Day Numero Diez:

Today we woke up bright and early and made our way to the Quito airport. Little did we know our flight was boarding when we arrived to begin check-in…luckily enough security in Ecuador is not exactly the slowest thing in the world so we were able to make it through with flying colors and make it to the gate with little time to spare. After an incredibly short flight of only 30 minutes, we made it to Coca, Ecuador in one piece. We boarded an open air bus and made our way to the port in which our canoe would depart from. Port is kind of a stretch from where we left from. It was more along the lines of a building with a dock and a huge canoe. So began our five hour excursion across the Amazon. We arrived at the Amazon Dolphin Lodge where we claimed our cabins and then headed out into Piranha Lagoon to go swimming. I would just like to claim the fact that I have successfully swam in the Amazon River without receiving any type of scrape, bruise, or parasite…..well hopefully that last one is true but I'll have to just wait and see! Ok well let me just tell you that the villas in which we are staying are not exactly ideal. The cabins are open and all the bugs of the Amazon love to snuggle up with us. Thank the Lord that the lodge gave us mosquito nets because if they didn't not have them I would not be able to function. Tonight I fall asleep to the sound of howler monkeys calling back and forth to one another under the clear, starred sky of Piranha Lagoon. (In case you were wondering there are in fact piranhas in the lagoon and YES I WENT SWIMMING IN IT!)  

Day Numero Once:

This morning we woke up at 5:30 in order to make it out in the canoes so we could catch some early bird watching. The birds of the Amazon are unlike any other in the world. My personal favorite that I have seen since being in the Amazon is the Hoatzin. For all you Harry Potter fans out there, it looks EXACTLY like Dumbledore's phoenix, Fox. It is so prehistoric looking and is honestly right from J.K. Rowling's writing. After we bird watched for an hour or so navigating amongst the different tributaries we made our way home for breakfast. After breakfast we headed out on a three hour hike, where our guide, Libio, showed us different ways in which his native people, and the indigenous people, of the Amazon live off the land. Watching him transform simple leaves into huts, ponchos, and many other things was one of the coolest thing ever. We arrived back at the lodge where we had an hour long photography class with Ms. Bottoms and then had lunch. After we ate lunch it was time to SIESTA! I have never been more thankful for sleep. For those of you who knew me pretty well, I cannot for the life of me ever nap. Well let me just tell you, give me a hammock, a nice breeze, and two and half hours and I will pass out. After our little siesta we headed out and looked for monkeys. We had success seeing that it is very difficult to navigate three canoes without making quite a racket. We made our way back home and ate dinner.We then went out in the canoes in the dark and discovered some caymans. Or at least we attempted but we didn't see any. We called it an early night tonight because the power goes off at nine and there is little else to do but sleep.  I say goodbye as I fall asleep in my mosquito netted world.