Raindrops on boat roofs and whiskers on jaguars
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2007
1
30
49
Trip End
Mar 26, 2008
Manu National Park, Peru
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Raindrops on boat roofs and whiskers on jaguars
Monkeys in tree tops and blankets of stars
Hearing the tropical bird when it sings
These are a few of my favourite things
When the bugs bite
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
The drive from Cusco to San Pedro Lodgeis long and I do my best to sleep through it
Jaguar yawn
. This isnīt because itīs an uninteresting ride but rather because I was out late again the night before. There are a few stops along the way for which I happily wake and partake. We get a closer look at some above ground tombs, now empty, called chullpas and stroll through the streets of Paucartambo. We continue on into the cloud forest keeping our eyes open for the elusive Andean bear. No bears were seen but we did have a chance to view the ritual mating dance of the odd looking cock of the rock. The males show off their bright red crests and call out with all the romance they can muster so as to attract one of the relatively few females nearby. We dine and spend the night at San Pedro Lodge. By "we" I mean Louise, an English girl I originally met in Quito at thestart of my trip (and whom I found again in Cusco) and Erica and Craig (also married) from Canada. Warren and Bron,
a married couple from South Africa that Louise had met in the Galapagos will join us tomorrow. The accommodations throughout the trip are cabins and each couple (Louise and I are a couple for the sake of accommodations) has their own cabin. Sometimes the cabins have ensuite bathrooms, sometimes the bathrooms are shared. Sometimes thereīs hot water and electricity, sometimes not, but itīs always comfortable.
The second day we ride mountain bikes from the lodge to Pilcopata
Jaguar resting
. The bikes were bikes in the sense that they had two wheels and two pedals but aside from that, they barely qualified. Itīs a good thing we were dropping 1000 metres from start to finish so that the whole ride was downhill. If not for that, Iīm not convinced we would have made it. It was suggested that we didnīt need to change gears and when Louise tried her bike started making a strange clicking sound that could be heard 50 metres down the road. We stopped to view some butterflys on the way and, just before our stop at the coca farm (yes the stuff they make cocaine out of though this was for alternate purposes), I got a flat tire. Louise had complained about the noises from her bike so the guide had traded with her. When I showed him my flat tire, he loaded my bike on the van and gave me his/Louiseīs bike. Not a big deal... there was only a short distance to the end of the ride. The bike ride was followed by lunch and rafting on the Koshnipata and Alto Madre de Dios rivers. The rivers are considered class one and two so it was a pleasant ride with few rapids. At one point we were able to get out of the boat and jump off a rock into the river for a little fun. The rock was probably around eight to ten metres high and as I was standing on the top I said to Craig "Iīm probably going to lose my sandals". Sure enough, as I hit the water I could feel the strap on my left sandal come loose. In an effort to save it, I stopped kicking with that leg and the extra kicking with the right leg forced the strap on that sandal loose as well
fun on the zip line
. This all happened in about 30 seconds while Iīm still submersed under water. I tried using just my arms but itīs probably been more than a year since Iīve been to the gym so thereīs no hope against the riverīs strong current. Iīm running out of breath and realize itīs an easy choice between my sandals or my life and as soon as I start kicking I loose both sandals. Itīs actually much more difficult to reach the surface and i emerge further from the boat than anyone else had, simply glad to be able to take a breath again. I swim back to the boat and hear that they had seen my sandals float to the surface and I write them off by saying that I needed more room in my bag anyway. This is the second pair of footwear to go AWOL as Louise had left her hikers in Pilcopata. The guide however is confident (and eventually proven correct) that we can retrieve my sandals further downstream. At the end of the rafting we switch to what will be our main form of transport for the next five days - a covered, twenty foot long motorized canoe. A short while into our trip the skies open and it begins to rain like Iīve never seen. It comes down in sheets, pelting the roof and river with huge droplets. It sounds like it will come straight through the roof which does is little help for those near the front of the boat. Tarps are lifted along the sides of the boat and I, covered in gore-tex from head to toe, stay relatively dry. This ritual is repeated almost daily and I thoroughly enjoy it every time. After breakfast on day three we have the opportunity for a zipline canopy tour
tarantula in its home
. Zipline cables have been set up among the tree tops of the rainforest and we are each given a pulley and a briefing at the first platform. There are four platforms and three lines in total. Each subsequent line is on a steeper angle, and therefore offers a faster ride, than the previous. Louise plays up her fear of heights and all things dangerous and says sheīs not sure if sheīll go. Itīs all just a ploy to go last. The fun isnīt quite over after the last cable... the way down from the final platform is to rappel. Thereīs not a whole lot of wildlife to see from the zipline but the view of the forest from this angle is cool and the ride and rappelling are fun so itīs definitely a worthwhile inclusion in our trip. After the ziplining, weīre back in the boat and continue down the river to Boca Manu - the last stop to by cold drinks and snacks. I grabbed a couple of snickers bars and a big bottle of Coke for the rum Louise and I had brought from Cusco. The night is spent in Boca Lodge, a short boat ride from Boca Manu.The rest of the trip is a mixture of boat rides and day and night walks through the jungle. We see a variety of monkeys, as well as three jaguars - a virtual coup for this trip. Jaguars are considered the rarest of the rare... and to see three (two and a bit really) is an oddity. The wildlife seen throughout the rest of the trip consisted mostly of birdlife and the odd spėder. Eight days in the jungle was more than enough for me. We went from the
cool comfortable climes of Cusco to the hot, humid jungle in the Manu Biosphere Reserve. I now remember whatīs meant when they say "but itīs a dry heat". The jungle held it's own but had no chance of beating the Gala`pagos Islands where I was spoiled.
Comments
just wondering what tour company you signed on with?
my email is codesonic@gmail.com