Ok so i apologize for not blogging for a long, long time. Just been really busy and blogging takes time, along with puttin up pics.
Ok so i went into the amazon rainforest, a thing i think you must do if you go to south america. So getting into the jungle is not easy. Soo i left quito at 11pm, in a rough neighborhood. Had a bus for 9 hours, arrived in a little border-jungle city, switched buses, went for 3 more hours, and then went on a boat and went upriver for 3 more hours and then we arrived at our lodge. The lodge was basic. With no hot water, stagnant water pools, lots of insects, mosquito nets, but overall it had a good enviroment. It´s the jungle, it´s not suppose to feel like a hilton so it was quite fine.
The first day was lots of traveling. But when we arrived we went out to find an anaconda, YES! Soo we boated around in this swamped lagoon with trees that anacondas love to make nests in. And we found one, the thing was massive. We saw a part of the snake´s side. After that we went for a swim in the lagoon, about 100 yards from the snake´s nest. I was a bit hesitant to jump in the lagoon, not because of the snake, but because of the animal/organism that if you urinate it swims up your ´I think you know´ and i think its fair to say extremely painful. Soo every moment i was in the water i was focusing on not to take a piss. But the sunset was amazing there.
Then in the night we went on a night trek thru the jungle. Ok the jungle is dangerous enough in the daytime, but at night it´s crazy dangerous. Every 3 or 4 yards the guide would point out a super dangerous and poisonous creature. From snakes to frogs, insects, and spiders. We were repeatedly told to be extremely careful, and to not touch anything. Everything ended up smooth and it was an amazing experience trekking around at night in the jungle, sooo many sounds, soo many reflecting eyes, a real terrifying place if you were by yourself or trekking thru by yourself.
The next day we went visited a river jungle tribe. Which was amazing to see how these people lived. A lady made us this bread that is from a plant. It was pretty tasty. Then we went on a trek, this time during the day, and saw all sorts of animals, owls, monkeys, frogs, spiders. And then we went back to the lodge and chilled in a different lagoon that night.
That night again was another night adventure. We waited until it got totally dark and searched for amazon caimans, crocodiles. After about 30 minutes of searching one of the other guys, from canada, spotted one near the shore. We got on the shore as quick as possible and tried to lure it to us with meat. And this worked, it got within 10 feet from us. Their eyes are like mirrors when you shine a light on them. And then all of a sudden another one showed up and they kindof confronted eachother over the meat we threw into the water. After observing them for about a half hour we returned to the lodge.
The 3rd day was the best day. We would paddle, not use motor boats, into remote lagoons not accessable by motorboats. We brought fishing poles and meat and fished for piranha in the morning, and everyone was lucky enough to catch at least one. I caught a red-bellied piranha, a fairly small but the most dangerous/aggressive piranha there is. The lagoon was amazing, green reefs, and loads of white herons. It was simply unforgettable paddling through remote little waterways. The trees, the vines, the complexity of the ecosystem in the amazon is impossible to explain.
Some of the group decided to fish for piranha again in the night but i was over it and decided to try my luck at seeing another anaconda. So our guide took me and another older isreali lady over to the lagoon where there are many anaconda nests. Luckily for me we found another one and this time his head was on top of the nest looking right at us. Soo incredible, his head was bigger than a football. Only his eyes moved, and i hesitently moved my camera within a couple feet from his head to take a picture and a video. Then i chilled on an intertube watching the sunset there in the lagoon and then we saw some some rare pink river dolphins.
The last day we went out bird watching in the morning and saw soo many beautiful and exotic birds, herons, eagles, parrots, and then in the afternoon we would be traveling back to quito. Overall the trip was amazing, the jungle, especially the amazon jungle, is a place like no other in the world, and i feel extremely privedleged to have visted it and i will never forget it.
