San Fernando Plaza Hotel Puerto Maldonado

... Holzfäller unterwegs, die geschlagenes Holz in die Stadt transportierten. Das Holz wird meist illegal geschlagen, wird von der Regierung jedoch geduldet. Ein Stück Urwald ist ziemlich einfach zu bekommen, vorausgesetzt, man ''nutzt'' das Land und will es nicht nur schützen.<br><br>Von unserem Camp aus erkundeten wir mit Felix bei Tag und Nacht die Umgebung. Lianen, Riesenbäume, exotische Blüten... der Urwald wie im Bilderbuch ...

... Everything else we shared with mosquitoes or other flying insects but we quickly learnt to slap on Deet (insect repellent) and ignore things buzzing around us. If you don't, you spend the whole day imitating a helicopter.<br><br>The routine had us up before dawn and after a quick breakfast, the morning trek begins and lasts about 4 or 5 hours until we would return about 1130. After lunch, we would be out again around 3.00pm, returning as it got dark at 6.00pm. There was usually ...

... pigs, wild birds like turkeys, tapir footprints, two different kinds of snake, an otter, a family of at least 30 monkeys leaping through the banana palms and a lot of insects, which are kindly displaying normal insect behaviour at last and biting Bevan instead of me.<br>In the river we saw an otter and a lot of sunbathing turtles, after sunset in the light of the moon (and torch) we also saw Caimans, like a small crocodile, resting on the bank.<br ...

... from Argentina, Spain, France and Sweden! There is definitely a difference in the people in Puerto Maldonado than from Cusco. They don't dress in traditional clothing here and most of them are dressed in skimpy clothing. This is definitely a "Moped/scooter" city. Everyone here is on a moped, young and old! We even saw a family of 5 on one moped!!!<br><br>We boarded the long skinny boat on the Amazon River. The river is dark and murky. Doesn ...

... Its been awhile since my last entry. Man, its been one hell of a ride. I returned to puerto after my retreat to the Island of Taquile located on Lake Titicaca. The ride was smooth, in Peruvian terms, and though it was tough to enter that darn city again, I was excited about finally getting into the jungle and having Mae's company. The morning Mae was to arrive, I began walking to ...

... gigantic cockroaches - which loved breakfast bars and not forgetting a lovely tarantuala who lived in a tree by the restaurant and the hammocks for relaxing......very cute.......... cant wait for tomoorow´s trek amongst the alligators and jaguars

... Neither of them spoke english, and it was great to be forced to continue practicing my spanish, getting down the past tense and expanding the vocab. Meeting Francisco was a definite necessity. He was a guide and has been all throughout S. America in his 15 years of traveling. He schooled me on the haps around Puerto and Brazil and Peru in general. Leaving him I felt more knowledgeable than some natives. <br><br>Mae is gonna come down to check this place out. I ...

... another flight to come in? We were told nothing. But we did get to leave the office and go to the boat. About 20 of us boarded a boat and headed to Explorer's Inn. <br> Two and half hours later, we arrive. The Inn looks like camp for adults. There is a group of people playing soccer in a field which all the rooms face. Later, we learn the people are biologists studying the amazon. There is no electricity and no hot water. It doesn't really matter ...

... ll write more on it then. The day will remain memorable one due to nothing else than its end.<br><br>We all ended up in the Irish bar again and after the three early birds took their leave it was up to Aisling, Paul and myself to keep going on to the early hours. We were running short of conversation having spent the last 2 weeks in each others pockets until some welsh guy who was there on his own decided it appropriate to mill around the room and ...

... our boat can<br>crash and flip, but we make it safe to our destination. We see the<br>maccaws, parrots and parakeets, hundreds of them, from the shore. There<br>are many small green parakeets and all kinds of multi-colored parrots.<br>The red and yellow/blue ones sit high up in the tree branches and wait,<br>taking turns alternating with the smaller green ones. It's pretty<br>interesting to see so many colorful birds congregate on one wall. They<br ...