Tena
Trip Start
Jan 25, 2008
1
33
36
Trip End
Jun 01, 2008
Tena,
Tena,
Ecuador
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The next day the two of us were collected by a pick-up truck and driven out to the Shangrila jungle lodge where we would be spending the next two days
Being brave
. We were met by our guide who escorted us down through the forest towards the lodge, after our experience in Rurrenbaque we werenŽt expecting much from the accomodation so couldnŽt believe our eyes when we caught our first glimpse of the huge wooden structure through the trees. It was complete luxery, we had out own cabin with ensuite bathroom complete with our own private balcony and hammock. The lodge was situated on top of a cliff overlooking the river and had amazing panoramic views of the rainforest, it was beautiful. The lodge was big enough to house 70 people but as it was low season there was only a dozen other people there so it was really peaceful.We had twenty minutes to settle in before we met up with our guide and an Ecuadorian/Norweigan couple for a four hour walk through some protected virgin rainforest. We descended down a bank deep into the rainforest until we were on the very bottom where it was quite dark and we were thankful for the wellies as we began to trudge through the muddy puddles on the rainforest floor. As we went the guide pointed out different trees and plants that are used by the indigenous jungle tribes for medicines, building, soaps etc. His explanations were in spanish and while weŽve got extremely good at asking for bus tickets, hotel rooms and menu items, medicinal plants is somewhat beyond our vocabulary - luckily the couple were with were happy to act as translators for us! During the walk we had the chance to sample some of the jungle fruit and also ate some live lemon ants that really did taste like lemon sherbet when you squashed them on your tongue.
On the rainforest floor there were huge splits in the ground that had created canyons that we had to spiderwalk though using both our hands and feet to press against the sides of the rock
In the raft!
. The worst thing about the canyons was that while we were trying to concentrate very hard on putting our feet and hands in the correct positon, the bats who lived in the canyon and had previously been sleeping began flying at our heads and so Katie began screaming her head off, having distinctly hated every second of the bat cave at Chester zoo, this was definitely not what sheŽd bargained for!After a while though we got used to the sensation of the air moving as the bat sailed past our heads and satisfied that they werenŽt actually going to touch us we continued on our way until we bumped into the another group and felt quite smug when they said they were going back because they didnŽt want to do anymore of the canyons and we were sure it was cause they were scared of the bats! When we rounded the corner it became clear that it wasnŽt the fear of bats but the fear of falling! The next canyon required us to climb vertically up using just our bums and hands pressed against one wall, our feet against the opposite wall to support us as the drop beneath us increased! It was quite physically demanding and scary, especially as the rocks were wet but lots of fun and definitely more than we bargained for during our rainforest walk! Then it was back to the cabins for a quick shower and some lunch before heading out for an afternoons tubing.
Survivors
After lunch we each carried a tube (big black inflatable tyre), bearfoot down to the river where the guides tied them together and off we went, sailing down the river, the sun was out and it was amazingly relaxing. The water was warm and the guides let us swim in the river, our lifejackets keeping us afloat. After a while the river joined with another river fed by the glaciers and so we hopped back onto the tubes as the water turned icy and the river more turbulent for another ten minutes or so until we came to the end we rode in the back of the pickup trucks that were waiting to take us back to the lodge.
That night during dinner a tranchula appeared on one of the dining tables and the guides asked if anyone would like to hold it. Neil volunteered first and not wishing to be miss out Katie volunteered too. While Katie was trying not to panic as the rather large, hairy spider made its way up her arm, the guides found another tranchula in the kitchen and egged on by Neil thought it would be a great idea to put the second spider on Katie too! Surprisinly Katie didnŽt see the funny started and starting screaming "get it off me, get if off me" and it must have heard as it fell to the floor!
The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain and it didnŽt stop all day. After breakfast we took a hollowed out canoe across the rapidly rising river and began a trek through the secondary rainforest on the other side. Stopping to collect our lunch along the way inlcuding something that looked like the witchery grub from "IŽm a celebrity" and other plant-like delights. After about an hour we finally made it to the jungle village and quickly dived into the hut of the village chief to dry off by the fire in which we had placed our lunch wrapped in a banana leaf. While we were waiting for it to cook our guide demonstated how the locals make an alcoholic drink out of the yukka plant and then invited us to try some - it was pretty vinergary but Neil managed to polish off most of the bowl! Then it was time for us to tuck into our maggot which was surprisingly buttery and tasty!
