WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

After a day spent in the airport (where we met Ross from Canada) due to a faulty engine, the short flight from La Paz to Rurrenabaque took us even higher over the mountains, then dropped us onto a grassy landing strip in the Amazon basin. With the warmer climate and lower altitude, we immediately felt better... although Ben had one last eruption of projectile vomiting on the first night, just to be sure the bug was out (sorry about your towel John!). The next day the 4 of us (along with 2 girls from Germany and Switzerland) set off on the 3 day Pampas tour along Rio Yacuma.

Day 1: A 3 hour ride in a crumbling 4x4 jeep, followed by a gruesome lunch, and then we were on the river. 3 hours on the boat to our 'eco-lodge' (old wooden huts) enabled us to see all sorts of wildlife - alligators, caiman, capybura (the world's largest rodent), turtles, pink freshwater dolphins and countless birds (including eagles, spoonbills, maribou storks, kingfishers, flycatchers, ibis, macaw parrots and paradise birds). Having settled into the lodge, we jumped into the boat again and headed up to the sunset bar for beers and snacks and watched the sun set over the jungle. After dinner back at the lodge, we got into the boat for the third time and took a starlit trip up the river to watch the fireflies, dodge the giant, low-flying bats and look out for the orange eyes of the alligators reflecting our torch beams!

Day 2: We put on wellies and headed into the marshlands to look for the elusive anaconda. After 2 hours of wading around, Emily finally stumbled upon not one but TWO anacondas - in fact she had interrupted an intimate moment, but as they slithered off for cover the guides picked them up carefully and allowed us to hold them for a few moments before letting them get back to business elsewhere. Following a triumphant lunch and a good snooze in the riverside hammocks we jumped into our boat and went for a swim with the pink freshwater dolphins, keeping a wary eye on the alligators sunbathing a few metres away on the riverbank and the piranhas which would occasionally leap out of the water between us!

Day 3: We woke to heavy rain which continued throughout the morning, but that didn't stop us heading once more upriver to do a spot of piranha fishing. Emily was the most successful, catching 4 of the little nippers, whilst Ben was gracious enough to catch only one (not wanting to show off). These, along with John and Ross's catches, were consumed for lunch before heading back down the river (where a vengeful piranha leapt over the boat and hit Ben smack between the eyes!) and then making the long drive back to Rurrenabaque. That evening we celebrated our amazing Amazonian adventure with several beers and our old friend Jagermeister. All in all, an incredible experience we shall never forget (thanks for the recommendation Jesse!).