The Amazon Jungle... at your own risk

As we all know, tarantulas aren't my favorite insect. I'm guessing they aren't yours either. I knew a rustic trip to the Amazon jungle of Ecuador would entail creepy crawly encounters, but I didn't let this deter me from seeing the largest river in the world. Technically, the Nile river is the longest river in the world, beating the Amazon by only a schmidge. The Amazon, however, contains more water than the Nile. 

Getting to the Amazon itself requires quite a bit of effort. We left from Quito on an eight hour overnight bus to the small town of Lago Agrio. From there, we had to take another 2 hour van ride to the river itself. THEN we took a 2 hour boat ride to the little resort we would be staying at for 4 days. 
Don't think for even a minute that by the word "resort" I mean luxury. It was anything but. Think of a bunch of pieces of wood thrown together to form a shack. Add a cold water shower, lots of insects and a mosquito net that smells like urine and you will have our resort. There was absolutely no electricity. Candles and flashlights lit our way after the sun disappeared. 

The workers told us we might see tarantulas in the straw ceiling but not to worry because that's where they lived. Sure enough, the furry little guys were up there. We shared our home with the tarantulas, or vise versa. 
While driving the 2 hours by motor boat to our resort, I was mesmerized by this river. It felt so exotic. I had dreamed about seeing this river for many years. Tall green trees with hanging vines lined the way as we navigated the muddy brown, windey river. 
During the day, the sun came out and tempted to give us sunburns if we left any skin exposed.  
There were 5 other tourists in our group. Together, we would pile in the wooden boat and be taken to some remote place along the river to explore each day. We spotted lots of beautiful creatures in the trees and water. I saw the most vividly bright colored feathers I've ever seen on a bird. There were actually 3 macaws in a tree. As they stretched their wing to fly, I was dazzled by their bright blue, yellow and red feathers. They communicated by screeching at each other across the tree tops. 
Our boat sliced through waters where anacondas, crocodiles and pirañas lurked. 
We saw a baby anaconda, but other groups reported seeing an anaconda the size of a bus in the water, with a big lump in his tummy. Wonder what he ate??

Our guide's name was Paharito. He was an experienced Amazon man. One day he took Dinh and I hiking into the jungle. We walked quietly behind Paharito as he searched for wildlife and pointed out medicinal plants. We saw a latex tree and a tree that contained a special oil that makes your hair grow long and luxurious. Apparently it's not for sale, so only the ladies living along the Amazon have the privilege of having nice hair. I'm jealous. 

Paharito

He pointed out other medicinal trees as we explored the thick lush forest. It was so neat to see where some of the medicines I administer as a nurse come from. 
We heard rustling trees overhead as monkeys made their way over the tree tops. The canopy above us seemed to be at least 20 stories high. 
As we traversed through the sometimes muddy floor of the jungle, my bright yellow rubber boots would periodically get swallowed up. I wondered how I would make a quick getaway from any predators with this issue. I asked Paharito what would happen if we stumbled upon a hungry anaconda. He said we would definitely be eaten. My stomach turned as I thought of the feeling of being squeezed to death. Yikes.

He said that people assume anacondas are slow moving animals, but they are actually quick. Then he told us a story that sent shivers up my spine. One night while everyone was eating supper at the lodge, they heard a loud commotion in the river. Everyone ran with their flashlights to the edge of the river. The group witnessed a spectacular battle between a 10 foot crocodile and an equally large anaconda. They are both at the top of food chain, so it's 50/50 who would win the fight. That night, the crocodile lost and was squeezed and swallowed up by the massive snake. What an entertaining show for those tourists!!! Can you imagine??!!

One night we took a 2 hour hike through the jungle. We nearly stepped on a poisonous snake and I almost ran directly into a spider the size of my hand. 
Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. 
So many times during the 4 days I thought, "this is so unsafe, why are we doing this?" BUT, it is Ecuador, and you also sign a waiver before you leave Quito. Things can and will go wrong at some point. It's very adventurous. It's not for prissy girls. 
If you get seriously injured, you're screwed because any hospital is several hours away. Did I mention it's a small Amazon-y hospital? Something we wouldn't even call a hospital in the US. It would be condemned. You won't find any level 1 trama ER's here. 
Any kind of head injury and you're a goner. 
Although Dinh and I can really rough it, we were both missing civilization. The hot, sticky, wilderness lifestyle was not for us. I can take it for a short while, but then this western woman needs her creature comforts. 

Where's my blow dryer?

Another story Paharito told us: he had a group of tourists in a boat and suddenly a gigantic crocodile started stalking the boat. Before they knew what was happening, the crocodile jumped into the boat and bit a chunk out of the other guide's leg. All the tourists panicked and started crying. Needless to say, they all left the tour early. 
As you can see, it can be scary business out in the Amazon. You're in a third world country in the wild. Things can go wrong real quick. And that's why they make you sign the waiver form!!! Hehe