Gonna try to keep this blog entry a bit shorter. We began our Pampas tour (a section of the Amazon jungle) with a hairy 18 seater plane ride down over the mountains onto a dirt runway. As soon as the plane door opened we were hit with a wave of wet humidity. Kim and I got a bus into town, checked into the first air conditioned hotel we could find and headed out to book our tour and return flights. After successfully doing our admin and finding a standard Bolivian gourmet meal of chicken and chips we hit a pool at a hotel to relieve us of the unbelievable heat and humidity we were experiencing. We were lucky enough to see a beautiful blue macaw which flew into the trees at the pool and saw eagles riding the thermals high above us. A perfect afternoon in the cool water surrounded by the beckoning wildlife and landscape.

The next day our jeep picked us (and an Aussie couple) up and we headed out towards the jungle. I love the safety standards in Bolivia which allowed our jeep to have 20+ cracks through it's windscreen, no seat belts and loosely held in seats.

After many prayers and quite a few sideways slides we made it to the river where we changed our dilapidated jeep for a basic but sturdy and waterproof boat, or perhaps 'canoe' is a better description of our new transportation.

For the next 4 hours (almost immediately after getting into the boat) we saw hundreds of alligators, caiman, capybara (worlds largest rodents), herons, monkeys, and fishing eagles.

We stopped the boat to feed monkeys and I had the little b*****s climbing all over me against my travel doctor's advice, given rabies is the only shot I chose to decline. We also managed to see a number of the pink river dolphins and swam with them. "they will protect you from the alligators and caimans" Righto!.

Two good meals and a few beers at the sunset bar saw us through the rest of the day. Trying to sleep in a pool of my own sweat was an interesting experience but one I'd rather not repeat.

Up early the next day to unsuccessfully find anacondas before lunch, we did see a green mamba however. Whilst relaxing in a hammock after lunch a group of howler monkeys came into the trees above the camp, and as I was photographing them a shy and illusive toucan also flew into came and I got some lucky shots off.

Piranha fishing, volleyball, and beers filled the afternoon and was topped off by a spectacular sunset. After eating piranha for dinner (very good but small) we went caiman and alligator spotting on the river in the darkness.

Day 3 started with a surprise visit to a deep pool in the river where we fed Peter and Casimara, two resident alligators which seem to be used to being fed by some of the guides. I felt surprisingly safe and realised that they were both pretty slow once on land, slower than me anyway. We packed up and began our return journey to La Paz stopping only for swimming with the dolphins again and some ice cold beers.

A top experience but bloody hot and sweaty.