The rain still hadnŽt let up and the river had risen so much the guide thought it would be too dangerous for us to take the canoe back so called a taxi to deliver us to the lodge safe and warm. After a second more substantial lunch we hiked up to a lookout point which for stunning views over the rainforest and returned to the lodge for a couple of beers and chillout time in the hammocks. Then a farewell dinner with the other people staying there and it was time for us to leave.
The next morning weŽd booked a rafting trip with the River People. As the rafting weŽd done in Bariloche had been fairly tame we decided to move up a level to a class four river. To get down to the river we hand to walk down a canyon, the rain the previous day had turned the claylike soil to mud and we were up to our ankles in it, almost losing our shoes a couple of times. Then we caught our first glimpse of the river, Bariloche it was not, the river was twice as wide and a million times more ferocious. Tim, the guide explained that they had to cancel the rafting the day before because of the rain and the water level was high which meant we would be in for an exciting ride...Katie got her first inkling she may have bitten off more than she could chew!
After the safety talk detailing exactly what we should do in case the boat flipped we set off and it was brilliant fun, a rollercoaster ride with stunning jungle scenery, waterfalls and butterflies. Suddenly, the boat hit a hole in a wave and everyone, including the guide, flew out of the boat and right into the middle of a washing machine rapid which kept sucking us back under, we were stuggling for air, getting hit by waves right, left and centre. Katie thought she was going to drown, paniced and proceeded to do everything the guide had told us not to do if we should find ourselves in the river. Finally we were spat out into a pool but the current was so strong, Katie, still panicing and therefore hyperventilating, couldnŽt swim to the bank and the next rapid was coming up quick! The guide told her she was going to have to go through it in just her lifejacket, despite her cries of "I donŽt want to, I donŽt want to" - there was no choice! The guide stayed with her and she coughed and spluttered her way through it, pleading to to him "I donŽt like it, I donŽt like it" as if he were able to turn the river off and make it stop. She suddently realised theyŽd made it to the other side alive and immediately felt extremely embarrassed and was glad to have five minutes at the side of the bank to to collect herself while the guide went to rescue the raft still stuck in the washing machine and reassure Neil his sister had not floated away downstream!
Katie managed to find the courage to get back in the raft, but fell out again ten minutes later although in a calmer strech of the river so it wasnŽt quite as terrifying as before. Luckily there was a lunch break shorlty after with a small tressel table erected by the side of the river with salads, fresh pinapple and chocolate cake and everyone could take some time out to get over the excitment. There were a couple of other people in the raft whoŽd also got a bit freaked out and so when we got back on the river the guide did his best to avoid the big washing machine rapids that would flip us again, although Katie sat at the back of the raft and seemed to bounce out of it at every opportunity and had to be hauled back in by the guide each time!
The guide told us there was a rapid coming up called the Belgium Waffler that was 90% gurannteed to flip the boat and they pulled the raft to the side so they could take look at it before we went down to see if a sneak route was possible. On their return they said the sneak route was just about possible - this didnt fill KatieŽwith confidence but we went for it and everything seemed to happen all at once. We didnt quite make it far enough to the right side and were hit by a wave that knocked Katie and another girl out of the boat. The guide managed to hoist Katie back in but the other girl was still hanging over the side of the boat as we headed towards a rock, we all had to jump to her side of the rock and just manged to avoid getting flipped as the waves crashed around us. The guide explained that there were three lines we could have taken, the first line would have definitely flipped us but we managed to avoid it and we take the line we needed on the far right but that the girls had fallen into the middle line where there were rocks and washing machines and it all could have gone horribly wrong! He said it was the most exciting day heŽd had rafting in a long time, Katie agreed that it had been an adventure but that it would also be the last day sheŽd have rafting in a long time!
