The Amazon adventure continues - Part 2.

As the previous post would not allow me the whole post, part 2 here:

Day 3

Yay, finally we went to ‘Isla de los monos’, this was by far my favourite part in the whole journey to the jungle. Isla de los monos translates into monkey island which is sanctuary for monkeys. It was run by the most passionate and beautiful people, they informed us about the species and what some of the monkey had faced and why they where here. Some really sad stories. However, the monkeys seemed like they were in a much better place now.

We were told with strict instructions that we had to wash of all repellent before we went to meet the monkeys, it could make them very ill if not. To be honest, I was having such a good time with the monkeys the mosquitos didn’t even bother me. The monkeys were so curious and mischievous, they would grab our hand and go walking with us, and as soon as they were bored, they would jump onto the next person.

Here are some photos from the sanctuary, if you want more information click on the link and you can even donate to their great cause!
I know they are also always looking for volunteers, why not right?

https://laisladelosmonos.org/

After monkey island we returned to the camp where Glen, the guide offered the ones who wanted to sleep deep in the jungle without bed, dinner, water or roof the chance to experience this. The brave ones went and me and some others stayed. Maybe I should of? Too late now, but they had a pretty cool experience, so if you are to go, I would grab the chance. The rest of us stayed at camp and relaxed in the hammocks and visited the neighbour village. In the neighbourhood village they sold ice cold coke, can you believe it? I thought I was dreaming, ha ha. So, as you would, we all bought one after nearly 3 days without any type of sugar and we savoured every sip. We returned, had dinner and had a safe and long sleep, compared to the others.

On the second trip due to it being too much water this was not an option, instead we visited the neighbourhood village where the boys wanted to have a football match with the local boys.
Game was on. 

There was a lot of sweat, mud and laughter from both teams, they played till the sun was nearly down. It was extremely funny to watch as you can see both teams’ competitiveness come through. There was sliding and yelling. There was no difference between western boys and jungle boys when it came to football.

Day 4

Last day of our adventure in the jungle, we packed our things, said goodbye to guides family and thanked them for everything, we loaded our backpacks on board the boat and headed to our last stop before Iquitos. The last stop was a village where we were taught about their old dances, their weapons to hunt and their beautiful jewellery which they also sold to us. I, who love buying jewellery from all the places I explore, thought this was perfect. Buying their artwork made from the jungle also contributed to their life.

With  my second trip, this was where we went fishing for piranhas, and then we ate it for lunch! It had a very strange way of fishing for piranhas as you had to hit the water and shake it and then drag your rod up. It seemed like this was not going to work until our guide caught many in front of us with this method, obviously we didn’t have the amazon touch when it came to fishing piranhas. That was all ok. We returned to the camp with the catch and ate, later we returned to the main land in Iquitos.
What a time to be alive!

The end

I would like to give Cristobal (local company), his family & our amazing guide Glen endless gratitude for all they taught us and shared with us. I will never forget about them.

This was my trip to the Amazon jungle summarised and I would encourage every person I meet to explore this part of Peru, especially through the company we went with. Not over priced and real local knowledge form their guides. If you would like to experience this adventure yourself, you should contact my friend through this link – do it, you will not regret it!

https://www.facebook.com/jking.rengifoacho?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARDFWlY1sd0_XCsn-g-KvSLL5ikn3MMQFeGIWPy-5lCppFYg2n7LD4mUCsyXVqQKOhVA7GVQ5yaH2sLr&fref=mentions

 If you have more time

If you’re a traveller that has a lot of time on your hands and want to expand this cool experience you should board the boat that goes down the river towards the Colombian and Brazilian border, if you want more information about this. 

Contact me. 

Ayahuasca

Yes, this camp also had a shaman who performed ayahuasca, I didn’t do it myself but another guy on the camp did. He described this experience as laughing, crying, shitting and spewing, but he was also very happy he did it. It cost 100 Peruvian soles and it was done by the family. They have experience with this and Cristobal's 13-year younger brother is even learning to become a shaman himself, he told us that he had himself taken ayahuasca 3 times when I met him. Crazy worlds. I didn’t do this myself as I have heard some scary stories about it, but each to its own. 

Dry & wet season

As I personally experienced the Amazon in wet and dry season, it was for sure easier to handle the heat, humidity and sleeping, in the wet season as the climate is cooler due to the rain. I also felt that there were way less mosquitos compared to the dry season. My dry season trip was in September and my wet season trip was in May. You might have different experiences all depending on what time you go.  

What is coming next?

Another unique experience I had in Peru was the dessert, and it was huge! Follow my stories to explore more of Peru and all it's beauty!

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