The Jungle

Hi Everyone. We have been so busy traveling by bus the last few days. We wanted to make it to a certain town before Christmas and we just arrived today. It´s called Montanita and it´s on the west coast of Ecuador. It´s an old fishing village turned surfing town. Lots of travelers(and hippies) come here so there are lots of shops and bars. Fun! We´re staying in a place with a great view of the ocean and a private deck with a hammock. The waves look good and big, so Doug will be renting a board.
So we survived the Oriente (jungle). We went on a three day, two night trip. From Baños we took an hour bus ride to Puyo, then were picked up and drove another 45 min. to a lodge in the jungle. Our guide´s name was Tony. He spoke english pretty well. Very nice and knowledgable about animals and plants. He studied the Oriente for a few years and then lived with Indians for a year.
Our first day we hiked to a waterfall and swam. It was beautiful. Along the way Tony pointed out plants used for medicine and different things. I kept expecting a python to strike out at me, but thankfully that didn´t happen. We did see lots of birds including parrots, tiny monkeys, a caiman(alligator) , frogs, and butterflies the size of small birds! And way too many hidden sneaky bugs and insects that you think is a leaf or stick.
The second day we hiked again to another waterfall. It was a long, hard treck with pouring down rain. Even with our rain gear, we got totally soaked. And the jungle floor got very slippery. I had fun sliding around, but Doug was somewhat miserable because they don´t make boots his size here, so he had to wear his shoes which were not very good for the jungle. The waterfall was very fun and worth the trip though.
When we got back we took a canoe ride to another camp where we stayed our second night. Two families live at this camp. Lots of dogs, cats, chickens, and monkeys hanging around. (you can imagine how much Doug loved this).
We walked around exploring the area and Tony taught us how to use a blowgun. The trip was a very cool experience.
We will post pictures soon! Take care everyone.