Deepest Darkest Peru
Topic: Peru
Ann, Mark and Vaila completed our party on Friday night, but on Saturday morning we had to say goodbye to Katherine. She was going to be taken to Boca Manu airport by another group and so we got in our boat to head down river towards the reserve zone. We had chosen this agency because they are among the few ones which have permits to visit the zone where there are no towns, just virgin rain forest. We had to stop to check in at the ranger's station and once inside the area, we really noticed a difference. We saw numerous white caiman (like a crocodile), turtles and different exotic birds much closer than before. There are sandy beaches on the river banks caused from natural erosion on the other side of the bank - sand deposits on the other bank. It's not unusual to see huge trees falling into the river. Men in Boca Manu collect them and make them into boats.

The weather was perfect - warm and dry, and after a few hours of pleasant travel on the river - moving air and no insects - we arrived at our campsite nestled deep in the forest.

We went on a walk to an ox-bow lake and up to a lookout post. We saw all sorts of horrors on the way. Nicolas thought it was really funny to pretend to throw critters at me. Not funny. Not even slightly. I told him so and he laughed and fake-threw a millipede at me. At least he didn't go near the Caterpillar pile. It's what caterpillars do for protection so that they look like a larger animal and deter birds from eating them. They make a pile of about 200 caterpillars and move together as one organism. Fascinating but disgusting.

Nicolas had just got a new camera and thought it a good opportunity to disturb wildlife with the flash. The poor little tree frog was stunned. I don't think the leaf-cutter ants were too pleased at having a camera in their path either. Nicolas had just told us that we shouldn't touch anything in their path as it disturbs them!

From the lookout tower we were able to see some lovely hoitsin birds up close. In the rafters of the tower was a sleeping boa constrictor. Of course, our fearless guide wanted to wake him up (to impress Nora no doubt who had taken a real shine to him). We talked him out of it.

We were in very full-on jungle. It was dense, green and smelled of rotting fruit and leaves. There was fungi everywhere, thousands of mosquitoes, beautiful butterflies in all shades and other unidentifiable flying critters. On the ground there were ant colonies, frog eggs surrounded by poisonous foam, unidentified gooey stuff, trees wrapped around tress wrapped around trees, vines and bright tropical flowers. There is of course the background sound of cicadas, howler monkeys, alien calls of exotic birds and idiotic whistles of infantile guide.

There was a strange ritual of tea at 6 followed by dinner at 7. We eat stale bread and sauco (funny berry) jam with cinnamon and clove tea. Then we have a delicious home made soup and 2 more courses. The "Cooker" (sic) really got his act together finally.