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yatrikatour · 5 years

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Bali is one of the most evocative and popular tourist islands of the entire Indonesian archipelago. A visit here sparks the senses. Despite the clamor and chaos of the main tourist areas, the island is rich in natural beauty, with attractions for every kind of traveller. Surfers come for the legendary swells, hikers can trek up jungly volcanic peaks and to misty waterfalls, and cyclists can bike through lush landscapes bristling with rice terraces and traditional villages. The island's rich arts scene is another top draw, and if relaxation is your top priority, the shopping in Bali and spa treatments are fabulous - and affordable.

Pura Tanah Lot

About 20 km northwest of Kuta, Pura Tanah Lot ("Pura" means temple in Balinese) is one of Bali's most iconic temples thanks to its spectacular seaside setting on a rocky islet surrounded by crashing waves. For the Balinese people, it is one of the most sacred of all the island's sea temples.

Every evening, throngs of tourists from Kuta, Legian, and Sanur find their way through a labyrinth of lanes lined by souvenir sellers to watch the sun setting behind the temple.

Mount Batur

This sacred active volcano lies in Kintamani District in Bali's central highlands, about an hour's drive from Ubud, and the hike to the summit to watch the sunrise has long graced the list of top things to do in Bali. The hike along the well-marked trails is relatively easy and usually takes about two to three hours. Guided treks typically include a picnic breakfast, with eggs cooked by the steam from the active volcano. On a clear day, the views are spectacular, stretching all the way across the Batur caldera; the surrounding mountain range; and beautiful Lake Batur, the island's main source of irrigation water.

Uluwatu Temple

Presiding over plunging sea cliffs above one of Bali's best surf spots, Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur Uluwatu) is one of the island's most famous temples, thanks to its magnificent clifftop setting. In Balinese, "Ulu" means "tip" or "land's end" and "Watu" means rock, a fitting name for the location of the temple on the Bukit Peninsula along the island's southwestern tip. Like Pura Tanah Lot, sunset is the best time to visit, when the sky and sea glow in the late afternoon light.

The temple is believed to protect Bali from evil sea spirits, while the monkeys who dwell in the forest near its entrance are thought to guard the temple from bad influences Only Hindu worshippers are allowed to enter the temple, but the beautiful setting and the sunset Kecak dance performances that take place here daily are more than worth the visit.

Ubud Monkey Forest

The Monkey Forest, also known as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, is one of the top attractions in this tourist town and a must-see for animal lovers and photographers. The forest is intended to represent the harmonious coexistence between humans and animals. It also conserves rare plants and is used as a location for researching macaque behavior, particularly their social interaction.

The 14th-century Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, where hundreds of monkeys swing through the trees and clamber over the walls.

In the northwest of the forest, an ancient bathing temple, Pura Beji, nestles next to a cool stream and makes a beautiful backdrop for watching the monkey's antics. While visiting the forest, make sure to secure your belongings and avoid direct eye contact with the animals (and smiling), as this can be interpreted as a sign of aggression.

Ubud Art & Culture

Made famous by the book and movie Eat, Pray, Love, Ubud is also the epicenter of Balinese art and culture. Today, several excellent local museums and galleries celebrate its evolution and traditions.

If shopping for art is more your style, don't miss the the Ubud Art Market. This labyrinth of stalls brimming with carvings, sculptures, jewelry, sarongs, paintings, and homewares is one of the top tourist attractions in town. Bargaining is essential, and a good rule of thumb is to counter with half the asking price and barter upwards from there, always with a smile.

Tegallalang and Jatiluwih Rice Terraces in Bali

Tegallalang Rice Terraces are one of the most famous areas to photograph these iconic landscapes and absorb their timeless beauty. Be aware that locals ask for donations along the most popular trail through the rice fields here, and many request fees for entrance and parking along the road. A relaxing way to enjoy the lush landscapes is at one of the many restaurants and cafes overlooking the fields.

