our flight home was uneventful, arriving in Winnipeg greeted by family, cold weather and snow. After a couple of days with our grandchildren, we headed home.
I cannot wait to share this adventure with you. It has been the most challenging experience in my life and I loved every minute of it.
We managed to pack everything in two medium-sized duffel bags and day packs. I must say we travelled lightly compared to our fellow trekkers ( I will get to them later!). Our flight was long as it included two transfers and a delayed flight in Minneapolis due to snow. We arrived in Lima past midnight and took a cab to the hotel. The driver did not know where he was going and after a few phone calls and an hour later we arrived at the hotel only to discover we had a wake up call for 5:00 am!
We met our fellow travelers Sunday morning at breakfast. Thirteen Brits, that can only be described as the best travel companions anyone could hope for. I am honoured to be able to call them friends. The guides throughout the trip were excellent but our head guide Carlos, was the main reason we not only survived this journey but enjoyed it.
The first leg of our journey involved a flight to Puerto Maldonado. The first major laugh of the journey was when Al got off the plane at the wrong stop. Luckily he was seated in the front section of the plane and I happened to see him getting off. I ran after him calling his name. Of course everyone turned around except him. Thirty-three years of marriage seems to cause elective deafness! I finally caught his attention and we re-boarded.
In Puerto Maldonado, a small jungle town, we first stopped at the Exodus office where we had to pack a small bag with the things we would need for four days in the rainforest. This was NOT an easy task to accomplish in ten minutes. To add to the chaos was 31 degrees celsius and high humidity. We boarded a bus and sampled the pot holes of Peru along with death defying narrow and curving roads along cliffs. I chose the window seat overlooking the edge and my only saving grace was to laugh at the comments made by Barry behind me.
We then boarded a motorized canoe for a three hour trip to a jungle ecolodge on the Tambopata Reserve. The lodge compound which included a bar, lounge area, dining area and kitchen as well as individual guest lodges. We were fortunate to have private bathrooms including running water , heated by solar panels as there was no electricity and we used headlamps and candles after sunset around 5:00 pm. Only the main lodge had electricity via solar panels from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.
Our cabin
Doing laundry was a challenge due to the humidity. Nothing would dry.
Our cabin
Doing laundry was a challenge due to the humidity. Nothing would dry.
Early evening we went on a tour viewing the fauna, insects and nightlife.
Tarantula
Walking Fig
This is a member of the crocodile family but non threatening to humans.
We then had a delicious dinner and opted for bed instead of a drink as we were exhausted. In spite of the heat and humidity, I slept well and was ready for the next step of the adventure.
I am going to stop for now as it is time to start dinner. Cheers!
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