The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Seven

Posted on August 28, 2009
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Another early start this morning. We began the day meandering up a small tributary to catch some more wildlife. It was amazing. We saw more sloths and this time I was able to get some pretty decent shots because they were closer than they have been so far. And, I finally got a good if not great shot of a monkey. Trust me those little things are hard to catch on film. They move at incredible speed and are masters at hiding in the overhanging branches. We also saw a very rare bat falcon which I thought was very cool.

We docked the small skiff under the overhanging canopy of a large tree and ate the picnic breakfast that the crew had prepared for us. The food was good. We had pork sandwiches, scones, coffee and orange juice.  But, the best part was the troop of monkeys that came by to check us out. With their curiosity getting the best of them they came in close and surrounded us, jumping around from branch to branch.  It was hard to decide what I wanted to do more, eat or take pictures. I somehow managed a decent balance of both which was good seeing how hungry you get when your day is spent on excursion after excursion.

After we ate we got out of the boat and went for a walk through the jungle. We got some great shots of the local flora but I must admit the mosquitoes were a bit overwhelming. This was really the only day we had any real issues with them which is good because they were vicious. Our guide even broke out his hat with mosquito netting. Soon we being eaten alive by the tiny flies and no amount of Deet was helping. I couldn’t help lamenting not having taken the guide’s advice back in Iquitos and buying one of the hand held fans from the market. I wont make that mistake again.

On the way back to the main boat we stopped at a village and purchased some local crafts. There was everything from woodcarvings to necklaces to hand-sewn tapestries.  We had a lot of fun interacting with the locals and got some really good deals on very unique souvenirs.

Back on the main boat we put a couple of local Iquitena beers in the big freezer located on the observation deck and went into the dining room for lunch. When we finished our meal we retrieved our ice-cold beers from the freezer and replaced them with another round. The frigid beers cooled us from the inside out while recounted our morning and the days we had experienced so far. On the second round, we looked at our pictures, talked about what adventures lay ahead and speculated as to what the name of tonight’s cocktail-hour band would be.

Suddenly, the now familiar sound of the activity bell brought us back to the present. It was time for another excursion. We had experienced a full day already and it was barely two o’clock. The shade of the observation deck and the promise of unlimited ice-cold Iquitenas tugged hard at our tired bodies but neither could overcome the excitement of being back out on the skiffs and racing up and down the river. So, off we went for another great adventure.

If you would like to see some pics from my adventure, click here and check out The World Wide Will Facebook page.

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The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Six

Posted on May 5, 2009
Filed Under Safety, Travel, World Wide Will Adventures | 2 Comments

There were so many activities today that it all has become a blur. We started the morning with a walk through another orchard in the rainforest. The mosquitoes were vicious but everyone was prepared and the walk was so fascinating that we really didn’t care. I have a treasure trove of beautiful shots and we managed to collect some grapefruit that will no doubt come in handy later on the boat.

After the walk we returned to the boat and had yet another hearty breakfast. But we did not tarry for long. We were quickly on the skiffs again and on our second excursion for the day. This second trip out took us to a flooded rainforest. It was stunningly beautiful. The river people migrate from low land to high ground based on the season. They strip their low lying homes of the essentials and leave them for the waters to inundate. When the river goes down in the dry season they return and re-inhabit what they left.

After the flooded forest we returned to the boat again, this time for lunch and a very well deserved and needed, siesta. With all of the physical activity, the warm air and the beating down of the hot sun, the cool dark cabin and comfortable mattress sent me into an instant deep sleep. I assure you this was no nap… It was indeed a full-on siesta.

Refreshed from the deep sleep of our siestas we were back on the boat and again racing up and down the banks of the small rivers feeding into the Amazon. Sloths, monkeys and more birds were on the agenda. Everything is so spectacular, this is where it all starts to blend together. Another day of dancing around on the boat trying to capture a monkey in a photograph or squinting into the sun trying to see a beautiful toucan high in a tree top. And somehow, even though it seems like we have done this before, it still makes our hearts race.

Back on the boat again we arrived just in time to change out of our adventure clothes and into something a little more festive. The band played again tonight and the kitchen prepared yucca and plantain chips to go along with our other cocktail snacks. The band was fantastic as always and we enjoyed ice cold beers as we danced and chatted our way into dinner time.

After our desert, which was made from bananas we bought from one of the villages earlier in the day, we went out on another evening ride and jungle walk. In the middle of our walk we turned out all of the flashlights and just listened to the sounds of the night. It was pitch dark and we were in the middle of the Amazon rainforest and it was fantastic and peaceful. That is until a bug flew into the blouse of one of our female companions…

The ride back to the boat showcased the most incredible view of the night sky that I have ever seen in my life. The thick Milky Way wound its way across the center of the glittering night sky in a lazy yet breathtaking fashion. Soon we were back on the boat and ready for bed. But, there was one unattended task. We took the grapefruits and muddled them in glasses with cane sugar then mixed in a little vodka for a truly unique night cap. We chatted and laughed and amused ourselves with the cleverness of our new drink. Then it truly was bedtime.