About a 90-minute drive from Ubud, the Jatiluwih rice terraces cover more than 600 hectares of rice fields along the hillsides of the Batukaru mountain range and tend to be less crowded than Tegallalang. You'll also find fewer tourist touts here, so it's easier to walk around and explore without being hassled. Both of these locations use the traditional water management cooperative called "subak," a UNESCO-recognized irrigation system that dates to the 9th century.

Waterbom Bali

Waterbom Bali is an action-packed waterpark, in the heart of Kuta, with something for every member of the family. Kids can splash in the swimming pools; drift down the Lazy River; or zoom down one of the many twisting water slides and rides, with names like the Python, Green Viper, and Super Bowl. Moms and dads can relax with a reflexology session, manicure or pedicure, or fish spa therapy. Restaurants and cafes cater to a range of different diets, and the grounds are landscaped with large, shady trees and beautiful tropical gardens, making this a refreshing respite from the heat on a hot tropical day.

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

On a small island along the western shore of Lake Bratan, in the cool highlands of central Bali, the 17th-century Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is one of Bali's most picturesque temple complexes. Set against the imposing backdrop of Gunung Bratan, the thatched temples reflect on the lake, and when the water levels rise, they seem to float on its surface. Lake Bratan is one of Bali's main sources of irrigation and drinking water, and the temple complex is dedicated to Dewi Danu, goddess of the sea and lakes.

This sacred Hindu temple complex is best seen in the soft morning light, before the tourist buses arrive, when cool mist sometimes cloaks the lake and the mountains beyond. You can also hire a canoe and paddle out on the lake to explore the meru (thatched shrines) at close range.

The Nusa Islands

The most popular of the three islands is Nusa Lembongan, about 20 kilometers offshore from Sanur and easily accessible by speedboat. Surfing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and paddle boarding are the main activities here, and the top attractions include beautiful Dream Beach; Mushroom Bay; and the Devil's Tears rock outcrop, with views of crashing surf erupting over the rocks. Many locals still make their living from seaweed farming, and you can watch them harvesting it by the shore.

The Sidemen Valley

The emerald-hued Sidemen Valley evokes the feel of Old Bali, before the tourist throngs descended on the island. Sleepy villages snuggle in the valley amid cascading rice terraces, and cloud-capped Mount Agung looms in the background like a benevolent sentry. A highlight of a visit here is strolling around the small villages, surrounded by farmland and rice paddies, where the locals still tend to their traditional activities. You can also hike through the countryside to the summit of Mount Agung or trek through the rice fields and lush countryside past cocoa and coffee plantations.

Sekumpul Waterfall

The Singaraja region in Bali's north, Sekumpul Waterfall, actually a series of about seven falls, is considered by many to be Bali's most beautiful falls. Most hikers hire a local guide to do the three- to four-hour round-trip trek, which passes by bristling rice terraces and local villages rimmed with rambutan and durian trees, and continues through dense tropical jungle. It can be strenuous in parts, as you need to hike down slippery steps and slosh through a river, but once you arrive, you can cool off with a refreshing swim at the base of the falls. This is a great adventure for nature lovers who want a taste of wild Bali far from the touristy resorts.

Tirta Empul Temple

Tirta Empul Temple (Pura Tirta Empul) in the lush tropical forest of Central Bali, offers a glimpse into a sacred purification ritual. This important temple complex, a national cultural heritage site, is divided into three courtyards, and the focal point is the large rectangular pool, fed by a holy mountain spring, where locals come to pray and soak in the healing waters that gush from a series of sculpted spouts. If you wish to join the locals in the cleansing ritual, it's best to ask an experienced guide first to make sure you respect the customs. You must enter the water fully clothed, wearing a sarong and sash, and it's best to explore the temple complex first as you are not allowed to drip water in the courtyards. To avoid the tourist buses, early morning and late afternoon are the best times to visit the temple.

#india to bali tour packages #bali #tourist places #tourism #Bali tour

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seasiawanderer · 7 years

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Koh Lanta + Ao Nang, Krabi

After getting to Koh Lanta, I spent the next few days getting over food poisoning. This involved a lot of toilets such as this jungle one with mosquitoes in it. This was at a restaurant. (Thai toilet post coming soon!) I blame a coffee drink that I made at our airbnb. Pro tip: Don’t use kettle things that you have to pump out water from. My guess is that some of the water I used was old and not bottled water. Louie was somehow fine, so it must have been that????

