Welcome to the Selva
It has taken me some time. It's been over three years now since my holiday in Peru but I've still not got around to completing the editing of my camcorder footage. For some reason, other than my condor moment, I can't seem to face up to the job. The horror, the horror...
So there I was, in the Peruvian edge of the Amazon basin, a place of great natural beauty. Three days in the marvellous Tambopata reserve, walking jungle trails and exploring Sandoval Lake by boat. Colourful birds were flying across the rainforest canopy, monkeys were searching for food in the trees and piranha were swimming close to the surface of the water. In the distance you could hear the sound of Giant Otters, squealing like children playing ...
After a 10 days of travelling across the Andes visiting Incan sites and Peruvian cities, great though that was, I was really looking forward to this short rainforest stay making an exciting end to my trip. Well it was certainly an experience. Unfortunately, a couple of days before arriving in Tambopata, despite being extremely cautious about what I was eating and drinking, I picked up a stomach bug in Cusco. It was something that no amount of Imodium could deal with! I won't go into the awful details but I was feeling pretty queasy and anxious on our flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, the boat ride to Tambopata and then the long hot muddy hike to our jungle lodge. Thankfully I made it without any er.. mishaps. However, looking out over the serene Sandoval Lake, its water calm and motionless, the bottom fell out of my world! ¿Donde está el baño?
Ugh. Perhaps I should move this story on before it becomes too bogged down with my tales of the toilet. I'm not at all religious but I did find myself praying that the lodge wouldn't run out of loo paper. Oh dear, I was feeling drained, and I couldn't spend too much time away from my room. As a result I couldn't enjoy the planned nature walks and boat trips as much as I should have.
So anyway, enough of my troubles, here's the video I've cobbled together of some of the lovely sights and sounds of Tambopata. Sadly, due to my dance with the devil, I wasn't able to shoot much or take and any good pictures. It's a memento that only tells half of the story...
I should have been on the boat that goes past towards the end. My travelling companions were setting off to look for the Giant Otters, leaving me and my turbulent tummy behind. In those three days I think I just managed to eat about 6 tasteless biscuits and a handful of rice. I was a weak as a kitten and dreading the long flight home to London. Amazingly though, as if by magic, my life was saved in the food court of Lima airport. Starving, I could have gone for a little roast Guinea Pig, but no I chose a McDonalds! Just 10 minutes after eating a Cheeseburger and fries I was feeling much better. Thank you God!
Having the trots towards the end of my time in Peru did taint my holiday experience a bit, but it was still a great trip, and besides I managed to lose half a stone which was a bonus. Recommended for nature lovers and weight watchers alike.
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