It's A Jungle Out There

We've talked about it, we've hinted that it was  coming, and here it is ~

The debut of The Jungle Pants

We are on Day 29 of our trip to Ecuador and Peru, and we  are concluding our highly adventurous trip with a couple of days in the Amazon rain forest.

Rubber boots are a necessity here, 

both for the mucky treks through the jungle, 

and for protection against the resident snakes 

who might be lurking along the path.  

I might defer to something more comfortable for the former, but I feel that it's wise to take their advice on the latter.  So we choose ours from this rack of neatly-sized fashionable apparel.

And you'll have to admit, the boots really complete the look.  

It's 85(+) degrees and 100% humidity, but we are (I am) in long sleeves and "Jungle Pants" to ward off the pesky mosquito's (it's the most dangerous insect in the world ~ look it up!) and other unknown jungle pests.  Jungle pants are lightweight, they are supposed to breath (I'm dubious at this point in time), and they have elastic at the ankle to prevent creepy crawlies from making their creepy crawly way up your leg.  

To add to the fun, we are lathered in thick layers of sunscreen frosted with a strong layer of bug spray. And on top of that, an industrial-strength bug spray on our clothes ~ the kind that you're supposed to call Poison Control if it gets on your skin.  All this for someone who opposes chemicals. But who opposes Malaria even more.  

Add a couple of gallons of fresh sweat rolling off in waves, 

and you've really got it goin' on.  

Nobody said a trip to the rain forest was going to be comfortable.

We are staying in a "Jungle Lodge", 'cause that's what you do way out here in the jungle.  It's an open-air concept, both to allow you to be immersed in the experience, and also to be as "green" as possible, using very little electricity, etc.  I'm good with all that.

  Except for the 100% humidity and no air conditioning part.  

Our room is just three walls (the fourth is open-air to the jungle), with no ceiling.  There's a roof over the building, but no individual ceiling's in each room.  The paper thin walls do little to give but the barest (pun intended) of visual privacy ~ but as far as noise goes, we're basically in a big dorm room with everyone else.  

This means that we can hear them, and they can hear us.  Every word, every sound, every........well, you get it.   You can see the mosquito nets above the beds, waiting to be let down at nightfall.  I know what they're for, but I'm completely inexperienced; and I'm about to be educated.

Bathrooms look like this.  A slatted floor, a low toilet (don't even think about flushing the toilet paper!); the shower was interesting, it's basically a foot-tub with clear plastic for shower walls......

All open-air.....Isn't that nice.

The dining room is also open-air, there is just no relief from the heat anywhere or anytime during our stay.  

It's set up sort of like summer camp; meals are served jointly in the dining hall;  and then there are activities planned for small groups throughout the day  ~ looking for Macaws at the clay lick, climbing the 120 foot tower atop the rain forest, fishing for Piranhas........you know, all the usual jungle stuff.

I think our short time here is going to be action-packed ~ 

and, well....... it may well feel like much longer.....