Anyway, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because all we did in Ko Lanta was beach it up.

It was a bit rocky at low tide.

That’s all I have for Ko Lanta because we were only there a couple of days and also food poisoning.

Next, we drove to Ao Nang in Krabi, which had better beaches, and I was even feeling better enough to help these fishermen out:

The waters were bluer and the weather was nicer, too.

There was also a jungly bit (part of a National Forest) right by the beach that warned us not to feed monkeys. Also, I bought these Thai pants thinking it was a dress. I wore it as a dress before realizing it...Not sure how that happened...

One thing we noticed both in Ko Lanta and in Ao Nang was that there was quite a bit of garbage in on the beaches. Not sure if it’s because we went during low season or because pollution has gotten a lot worse :(

After getting through the jungle bit, we went to this beach. I will leave to the reader to use their imagination as to what we nicknamed this island.

After that we got back on a ferry to learn that sitting at the very front row is a bad idea because you will get sea sick.

And that’s how we made it to Phi Phi!

#foodPoisoningisTheDevil electrolytesAreGodly

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pinkicie-blog · 7 years

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This weekend has been a blast. Friday we left very early to head to Puerto Viejo. On the way we stopped at Cahuita national park. We saw little monkeys and a sloth with it's baby! The water was some of the warmest I've ever been in but it wasn't quite the cleanest. Friday night in Puerto Viejo consisted of shots, karaoke and free drinks at ladies night. Then on Saturday we made breakfast in our Cabina and grabbed some bikes to head down the road for beach hopping. The ride was quite hot and we eventually came to the first beach, which I approved of but it was pretty choppy and there were quite a few rocks to maneuver. From there we road through a jungly area that almost seemed like something straight out of King Kong. The ride to the second beach consisted of some pretty sketchy kills with slippery bridges at the end and blind corners. Once there the group played soccer, hung out in the water (which was pretty dirty), and chilled in the sand. On the way back Abby fell off her bike and had to get some locals to bandage her up. EVERYONE got sunburned essentially. The evening was more of s low key night and we went out to the bar with swings (Ray Js??) to hear some live music. I had a pretty early night when I left around 11:30. Till next time ✌��

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candy-eyes · 7 years

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Monkey bars that are impossible to separate from

#kidbuddie #jungly jyms #jungle gyms #monkey bars #playground

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randrvstheworld · 6 years

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Lost luggage, stolen bikes & sightseeing: the Rio therapy sessions

It’s been a tough couple of days. Ultimately things can only go up from the point of feeling like utter crap & a lot of good things have happened in the last 48 hours so I’m starting to feel a lot more positive.

The bottom line is - Rio is awesome; beautiful, fun, sunny, heaps of fun stuff to do, loads of awesome street art, incredibly friendly helpful people everywhere & cool vibes which is exactly what I hoped for from a place I have wanted to visit for so long. However, it was off to quit a rocky start. As I mentioned in my last post I have been struggling quite a bit recently for a number of reasons, some of which I omitted from this blog for personal reasons, but have been massively looking forward to the arrival of Hannah from London for the festive period (not that I’m feeling too festive in 30+ degrees of sweltering heat, but that’s beside the point & also not necessarily a bad thing because I will never, EVER complain that the sun is shining, especially when I know my friends back home are cold & miserable). However, Hannah’s arrival was blighted by her airline leaving all her luggage in Germany, from whence she connected to Brazil from London, & she arrived stressed, tearful, sleep-deprived & anxious with no clean clothes or vape equipment in desperate need of a shower & nicotine. It was not quite the movie-level reunion either of us had planned or hoped for but did involve a lot of hugging & crying as expected. However, the people at our hostel here are impossibly lovely & were very sympathetic towards Hannah’s plight & so in a flurry of activity between them & myself within ten minutes Hannah had cigarettes, a towel, fresh clothes borrowed/donated from me, all the toiletries & makeup she could possibly need, coffee & a freshly made bed in the bunk directly above mine. After her sanity had been restored we set out to truly begin exploring the wonders of Rio.

