FYI

A few things that you should know before you visit the amazon (things I wish I’d remembered/seriously considered/known about before coming):

1.      Bring earplugs, unless you (thankfully like me) can sleep through the noise of the jungle nightlife (mainly noisy insects). However I can’t sleep through a storm beating on a tin roof but it is dry season at the moment (Aug-Dec), so it doesn’t often rain at night.

2.       Learn to sleep without a blanket; it can be hot at night so even a thin blanket is too much. I learnt the hard way in Africa (and will never get back those countless nights of bad sleep), so now have little qualm sleeping without one. And if you imagine living in a sauna, you have a close representation of what the daytime can be like.

3.       Do everything you need to do on the internet before coming. By this I mean any further activities you have planned after your time in the Amazon. I only have internet when I visit the nearby town and even then it can be a slow connection/temperamental/the computers can be subject to sudden (and not uncommon) power-cuts. Not ideal for trip planning.

4.       Bring music and/or radio that you can get the BBC world service on. Being surrounded by a language you don’t understand/just want to relax, an English voice goes a long way. I didn’t bring a radio (I should have listened to my brother Ben’s advice), so know very little of what has happened outside of Ecuador in the past 2 month (are you all still alive?!). As for reasons aforementioned in 3. I use the internet for trying to sort the things out that I would have done beforehand had I known the internet situation (and for updating my blog so people know I am alive).

I had not planned to bring music, but luckily I found a memory stick I had not intended to bring and it has a few songs that a friend recorded on guitar, which are perfect for unwinding to – thank you Rachel!

5.       If outside for more than 30 seconds in the daytime heat…WEAR A HAT! And one that is wide-brimmed. The use of capitals is aimed at myself, because I though a short trip to the town would be fine not to wear a hat… the acute sun stroke that followed was not pleasant (yes Dad I won’t do it again).

6.       Be accustomed to insects. Don’t scream-on-sight or you will lose your voice very quickly and don’t freak out every time you encounter one or you will surely go insane.  Learn to see and avoid with as little fuss as possible. The spiders can be as big as your hand and all sizes can be poisonous. Brush (off) don’t crush!

7.       Be accustomed to insect bites. I don’t mean go and practice by putting your feet in a nest of ants and take the pain. I mean expect it and deal with it. My feet, ankles and wrists are continually peppered with bites from who knows what (I don’t catch the blighters in time) but thankfully the bites don’t hurt most of the time (if you don’t scratch them). I normally wear full trousers and shirts at least to my upper arms, so avoid bites further up those extremities. I could wear shoes to cover my feet, but it’s just too hot to deal with that.

Also note – the ants here bite hard… and the really big ones (1/3 the size of your pinkie finger) can give you a fever for a couple of days (not happened to me (yet)).

8.       You won’t need a jumper. I packed a thin one and a thick one and need neither (but should do after my time here so merit their place in the suitcase).

9.       Don’t forget your Spanish pocket dictionary… like I did (only applicable if you are in a Spanish speaking area of the amazon). However a friend from Quito has loaned me hers… in all its glory from the year 1969 (but it has been really useful). Bring phrase books (I have 2 – both have their uses).

10.   Practice having rice for breakfast (and for every meal of the day – but not everyday). My British eating habits balk at the very idea of not having a bowl of cereal with ‘real’ milk for breaky. However milk here tends to be powdered, so only merits use in hot drinks (so you enjoy your milk next time you pour it over your breakfast – unless you eat toast in which case why are you pouring milk on it, strange person). However I have gotten into the mind-set that it is ok to eat rice for breakfast, in fact I look forward to it. I made porridge here (they have Quaker oats!) and it did not satisfy my stomach as much as rice does… yes, I may have lost my UK foodie-ID.

11.   Practice having rice with other carbs. Also a confusion for my brain, but I have had a meal here (soup and main) with pasta, potato and rice… but heck I’d eat (nearly) anything put in front of me, though the cooked pig skin was a challenge. I was offered barbecued yellow round grubs, and I did eat the little ones (which actually tasted ok if you don’t think too much about what you are eating). But I tried a big one and spat it out when its gooey yellow and red juices of its internals filled my mouth (undercooked) – gross I know but I so wanted to share that image with you (I hope you weren’t eating anything at the time of reading this).

For some that list may have turned you off the amazon completely, please don’t be. It is well worth the discomforts it may present, I mean I’m doing fine after 2 months (only been sick once – and immediately felt better afterwards). There is not much to worry about really, you just need to expect that it may be a bit uncomfortable at times and be careful where you are walking. I am enjoying myself, the food is great, the people are very friendly, the scenery is fantastic, the wildlife ever astounding and no matter how many nights now that I have seen the Milky Way, it always makes me stop and stare!