I was jolted awake at 7am the next morning by someone shouting my room name, Choro, right outside my door. It was such a shock that I threw my mobile phone, which I’d kept by my pillow just in case, up in the air and it fell to the floor with a dramatic clatter. I think I scared the wake-up guy half to death.
Having been so violently awakened, it was no problem to jump straight out of bed and throw on some clothes, and I was down at the dining hall in no time. Breakfast consisted mainly of fresh fruits picked from the forest - passionfruit and watermelon, amongst others I couldn’t identify and which I’m sure we can’t even get in England.
We were meant to be going fishing that morning, but the threat of a violent storm had brought strong winds that made it dangerous to go out in the boat. We waited it out a little while before admitting defeat and deciding on some alternative plans. At 9am we met up again, this time with a young Italian couple tagging along, to go on a walk to a nearby lake. While I was waiting for the others, I wandered the grounds to take a closer look at the beautiful flowers and vibrantly-coloured birds, with their exotic bird calls which sound like water droplets. When I reached the reception, I found a large black bird with long, stork-like legs peering standing on the table, peering into the fish tank and singing a strange lament at them through the glass. He had a cheeky little face and I got the impression that this was a habit of his.
When everyone was ready to go, David took us to one of the gardens to explain some of the fruits to us. Almost all the foods consumed at the lodge are grown within its own grounds; this includes passionfruit, tiny bananas, avocado, coffee beans and coca., as well as some fruits unique to the Amazonian jungle. Before we knew it, David was fetching down a large coca using a long wooden pole, and chopping it with his machete. Inside was a light, watery liquid which he got us all to drink.
Then it was time to begin our walk to the lake, which was around 1km along the jungle trail. On our way, we saw many more species, including tiny squirrel monkeys, jumping incredible distances from tree to tree, and a gecko which David picked up for me to stroke. We also saw more enormous trees with buttress roots, many of which were acting as hosts for the clever parasite trees, smaller trees which latch on to a host and deprive it of its nutrients, growing so strong that the host tree eventually dies. The jungle ecosystem is based on fierce competition to survive, even amongst the trees and plants. All are fighting for nutrients from the soil and light from the sun, and are adapted to survive and kill off the competition. Another amazing tree we saw was covered in spikes to prevent animals from climbing its trunk and eating its fruit. Another had strange lumps coming off it at its base, which David took great delight in explaining, several times, was known as a penis tree.
When we arrived at the lake, we climbed some wooden steps to a large platform over its banks, from where we could observe all the surrounding wildlife. Almost immediately, I spotted a caiman moving in the water below, and was excited to catch my first glimpse. It was about to get much better; David had brought a bag of raw meat, which he now spread out along a plank just outside the water. It didn’t take long for the caimans to begin to emerge from the murky water, and soon, there were more than five white caimans all trying to get their share of the food.
We stayed watching the caimans until all the meat had gone, and afterwards to observe the beautiful birds on the other side, and the brightly-covered dragonflies flitting over the water’s surface. After David had insisted on taking a photo of me overlooking the lake, we all walked back towards the lodge, stopping along the way to look at more wildlife. As we walked along, David and I chatted some more and I found out he owned Peruvian paso horses; maybe I would run away to the jungle with him after all. He also made me a jungle crown out of leaves and twine, which was actually quite impressive. One particularly interesting stop we made was at a tree whose branches stretched to the ground and back to the trunk, forming a natural swing. Another had a thin trunk but was strong enough to support David’s weight as he spontaneously decided to climb his way right to the top.
When we got back to the lodge, I had an hour reading my guide book by the pool before lunch. After yet another huge meal, I had a lovely nap by the pool before meeting the group again mid-afternoon to go fishing on the river. I’ve never really understood the fishing thing, but I thought it might be a bit more interesting in the Amazon rainforest. I was mistaken; I was bored within five minutes, and everyone laughed when I lay down with my fishing rod (made from a branch and a piece of string) in my right hand, hanging over the boat, and listened to music. David asked what I was listening to, and when the driver overheard that it was reggaeton, tried to convince me to dance. I didn’t think this was the time or place.
On a couple of occasions I nearly caught a fish, but got in such a panic of what to actually do with the things that I never actually managed to pull them into the boat. Everyone’s efforts were a bit half-hearted really, and it was only the Italian guy who actually managed to pull in a catch, and even that wasn’t exactly sizable.
When we got back to the lodge, there were still a couple of hours before dinner, so I went into the common room to read. When I overheard two people, who were playing pool, talking English, I got excited and made an effort to join in with their conversation. A few minutes later they came over to sit with me. The guy, Luis, was from New Zealand and in his mid-twenties, and the girl, Emma, was in her thirties and by some incredible coincidence, was from Wolverhampton. They’d only met a few days ago since they happened to be with the same tour operator, who had organised their entire trip around Peru. You’d never have guessed they’d only met a few days before - I’d taken them for a married couple.
Since they were the only two people in their group, at dinner that night, they came and joined mine, which was great. I was glad I’d managed to find another couple of friends and wasn’t going to be a lone traveller after all.
After dinner, a big group of us had to meet at reception for a talk about the following day - which, to my slight relief, was to be with another guide, who was also only twenty six. His name (apparently) was Alex, and he seemed a little more normal than floaty David. Straight after the talk, we were taken in the motor boat to go caiman-spotting in the river. We manage to spot several, and it was worth the trip out just to be able float on the river in the still evening; we turned off the motors and Alex pointed out the constellations, which were perfectly clear in the dark night sky. It had been a long time since I’d seen stars so clear and beautiful; it was truly breathtaking.
On my way back to my room I spotted a pile of books in the reception, which was a relief, since I’d now read enough of my Peruvian guide book to be somewhat of an expert, and was starting to crave something a little lighter. I didn’t find any novels, but I did find a book in Russian, which I thought might at least be a break from my guide book and a good bit of practice. I asked Alex if I could take it, at which he raised his eyebrows dubiously and asked me if I knew what language the book was in. I said, “Yes, it’s Russian, and it’s on the secrets of Russian history.” He asked me if I spoke Russian and was impressed (and somewhat surprised) when I explained about my degree. I guess I am pretty strange.
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