This involved taking a cable car up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain - world’s most adorably named mountain imo - which again marked big achievements from me in my ongoing quest to eliminate vertigo from my life. The mountain is remarkably smooth & very tall, like a giant turtle shell rising out of the ocean, & wrapped in jungly-ness. From the top we could see all of Rio; it’s surrounding islands, the harbour & it’s scattered boats, numerous more pre-historic looking mountains in the distance, Jesus with his arms spread, & many circling condors. It was a blissfully sunny day & it was truly incredible to see for so far all the beauty of this incredible city. During our ogling of the delicious views we were visited by heaps of tiny adorable marmosets that scurried along the viewing platform eating candies & numerous other decidedly un-marmoset-y treats donated sneakily by wayward tourists choosing to pointedly ignore the PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE MARMOSETS signs. I was very happy about this because a) marmosets are the cutest things ever & b) Hannah had specifically requested the sightings of monkeys during her stay & as a regular human & not God I was somewhat concerned about my ability to be able to deliver on this & yet here we found ourselves, on day one, looking at the cutest monkey-type creatures ever, right up close & in their natural habitat.

When we descended the mountain, the sun was beginning to set & we went for a swim on Batafogo beach where we saw green parrots & drank coconuts & ate THE BEST CHURROS OF OUR ENTIRE TRIP SO FAR. It seems they love dulce de leche even more in Brazil than any of the other places we’ve already visited in South America & this is in no way a bad thing.

The next day - yesterday - we sunbathed on the world-famous Copacabana beach, then rented bikes & cycled to Rio’s lagoon, which is vast & beautiful & surrounded by mountains. Rio is pretty progressive in its cycling policies with lots of proper cycle paths round the whole city so cycling about seemed like a no-brainer. After making it halfway round the lagoon we decided to follow the signs to the botanical gardens & spent a blissful 90 minutes there before it closed. Not only does Rio have the best churros but is also home to the best botanical garden I have ever seen; it’s more like a huge, vast park than your typical greenhouse-like BG & we oohed & aahed over the most ginormous palm trees, beautiful orchids, & some fruit that look like giant lychees before inadvertently stumbling into monkey land: big patches of bamboo where we must have witnessed literally 20 monkeys eating their lunch. Another great score for Monkey Watch. Again, a real treat to see these sweet creatures right up close in such a beautiful environment. We also found giant fish & a turtle & a capybara in a lilypad-filled pond. I just love seeing exotic creatures in their natural homes. It really fills my heart with such joy & Hannah too was so excited by this it made me even happier.

After the park closed we returned to our bicycles & cycled back round to our lagoon starting point & took a swan pedalo out across the water as the sun went down & the city lit up all of it’s twinkling night lights; very beautiful reflected in the water. Roxy had had to go home before this to sort out some stuff for a doctors appointment so Hannah & I, post-pedalo adventure, walked all the way back catching up on 6 months worth of gossip & ranting & counselling each other over our respective woes. It felt great to have a bit of time for just the two of us to talk & reminisce about anything & everything; I have missed Hannah so much & I didn’t quite even realise how much until she got here. I still can’t quite believe that she is actually here in Brazil. This is literally the longest we haven’t seen eachother in the entirety of our friendship & I have really struggled without her.

However, all good things must (temporarily at least) come to an end & on our way home, whilst stopping to buy Hannah some new clothes & stuff while she awaited the arrival of her luggage (thank you Lufthansa for the free sh*t, you incompetent cretins!) one of our renal bikes got nicked from outside the mall. FACK. Not cool, whoever you are! I feel like this is how the bike rental clowns run a racket on innocent tourists because they had provided one shitty lock for all three bikes which quite frankly I could probably have knawed through. A clean cut & we were one bike down & somewhat panic-stricken. There went another £100 which was significantly less than these cowboys tried to squeeze out of us but thanks to our lovely hostel hosts once more coming to our aid managed to whittle it down. However, paying for someone else’s crime truly stings. Plus it was another example of how alienating it can be to not know a language & having to rely on the kindness of hostel people etc to translate everything & help get you out of a jam.

