Middle of the World!

Main Cabin where we ate

With lots of mosquito repellant we headed into the Amazon Jungle! After jumping off  Bob with a small bag for three days (although from the size of some of the boys bags you would think they were staying for a month), we clambered into a canoe which is the only method of transport due to the absence of roads in the area. Tom, our host, welcomed us when we reached the Arajuna Jungle Lodge before letting us get settled. We were all expecting a lodge with the basics for 3 days but we were pleasantly surprised to see little cabins with bunk beds and an ensuite, and lots of hammocks. Sarah got her biology geek on fairly quickly after spotting a long line of leaf cutter ants between the cabins which were present for the duration of our stay along with the cry of "don't step on the ants!". 

Katie's Cabin

Tom then took us on a tour of the lodge grounds and told us how Eco-friendly the lodge is. They have their own herb garden, and they are also a part of a turtle conservation scheme. He has even helped the local tribes to farm their own fish in man made pools so as to encourage them not to fish in the river with dynamite. Dinner that night, and every meal from then on, was typical Ecuadorian food and it was some of the yummiest food we had all trip. 

The next morning the group split in two: half went on a hike through the primary and secondary forest with a local guide, and the others took a canoe down river to visit a animal rescue centre. 
Despite the pouring rain we set off into the jungle. Our guide, William, was very keen on us trying the different plants and flowers the jungle had and so we munched on cocoa beans and the roots of palms, both of which were surprisingly tasty. In Katie's group everyone quickly got into the jungle spirit, using massive leaves as skirts and finding flowers for accessories in our hair. The hike itself was rather easy although the rain added an extra challenge when it came to going downhill and so very quickly everyone was covered in mud. The jungle was full of animal noises although we managed to see nothing in the 3 hours apart from bugs, which in the jungle are rather large! One of the best parts was when we hit a small river and our guide told us all to get in and walk which meant our wellies filled with water and most of us got soaked after falling over numerous times. However none of that mattered because we were walking in a river in the middle of the Amazon Jungle! Towards the end of the hike we climbed our way up to a viewpoint overlooking the canopy and the surrounding jungle. 

Amazoonica rescue centre was formed in the 80s by a Swiss gentleman, and is now completely run by volunteers. It houses animals that have been rescued from the pet trade, or found abandoned, and their mission, if the circumstances allow it, is to release these animals back into the wild. This doesn't always happen because the animals may be too used to human contact and would search for humans once released, probably resulting in their death. So the centre has some permanent and temporary occupants. Again Sarah got excited when we met the monkeys, but there were also big cats, caimen and even birds that wolf whistle as you walk past. This centre also has a project which involves the local tribes, namely they rear jungle pigs which the locals can buy at a low cost which encourages them to use this meat rather than killing and eating monkeys. 

Michael was trained to steal money so is unable to be released because he can't fend for himself

Baby Ocelot

Toucans

The best activity in the jungle was tubing. This involved us sitting in rubber rings while floating down a tributary in the Amazon basin with a beer in our hands. It had rained quite a bit the day before and the river was fast slowing so we zoomed along through some little rapids and quite often ended up stuck in the bushes on the riverbank. Our truck driver, Colin, provided us with amusement when he pretended to be Tarzan swinging on a vine at the edge of the river. But instead he wiped out flipping his tube upside down, filling his beer with river water. Follwoing this we had a massive mudfight so we ended up spending hours in the water.

Sarah and Joe

Just chillin!

After his tarzan attempt...

Wooo!

Mud fight

Otavalo was the final stop before reaching Quito and the end of the trip. We spent 2 nights in the little town that is known for the nearby leather market. On our first night we went to a little pie shop and enjoyed its well known sweet pies as a snack before dinner. The group then went a little crazy in the markets and more than one of us had to send stuff home before continuing travelling. We had our last group dinner in a mexican restaurant over looking the town square.

Yummy streetfood

On our way to Quito we crossed the Equator and stopped at a museum to celebrate. It had lots of activities which you could take part in to show that forces have no affect at Equator. We had to walk along a line with our eyes closed but no one could mange it, proving that our ears usually use forces not present at the Equator.

Trying to walk on the line...

...failing at it!



Singing out the window

Time for Quito and the last night of the trip! Heading to our hostel we had fun blasting music and hanging out the side of Bob, making the most of our last time on the truck. We got a few strange looks! We managed to sneak 5 of us into a bedroom for 2 since we were flying so early the next morning. Then we had take out pizza and played drinking games in our hand made fort (the cleaners must have had fun figuring out where all the sheets came from the next morning!) We finished the night off at a bar where the band sang a Robbie Williams song for us and we proceeded to dance the night away to Spanish music. By the time we were done there was no point in sleeping so we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport. 


Group shot :)

Last ever trip on bob!

Dancing the night away