FOUR DAYS IN THE JUNGLE

9. May – 12. May 2011

We left Manaus early in the morning by bus and arrived in a little village after a three hour bus ride. There we took a small boat upriver. After about an hour on the rio Urube, we arrived at the jungle lodge. The boat trip to the lodge was already stunning. Since it was rainy season the water level was high and many trees were a few meter under water. The water was very calm and everything (boat, trees, sky) was reflecting.
When we arrived at the lodge, we got a little tour through the area, got our room and had lunch. The next few days we would spend most of the time with our guide Jaime (aka Jungle James) and Benoit from Switzerland who had booked the same tour.
After a rest and a short walk in the jungle around the lodge, we set off for the first tour to explore the flooded forest by canoe. Due to the high water level, the trees are about five meter under water. To paddle through the forest on the very calm and flat water was amazing. The trees were reflecting in the water and sometimes it felt like sitting on a mirror. I loved being there. We also fished for piranhas. Luckily the others shared their catch with me because otherwise there would have been only rice for dinner for me. Everyone else was quite successful and at the end we had about ten piranhas. But Bine was not happy that she killed a piranha and made sure she didn't eat the fish that she caught.
After watching the sunset over the river from the observation tower, dinner and caipirinha, we went out by canoe in the dark to try to find caimans. And we found one - a tiny five day old baby caiman that I took into my hand without been bitten.
The next day in the morning we were woken up by James very early in the morning to paddle out on the river to see the sunrise. It was nice and calm and picturesque. After breakfast we left the lodge for a nice long walk in the jungle. James explained several plants and how they can be used as medicine and how to build tools from them. For a while we walked on an existing trail but most of the time, we walked off-trail. I still don't know how James knew how to find the way back to the boat.
On the way back to the lodge it started raining (every day it was raining for a few hours around noon) and since we were wet anyways, Bine and me went for a quick swim in the river. Good fun. We relaxed for a while at the lodge before packing up for a night in the jungle. After about an hour walk, we arrived at the so-called Jungle camp. Not much more than some branches to hang our hammocks and a plastic tarp for protection in case of rain. We brought some food that was cooked over the fire and made our plates out of leaves and spoons out of wood (only the plastic cups for caipirinha at night and coffee in the morning we brought from the lodge). I put my hammock up between two trees and it was great to sleep outside in the forest - only noises from nature and very fresh air. Luckily it was not raining at night and I slept very well. In the morning we went for another walk in the jungle. I hoped to see a jaguar (which is extremely rare and chances are very low) and of course didn't see one. But we did hear lots of birds and saw toucans. We also saw a fairly big snake which James chased through the woods so we could see it better. Of course it was raining when we walked back to the lodge. Again I went for a swim. This time I swam to the trees in the middle of the river. It is something quite special to swim to the top of a 8m high tree. Thanks James - I would not have been brave enough to swim there alone.
In the afternoon it was time for some more canoeing in the flooded forest, piranha fishing and dolphin spotting. After dinner, caipirinha and star gazing I set up my hammock outside again. Everyone else was sleeping under the roof but I just liked being able to sleep outside too much. It was a little cold in the morning but otherwise I had a good nights sleep in the hammock again.
The last morning we went to visit a local family. Their housing was very simple and they lived from growing manioca, a woody shrub which roots are used as food. It was sad to see that all around their house there was plastic garbage lying around.
After another swim in the river and lunch it was time to pack and go back to civilization. After four great and very quiet days at the river far away from electricity and traffic this was a little disturbing.