If you would like to see some pics from my adventure, click here and check out The World Wide Will Facebook page.

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The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Five

Posted on April 6, 2009
Filed Under Destinations, Travel, World Wide Will Adventures | 2 Comments

We went out early this morning to ride along the river banks in one of the small skiffs. We saw more birds, my favorites of which were the black-collar hawk, white-tail swallows and the Amazon falcon. However, the best part was getting to see the pink dolphins.

The dolphins were out in packs chasing sardines. They were absolutely beautiful. They were also very hard to catch on film. It was explained that they are very shy and are nothing like the dolphins we see around here that will follow the boats in and out.

When we got back to the boat we had breakfast and a short break before going out on the second excursion which was a trip to a local village. The village trip ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. We got to see all of the different parts of the village from the church to the bar to the grocery store. There were lots of food producing plants like yucca, plantain, yellow tomatoes and giant starfruit trees. We ended our visit with the distribution of school supplies to the village children. The supplies came from various people on the trip that brought them along for this very reason. The children were very excited. We seemed to be as entertaining to them as they were to us. It was a wonderful and life changing visit.

Back on the boat we had lunch and a welcomed siesta before heading out on the first of two afternoon excursions. This time we took a boat trip up a very narrow black-water tributary. More wonderful sightings of monkeys, sloths, birds and reptiles. The boat ride was a blur to the senses and I honestly cannot recall most of what we saw and did.

We were back on the boat just long enough to rest up and enjoy a couple of ice cold beers. Then it was off to the second afternoon excursion, another boat ride up a small creek off the main river.

On this trip out, the banks were close in because the creek was so small. This provided us a great viewing advantage. We saw beautiful flowers, bats, a large hawk that resembled an owl, a small porcupine and owl monkeys. By the way, owl monkeys are VERY cute. We had a beautiful sunset on the way back to the main boat, it was like a welcoming beacon. The boat was really beginning to feel like home now and we were all starting to get the same nostalgic feeling every time we saw it in the distance.

When we got back on the boat it was again time for the scheduled cocktail hour. There was a band again and more wonderful snacks including fried plantain chips that we collected at the village earlier in the day. Truly the royal treatment. The band tonight consisted of our main tour guide, Hernando, on drums; one of our favorite day guides, Jorge, also on drums; and our cabin boy was playing a ukulele and a flute.  At the same time..! They were all singing and the bartender was playing the maracas and the other day guide, Victor, was playing what looked like a washboard. They were VERY good.

After dinner we had one last excursion for the day and it started and ended very late. We went out into the night and explored an orchard and from there went deeper into the rainforest. We saw a hummingbird nest with eggs in it, lots of huge spiders, various frogs and more beautiful flowers. In the orchard we saw an example of a living fence that was amazing. We also saw passion fruit vines, cucumbers, lemon trees, grapefruit trees and may other types of citrus.

As we headed back to the main boat a small tree frog was skipping across the river. Everyone was trying to catch it, reaching out into the dark black waters of the night river grasping blindly to no avail when the frog made to the back of the boat where I was and they all yelled, “Get it!” To which I quickly responded, “No way! Something is chasing that thing and what ever it is, I don’t want it to catch me.” Everyone laughed and that marked a dramatic end of the excursion.

Back on the boat, sleep came quickly at 11:45. Tomorrow is another big day.

If you would like to see some pics from my adventure, click here and check out The World Wide Will Facebook page.

The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Four

Posted on March 19, 2009
Filed Under Destinations, Travel, World Wide Will Adventures | 1 Comment

We left dock last night and moved up river just outside of Iquitos and tied up to a large mimosa tree to settle in for the night. While we moved down river we had dinner in the beautiful floor to wall windowed dining room. A large tray of Pisco sours were waiting for us to toast our new adventure. At dinner we had fish from the river, chicken and rice along with a nice Peruvian red wine. After dinner we socialized on the observation deck and looked out into the rain forest.

The morning of our fourth day started around 6:30 with coffee on the observation deck. The boat was swiftly moving up river as we moved onto breakfast which included an assortment of bacon, toast, eggs and fresh fruit.

After breakfast we went on our first excursion. We traveled through some back waters to see some local flora and fauna. Our skiff guide was Jorge and he was fantastic. Hernando, our main guide, also joined us for this first trip out and he was equally fantastic. We glided through the warm waters of the river for a little over an hour before returning to the boat. We saw many variety of birds and plants. My favorite part of this excursion was the giant water lily pads. They were so majestic and so large that you almost could imagine hopping from one to another crossing the river from bank to bank. And they had the most beautiful purple flowers that cast mirror-like reflections across the still black waters of the small river.