That said, the rest of today was marvellous. Roxy was tied up with her doctors appointment all day so Hannah & I declared it an ART DAY & visited Boulevard Olympico to look at all the giant murals, painted in the run up to the Rio Olympics in celebration of Brazilian culture. They were incredible. I have never seen such huge paintings; rendered in exquisite detail, portraits in the most vibrant colours with fantastically expressive faces. We also ate our first ever Cuban sandwiches & cinnamon lemonade - get to know - & went to the beach again to cool off in the sea. Cue more churros & coconuts.

I am now beginning to realise some things; Hannah’s arrival proved the catalyst for a pretty extreme late-night breakdown where the presence of the very person to whom I always turn in a crisis prompted an outpouring of emotion that has led in turn to some pretty heavy realisations. It is with renewed vigour that I am beginning to plan my return to the UK, to stability, to the loving arms of my friends & family & potentially to some help that I feel its finally time to admit I need. Having now eliminated the possibility that it was my job and/or London responsible for my sporadic waves of depression, given the fact that I have intermittently experienced the exact same feelings whilst away, I am now one step closer to deciphering what exactly is going on in my brain. Although it is with crushing disappointment that I must admit that travelling did not sure me of this ailment, at least now I can check the possibility of that off the list & try & move forwards. Hannah’s presence is so immensely welcome at this time; she is as always the most incredible, loving & supportive friend. I have been looking at flights home & being a gal that likes to have a plan having an end point in sight is in itself helping me feel more positive. I said all along that I would travel for as long as my money and/or enjoyment lasted & for now at least, it seems 8-9 months is my max on both counts. It’s cool. Only good things will come of this, I am certain.

I can now focus on spending as much quality time as possible with my oldest & dearest friend before she flies home again in 3 weeks. We have lots of fun stuff planned, including going to see some famous mosaic’d steps, visiting Jesus (just in time for his birthday!), going on a tour of a favela, Christmas at the beach, seeing in the New Year with some samba in Sao Paolo & rounding it all off nicely at the world’s biggest waterfalls. Things are looking up.

#brazil #best friends #travel diary #rio #riodejaneiro

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johnnypovolny · 5 years

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Iquitos

-Day 1

Abby came down to Lima to join me for the jungle!! We flew into into Iquitos and got picked up by our tour company. Our guide is Kevin, a somewhat quiet guy who told us a ton about his experience doing ayahuasca and other hallucinogens. We went in a car to a smaller town (looking at the map, maybe Nauta?) where we got a tuk tuk to this riverside market to meet our boat. Iquitos and the smaller town both remind me a lot of asia: tuk tuks everywhere, lots of bright colors and a vibe of sweaty chaos (in particular the riverside market reminded me of India- lots of little wood tiendas selling fruit and a guy announcing specials for a restaurant over a loudspeaker for literally hours). Turns out we had the boat and the weekend’s tour to ourselves, just us, Kevin, the boat driver Miguel (and later Jhon Marcos, the local guide we picked up).

The beginning of the boat ride was down a brown muddy river past the suburbs of the town- the tin roofed colorful huts and the brown water made me feel a lot like i was in a pirate town in the caribbean or something. For lunch we ate juane, which is a bijao leaf wrapped around a yellowish chicken and rice stew and steamed. Pretty cool jungly way to cook a meal.

I was resting with my head in Abby’s lap when suddenly we got a huge shock- the boat ran aground on a sandbar! We slowly worked back and forth in reverse to get unstuck and then promptly ran into it again in another spot which made me laugh, but eventually we got it right.

WE GOT OUR FIRST VIEW OF RIVER DOLPHINS! These were the grey variety (the smaller of the two freshwater types). But so beautiful to see that animal and so weird in the context of a river- they were all around the boat and we followed one particular group of them along the edge of the river (Miguel got us super close) and watched them in the golden evening light. There was one individual in particular that seemed to almost be showing off- jumping high out of the water as they swam away from us. We came to a bend in the river and left the dolphins just as we changed to the black water that Pacaya Samiria is famous for!

