Wrapping up our Ecuadorean adventure with a trip to the Amazon rainforest
At 7am in the morning, after being on a bus for eight hours, with three more to go, we admit to having had a few doubts about whether the rainforest will be worth the drive. Not only does the journey involve an eleven hour bus ride from Quito, but it's followed by a three hour ride on a motorised canoe. It is a long way from civilisation!
We needn't have worried. As soon as we were on the canoe, we began to relax and enjoy the rainforest environment. We saw pink dolphins, toucans, flying monkeys and kingfishers all on that first ride. When we arrived, rather tired, at Nicky Amazon Lodge, our home for the next four nights, we were pleased by how comfortable it all looked. There were a number of thatched (with palm leaves) cottages, with mesh walls, around a courtyard. It was all very peaceful. There were about ten of us staying there, with four Dutch people (we continue to be impressed by their travelling prowess), two Danish, one German and an Israeli. I love finding out little tidbits about other European countries; especially when it turns out that the UK isn't the craziest! This time, my favrourite fact involved rental houses; in Germany sometimes you have to install your own kitchen (not just white goods, but the actual kitchen!), and with the Netherlands, often you'll have to sort your own flooring. You can try and sell your floor to the next renters, otherwise you may find yourself ripping it up! They, in turn, enjoyed British people's ability to get sunburnt (and continue to sunbathe) and their drunken behaviour in Amsterdam (a fair dig).
That evening, we went for an evening canoe. There was a slightly nerve-wracking moment when I realised I had a small, furry, baby tarantula on my arm, but was reassured to be told it wasn't dangerous. It was very peaceful going down river to the setting sun, watching the stars getting brighter. It was one of those all too rare moments where you have a moment of really appreciating where you are. The wildlife is particularly good at that of time of day and we saw a number of caiman (from the same family as crocodiles). Their eyes and reptilian faces jutting out of the water are pretty menacing, but very impressive.
In comparison with the Galapagos, the Amazon seems its opposite in many ways. Opaque brown waters flow through the dense forest, alive with the sounds of the jungle. There are signs of life everywhere. On the Galapagos, trees were much scarcer, but the ocean was crystal clear. Whilst there is an abundance of animals in the rainforest, it's much harder to see them than in the Galapagos. They don't stay still and pose in the jungle, and they are likely to be obscured by luscious trees. Our phones did a passable job in the Galapagos at capturing wildlife photography, but they were much less forgiving in the forest.
Some of our better wildlife photos (woolly monkey top, white throated toucan and black tamarind monkey)
It's not called a rainforest for nothing
We were certainly sad about our trip coming to an end, and unsure how it would feel to be returning to work, however, we were also really starting to look forward to coming home. Whilst travelling is incredibly freeing in many ways, we were beginning to miss the freedoms and friendships you have from being at home. We missed running - which is difficult to do on controlled trips to the rainforest and Galapagos, and a struggle for us to do at altitude. There were even fewer opportunities for cycling, and after our European cycle tour, we were missing being on the bikes.
As our short time in South America comes to an end, we are feeling incredibly grateful that we've had this break from work and our routines. We've loved how varied it's been including both cycling and backpacking- it's been such an adventure that has exceeded our expectations. Seeing more of Europe, and doing so by bike, was so much fun, and so satisfying! Ecuador is so beautifully diverse and we've enjoyed so much of it. When we first talked about this trip, we were hesitant to vocalise it as we wondered if it could happen! But we're certainly looking forward to being home now. We are very glad we have a week in Scotland to ease us back in to UK life. Bring on the Hobnobs.
We needn't have worried. As soon as we were on the canoe, we began to relax and enjoy the rainforest environment. We saw pink dolphins, toucans, flying monkeys and kingfishers all on that first ride. When we arrived, rather tired, at Nicky Amazon Lodge, our home for the next four nights, we were pleased by how comfortable it all looked. There were a number of thatched (with palm leaves) cottages, with mesh walls, around a courtyard. It was all very peaceful. There were about ten of us staying there, with four Dutch people (we continue to be impressed by their travelling prowess), two Danish, one German and an Israeli. I love finding out little tidbits about other European countries; especially when it turns out that the UK isn't the craziest! This time, my favrourite fact involved rental houses; in Germany sometimes you have to install your own kitchen (not just white goods, but the actual kitchen!), and with the Netherlands, often you'll have to sort your own flooring. You can try and sell your floor to the next renters, otherwise you may find yourself ripping it up! They, in turn, enjoyed British people's ability to get sunburnt (and continue to sunbathe) and their drunken behaviour in Amsterdam (a fair dig).
Not a bad way to travel
As usual it was interesting hearing about people's plans, from the two-week holiday makers, to the longterm travellers. Having now been in Ecuador for five weeks, we find ourselves having been here at the upper end of the spectrum, so have been giving out (hopefully solicited) advice on places we've enjoyed.
