2011 | Day 2 - May 18th

We began our day early this morning with a natural and local breakfast buffet including fresh pineapple and passion fruit. Breakfast was followed by an adventurous trek into the jungle. It was supposed to be an hour long but we had so much fun exploring and learning about different parts of the jungle and ecotourism that we ended up spending a little over three hours out there. Leandro explained to us that the lodge uses three different trails.  Every two years, they let these trails grow over and create new ones in order to allow the trails to recoup to their natural state.  He also told us about why the lodge guides are instructed not to feed the animals. Many people think that animals enjoy being fed and in fact lodges that adopt this practice do so in order to attract animals so that tourists may get a closer look. In actuality, it harms the animals because they learn to depend on humans instead of their natural instincts. This is one of the many things that eco-tourists are taught to do to preserve the environment that they are exploring by responsible and sustainable lodges. As we journeyed farther through the jungle, one of our guides, Chico, made us each our own crown out of palm leaves. Toward the end of the trail, we came across some coconut larva. We then proceeded to eat them live by placing them in our mouths and crushing their milky texture out with our teeth. It was definitely an experience to remember!  This is actually a high-protein source of food that one might eat in order to survive in the jungle.

After canoeing back to the lodge and eating lunch, we got into a boat and went on a tour of the archipelago, which is an area of the Amazon that is protected by the government. We put our bathing suits on under our clothes, determined to jump into the river. After a short rainfall passed and a beautiful rainbow appeared, we jumped into the warm Rio Negro for a once in a life time opportunity. We then entered a sunken island canal and swung from vines that were connected to an enormous tree. Before we left the canal, we noticed a number of exotic spiders on a tree right next to us. We then returned to the lodge where we awaited a second night time spotting tour. This time we spotted a tree boa constrictor and another sloth.  We’re all really looking forward to what tomorrow has in store for us!