The Amazon!

Hello all!

For a quick update on our jungle adventures! The adventure started on Friday night an hour before our 8 hour bus ride! I became sick...with what...who knows. I was throwing up and had a viscious stomach ache that I feared could turn to the DIAH any second. I refused though to let that stop anything. I packed some bags and hoped I would not have to throw up in them...let alone poop in them. My stomach loves to cave at the most inopportune times...so I am a bit used to this!

I threw up at the bus station twice and fortunately only once on the bus...with the dreaded DIAH never surfacing! Being I was so exhausted, I slept well on the bus!

We made it to Lag Agrios, took another three hour bus ride to the entrance of the Amazon! We then hopped on a boat for a two hour boat ride through the Amazon to our camp. We stayed in thached roof shelters with beds covered in mosquito nets!

The trip was amazing (does this have any relationship to Amazon? someone with a bit of spare internet time want to research this for me and let me know)? We saw three sloths, three anacondas, two camines, tucan Sam, dolphins (who knew), were stung by wasps, went pirahna fishing, took several hikes into the deep forests involving loads of mud, humidity, and sweat! We swam in pirahna infested waters and were told "they will not bother you", swim in rivers known to have anacondas and camines, swung into the river via vines...feeling like Tarzan a bit, cooked some bread with indigenous women, held parrots, licked lemon flavored ants off a tree, relaxed in hammocks, canoed with no supervision, and unfortunately saw no rain in the rainforest. We were there during the wet season with unbelievable weather (sunny and warm the entire time).

To cap off the splendid trip we hopped back on the eight hour bus ride which ended up taking 12 hours!!! To my comfort, I did not mind too much. We had windows that opened!!!!!!!!!!! so I had wind blowing on my face for most of the time. Although, my butt seriously does hurt!

Anyways, off for a crazy train ride in Riobamba and off to the coast of Guayquil.

Thank you for the comments, prayers, and email! Keep sending them!!!

Adam