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back to the land of showers & cold beers

despite the heat, that was the best night of sleep yet, although Im pretty sure a cockroach crawled over me. one more crack-of-dawn canoe ride - saw the otters again! victor and I paddled to the far side where only palm trees grow. when the lake rises the trees are submerged -  this is the only variety that will grow in this environment. the best hollywood landscaper could not create such a perfect scene.

after breakfast, the thunder starts, were hopefull the rain will hit us! we head for the last jungle hike. dd lasts for about 100 yds then her gut says its time to bail (literally). victor takes me past some classic slash-n-burn - the contrast between old and new jungle is dramatic to every sense: color, tempurature, sounds, light. we find more trees and plants but at this point, my overheated mind isnt absorbing any more :(

we get back and 15 minutes later the rain starts! dd is smiling! at lunch, we meet an aussie traveling with her boyfriend. hes at this lake to catch (and release) a rare fish. they cant leave until he does...meanwhile, the girlfriend hangs out in the heat and bugs. they are eating canned tuna and rice for lunch. riiiiiight....

she asks if weve heard of the blood sucking thatch beetle -  it lives in thatch roofs waiting to drop on you, suck your blood and give you some horrid disease. ummm, weve been in the junge for 2 weeks but NO we havent heard of this. victor, is this bug around?? victor: well, sometimes....   holy hanna, I really dont want to be on a need-to-know basis in the jungle but thats what it is.

the rain lets up a little for our hike out. dd is in a really bad way. soon she is lying on the jungle floor. now thats bad in any environment, but I also happen to know how many fears and creepies she pushed aside to lie on the floor of the JUNGLE. but we got to the boat and back to peurto maldonado, checked back into our hotel. ironically, its still raining and kind of cold. we smell eachothers skin because its finally so clean, we meet victor for a few beers.

is our time in the jungle really over? was I really in the amazon? I never let it sink in before this trip but the realization is finally here. this has already been a trip of a lifetime - hard to imagine 5 more months.

do what you can to visit this amazing place, and while youre there, learn all that you can and meet the people who live here every day.

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