Got to the TINY town of Buenos Aires where we’re staying the night in a lodge (which is wood and mosquito screens so its basically open to the air). The town is basically a cluster of houses next to the river around a soccer field- the people there climb trees to harvest aguaye fruit and sell it to be taken upriver, act as jungle guides, make crafts, etc. They also told us that a lot of times its normal that girls there have babies as early as 12 which was a crazy “we’re not in Kansas moment”. This is where we picked up Jhon Marcos (I like his vibe, friendly and with the air total confidence that comes with being extremely competent in whatever situation) I went canoeing in a hollowed out canoe and watch the sunset light on the trees. I found a little side river and went a few meters into it- not too much because I didn’t want to accidentally get lost but it was so cool to imagine it just snaking away into the jungle and the middle of nowhere. A sudden warm jungle rainstorm started as I was sitting there in the mouth of the river. It was a super tranquil, solo, wild moment- I really like the no-frills no-rules approach of this tour where they just let me take a canoe out to wherever I felt like.

We got up to our room around sunset and had a pink toed tarantula IN THE ROOM. It’s a huge jet-black spider close about the size of my palm (and the old man who runs the hotel told me that there are much bigger ones). Did some david attenborough impression videos watched it walk around our room and eventually under the edge of the wall and away.

We went on a night jungle walk through the muddy trails- not a ton of wildlife, but we saw one big brown tarantula and a scorpion spider and had fun walking under huge-leafed plants feeling like Alice in wonderland. Kevin also showed me a way to keep mosquitos away that the local hunters us- poke a hole in a termite nest, let them crawl up on your arms (because they’re too small to bite) and then wipe your arms, crushing the termites which leaves a sticky residue on your arms that actually smells amazing to me (kind of sweet and herbal like pine) but apparently mosquitos hate.

Day 2

Kevin, Jhon and I did an early canoe ride through the flooded forest. Saw 4 sloths, including one up close at the edge of a little jungle-bound lake. The fur and face looks fake like a star wars ewok - rubbery pink lips, dark eyes, patches of greenish grey and brown fur which exactly matches the two colors of the tree it was staying in. Saw a rare jungle bird called juatsin (“shangsho” by locals). It has a big crest on its head and two stomachs where it ferments and then digests food, learns to swim when young and eats fish then grows up and changes to leaves. Also saw “mama vieja” which is a hawk with a white head that makes a scratchy cry. Wended our way through the little gaps between trees growing out of/reflected in the black water- cool to watch Jhon expertly turn and move the canoe effortlessly through small spaces. He told me about local medicines (gave some leaf-infused alcohol and water mixture to Abby that actually really helped her stomach an impressive amount- cool to see it really work!) and local alcohols made from roots (called 7 raíces), maracuya, and other fruits.

Went 2 hours further down the river to set up our tents!

In the afternoon we went to look for monkeys in the jungle around this lake that’s inaccessible because its grown over by plant life (normally managed by turtles and manatees but their populations are too low right now). We didn’t see any monkeys but in the trees while we searched we saw the head of a large snake sitting in a hole in a tree (Jhon said it’s probably about 6ft long). Tried some jungle berries that we cut right off a tree with the machete- you strip them off the spiney branches with your fingers or teeth and then crack them, suck the juice, and spit them out- sweet and tasty. But the really cool thing was on the way there: PINK DOLPHINS! They’re much bigger than the grey ones (more like 6-7 feet instead of 3-4) and vary between greyish pink and really bright pink depending on gender and age. I managed to catch one as it jumped all the way out of the water! Such a neat bucket list animal to spot in the wild, I was excited.

