Breathing in the Lungs of the World

 The first stop on our round-the-world trip was Iquitos, Peru, a bustling city often referred to as “the gateway to the Amazon.” We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, after a short layover in Panama City, so we could have a little time to settle down before we left for our jungle expedition the next morning. Although we didn’t have much time to explore Iquitos, we were quite surprised by the level of energy and noise caused by the hundreds of motokars rolling around the city.

We woke up Thursday morning, awake and impatient to tackle on our first adventure. Walter, the on-site manager for Amazonian Trips, the jungle trek company we chose, picked us up from our hostel to take us to the small port where the speedboat was waiting for us. The Chullachaqui Lodge we stayed at is about a 2-hour boat ride up the Amazon followed by a short ride up the Tapira River. Upon arrival, we were immediately struck with the sheer beauty of the jungle. The lodge, constructed entirely with local materials, sat among the trees, offering amazing views of the river and rainforest.

Once we got settled, we met our guide, Raul, whom we came to refer as the “Indiana Jones” of the jungle. Not only was he born inside the jungle (literally, his mother popped him out on palm leaves as she was walking back from their plantain farm), he has lived there his entire life. After he shared countless facts on the flora and fauna as well as stories on how we had survived potentially fatal bites, we knew we were in good hands. So what did we do exactly?

Day 1 - Discovering the jungle

Lucky for us, we made it to the lodge a little bit before lunch so Raul took us for a short walk as soon as as we arrived. He introduced us to a million and one trees and insects. One, in particular, was quite memorable: the bullet ant. This one inch ant is said to have the most painful sting of any insect. Although not fatal, the pain caused by the sting is apparently comparable to getting shot, hence the name. Once you cut off the lower part of the body (the abdomen holds the toxin), however, the ant becomes quite useful. Its strong mandibles are used as temporary sutures: their pincers hold the wound tightly closed while the saliva causes the skin to swell and the opening to close. Amazing! Both Tyler and I got to be pinched by a bullet ant (no pictures, unfortunately!) and I must say, that little thing was quite strong!

We continued to explore the jungle, both after lunch, when we spotted some sloths and tons of squirrel monkeys, as well as after dinner, when we went on our night walk. Equipped with flashlights, we set off to find nocturnal creatures. In addition to tarantulas and spider scorpions, we got to see a smoky jungle frog as well as a pygmy anteater, which are apparently a rare sight. According to Raul, he hadn’t seen one in over four months! Look at that cute little guy!

Day 2 - Learning the ways of the jungle

After an early morning bird-watching excursion and a quick breakfast, we took off for our morning hike to a remote lake with giant lily pads (Victoria Amazonica). In order to get to that lake, we had to cross a narrow but deep river with the help of a log. Unfortunately, that log was no longer in place so Raul took in his hands to move it back. It was at that moment that this happened:

 It’s a bit hard to see but my entire right left just sank in mud as I tried to grab a stick to give me balance to cross the river. Thankfully, Indiana Jones came to my rescue and got me back to safety. From there, we proceeded forward and got to lake, which was absolutely beautiful. We might have been a little late for lunch but it made for a good story! Raul literally told everyone we came across how I had fallen in the lake. I guess it doesn't happen too often!

The afternoon hike was focused on getting us up Rio Tapira in order to spot young caiman. This hike was quite the adventure as it involved Raul and Tyler carrying a canoe across the jungle. It’s hard to picture but imagine climbing up and down hills covered in vines and across rivers lugging a canoe for a good hour. Thankfully, we made it to the lake on time and even spotted some more sloths and monkeys on the way.

Baby caimans like to come out right as soon as it gets dark so we waited in our canoe for the sun to set. Once that happened, we paddled quietly around the lake, beaming our flashlights, trying to spot young caimans eyes glowing back at us. We must have seen around 20 of them. Raul was even able to catch one for us to see and touch before he released it back into the lake.

Day 3 - Promises fulfilled

Our last day in the Amazon came way too fast but we managed to squeeze in a couple of excursions. After starting the morning off right, piranha fishing, we made our way over to the Amazon river in search of some pink dolphins. Luckily enough, we were able to to spot a few of them. Tyler and I tried to catch a closer glimpse by getting in the river and swimming near them but it seems they were a little shy that day and wouldn’t come much closer than a few meters away from us. Even so, both of us couldn’t believe we actually got to swim among them and in the Amazon at that!

As we made our way back to the lodge, Raul stopped the boat near the side of the jungle and neither Tyler nor I could figure out why. Thing is, Raul had made us a promise on our first day that we would get to hold a sloth. Unfortunately, whenever we had spotted them previously, they were too high up in trees that we couldn’t get to them. So, when he caught a glimpse of a family in a tree nearby, he made it his mission to get one down for us. Not only did he do so, he got us the cutest little baby sloth. It was the perfect way to end the trip!

After lunch, it was time to go so we packed up and boarded the speedboat with Walter to head back to Iquitos. It started to pour so Walter invited us for a beer at his friend’s house in a local village, Tamshiyacu, situated right in between the lodge and Iquitos. They were celebrating the 130th anniversary of the village with some beer, music and dancing. It was really fun to see how locals celebrated. We also quickly learned that when someone invites you for a beer, it actually means 9!

All in all, we couldn't have been happier with our time in the Amazon!