So I am in Tena at the moment, a dusty little jungle town overlooking the Amazon. I had decided before I got here that I wanted to do some rafting, but it is low season here at the moment, and so there were no trips going for the next day. I amused myself the following day by going out to this place where there was supposed to be monkeys running wild.
I got there and I was the only person there. It isn{t really advertised so I was happy to find out about it. I paid my $2 and was handed a big stick. I felt like I was looking up at one of my brothers when I looked at the top, so I guess the stick was about 6ft 4. I wandered off into the jungle, wondering what the stick was for. I think it was offically to use in case a monkey ran wildly at you, but soon I turned it into my Amazonian warrior stick! Wandering around the park, I felt like the intrepid explorer. I was the only person for miles and that was a cool feeling. Unfortunately a huge torrential Amazonian rain storm started and I hid under a tree for the next 20 minutes, annoyed that apart from two monkeys at the beginning of the trail there had been no sighting of any animals. I wondered if the stick was really for chasing off snakes with, and ventured out of my hidey hole, and tried to get back on the path (your intrepid traveller had lost the path). Laughing off the idea of a snake stick, I heard a slither in the distance and saw him. Not needing the stick I decided that it could be used now as a walking stick as I was only wearing jandals and my feet were slipping all over the place (not the best footwear, granted but it was hot when I set out). Following the path back, I found myself returning to the start! Frustrated, I sat and watched the monkeys (same ones as before) before deciding that there was no way I was going to lose the path this time. I would make it to monkey island! I took a different path but 10 minutes later found myself at the river again, exactly where I had been the first time. Admitting defeat, I sat on a rock looking over the river, feeling quite calm and relaxed. I headed back realising that the lack of signs or maps was probably the reason that this wasn't a major tourist spot. Taking a short cut through to get back to the monkeys at the beginning, I realised that it was right through a colony of biting ants. Again jandals were probably not the correct footwear to wear while tackling predators of this calibre. They were incredibly bitey!
Reaching the same two monkeys I watched as one found a banana, peeled it and ate it. Wandering up closer to him to get a good shot of him, he ran for me with a crazed look in his eyes, and I used my stick! Hoorah for the stick!
Got back to town, and booked a rafting trip for the next day. Today I woke up early and made it down to the office. I had the most incredible day. Anyone that knows me knows that I'm not good with a lot of things. I hate heights, I am claustrophobic, am always the last in a gruop when we are walking, but I ADORE water sports. Rafting particularly. I thought it might be cool to raft down the AMazon (well a tributary but who is being picky) and was really excited. I went with the company (www.riverpeoplerafting.com) and it was brilliant! My guide Tim was fantastic, and I was so happy, going through the rapids, laughing when water splashed me in the face (it was hot and it was very refreshing) and was utterly having a fantastic time. That is until we got to the WALK OF DOOM (dun dun dun). I was told that we had to walk through the jungle around a waterfall that was too dangerous to raft through. I thought I would be fine and Tim helped me in the really steep bits. That was until he dropped the bombshell that we would now be abseiling downa cliff face to reach the bottom. Ok so I exaggerate. It was barely 5 metres, but (and remember my fear of heights) to me it was the thing of doom, and stared at it with a look of abject terror on my face. I was truly terrified. But what goes up must come down, and down I had to go. Tim helped me the whole way (and I had a guide rope strapped to me as well) and often had to guide my foot down to the next ledge. By the bottom, I was an absolute wreck and I couldn't wait to get back in the water, a place where I felt completely comfortable and confident.
Finally we were all back in the boat, and I had a smile on my face again. We went through some pretty dicey rapids, but I laughed through the whole thing and absolutely loved it! We stopped for lunch on a beautiful secluded beach and then back in to finish the journey.
We finished in a small jungle village where to my (and everyone on the trip) absolute delight there were monkey running wild through the streets. I'm sure they are an absolute menace to the villagers there, but to us it was a fabulous end of a fabulous (well all except the bit where I was a quivering mess) day!
