Friday, July 27, 2012

Update: From the Andes to the Amazon, July 20th

It was a very early start this morning in Cusco for our flight to Puerto Maldonado, the southern gateway to Peru's Amazonia region.
Arriving on the tarmac in Puerto Maldonado.
Our bus from the airport!
Our first stop was Inkaterra's Butterfly House.  After refreshing juice & cold towels we went in to discover the butterflies.






On the way from the Butterfly House to the port we saw a little of Puerto Maldonado itself, an interesting town/city with a distinct 'frontier feel'.

At the dock we boarded our boats (x2) for the 25 minute ride to our jungle lodge.





Arriving at Hacienda Concepcion
There was plenty of time to relax before lunch.  Being the only guests (we filled all 15 rooms) we were able to relax & make ourselves at home.

The wildlife was right outside the door!

After lunch we gathered for our first excursion into the jungle, a walk on the trails around our lodge to introduce us to the many interesting flora & fauna found here.

A 'walking' tree that grows new roots in order to pull itself sideways into better light!
Giant fig tree
Viewing the Madre de Dios (Mother of God) river
Some of the spiders are disconcertingly large!

After our walk there was plenty of time to relax before dinner.  Later we went out after dark for a nighttime boat ride, our guides using powerful flashlights to search for wildlife along the shore.  A few caiman were seen, but the best sight came right at the end when we saw a family of at least 3 capybaras.

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