If you like cheap rum and lots of it then you definitely have to make your way to the Centro Del Mundo hostel in Quito. This is where we found ourselves in our first night in town. On first appearance the hostel was really well laid out. It had all the item to make up a top hostel including nearly every wall in the place being plastered with tourist information. We were studying this information when we came across a poster that read "Free Rum & Coke Night Every Mon, Wed & Fri". Being a Monday we thought we had stumbled into a gold mine. Ahhhh No!
Basically the deal is the hostel mixes up 12 litres of rum and coke in a massive pot which is free for all. When the pot is dry you chuck in $1 and its refilled. Seems like a great deal until you have been through 36 litres of rum and coke and 12 litres of vodka and coke when all the rum is gone. The next day is a very sad state of affairs for all involved. I woke up feeling like Id eaten a dead ran. No more rum and coke nights!!
Feeling as well as I did we decided it was a great day to take a 45 minute ride on crowded public transport to see the equator. The line of the equator was interesting for oooo say about 10 minutes. It probably didn't help being one of the most hung over men in the world at the time. We also managed to forget about the SOlar Museum where you can do experiments that only work on the equator which was a real shame.
Our other purpose for being in Quito was to try and do an amazon tour for a few days. On our 3rd day we decided to do some investigation into prices and places to visit. Before I could think we had been booked into a 4 day tour by our friendly hostel owner and we were leaving in 5 hours on a night bus to Lago Agrio where the tour would start.
We arrived in Lago Agrio around 7 in the morning where we were met by our tour guides wife who took us back to their house and cooked us breakfast. We then got to watch the thrilling and relevant Anaconda 2 film while we waited for our transport to the boat.
Our transport finally arrived and we soon found ourselves winding along a very bumpy dirt road which went on forever (2 1/2 hours).
We arrived at a little bridge with a dock for the canoes. We ate lunch while again we waited for our transport which eventually arrived. We loaded up the canoe and were on our way. The first hour of winding through the jungle of overhanging trees and branches was truly amazing. By the 3rd hour I was tired from trying to see animals which didn't exist and was happy to finally arrive at the cabins.
We had a short rest before heading off again in the canoe with another girl on her last day of the tour. It was her last chance to try and catch some piranhas and go swimming in the piranha infested lagoon. piranha fishing was great and it soon became the highlight of my trip. All you have is a stick of bamboo with about a meter of line and a hook at the end. I managed to catch 2 fish which weren't piranhas but still looked mean enough to do some damage. It was then time to go swimming in the lagoon. I really though our tour guide was joking until he insisted it was ok and we wouldn't get scoffed like hot chips by seagulls. The water was really refreshing but go cold and almost black the further you swam down. It was really spooky to say the least.
The 2nd day it was just the guide and us 3 boys. We paddled out through the lagoon then through a maze of half submerged trees to a jungle island. We spent a couple of hours scouting the jungle looking at plants and swinging from massive water vines. We unfortunately didn't see much else on the walk and were happy to return for lunch and some quiet time. During lunch a large group of monkeys started to move into the trees around the camp. I stood out the back of our cabin watching spider monkeys climb past only meters away eating fruit it was awesome. After lunch we again paddled the canoes out to the start of the lagoon where the piranhas frenzy. As we got there we saw the blind pink dolphins which was one the main things I wanted to see on the tour so I was stoked. It then began pouring with rain so we paddled under the cover of some low branches which really didn't do much so we decided what the hell well fish in the rain. The fishing was slow to get started but I soon found the touch and pulled in about 5 piranhas and 2 very ugly yellow catfish. The little buggers are just so quick you really have to be on the ball.
After fishing we paddled back to the lagoon for a swim and saw the dolphins again. That night I had the heaviest sleep I have had since being away. The paddling was really tough and I woke the next morning to a pretty sore back.
On the 3rd day the group of tourists was larger and we headed off in the powered canoes (thank god) to do another jungle walk then visit a local community and sharman or witch doctor. The boat ride was once again really long but we did get to see a sleeping anaconda on the way as well as heaps of electric blue butterflies and countless types of birds.
The jungle tour was much better this time and we managed to see some poison black widow spiders and poisoness dart frogs which was another big highlight for me. At one point the group stirred up a wasps nest and being at the back of the pack I copped the full brunt of it. I was stung on the forehead which was pretty painful but subsided pretty quickly.
We then headed into the community for lunch which was a bit lame as the community was nowhere to be seen. I assumed they had gone down river to see X Men 3. We then went off to see the Sharman who took us for a walk through the communities plantations ex planing which plants they use for hallucinations and for medicine. He then shouted us how they make rope out of a local vine which was pretty interesting.
The 4th day was just a travel day. We left camp at around 9 and headed back on the 3 hour journey to the bridge. It was our last chance to find an anaconda. About 2 hours into the journey our guide spotted a baby anaconda sleeping on a branch in the river. We reversed back and went up for a closer look. The guide then asked Nick if he would like to catch the snake. Of course he jumped at it. Nick climbed up the front of the canoe and stood up ready to snatch the snake. The guide yelled now and Nick grabbed the snake. Fortunately for Matt and I and the rest of the boat it was a little too far down from the head and the snake bit Nick 3 times before he could then blink. He then fell nearly out of the boat with the snake landing in his lap before sliding over the edge into the water. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and will forever regret not filming it. Thanks Nick.
The rest of the trip was much the same as the beginning and after 2 1/2 hours in a bus on the bumpy road we were on yet another bus winding through breathtaking mountains over the Amazon back to Quito. The next morning we were packed and on our way to the Colombian border.
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