DAY THREE
5am came quickly after such a long second day but with no rain we were ready to see more dolphins and some birds. It was still dark when Sergio woke us up but daylight started creeping in as we walked to the boat.
Right when we got out on the water a dolphin came up about five yards from our boat which was awesome. They look so different from saltwater dolphins so it was fun to see them closer up. After that we didn't see any quite as close but every so often they would pop up for the next hour. We were all pretty tired but the sunrise was gorgeous so it made it worth it.
After the dolphins we went to the opposite bank from the lodge to see some birds. We also saw a really big frog that lived in a little burrow like a rabbit. On of our guides coaxed him out so we could all see what it was since we were debating whether it was a frog, a mouse, or a spider.
Sergio then showed us a lagoon where anaconda live. We didn't see any snakes while there but I guess it's pretty dangerous.
We made it back to the lodge just in time for breakfast and then had about an hour to lay in the hammocks and relax before our four hour trek in the primary jungle.
We walked the path to the Naya River again and took the boat about thirty minutes to where we entered the primary jungle. We stopped at a family's home where they had lots of chickens, ducks, and cows. We all spread some corn for the birds and Chels and Lizzy had a grand time chasing and playing with the chickens and ducks.
We then walked into the jungle to experience the primary jungle in the daylight. We started off at a termite tree where we broke into a termite nest and all gathered and rubbed termites on our arms since it's a natural repellent. We were all a little wary at first but got pretty stoked on it fairly quickly because it smelled surprisingly nice and we were all for the mosquito repellent part.
We then trekked around for a couple hours learning about different plants and such experiencing what the jungle had to offer. It was a lot of fun, even the swampy parts where Sergio had to cut us walking sticks to that we could balance walking through the muck. Harry and chelsey had the added adventure of their boots having holes making them not waterproof which was a fun surprise. They got to carry bits of the swamp with them all day and Harry's animated responses were priceless.
Sergio then found us another seed that can be used as paint, purple instead of red this time, and naturally we had a wonderful time war-painting up and playing. We were quite the jungle creatures at that point. We then tried some sour cane on our way back to the house. We saw a couple monkeys playing in the trees close to the end of our adventure which was sweet because we hadn't seen them in the wild yet.
When we got back to the house with the farm animals we were given coconut milk straight from the husk which we drank and lounged for a bit to recover from our long, hot journey. We thanked the family and jumped in our boat ready to head back to the lodge.
On our walk after the boat, I sensed the presence of a sloth nearby. We had been wanting to see and hold a sloth since before we left for Peru, and in the jungle it was our mission. Sure enough, I turn to my right and there they are, two sloths, family pets for a family in the village. I was so excited when they were that close that when Sergio actually talked to the family and carried Jose the sloth down the stairs I almost started jumping for joy. Me, Chels and Lizzy were in heaven. We had found a sloth to hold and take pictures with. Pure bliss emanated from us as we held Jose. As our friend Bobby from Camiri said, finding the sloth was like a metaphor for life, and we had accomplished our mission. I now understood Kristen Bell and her sixth sense for sloths that much more.
Back at the lodge we had lunch and lounged and then said goodbye to Harry and Mike as they had a boat to catch to their next destination. It was great to have them along for our jungle adventure.
After dinner Sergio took us to a small, poor village farther down the amazon. After a long day he wanted us to have something relaxing, and I'm so glad we went. We spent a couple hours playing with some of the children there who where seriously the sweetest. They were so excited to play with us and take pictures which they loved looking at immediately afterwards. I got to play futbol with a couple of the boys which was fantastic. Didn't realize how much I missed it. So Luke & Joe soccer this summer when I'm home?
We then has dinner and went to bed ready for our last day in the jungle.
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