Jungle capers in Puerto Maldonado (16-18/Jun/06)

Huaraz, Peru

What, cold showers! Shocking! Well, not that bad as it’s boiling down here. Got off the plane and the heat hit us and it felt bloody good after so much time up in the mountains. After a quick tour of the town (where we saw a plant that was “good for curing AIDS” – Esther, having worked for so long in the sexual health front, nearly wanted to kill the guide) we hopped on a boat to the lodge. From there, after lunch, we had a fun time photographing monkeys (though not too happy the guide fed them bananas, it’s not good to feed wild animals as they forget how to fend for themselves). At night we had a boat trip with flashlights to see caiman eyes.

Next day we went for a trek through the jungle, with all the trimmings – climbed up a tree to see the canopy, boat trip to see caimans and turtles, a bit of rowing on the way back. Gave Tomas and Marisa a taste of proper jungle. In the afternoon we ditched the human zoo (aka going to see how a “local family” lived) and went for an unispiring tour of the botanical garden.

The third day we got back on the boat back to the airport, and from there to Lima. Only a 4* this time :-( But nice none the less.