The first day passed pleasantly, with a particularly wonderful and welcome nap after lunch. It was slightly embarrassing having to be awoken in order for us to join the next canoe tour. Whoops. As night fell, we enjoyed the caccoonning sound of cicadas and other insects as we very quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Feeling much refreshed, and thinking how wonderful beds were, we awoke to a new day in the jungle. There was early excitement as tens of capuchin monkeys swung through the trees, and we headed off to meet a local community. There was initial enthusiasm as we were going to be paddling ourselves today; this quickly turned to fatigue as the oars weighed approximately a ton each... The community itself was really interesting. We didn't know how authentic the experience would be, but it was fascinating to think what life would be like, immersed in the jungle, in a community of just 60 people. We harvested yukka together, grated it, and made it into flat bread. It was fascinating that yukka takes just three months to grow from a tiny twig into a harvestable vegetable.
As usual it was interesting hearing about people's plans, from the two-week holiday makers, to the longterm travellers. Having now been in Ecuador for five weeks, we find ourselves having been here at the upper end of the spectrum, so have been giving out (hopefully solicited) advice on places we've enjoyed.
The first day passed pleasantly, with a particularly wonderful and welcome nap after lunch. It was slightly embarrassing having to be awoken in order for us to join the next canoe tour. Whoops. As night fell, we enjoyed the caccoonning sound of cicadas and other insects as we very quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Feeling much refreshed, and thinking how wonderful beds were, we awoke to a new day in the jungle. There was early excitement as tens of capuchin monkeys swung through the trees, and we headed off to meet a local community. There was initial enthusiasm as we were going to be paddling ourselves today; this quickly turned to fatigue as the oars weighed approximately a ton each... The community itself was really interesting. We didn't know how authentic the experience would be, but it was fascinating to think what life would be like, immersed in the jungle, in a community of just 60 people. We harvested yukka together, grated it, and made it into flat bread. It was fascinating that yukka takes just three months to grow from a tiny twig into a harvestable vegetable.
That evening, we went for an evening canoe. There was a slightly nerve-wracking moment when I realised I had a small, furry, baby tarantula on my arm, but was reassured to be told it wasn't dangerous. It was very peaceful going down river to the setting sun, watching the stars getting brighter. It was one of those all too rare moments where you have a moment of really appreciating where you are. The wildlife is particularly good at that of time of day and we saw a number of caiman (from the same family as crocodiles). Their eyes and reptilian faces jutting out of the water are pretty menacing, but very impressive.
In comparison with the Galapagos, the Amazon seems its opposite in many ways. Opaque brown waters flow through the dense forest, alive with the sounds of the jungle. There are signs of life everywhere. On the Galapagos, trees were much scarcer, but the ocean was crystal clear. Whilst there is an abundance of animals in the rainforest, it's much harder to see them than in the Galapagos. They don't stay still and pose in the jungle, and they are likely to be obscured by luscious trees. Our phones did a passable job in the Galapagos at capturing wildlife photography, but they were much less forgiving in the forest.
The next couple of days passed by in a similar fashion. There was a notable rainstorm one afternoon, which was much needed as the water levels were getting low, and at points on our canoe trips we seemed to scrape along the river bed. We enjoyed the relaxing nature of the trip, and knowing we only had a few days left in Ecuador we tried to embrace it all. Our last full day was pretty great, as the others departed and we found ourselves having a tour to ourselves. We saw black tamarind monkeys up close, and had a romantic sunset canoe ride. The way back was less romantic as it was pitch black, and we could see the orange eyes of the caiman glistening menacingly in the torchlight. When one dived underwater, and our guide screamed, Rhys and I jumped a mile.
We were certainly sad about our trip coming to an end, and unsure how it would feel to be returning to work, however, we were also really starting to look forward to coming home. Whilst travelling is incredibly freeing in many ways, we were beginning to miss the freedoms and friendships you have from being at home. We missed running - which is difficult to do on controlled trips to the rainforest and Galapagos, and a struggle for us to do at altitude. There were even fewer opportunities for cycling, and after our European cycle tour, we were missing being on the bikes.
As our short time in South America comes to an end, we are feeling incredibly grateful that we've had this break from work and our routines. We've loved how varied it's been including both cycling and backpacking- it's been such an adventure that has exceeded our expectations. Seeing more of Europe, and doing so by bike, was so much fun, and so satisfying! Ecuador is so beautifully diverse and we've enjoyed so much of it. When we first talked about this trip, we were hesitant to vocalise it as we wondered if it could happen! But we're certainly looking forward to being home now. We are very glad we have a week in Scotland to ease us back in to UK life. Bring on the Hobnobs.
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