Welcome to the Jungle

Nestled in the Amazon basin between two major tributaries of the Amazon River, Puerto Maldonado was the start of our jungle adventure. Immediately you're hit with the remoteness of the area. After our flight in we had a 45min. van ride and a two hour boat ride to get to our lodge. Along the way we say macaws, monkeys and caimans....but very few people.

Upon arrival I was promptly greeted by a giant blue irradescent beetle zipping around my head. The bungalows were exactly the tropical cabinas that you would imagine complete with hammocks on the front porches. There was no electricity but we had cold water plumbing in our room which was a luxury compared to the facilities on the Inca Trail. After settling in we ventured out on a night walk. Given my initial beetle greeting, I have to admit I was a little jumpy. We trodded along anxiously leaning in to see giant spiders and other creepy insects...that is until Kelly grabbed my arm to direct my attention upward. Just as I looked up a massive bamboo rat ran across the bamboo over our heads (bigger than anything I saw in NYC). Insects didn't seem so bad after that.

Much of the rest of our time in the rainforest was reminiscent of summer camp....canoeing on the lake, bird watching, nature hikes and a lot of mosquitoes. While it was fascinating to see all the different species, the similarity to my backwoods upbringing was uncanny.