Amy: Our flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado left early on the morning of the 15th. It had been cool and rainy in Cusco so we noticed the heat and humidity in Puerto Maldonado as soon as we got off the plane. It was nice to see and feel the warmth of the sun again. We were met at the airport by our guide for the next 4 days, Elvis. Elvis grew up in Puerto Maldonado and has been working at the lodge for the last 2 years. He had a very infectious laugh. After a brief stop at the office in town we were taken down to the docks and set off on our 3 – 3 ½ hour boat ride. On route we had a box lunch and were treated to sightings of Macaws, a caimen, a red howler monkey and several boat loads of locals taking their fruit to market. We arrived at the lodge and were greeted with a fresh glass of passion fruit juice. I was pleasantly surprised at just how nice our accommodations were. I certainly didn’t expect to be able to take hot showers in the middle of the jungle but the lodge has installed solar paneled hot water tanks so hot showers were available.
Our next few days were spent taking walks in the jungle to see the plants and animals, eating great meals in the dining room and having a good balance of free time for reading and exploring around the lodge. The bungalow we stayed in was similar to a duplex and consisted of 2 separate living spaces with each space having its own bathroom. The living spaces shared a common porch that had a table and chairs as well as a hammock for relaxing. There was a couple from Quebec staying in the other room in our bungalow and they were also part of our nature walks with Elvis. Some of the trees and plants we saw were very amazing and Elvis explained the medicinal purposes of many of the plants. At one of the small lakes we visited we were able to feed crackers to the piranhas. I must admit though it was a little unnerving to go on a night walk our first night there and see all the creepy crawlies that were sharing their space with us. Thankfully none visited us in our bungalow, except for the 2 cockroaches that Patti rescued us from.
Some of the animals we did see were tarantulas, lots of different species of ants and spiders, turtles, stick insects, a capybara (largest rodent in the world and Patti wants one as a pet), red howler monkeys, dusky titi monkeys, lizards, snakes, fish, bats and several different species of birds. We also had the opportunity to visit a local farm situated in the jungle near the lodge and see the many different varieties of fruit that they grew. The farm was run by an 86 year old man and his 76 year old wife. It was sunny and warm the entire time we were there and our time went by quickly.
Since we have been back in Cusco the sun has come out here as well and today was a beautiful sunny day. Hopefully we will get a few more nice days as we head out on our 4 day hike to Machu Picchu tomorrow morning. We hope everyone has a very Happy Easter.
