Quito to the Amazon Jungle – May 15, 2017

Two things I dearly love about Ecuador, passion fruit and it’s relatives like the one shown above, and the fantastic coffee. Being a lifelong tea drinker, I knew that there is a tremendous variety of tastes available. Not to many years ago when Linda finally convinced we to drink coffee, I discovered that almost all coffee has the same bland taste except for the French Roast Linda loves and which to me is the only real coffee. And now along comes Ecuador which turns my coffee conceptions upside down. I won’t say every cup of coffee we have had in Ecuador is great, but most of them are, which is just the opposite of non-Linda brewed coffee in the US.

Packed for the jungle. The red duffle is Linda’s, the black one mine. The big bag, which has our smaller bag inside stays behind.

Checking to make sure the duffle bags are in the “going to the Amazon pile” and not the stay behind pile. Luckily, Linda only had me check twice. After all these years you would think I would remember Linda is not an up at the crack of dawn woman. Meanwhile I’m a, the days half over when the sun comes up man. Opposites do attract, though sometimes it’s a wonder they stay attached.

The statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking Quito. It is on every tourists list. The bus took us there on the way to airport, so we had no choice. It was a dreary overcast day, in other words not a good day to take photos.

Jessica, who will be our guide in the Galapagos. She was hitching a ride with us to the airport.

 

Everytime we check our bags Linda asks me what they weighed. I always have to shrug my shoulders and tell her I didn’t look. It does seem to me that if she wants to know what they weigh every time, she could look for herself. Maybe I’d better keep that thought to myself for now, after all, machetes are common in the jungle and like the fact I still have all my body parts attached. Smart Bob.

 

Have to love what people try to take onboard planes.

If you’re going to fly, first class is the way to go. (Linda here, wouldn’t you know this was only a 30 minute flight and no services!)  Don’t know how we rated these seats, but we sure didn’t complain.

What the Amazon jungle looks like from 20,000 feet. It sure is impressive and seems to go on forever. And just like all the stories on TV, they are burning it all down because all I could see was white smoke. Delusional Bob.

And now back from reality TV, an oxymoron if there ever was, to reality. They do clear off huge sections of the jungle to grow things.

Coca, Ecuador a small town on the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon, located in the Amazon watershed and some hours by canoe from the lodge where we will be staying for the next few days and nights.

Since we are here in the Amazon, I guess I could title this, “Amazon Woman descending from the sky to greet her lowly man servant.” One the other hand, the smile says it all, “Another lifelong dream fulfilled.” We are so incredibly lucky to able to do what we do. Blessed Bob. And how she put up with me being constantly gone on business trips for all those years I can’t even begin to appreciate.

The Coca Airport baggage area, all of it.

When the baggage arrives.

Linda had mentioned she really wanted to experience the Amazon. Looking at the native and their dress, I’m really looking forwarding it. In your dreams Bob, in your dreams. Linda’s Latin name would be Skinnus Showus Nonus. Bad Bob.

It was a small van that only had room for all of us to sit. That meant there was no room for the luggage. Not to worry, there is always room. People don’t live in this part of the world the way people do in the developed countries and lament about problems. Here they solve them.

What follows is a number of street scene phots taken as we drove through town.

Oops! The last one is not a Coca street scene, it is the lineup for the restrooms at the dock where we were to board the canoe for a several hour ride to our lodge, “You can go here, or we can put in along the river bank and you can go in the jungle.” Those were Sofy’s words. Everyone believed her. It turned out she was exactly right. Need to go in the jungle, find a bush and go.

There are canoes and then there are canoes. Ours was one of the latter.

All life jacketed up and ready to go. Anytime we were in a small watercraft during the trip, life jackets were required. Interestingly enough, if we were all in our swimming suits and going snorkeling, sometimes they were and sometimes they weren’t.

Happy Linda.

Photographer Bob.

Napo riverbank.

The Napo is wide, as in a half to three quarters of a mile wide. I can’t begin to imagine how big the Amazon itself actually is.

Life along the river.

We quickly learned that outside it was shoes on, inside it was shoes off.

Ready for our first outing in the jungle.

“Into the jungle, the mighty jungle, Linda slips and slides. Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling, the Bob will fish you out.” Okay, so it didn’t exactly go like that, but I think they will have to replace a few sections of the handrail where Linda crushed it. Nasty Bob.

 

Then came this. I did make it to the top eventually, going up after everyone else because it shook something awful as they climb up. I admit it, I’m afraid of climbing these things.

 

She can say she’s not afraid, but I noticed that she is hanging on with both hands.

Sunset from the top of the tower, It’s why the climb was worth it.

Remember, shoes off inside. This on the veranda just outside our room.

It is unbelievably hot and humid. Linda hung our socks (for the rubber boots) out to dry with the fan blowing on them.

Bug netting down, it was time for bed. Interestingly enough, bugs were never a problem during our stay, either indoors or out.