Flew from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado to get into Amazonia. Ooooh! It's like a different world!! Back down at sea level the high temperature hit me as I got off the plane. Had a bit of a 'teenage grump' attack in the tropical heat but managed to sort myself out with a little help! Got a boat down the river then a walk through the rainforest of Tambopata NP followed by a canoe journey across Sandoval Lake. En route we had our first brush with nature and saw macaws, paraqueets, parrots, kingfishers, heron and red howler monkeys. Phew! Not a bad start! Yorge and I were in a group with Carmen and Dave. The sunset over the lake was fantastic. Pretty sure I saw Fawkes (the phoenix from Harry Potter for you non-believers) roosting in a tree!

Day 2 started early with a sunrise canoe ride. Spotted baby black caiman (like crocodiles), side-necked turtles, vultures and a solitary red-titi monkey. No prizes for guessing why it's called that! The final day began with a dawn walk. I became master spotter and saw lots of macaws, parrots, a really cool leaf toad and then, cutest of all, a group of saddle-back tamarinds. The list of other creatures seen is huge and I'm aware I'm boring the pants off you with the list I've already provided…. needless to say the whole trip was amazing and really worth the money. I went with an eco-travel operator so it was all environmentally friendly too. Bonus! (I know I'm square but that's why you like me…..). Saturday dawned all too soon but a troupe of squirrel monkeys - maybe 100 - came down to the lake edge to wish us goodbye. Unfortunately as I pulled out my camera the bag split and the camera itself plopped over the edge into the water. Oh bother, I said.

Heading back to Cusco for a few days then on to Arequipa for a bit of monastery time….