"That will blind you. Permanently".

Welcome to the jungle! Strictly speaking I think we were in primary rainforest, the jungle being when the canopy disappears and lets enough light through so a dense undergrowth can develop.  There was definitely a canopy, as one member of our group will attest, after they were hit on the head by fruit thrown by a pesky monkey from said canopy!  This specific piece of Amazon rainforest was in a private reserve called Serera, run by local eco-activist Rosa Maria.  She has done a massive amount of work in the nearby Madidi National Park, trying to protect and develop the reserve, whilst encouraging the local communities to welcome tourism to help continue a sustainable way of life.  She is now working to regenerate Serera, putting all proceeds from the lodge back into the community, currently aiming to employ more full time guards to protect against poaching and logging.

So 'that' was the residue from a beetle hiding under a leaf; fortunately it was our guide Gilda (pronounced Hilda) who brushed against it and could calmly explain the latest peril to us before very carefully washing his fingers. The number of dangers in the rainforest is extraordinary. Aside from the obvious such as snakes and spiders, you have to avoid grabbing branches incase a poisonous caterpillar is lurking or perhaps fire-ants. Even the trees themselves pose a threat, some with an armour of spikes, others containing sap of which one drop would knock you out cold (traditionally used by hunters to fell animals with darts). On the animal front, there isn't much danger from wild cats during the day, it's the wild pigs you have to watch out for as they hunt in huge packs and can circle humans and make their charge; the only escape is up a tree and people have lost their rear ends by not climbing high enough in time...good luck to the gringoes!

We were constantly shuffled away from some danger or other by Gilda, mostly ants to be fair that would just give you a nasty nip, but on one occasion even our unflapable and smiling guide displayed a worrying look of concern. Our path was leading us close to a nest of wasps, and I don't think we were talking your common or garden wasp you find back home, that will just smart a bit if you're gotten; I can't remember the exact strain but I'm sure the word 'killer' appeared in the name.  Gilda quickly abandoned his original plan to pass one by one at two minute intervals, as even that might rile them too much, and we went the long way round, pushing our way through thicket and presumably taking a calculated risk with all the other (less) deadly perils!

Reassuringly the rainforest will as happily save you as kill you. It was fascinating to learn about each of the many plants that have medicinal properties. There are literally hundreds that the locals have used for years to treat all manner of conditions and only very recently have we caught on to the possibilities that Amazon plantlife may hold. Now it is big business for drug companies as they plough funds into research; this yields one hope that people will realise there is value in the rainforest beyond the price of timber or cattle and perhaps what little that is left can be saved.

Our adventure into the Amazon had started the moment we left La Paz as we climbed into our teeny little plane, having to crouch to get down the aisle. Not long after take-off the pilot let us know we could see Cotopaxi, a 6000m volcano, just to our left...and he really meant 'just' to our left as we skirted the peak! An hour or so later we touched down in a field surrounded by green mountains, feeling very happy to be out of the city. Our lodge was a 3 hour boat ride down river, bobbing over the odd rapid enroute and dodging giant trees felled by the strength of the river as it gushed down from the Andes.  Immediately off the boat we got our first sight of spider monkeys as they leapt among the branches high above us; a promising start. A 30 minute walk brought us to our home for the next 2 nights, and we were delighted to find our bed separated from the flora and fauna by no more than the netting surrounding our stilted huts.

The sound of the rainforest at night is quite something, cicadas chirping incessantly, bats flitting about and the rustle of anteaters and other nocturnal predators all around. Strangely this all becomes the norm so quickly that we possibly slept better because of it. By day, maybe the most incredible sound of all is that of the howler monkey; difficult to describe but at first I thought there were heavy chainsaws operating nearby, or dirt bikes racing around...perhaps imagine a deep haunting wind eerily sending chills down your spine. It doesn't sound animal in any case!

 
It didn't seem long at all until we were back in La Paz, time really does fly when you're having fun. Fortunately the memories will last a little longer and whilst we've still to see the elusive anteater, we've photos of monkeys, snakes, spiders, tropical birds and a 3 metre black caiman to remind us...and a few dozen mosquito bites!