Back on the boat we had a short break before lunch was served. More great food was spread before us ready for our taking. Then, after lunch, my new favorite activity occurred. The siesta. How wonderful it was to crash in the cold dark confines of the cabin with only the sounds of the boat cutting through the waters of the great Amazon river.

After the siesta we all ventured back out onto the observation deck to watch the banks of the river drift past us. It only seemed fitting to pair the warm river breeze with a cold, buttery chardonnay. Particularly since we were soon to be toasting the magical spot where two rivers meet forming the official Amazon River.

At the confluence we we traveled up the Yarapa river which is still considered a section of the greater Amazon river system. Our late afternoon excursion was up a black river tributary. We saw more birds, a couple of iguanas and our first glance at the local river people. We stopped on the bank and had our first excursion into the rain forest where we saw endless birds of paradise flowers, wild lime trees, grapefruit trees and all sorts of exotic insects and beautiful butterflies.

On our way back to the main boat we were surprised to find that the strong current of the main river had block our exit from the tributary. Giant logs and thousands of small limbs were jammed into the mouth of the small river. We rammed the blockage, drug trees out of the center and skipped over logs untill we finally made our way out. It was an adventure but it was a little scary. It was proof of the the power and ever changing mystery of the big river.

We arrived back on the boat just in time to wash up before cocktail hour. This was always such a fun part of the day. Everyone comparing photos and stories from the day. And it was so much fun getting to know everyone. It is amazing how we were already starting to bond as a group.

The dinner bell signaled us to yet another incredible meal. The food on the boat was consistently far beyond my expectations. One last glass of cold crisp wine and off to bed with a full belly, great memories, new friends and a swirling of excitement as I anticipate the next day’s adventures.

The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Three

Posted on March 3, 2009
Filed Under Travel, World Wide Will Adventures | Comments Off

The following series is a day by day account of my Amazon adventure. This trip was hands-down the most incredible holiday I have ever experienced.

Day Three 1/17/09

Day three started off with another great breakfast. That also means it started off with more fresh juice and even more green tamales (which I am now officially craving). After breakfast we met up with the International Expeditions group in the hotel lobby.

The group was a good mix of all sorts from retired bird watchers to young environmentalist. Everyone immediately began introducing themselves, sharing stories of past travel excursions and talking about the excitement surrounding this new adventure ahead of us. We were also introduced to our main guide, Hernando, and our guide for Lima, Jose. Once we had a chance to meet and get organized, Hernando loaded us onto a tour bus and we were off on our first excursion, a tour of Lima.

The tour of the city was fantastic. We saw a private residence that has been in the same family for eighteen generations. We also visited a monastery and explored its catacombs where thousands of bones from the first beneficiaries are gathered. The tour ended with lunch at the Sheraton in downtown Lima.

I must admit I was initially shocked and a little dismayed that we were having lunch in a business hotel, all be it a very posh one; however, the food was incredible. It was the biggest spread I have ever seen. There was everything from local Peruvian dishes to sushi. After lunch we were off to Iquitos in the Northeast section of Peru where we would board our ship, La Aamitista.

The flight from Lima to Iquitos was short and quick. IE had arranged all of the boarding passes, exit taxes and luggage so our experience in the airport was seamless. Once we landed in Iquitos we were taken to a VIP lounge where we had food and drink available along with our last WiFi hot spot. We waited in the lounge until our luggage was taken from the plane and loaded onto the tour bus.

After our bags were taken care of and we were full from food and drink, we were taken to the bus and were off on a city tour of Iquitos and then onto the boat. Iquitos was a bustling port city with markets and beautiful squares abound. We were very close to the equator so the air was warm but there was a nice breeze coming from the river that curved around the city much like the Mississippi does around New Orleans.

We stopped at the main city square and started roaming and exploring the city. It was as busy as it was beautiful. Friendly and happy people were everywhere, kids were laughing and bubbles from street vendors were floating around in the warm night air. I walked across the street from the square and purchased a cold beer from one of the restaurants and carried it back to the green center of the square to find a bench. On my way I met a nice man sitting by a statue and we chatted about Peru, the Amazon and old adventures while I finished my beer. Before I knew it the bus was ready to leave and take us to our boat.

We arrived at the dock and got our first glimpse of the majestic boat we were about to spend the next seven days aboard. It was fantastic. A romantic riverboat with hardwood railings, dark green tarps and a beautiful dragon jutting from its bow. I was instantly struck by the entire scene and could not wait to get on the boat and start our great trek up the mighty Amazon.

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