For those of you who were worried we made it out of the jungle in two pieces (Vic is one piece and I am the other). I am trying to catch up on the blogs but we have little access to the Internet and very little time to do anything on it when we do. They are keeping us very busy with early mornings and late finishes. So please be patient. I will work on it when I have time and access to the Internet. 

Today (that would be Monday the 26th) we flew to Puerto Maldonado via Cusco with a very short stop in Cusco (didn't even get off the plane) and had to stow our large luggage and repack into a SMALL duffel bag before continuing to the G Lodge Amazon in the Amazon Rainforest on the Tambopata River , a tributary of the Amazon, our home for the next few days. We proceeded by canoe (not what I would consider a canoe but a big boat with a motor on it) to the comfortable, intimate, and exclusive G Lodge Amazon. To my dismay we had to climb about 80 steep steps from the water to the lodge. I had just cooled down with the breeze in the canoe and was bathed in sweat by the time I got to the top (and totally exhausted and out of breath). But it was worth it. The Lodge combines native architectural style and materials with low-impact, eco-friendly technology. Rooms are simple but comfortable, with mosquito netting for individual beds, flush toilets, showers (with solar-heated hot water), and candles for lighting. Yup there is no electricity. Not great for styling hair!!! However, this did not really matter as the humidity is so high I felt like I was swimming in my own sweat the entire time.

Before embarking we had to douse ourselves in sunscreen and bug spray. Sounds great so far, right? Along the way in our motorized canoe (the reason we could only take a backpack), we spotted several species of birds, some monkeys, a caiman and capybaras. There were several turtles to welcome us when we arrived at the lodge. The Amazon River Basin holds more than half of the world's remaining rainforest, and over 60% of that lies within the north of Brazil. It covers approximately one billion acres with incredible biodiversity. The region is home to about 2.5 million insect species, over 40,000 plants species, 2200 fish species, and more than 2,000 types of birds and mammals. One in five of all the bird species in the world live in the rainforests of the Amazon, and one in five of the fish species live in Amazonian rivers and streams. The Tambopata Rainforest area holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area. The lodge staff is made up of community members, including multilingual naturalist guides.  

Before dinner, we enjoyed a welcome drink and got checked into our cozy rooms. After a great dinner we went for a night walk to look for critters. We saw dragonflies, spiders, frogs, caterpillars, crickets, cicadas, poisonous ants and various other types of insects -some poisonous and some not). After that we went to the bar and had a nightcap and retired early (before 10:00). The heat really sucks the energy right out of you. 

We we tried not to use the mosquito nets but after a couple of bites decided it might be worthwhile. So we struggled with those for a while and finally managed to get them set up satisfactorily. 

I did take pictures of the animals but it was with my iPad and you can't see sh**, unfortunately. Vic did take some with the camera so I'll have to show you them when we get back if you're interested.