That afternoon we set off into the Amazon, long pants and shirts and covered with 80% DEET (have a read of the instructions / precautions some time, truly scary). We saw few animals but were told of many traditional uses for the astounding number of plants and trees. After another brief shower (where much of the water didn't seem to make it past the canopy) we returned to camp for a candlelight dinner. We delayed our night-walk through the jungle due to the rain in the afternoon, we crawled into our mosquito nets and called it a night.
I was awoken in the early hours to a tremendous storm, through the early hours of the morning to the afternoon I did not let up. Grey skies as far as the eye could see, and a constant downpour of heavy rain. The camp quickly turned to mud and halted and chance of hiking that morning. Instead we made handy crafts, I'm now the proud owner of several rings made from some Amazonian nuts....
We decided to hike in the afternoon through muddy paths and swollen streams, my boots were caked in a later of clayish mud within minutes. Again, we saw few animals apart from some pigs, and wandered through the jungle for several hours with our guide macheteing away at rogue foliage.
Back to camp, we hiked at night in one last vain attempt to see some animals, but with the full moon blazing in the sky it wasn't to be. Still, it was an experience to walk the Amazon during the night.
The next day we went Piranha fishing, this time I had slightly more success, catching a solitary yellow Piranha. After the rain it was hot and humid, we spent the afternoon back on the canoe to Rurrenabaque.
Again, the tour was a disappointment although mostly due to chance. It was pleasant to hike in the jungle but the main attraction was to see all the different types of animals (Jaguars, Tapirs, Anteaters etc)
More photos here
