March 7-11, 2022
The last leg of our Peru trip was going to be in the Amazon jungle, staying right next to the Amazon River, and we couldn't wait. It was a bit of a trip to get there, though. We started at Iquitos and took a long van ride into the jungle. Then we got on a boat to the Muyuna Lodge. The lodge had no Internet and no electrical outlets in our individual huts, but they had electric lights. We charged our phones in the main lodge as needed. The whole thing ran on solar power.
We did all of that by noon on the first day, and after checking in we went for a hike in the jungle. It was interesting at every turn, with different plants, bugs, and animals. Our guide knew everything about everything, and we asked a lot of questions.
We wrapped up that first, exhausting day with a boat ride at night. It was so dark! Our guide used a laser pointer to point out nocturnal animals, and even brought one onto the boat with us.
We slept like logs that night, in our individual huts. Each hut even had its own screen room patio with hammocks. It was very comfortable.
The next day, we went boating for a longer trip that included time on the main river. We went swimming with pink dolphins, which was very cool. We also fished for piranhas, and they grilled what we caught (no, Margot didn't have any of that). This video is a compilation of all of the short videos Margot took over all of the boat rides.
It was special to get to see the San Juan de Yanayacu village next to the Amazon River. We didn't want to leave, but we had to finally go back. We took the boat and plane back to Iquitos. It was fun and somewhat terrifying to ride in a mototaxi, but we were glad for it! Then we took a plane back to Lima.
We had a day and a half to relax in Lima without any tours or events planned, which is exactly what we needed. It was Janis' birthday, and we went out to dinner to celebrate. It was cool to be able to celebrate that with her.
We finally took our long plane ride back to the states. Our first stop was in Dallas, and Margot got off there (Monica picked her up at the airport, and we were staying nearby in Sunnyvale). It was definitely an easy trip for Margot, relatively, as she just walked off of the plane and out of the airport. The others continued on to other destinations, and they weren't so lucky when dealing with Customs. It all worked out, and we made it home safely and soundly. It was an amazing trip!
