Hola Amazon!

Author: Elana
Location: Quito to Amazon
The leaders are always nervous that we are going to be late for our flight, so in order to prevent that from happening, we left our hotel at around 9:00 a.m. For a flight at 12:00 p.m., we got to the airport at 9:30 a.m. In order to keep ourselves entertained for those couple hours we played multiple card games that seemed to never end. The amazing plane ride was only half an hour long which was really nice...until we found out that we landed in an airport 2 hours from Coca, the town we were supposed to have landed in! Coca airport was closed for maintenance. We took a 2 hour bus ride to the dock we had to go to in order to get to our next lodge. I loved the bus ride because I got to see how people in the Amazon lived which I thought was pretty interesting. I was also happy on the bus ride because I was listening to "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, which has turned into our group's "song" (even though Roberto doesn't sing the right lyrics) and it got me into a really good mood especially since we were entering the Amazon which a lot of people in our group have been freaking out about. It was really funny when half way through the bus ride, several girls and I realized that we REALLY had to pee, but we still had 45 minutes left on the bus, and trust me, going over so many speed bumps and seeing a lot of creeks and rivers did not help us at all. A lot of people were laughing at us when we sprinted off the bus in desperate search of a bathroom when we finally reached the dock.

Before going on the boat tried on rubber work boots that we have to wear during community service work and when walking through the jungle because there is so much mud. After 45 minutes of boating through the Rio Napo, we arrived at the lodge. Although I expected the scenery to look beautiful and tropical, I did not realize how well this lodge would fit in with its surroundings. As we exited the boat, I could not believe my eyes, we had entered a tropical getaway island. Down by the water there is a dock and a muddy futbol/volleyball field, and as you go up the stairs there is a large dining hall and a lot of cabanas surrounded by the jungle. Many people are afraid of the tarantulas and other big bugs here, but somehow I have managed to overlook those factors because I am so astonished by how peaceful and unrealistic this place truly is.

We had heard many great things about Hector (the man we are working with) and how amazing the Amazon was, but I didn't understand that fully until I met Hector and saw the landscape of the Amazon and all of the animals that inhabit it. On first impression, I knew Hector would work us hard but would still be kind to us. I am really excited to learn more about his life, the Amazon, and all of the animals here.
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