Day Twenty Two: Welcome to the Jungle, we've got fun and games!

Today we woke up early - we were leaving the hotel at 6:30 for our flight to Peurto Maldinado. We were heading into the amazon jungle.

After flying to cusco then Peurto Maldinado - we were on our way to the village in a small minivan. The roads were bumpy and the villages not much more then small shacks. The weather and place reminds me very much of outer Darwin, although theres a lot more shade. The bus ride also provided snacks; mini bananas called lady bananas as they're very sweet, fried banana chips and brazil nuts coated with sugar - yummy!

After the 45min bus ride we hopped in a small boat and headed up river for another 45mins. The scenery was beautiful. The river was brown and dirty though, as the rain of the wet season had brought lots of debris into river.

We were finally at the resort village, Posada Amazonas. It was quite lavish actually. Lots of inticcate timber detailing, thatched roofs and timber decks. Very much like a Balinese/ Troppo architecture place. Quite beautiful. The rainforest surrounding it was spectacular.

That afternoon we went on a hike thru the rainforest to a lookout. The lookout was a small steel stair structure - 37m high - suspended n the trees. The walk up took you thru all the layers of the forest until you were finally up above the canopy - WHAT A VIEW! We saw the twilight of the day up there and all the wonder that was the jungle and the river. Breathtaking!

We headed back to the village for a cold shower. Our room was also quite lavish. Open on all sides with bamboo stern walls, outdoor shower and timber everywhere. Lying in the hammock on the deck in our room really topped it off - we were in the jungle - wow!

Dinner was beautiful. Local Peruvian food. And the juice - fresh papaya, apple or pineapple juice.

All is going well, our group is ok. People are a bit annoying. The older pommie couple are a bit sarcastic and condescending, the young aussie couple are ok, a bit whingy at times, and the kiwi couple are a bit overconfident, always wanting to do their own activities.

It's funny how western people don't like being told what to do- we love our independence it seems. It comes across as arrogance though. I mean were in the jungle for crying out loud - I'm pretty sure the local guide knows best. Anyway - now I'm whinging - but it is eye opening seeing the way people act and respond to different cultures. Eyeopening and embarrassing a little.