Lakes: 4 days in the jungle

Day 1:

After a really uncomfortable night, we had breakfast. The entire corrugated iron hut was filled with children, people, and chickens. After breakfast, we walked to the 'Mercado'. Originally, we wanted to buy water for our tour, but ended up on a street market where water wasn't available. Even in a small kiosk, there was no water. Around 11:00 a.m., we had lunch with the family. A large portion of rice with chicken, potatoes, and beans. Shortly before lunch, a Chilean arrived, who was supposed to accompany us on the tour. After a conversation with him, our uneasy feeling was somewhat relieved because we could tell that the Chilean had a completely different mindset. He also made it clear to us that he finds the living situation of the family terrible and assured us that the tour would be completely different.

Then we took a tuk-tuk to a wooden boat. On this wooden boat, the tents for sleeping, food for 4 days, an ax, and a saber were already stored. We sailed for about 4 hours with the boat. In between, we had to get off because the Amazon was so deep that the boat couldn't move forward. So we had the opportunity to stand in the Amazon River 😊. We were even lucky to see pink Amazon dolphins, although only briefly, and capybaras.

We spent the night in the little village 'Siete de Junio', consisting of 3 houses. Another 'little house' was intended for us. The 'little house' is a wooden hut that stands on an elevation. There are no doors, only a thatched roof, and no beds either. Tents were set up in the 'chambers' for us to protect us from mosquitoes and dangerous animals. During dinner, it was already dark, so we placed a candle and a kind of incense stick to repel mosquitoes. On the thatched ceiling, we could see several tarantulas.

In our tent, there was no air mattress or anything similar, only a wool blanket that smelled really disgusting, so we more or less slept on wooden boards.

Day 2:

Today we woke up around 7:00 a.m. There was a relatively large spider sitting right on the zipper of our tent. I thought to myself: 'Welcome to the jungle'.

Half an hour later, we had breakfast: rice with fried eggs and tomatoes. Then we took the boat to Largo Verde. The journey there alone was already adventurous because our 'tour guides' (the father of the family + neighbor) had to clear fallen trees from the path with an ax. After we finally made it, we had to walk about 3 minutes to an incredibly large lake, completely covered with water lilies. In the afternoon, we ate a really sweet and delicious pineapple, even though I usually don't like pineapples at all. Then we took another little ride with our boat and went on a hike through the jungle. We were lucky and were able to see monkeys and millipedes. We were also explained a bit about various medicinal plants or vines. On the way back, we saw several sloths from a distance. The highlight of the evening, however, was the night. After dinner, we took the boat to 'Largo Verde' again. The entire lake sparkled beautifully because fireflies were hiding in the water lilies. This sight was unique and one of the most beautiful things I have seen so far. It was a bit like in a children's movie. First, you had to go through huge water and undergrowth, and then you arrived at a wonderful place.

When we returned, our guides went into our chambers to look for animals. A red snake was sitting in our chamber. They immediately called us so that we could take photos. However, afterwards, the snake was killed because it seemed to be very venomous. The Chilean was very sad because he couldn't see the snake since he was in the bathroom.

Day 3:

After breakfast (rice with tomatoes and scrambled eggs), we went straight to our boat. We drove to the other side of the river to go on a jungle hike there. At the beginning, we saw small monkeys again. We walked towards the center where a huge, over 1000-year-old tree was standing. Our guide had to clear the path with a saber because the rainforest is so densely overgrown. Unfortunately, we couldn't see any more animals except for several insects and crawlers. Nevertheless, it was really adventurous and incredibly hot. In the afternoon, we returned to our hut for lunch. The children from the village were waiting there because they wanted to show us 'their' jungle. The children climbed the trees and ran barefoot through the jungle. They were very interested in the videos on my phone and always asked where I had taken them. When I mentioned places like Machu Picchu or Arequipa, they had no idea about them. The children go to school, but they never leave their village. In general, I feel like the people who live here have no idea about the outside world and do nothing but have children, do laundry, and cook.

After lunch, a small spider crawled on my shoulder. Slightly panicked, I shook it off and it landed on the table. A guide came and explained to me that it was a baby tarantula. According to him, tarantulas are not dangerous as long as you don't bother them. However, they still can't kill you. But the venom is said to cause excruciating pain.

Later, we took the boat out again to see piranhas. Unfortunately, we didn't have success with fishing, but there was a white piranha and another fish in the net.

Day 4:

Originally, we planned to go on a short hike through the jungle again. But since the sun was already quite intense at 8:00 a.m. and the water level had dropped even more, we decided to just go back. So after breakfast (boiled eggs, rice, tomatoes, and cooking bananas), we packed our things and took the boat back to Lagunas. On the way back, we saw a 'Condor de la selva'. When we arrived in Lagunas, it was time to go back to the host family. But this time, it was only half as terrible because we had gotten to know the father of the family better and also knew that we would take a speedboat to Iquitos at 1:30 a.m. in the night and would therefore leave the family during the night. We could spend the whole day with the family, eat with them, and even 'shower'. Although the shower was not a shower in the German sense, since it was a tub with water and an extra bowl meant to pour the water over oneself, it made you feel much fresher.

Looking back at the last 6 days, the journey from Yurimaguas to Iquitos was the biggest adventure I have done so far. The ride on the cargo ship over the Amazon was incredibly cool. I still find the night at the host family terrible, even in retrospect, but it was somehow an experience worth having because you can't imagine that people actually live like that and that it can actually be even more primitive. The four days in the jungle were also completely different. No lodge with prepared paths, appetizer, main course, and dessert. No animals that are guaranteed to be seen, yet we were able to spot various animals. I have to say that I don't necessarily have to repeat a jungle tour because this tour was unique. Our group consisting of the father of the family, the neighbor, a Chilean, Emily, and me was really the perfect constellation. Even though we didn't understand everything 100%, we laughed a lot together, so we could ignore the condition of the sleeping places and the toilets.

However, I'm still glad that the last few days were just an adventure for me and not my real life because the people here really have to work hard for their money and are more or less poor or don't know what possibilities they have. Nevertheless, I can observe that the children and also the adults here are happy and somehow enjoy living here.