Nov 2009

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MONTH
Oct 09

COUNTRIES
Peru, Ecuador, Columbia

SITES
Huachina, Lima, Cuenca, Banos; thermal baths, Tena; Amazon Jungle, Quito, Mindo; Cloud forest bird watching, The Equator (00:00:00), Otavelo, Popayan,San Agustín Archaeological Park, Salento; Coffee Factory, Bogota; Gold and Modern Art Museum, Santa Marta, Taganga, Tyrona National Park, Cartagena; Fortress of San Felipe de Barajas.

WILDLIFE
A big list this month with Jungle, Cloud Forest and Caribbean Coast.
Grey bearded hermit and red hummingbird, king fisher, cookoo, pale mandiblad aracan, red billed parrot, bronze winged parrot, crimson rumped toocan, white hawk, roadside hawk, black vulture, hookbilled kite, masked drogan, white winged tanager, swallow tanager, blue necked tanager, golden tanager, druffles mot mot, sunbitten. chameleon, boa constrictor, caiman, iguana, turtle, skink, stick insect, tarantula, butterflies, spider monkey, woolly monkey, jungle squirrel, puffer fish, spider crab, moray eel, sea urchins.

TOP MOMENTS

1.The amazon jungle trip into Huaorni terratory, Ecuador - We learnt the tribal way of poison blow darts, climbing trees of 15 meter with just a loop of vine, trapping wild pigs and medicinal plants. Also surviving Ray Mears / Bear Grylls style the Quechua / Huaorni way for 2 days with only a machete and our wits. We fished, collect fruit, built a raft from balsa trees, made a shelter and drank river water.

2. Sandboarding - Sliding down a 300ft high sand dune at high speed, belly first on a snowboard then driven to the top again in a dune buggy.

3. Zip lining - Traversing the cloud forest 100s of metres above the canopy on a steel cable.

4.Horse riding - Exploring the coffee region on horse back. We crossed rivers, visited waterfalls and cantered through stunning valleys.

LOWEST MOMENTS

1. Lost - Passing the same point 3 times in the jungle, even though we had a local guide.

2. Delays - Being constantly delayed on buses because the roads are closed for cycle races.

SCARIEST MOMENTS

1. Feeling the ground shake, like the tube was going under us during the 5.4 on the richter scale. It was only for a few seconds and the centre was over 100kms away but was a worrying moment.

2. Coming face to face with our first Huaorni tribe member. He was completely naked, carrying a spear and blow gun and wondering the jungle, he was a very primeval sight.

3. Walking into a tarantula web at head height in the jungle. (Lil)

UNUSUAL FOOD

Juice: More fruit than english names, some known some not - Yucca (Chicha), tomate de arbol, naranjilla, palmo, lulo, cuyabana, maracuya, mora, curuba, nispero

Pisco sour and Ceviche (raw fish cooked in lime)
Chamacuroa Grub (roasted grub like a widgy grub, tastes like crackling)

Cakachana - Jungle river cat fish
Canaron - Jungle river shrimp
Lemon and black ants
Plantana soup - green savory banana

MOSTLY MISSING
Sunday Roast

Banoffee pie

MOSTLY HAD FILL OFF
Fried chicken and rice

QUOTES

´Hey, Senor Blanco´

Huaorani tribe leader, Gareno, Amazon jungle
The name given to Chris in the village. (Mr White)

´In England do you have an hour when you all sit down and drink tea´
Adreano, a Columbia guy misunderstanding the true meaning of tea time.

´Liannah, your name in quechua is bejuco´
Sandro, Tena Jungle guide.I am powerful and i surpass the witches in power. Upon blowing my magic darts,
i erase all spells and witchcraft, with my blowing i even take away the power
that the witch doctors receive during the trance.´
Shaman in the Amazon

FACTS
There are more animals and plants per square km in Equador than any other country in the world.

Over 70% of the worlds cocaine comes from Columbia.

FISH CAUGHT =1
CH =1, Bonito (small tuna). I did however catch the grass hopper that caught our 2 jungle catfish (caught by our guide) we roasted in a banana leaves and ate.

BITES and STINGS

CH = Assorted jungle insects 30-40. Micro Jellyfish sting 1.
LP = Assorted jungle insects 100+.

TAN

Cappuccino - dark in some places, pale in others.

NEXT ON AGENDA
Sailing boat to Panama via the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean, then Mexico.