The Amazon Jungle

Following our tough 4-day hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, we had a day off in Cusco.  It's time to do my laundry, including my heavily-trodden muddied shoes, and rest.  I'm glad I am in good shape physically.  In spite of that, my legs were tired.  I used the morning to catch up on social media and my blog.  In the afternoon I visited a museum and the San Pedro market wearing my flip-flops.  Not an elegant way to walk around a beautiful city like Cusco but I did not want to be cooped up in the hotel all day.

The next day we were driven to the airport to fly to Puerto Maldonado to begin our 2-day Amazon Jungle experience.  The flight took less than an hour.  It's the only practical way to get there because driving there would've taken almost an entire day, probably through pretty rough roads.  Puerto Maldonado is a bustling town in this rainforest region, close to the Bolivian border.  We stopped here so that we can leave our luggage and bring only clothes and things necessary for the 2-day stay at the ecoAmazonia lodge.

To get to the lodge we took a one and a half-hour boat ride on the Madre de Dios river.  We had a quick lunch then took a 3-hour walk in the rain through the tropical jungle.  As in any tropical forest or jungle, the vegetation is dense with many insects and animals.  We went to a pond to look for caimans and saw only a small one.  Our guide explained some of the trees and critters.

There were other visitors to the lodge, including a group of high-school kids from Canada.  The size of the lodge indicates that it was built to accommodate very large groups.  The kitchen and dining rooms are big.  The cabins are very nice and the beds comfortable.  Electricity only comes on in the evening between 6 and 10pm and in the morning from 5:30 to 6am.  Each cabin is separate, accommodating 2-4 people, and screened to keep mosquitoes out.  They are built about 5-6 feet off the ground, probably in the event of flooding in the area.

Riding the boat to the lodge

A map showing the area

A welcome sign at the lodge

A peaceful Madre de Dios river

Sunset at the river

Two of the girls on a boat at a nearby lake

A wonderful lunch of pork, plantain and rice

A white flower amidst all the green 

A very lush forest

Tasty dinner wrapped in palm leaves

We took a few hikes and a boat ride in the jungle around the lodge.  For those who have never been in a tropical jungle, it is interesting.  I've been in similar type of vegetation before so it's not as new, although the trees here are much taller.

We returned to Puerto Maldonado after staying 2 nights at the lodge.  Before we head to the airport, our host took us on a tour of the local market.  Vendors sell everything from clothes, produce, medicine, food, etc.  It is an interesting showcase of what the lives of the locals are.  I took interest in some of the fruits here because they grow in similar climate from where I grew up.

A fruit that is related to the passion fruit

Inside is a tasty and sweet fruit

I don't know what this is call but a vendor was selling drinks made from this

Custard apple.  Inside is white and sweet

Star Fruits

Yucca, or tapioca

A fruit seller

I have no idea what this is call or taste like

After the climactic high of hiking the Inca Trail and visiting Machu Picchu, this seems to be a little letdown.  However, it gives us a chance to rest up and seeing a different part of South America that most people don't see.  The Amazon Jungle occupies a large part of South America, encroaching into Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and other countries.  This 2-day trip is just a sampler.  It is definitely one of the highlights of South America.