Friday April 10, 2009 8:30 PM (approx)
Random Cabin Lodge in the Selva (Jungle)
What another loco day. We woke up at 4 am and took a bus until 10:30 to Tarma, where we got a huge van/tour guide to take us around La Merced (the forest area) for the day. Since I was in the very back of the van with the wind blowing in my ear, I had a hard time hearing our guide to know what was going on, but every stop was memorable without fail. Our first stop was a quick walk across this huge swaying bridge over a large river before piling back in the van. (AN: I’ve spent way too many hours in various forms of transportation during the past two days, whether train, bus, van, boat, taxi, tuk tuk).
Our next stop, I still can’t get over – we pulled off into this traditional village turned tourist trap and the next thing we knew we were dressed in their traditional clothes, which I can best describe as Fred Flinstone baggy outfits, and danced in a circle with children and traditional music played by a group of percussionists. I couldn’t stop laughing over the randomness of it all. We had just enough time to buy some traditional crafts and eat grilled bananas and some other fruit before we were whisked away to the van again (though we were delayed for a little bit by a mud/rock slide across the road).
Our third stop let us actually walk around and stretch a bit, albeit through very muddy pathways. As we slogged down the path and picked our way through the rocks (the van ride up the mountain had been very steep and rocky dirt path as well), we came across a great lookout of a waterfall while snacking on coconut. We climbed to another waterfall and this time we actually swam in it. I clambered over the slippery rocks and actually up into the falls themselves! It was a blast as water pounded down on me, with extreme force at times.
Final stop was for our “lunch” but since it was already 6 PM and we had yet to actually eat a real meal, I would say it was more of a “briliner.” I got mollina chincarron, a fish that was battered and served with awesome sauce, avocado, and cucumber salad, fried yucca, grilled platanos, and, of course, rice. While they cooked the food, we took a boat out on the river as the sun was setting between mountains covered with banana and avocado plants.
We had a bit of a long ride that night to where we were going to sleep (I don’t even know the town, but we ended up in middle-of-nowhere cabin lined with wooden bunk beds). That night, we went to another boliche, which was this cool mix between modern laser lights and dance floor and two-story jungle hut complete with real palm trees and vine covered walls.
Until our next adventure, Coli
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