After we finally figured out the Galapagos situation we decided to spend some time in the jungle. While we knew we were going to be somewhat remote, we didn't have any idea how far from civilization we would actually be.
From Quito, we took an overnight bus to an oil town called Lago Agrio. From there, we took a taxi for about three hours towards the Peru and Columbia borders. As I just said, this area of Ecuador is prime oil real estate. Along the side of this dirt road there were miles and miles of pipeline to move the oil out of the jungle...a pretty extensive set-up. Our taxi ride came to an end when we reached the bridge that marked the beginning of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve...aka part of the Amazon Jungle.
From there, we jumped into a 30 foot boat carved out of a Sequoia Tree. While a Sequoia IS an extremely large member of the tree world, there isn't a lot of wiggle room (especially for 10 people) inside of half of its diameter. With all of the passengers and all of the luggage the hull was only about 3 inches above water level...when we took a turn a bit too sharp, water would rush into the boat. But, this boat wasn't totally "heart of darkness" style...it did a 40 horse power Yamaha engine.
The boat ride was about 2 and a half hours of ducking under trees and vines while the driver weaved around logs and debris floating in the river. The skill of the boat operator was IMPRESSIVE to say the least. It must take a good part of a lifetime to learn all of the in's and out's of this river. We were lucky that we were there during the wet season because during the dry months it apparently takes about 10 hours to make the same trip.
From Quito, we took an overnight bus to an oil town called Lago Agrio. From there, we took a taxi for about three hours towards the Peru and Columbia borders. As I just said, this area of Ecuador is prime oil real estate. Along the side of this dirt road there were miles and miles of pipeline to move the oil out of the jungle...a pretty extensive set-up. Our taxi ride came to an end when we reached the bridge that marked the beginning of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve...aka part of the Amazon Jungle.
From there, we jumped into a 30 foot boat carved out of a Sequoia Tree. While a Sequoia IS an extremely large member of the tree world, there isn't a lot of wiggle room (especially for 10 people) inside of half of its diameter. With all of the passengers and all of the luggage the hull was only about 3 inches above water level...when we took a turn a bit too sharp, water would rush into the boat. But, this boat wasn't totally "heart of darkness" style...it did a 40 horse power Yamaha engine.
The boat ride was about 2 and a half hours of ducking under trees and vines while the driver weaved around logs and debris floating in the river. The skill of the boat operator was IMPRESSIVE to say the least. It must take a good part of a lifetime to learn all of the in's and out's of this river. We were lucky that we were there during the wet season because during the dry months it apparently takes about 10 hours to make the same trip.
We arrived at the lodge safe and sound and most of the way dry. This place was absolutely wonderful...such a nice change from the city noises. With the amount and activity of animals, the jungle had a whole host of noises of it's own. It was actually pretty loud at night, but it was a relaxing type of noise. We slept wonderfully wonderfully underneath our much needed mosquito net!
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