Lima to Puerto Maldonado and Tambopata Lodge



 A 6am breakfast, and depart for the airport at 6:50am. Quite a bit of traffic, but mostly going the other way. Last night we had a quick meeting with our group;10 in all including our CEO Andreas,  John and Elia from Maryland, Bill & Diane from Invermere, John & Dee from Louisiana, and Maren from Munich.
The Lima airport is a bit chaotic with long lines, but we were in lots of time. Our flight stopped in Cuzco on the way to Puerto Maldonado, so about 3 hours in total.
VERY hot when we land. First stop at the Tambopata Lodge office to pack a small duffel bag for our 2 nights at the lodge. About a 45min bus ride, then a 2 hour boat ride to the lodge. A lovely breeze once we’re under way! The river level is very low as it’s the end of the dry season. Along the way we saw a family of Capybara grazing on the bank. By the time we arrived at the Lodge it was about 5:30pm, getting dusk. We have a welcome drink of passion-fruit  juice, then go to our huts. No electricity, but light and airy. Light is by candles, and all have sink, toilet and shower. The beds have mosquito netting. There is electricity in the main lodge building that holds the lounge and dinning room at certain times of the day, and there are lights on the path until 10pm.
After getting changed we had a beer at the bar, then dinner. Squash soup, pork stew, yucca, and mixed vegetables with lemon vinaigrette. Flan with jello for dessert.
After dinner we had a guided walk to look for bugs. We saw many spiders, including a tarantula, ants, walking sticks, also a porcupine and an armadillo that almost ran over Karen’s foot! At one point we all turned off our flashlights and just listened to the sounds of the jungle. There is thunder in the distance, and flashes of lightening which add to the effect! Early to bed tonight.







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