Getting There - Aneel's Travelogue

Our last day in the jungle started off with a 5am hike out towards where the howler monkeys congregate. We heard a few howls in the distance, but didn't get close enough to see any actual howler monkeys because the rising water stopped us from going too far. Large portions of the area have become swamp. We did get to check out some smaller monkeys, and a frog that looked remarkably like a dead leaf.

The mosquitos were particularly bad. I was wearing my thick long-sleeved shirt, which is a dark blue and attracts a lot of them (I really wish I'd found the white and gray version of this shirt at REI before I bought the blue one). I applied DEET to all of my exposed flesh (just face, neck, and hands), but the sweat from my hatband washed it off of my forehead. Whe we got back I had about a hundred closely-space bites between my eyebrows and my hairline. I only got about two bites on my cheek and hands, so the DEET did help where it stayed on. Lessons for the future: light colors (don't assume that you'll be able to find them in Iquitos just before you go to the jungle) and more DEET.

The post-breakfast boat ride was much more pleasant. We went out to one of the lakes and saw more river dolphins, many birds, and a couple of large caiman lizards (not caiman).

The boat ride back to Iquitos was fun. The weather was clear and breezy. The owner of Muyuna found us a hotel with hot water and suggested a few places to visit while we're in Iquitos.

Hot showers are very nice.