In the nighttime we went out looking for caiman (a crocodile-like animal). Jhon was calling to them with a deep throaty grunt and sometimes a squeaking noise that the young ones do. He taught me how to do it and sometimes they would answer us from miles away which was cool. They used the flashlight to search for reflecting eyes from the boat and then we took the canoe to go catch them! I sort of envisioned them being bigger (the larger ones apparently live deeper in the jungle so its easier to see them if its dry season and you can hike- they get up to like 15 feet). The ones we saw were only a few feet long, BUT we got to hold them! Jhon literally paddled the canoe silently up next to them and would wait poised and then suddenly pounce and grab one out of the water with his bare hands! Crazy to watch that.

Camped in the jungle under a tree with lots of fruit falling on our tent in the night.

Day 3

Monkeys were in the trees around us in the morning- some of them were far away so it was tough to see them, but there were a few small black ones in a tree right near the boat. We also saw spider monkeys and black capuchins in the trees later in the day from the boat as we were traveling.

Went to go get “hubo” for Abby, which is a tree medicine that’s good for stomach issues. This was a hike, but parts of it were in the flooded jungle trails where the water was chest deep and apparently there are extremely dangerous electric eels! Kind of a wild adventure to be walking through the murky water of a dark flooded jungle stepping over submerged roots and wending our way through the dappled shadows and sunlight and among the trees. At the end of the walk/wade/swim was the mother of all trees- normally this stands but it fell recently because a storm eroded its roots. This thing was INSANELY massive. One section we were standing on was a sort of spur (because the trunk isn’t round) was like 10 feet long- a top section where we were standing, and then a sweeping curve of trunk downward (because the tree was fallen) to another spur like 8 feet long. It’s hard to describe in writing but it was just massive. We stood on this big tree and scraped bark from the hubo tree with the machete, then I used my hands to squeeze the blood-red moisture out of the bark and into a cup so Abby could drink it. She said it didn’t work as well as the leaf infusion but it was still cool to learn about and the water hiking journey there and back was certainly a new experience.

We went piranha fishing (Abby caught more than anyone, more quickly, so see her if you need fishing tips) and on our way there for a second we saw two giant river otters! One of them popped his head out of the water and stared right at us from like 20 feet away, showing us his big doglike teeth. This is kind of a rare animal to spot so it was fun to see (I have really good wildlife juju for some reason, knock on wood).

Day 4

Jhon taught me how to use the two rope system the locals use for climbing aguaje trees- super physically difficult and technical. I couldn’t go all the way up the tree like I’d envisioned because it was kinda dangerous and difficult, which was disappointing but still cool to learn. Our boat ride back was some of the best weather we’ve had- just spectacular sun and a warm breeze. We basked

We got back to Iquitos and the guides dropped us at the airport. We realized it was too long to wait till our flight, so we took a super smoggy tuk tuk ride to the city center. Sat in the plaza de armas with our backs against a statue and ate cake we bought from a lady on the corner. Then we walked around a bit and saw a restaurant on a balcony- sat up there watching the sun set and the traffic whizz around the plaza as the fluorescent street lights came on and had drinks. I got a cocktail made from rum, “7 raices” (the root liquor), and coconut cream- it turned out to be frozen, pink, extremely girly, and the best thing I think I’ve ever had in my life, I had two. I’m going to dream about that drink forever. Relaxing on a terrace was such a chill, nice way to finish off the weekend together.

Overall the weekend was a little more challenging than we expected based on both our health issues, but still really fun memories!

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jellycatstuffies · 4 months

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Junglie Monkey

Ko-fi / Instagram

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aeadventuretime · 6 years

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18th March 2018

Woke up early today for our tour! Got ready and headed out front to wait for our private tour driver. We booked through Living Dreams tours which was number 1 on trip advisor.

We were supposed to meet at 7am, 7am came and went. The resort tour manager came and chatted with us about tattoos and the new gym he is opening up. After we had sat there for a while he asked us if we needed help with our booking. And so he helped us call and try to locate them. Twenty minutes to eight the guide manager waved at us. He had found our guide but she had been told 8am not 7am. She apologised profusely and we insisted it was fine! She then proceeded to drive us the hour to Tulum while telling us the entire history of the Mayans. She was amazing! It was just the three of us in a car. She was so animated and passionate about what she talked about as her stories were so interesting and told so well that the hour ride to Tulum felt like 10 minutes!

