The Amazon Rainforest... is Rainy

Our journey to the rainforest involved a flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, then a bus ride to the river port, and finally a 45 minute boat ride to the lodge.

The lodge is located along the bank of the Madre de Dios river, which is the main "highway" through this area of the Amazon. The lodge is literally plopped into the middle of the rainforest, with thick forest beginning steps from the edges of the cabanas. Guests cannot go into the forest without guides- who incidentally, always carry a machete when they lead you in. The cabanas are spread around the grounds and connected to the main lodge by log stepping paths.

It was so relaxing to swing in our hammocks and listen to the jungle sounds from our cabana. The shower felt like it was outside, with only screens for windows at eye-level. We slept under mosquito net "tents," and woke up to a natural soundtrack of birds/insects/monkeys/who-knows-what each morning.

At most Amazon lodges, conservation is a high priority. We only had electricity for scheduled time periods, which meant using kerosene lamps, candles, and flashlights at night. We showered with filtered river water (thankfully warm, but not potable). We saw recycled/repurposed materials everywhere, from the cabanas themselves, to the heavy wooden furniture in the dining room, to the recycled-tire-rubber sandals they provided us for the stay. This particular lodge is actually "carbon neutral." After staying here, it's wild to think about the campaigns in grade school to "Save the Rainforest" where our class's $25 supposedly bought a plot of rainforest to protect it... what had little meaning then has now become extremely tangible. And important. We love that our kids can begin to understand this at such young ages.

* Leaves larger than the girls' heads * A brown agouti (common around the lodge)

Rain Rain Go Away Here to Stay...

It rained at least half of every day, although not necessarily in two halves- more like a couple hours of sun, then a storm would blow in, then light mist for an hour, then repeat. Such is Rainy Season... in the rainforest. Despite the rain, we forged ahead with most of our planned adventures. We were able to choose the quantity and difficulty of our excursions each day, and ended up fitting in at least 2 every day. We stayed a total of 4 nights, which was just enough time to complete most of the excursions but also relax plenty. We'll highlight the specific excursions in the next post.