Peru Day 4: Jungle Trail

Somehow the temperature dropped enough to wake up with all the bed covers on me as it rained last night and at 5:30am we had our first jungle breakfast - strawberry yoghurt, cornflakes and pancakes. At 6am we were puling on wellies and trekking through mud. Lots of interesting jungle vegetation plus we saw and heard some different monkeys. The Fig, Telephone, Pregnant and Erotic trees were seen on our hike.

We got down to the oxbow lake for a paddle hoping to see some otters or anacondas. None of these were seen but there were some unusual birds and some bats in the surrounding trees. The heat really started to beat down - it was too hot to wear sunglasses. Across the lake we saw two enormous trees at least 40 metres or taller with their 'buttress' roots supporting them and the largest snail I'd ever seen, the size of a pasty! By the end of the trek we were desperate for our cold showers and scoffed at the idea of another 40 minutes of walking in sweltering heat to see a mammal lick. We were getting grouchy and hot so the mid-morning siesta was essential for our mental health.

A 1pm lunch of mild chicken curry and a banana plus another siesta then another long walk to see how brazil nuts are harvested. If it wasn't for the unforgiving heat and 30 minute trek we would have cared a bit more (make sure you have breathable clothes). Next was the canopy tower which was one giant scaffolding tower. The view was impressive but there wasn't many feathered friends passing us by or getting anywhere close enough for decent photos. We were offered another trek to see some insects but again cold showers were a priority.

After the evening meal we both had a massage which just made me jumpy and tense. We'll see tomorrow if it had any benefit.