My apologies to all of you blog readers! I recently made a trip back to the States to do some wedding planning stuff and have completely neglected the blog! However, as promised, part 2 is here and we'll star by kicking it off with that video you've all been waiting for -
So, yes, it is true that people eat lice, and it is a very normal thing to do in the jungle! This video did not actually take place on the boat, but it was the video that best captured the view. The family of four that slept in the hammocks at our feet were the first ones we actually saw eating lice out of each other's hair, and it was a daily routine! After the discovery that lice were practically breeding at our feet and probably crawling all around us, we decided it would be best not to shower so as to lessen our chances of getting lice! The jungle does weird things to you....
Mark, Heather, and Carolina ventured out in the rain to buy blankets, as we quickly realized the first night on the lancha that we would be needing them! Luckily we were still in the port for 3 more days to figure out all the things we didn't know we would need
Moto-taxi's in the rain!
Me being super happy because they brought me back breakfast and a rain jacket! While they were gone I people watched and discovered our lice-eating friends one hammock away
This is what we felt like after having been on the boat for 3 days without moving from the dock area!
We finally started moving and we were able to see the beautifully brown Amazon River!
This is the cargo part of our boat, and part of the Amazon
We met these two little cuties on the boat and hung out with them during the day
On the top deck of the boat enjoying a nice sunset with our new friends!
At one point, we stopped (on the river) next to another boat from the same company and shared fuel! The people took this as a chance to trade items with the people on the other boat...hilarious!
Sleep time! Can you guess how many people are on the boat?! We have no idea....
A camera crew was filming a documentary about "life on the boat" and Carolina did an interview for them!
Our room quickly became the hang out place on the boat
These are some of the girls we met!
God's creation :)
I believe we finally showered this day (using the muddy, sewer-esque, smelly water) and were happy to take a picture (Day 5!)
We found this guy on the boat
We got massages from our little friends
Group picture of our friends from the week! So we actually did meet a group of about 20 American college students that were doing a study abroad/research in the jungle program, but for some reason have no pictures with them
We made it to land on Day 6! Finally!
This was what the sleeping area looked like on Day 1.... we thought we were going to be SO comfortable and have plenty of space
On Day 2 we took a break from the boat and went to a natural park in Pucallpa with Carolina's family that had all sorts of animals
On Day 3, maybe?, we met Carolina's aunt as a break from the boat, and then went to her house and slept in rocking chairs all afternoon
This was the room we rented on the boat so that we would have a place to put our things so they wouldn't get stolen! Because we had this room (which, by the way, none of us would have EVER slept it...it was disgusting!), we didn't have to go through the line to get food, but rather had our food brought to us on plates. Everyone else had to receive their food at every meal in a tupperware container from a big huge line that went through the kitchen
Now how many people do you think there were?!
The food line is on the left
One thing I personally enjoyed about being on the boat for a week was the amount of time we had, because there was literally nothing you had to do - didn't have to clean, cook, do work, etc. I read a lot, slept a lot, and listened to a lot of music! Sleeping in a hammock is pretty awesome as well! It takes about a day or two to get it all figured out, but after that I would say it's just as comfortable, if not a little more, than a bed. Everyone slept layered on top of each other...I was so grateful I had a small, petite grandma next to me that didn't move very much! My hammock was literally halfway on top of hers at night when we slept.
During the night, the boat would dock at small pueblos to reload on supplies or to unload supplies. One night we became a little restless and I had this extreme craving (for 2-3 days) for a regular banana, which are apparently extremely rare in the jungle (who would've thought?!), so we decided to get off the boat when it docked. We had heard stories of people getting off the boat and taking too long and being left behind, so we were determined to not miss the boat, but to find a bunch of bananas! As soon as our feet hit land, we began running down the streets of this small jungle village, asking if anyone would sell us some normal bananas. We soon noticed that the camera crew was following us, recording every bit of our adventure! We looked mad (as in crazy) and decided to end the search before being left behind. We came back empty handed, but no worries - we look like lunatics on a Peruvian documentary somewhere out there!
We enjoyed the boat, but were definitely glad to be off when the time came! In case you're wondering....from the boat, all of the Amazon River looks pretty much the same: muddy water and lots of trees surrounding it. When it rains it's extremely strong and keeps the air fairly cool!
The travel-by-boat experience was great and I am glad I did it, but I will definitely never choose to do it again!
