So on 21st April 2016 I returned to the beautiful, peaceful jungle! I went to the Maniti office next door to my hotel (purely accidental but very convenient!) for 8.45 am, for a 9am start. I found Rene was to be my guide this time and I was happy with that as he seemed nice at the lodge, where we’d chatted a bit on and off, the last couple of days. We shook hands and I said “I told you I’d be back!”

We got a motocarro down to the port, along with two others in another but didn’t see them until we arrived and got out. Rene had told me on the way they were English girls, so we introduced ourselves then got on the boat. I was excited to go back, explained I’d bern there and loved it so much I was going back for my birthday. I said we’d maybe get some local rum to celebrate that night as I’d heard of it but not tried it.

Ruth and Becca, from Oxford (Ruth lives in France though now) were lovely! We hit it off right away, and didn’t stop,laughing for the next few days! Just 21 and 22, and me a bit older (!!!!!!) they told me about their own travel experiences too. They asked about some things but I didn’t want to spoil their jungle experiences so didnt say too much! I did, however, tell them about Ashuco and his machete, and my crush, and that was the start of many a giggle!

As we got n the boat, the driver – another Rene – who had brough us back the previous day, recognised me and welcomed me back, which was nice!

I loved the boat trip back, excited to be in the amazing Amazon again! Again, I seemingly didn’t stop grinning as they too said I was always smiling. And why not?? I just loved it there! Every day was, is, a wonder – in all my travels – as I said to Susan on the boat, when she said I ‘had the heart of a child’ in my excitement at everything, like the first sunset and swimming in the Amazon, the animals and catching my first Pirrhana!

My first new experience was at the stop to see the fish and caiman again, but this time the blue parakeet was up the tree house I hadn’t seen before, and pecked us, undid my shoe lace and pecked at my zips on my rucksack, he stopped the girls going up at first! We saw a snake this time too, am anaconda, in a cage, and could feed the fish which Ashuco did for us first time round.

When we got back to the lodge, others greeted me to, like Edwin, one of one of the guides, Javier, the young boat driver we’d had before (who’s name I hadn’t known before), and the guests still there but who I hadn’t really chatted to as we spoke different languages and in different groups. Some people are friendly and sociable, even between groups, others less so, but it’ s all just accepted and adapted to.

I still had a problem with my hearing that had been irritating me for a week or so, and Rene got his colleague in to help. The old man around the place came to my hut, got me to lie sideways on the bed and poured a light coloured liquid, from a bottle with fruit or something in the bottom, in to my ear. He did this three times over the next days and it did eventually ‘pop’ and clear. Jungle medicine at work!