Upon arrival to Tulum we were greeted by a taste of local coconut ice cream and a local cat. Our guide stopped to say hello and give pats so already she is a winner in my eyes! She asked if we wanted to get the train down to the ruins and we said we were fine walking. It was about a 7 minute walk down a dirt road until we reached the front gates. Then it turned a bit more jungly/tropical. Angela (our guide) told us not to feed or pat Lucy, a racoon animal that is often seen around the area. I was like “whhhhhhaaaaaatttt?!” And just then I saw her! A racoon monkey thing! And guess what?! She had babies!!! They were so cute and energetic and just kept jumping around and up trees! Another guide came over and they all flocked to him and allowed him to pet them.

Then we entered the Mayan ruins. Which were incredible, but Angela’s story telling made the ruins even more interesting and amazing! Basically everything we know about the Mayans is wrong, and we are learning new things and deciphering their language and stories everyday. And most importantly, they aren’t all gone like many would have you believe! They believed the work was flat and was a cross, that they were the horizontal bar and if they sailed too far they would fall off the edge of the world, which is why they never made it to Cuba. They believed in “heaven” although good and evil was not a thing in their religion, more light and dark. The centre of the cross was the universal tree which was the Milk way, although hey understood it to be a tree. They believed that every night the sun would die and go into the underground and fight a mystical jaguar and if it conquered, it would rise again the next day. And so the Mayans would leave offerings and sacrifices to help the sun rise. Imagine not knowing if the sun would rise the next day! There was so much more she taught us, about the Spanish and the surrounding tribes and areas. I learnt so much. Tulum was not it’s original name and she told us of how the Spanish found the Mayans first at Tulum. So the whole history of Mexico basically started in those ruins.

The area was incredible. Not as big as other ruins apparently but it was beautiful and right on the edge of a cliff with a beach. We missed the bulk of the tourists. Angela took lots of photos for us and of us and pointed out her favourite iguanas. By the way, the Tulum ruins are covered in Iguanas. They are huge. Especially the males. And if two males cross each other they will kill each other.

After the ruins she drove us towards a restaurant in Tulum. She told us how this area used to be where they could afford to holiday but not celebrities and hipsters had taken over and it had expanded rapidly. So funny cos that’s where we had almost stayed! The restaurant was beautiful! Right on the water and we had tacos and fajitas. We talked to Angela for over an hour about her and her life and her job and anthropology. She is going to Argentina tomorrow to meet a girl she met a couple months ago in Tulum. Very cute!

After lunch she grabbed us a coroner each and we then drove off to the Cenote. Cenote means hole and water or something? They are basically sinkholes in limestone that open up to beautiful, clean, clear waterways. All the cenotes are believed to be connected therefore making it the largest source of natural water, and the largest natural wonder. Our Cenote was a lesser known one, and in a cave. There were a few people when we got there but then they all cleared out. Oh my gosh! It was beautiful!!!! And pristine! She grabbed us a flashlight and led us out to the deepest part to show us how deep and far it went. She insisted we wear life vests initially as people can get freaked out or vertigo with the clear water and great depths. But we were fine and soon took them off. We snorkelled around for ages with flashlights juts exploring every nook and cranny! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done! I could have spent all day there! But soon we had to leave. So we climbed out and headed back to Playa Del Carmen and our resort, talking the whole time with Angela and learning so much about Mexico. She was THE BEST guide!!!

Once we arrived at the hotel she gave us a big hug and a card to stay in touch and then her colleague came over with some Mexican chocolates and a bottle of tequila to say sorry for being late this morning, which they so didn’t need to do but like, what an amazing company! It was the best day in mexico. I’m so happy we got to experience these two parts of Mexico and only wish we could have explored even more!

Back at the hotel we went straight back to the beach. No seats so straight back to pool for relaxing and swim times. Went back to room after a pretty hot and exhausting day and are gonna order room service and get ready for LA tomorrow.

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