The Amazon, part 2: In the jungle

Our first night in the Amazon, we slipped on our headlamps and went out on a guided night hike to see what we could see. Nighttime is prime-time for insect viewing, so we saw a lottt of large spiders and other creepy things. But we also saw a poison dart frog and a small, non-venomous snake.

Here's a peek:







The next morning, we took a 4-hour trek through the jungle, led by one of the guides from Yachana. Honestly, it didn't satisfy my thirst for the jungle! We were on trails in the forest around the lodge, so it didn't have that romantic feeling of being deep in the Amazon. Nonetheless, we saw lots of cool stuff, including two species of monkeys, some interesting tropical birds, more large insects, and unique flora.

The trees were what stuck out to me, not only because they were really tall, but also because of their adaptive root structures. Below the shallow layer of decomposing materials on the forest floor, the ground is basically clay that roots don't dig. So, the trees have visible roots spreading across the ground's surface, where their fuel is. And some of the trees were just SO huge, in height and girth, since they are like 400 years old.

Our guide also taught us how to make string out of the fibers inside a palm leaf, which I thought was awesome. It involved stripping off the outer, dark green layer of the palm, which leaves you with the fibers. Then you roll the fibers into one string, which then you twist and roll into another string of fibers. You're left with a perfect little string. We all made them and are wearing them around our wrists.

Our group split into two for these treks through the jungle, and apparently the other guide stopped in the middle of the jungle, grabbed some palm leaves, and began making a basket right there on the forest floor. I love it.