We are English...get us out of here!

We spent a lazy morning, canoeing around the river and had bbq fish for lunch. We canoed for 2 hours to reach the jungle where we planned to sleep. Whilst Beth sprayed herself frantically with the strongest insect repellant money can buy (in vain as it turns out), Anand and a second guide cleared a place for camp close to the river edge (Beth and the two Katharinas were too scared to go in further for the night...much to Steve's disapointment). Within half an hour, the guides had errected a cover, made a table of palms and got the fire roaring with chicken on sticks cooking over. We found some suitable trees and set-up the hammocks and mosquito nets - camaflaged to made us inconspicuous to the Jungle animals (Beth gulps). As the night drew in, the animals started to come out whilst we ate our chicken, rice and fried bananas from leaves. To steady our nerves, the guides made us all caprioscas (vodka, sugar and lime) but continued to tell us horror stories filled with anacondas, monkey spiders and jaguars.

By 7pm it was so dark there was nothing left but to go to sleep. Staring up at the trees and hearing the river lap the shore did in no way dispel the fear of all the dangers the jungle has to hide. In fact Anand found a monkey spider (very posionous) the size of his hand on the tree trunk his hammock was tied too. It is a mercy we slept at all! In the morning, we were almost dizzy with happiness in the knowledge we had survived. That is until Anand pointed out a tree where a Jaguar had sharpened his claws not 5 minutes from where we slept. And then we couldn't wait to get back to the boat!

Mosquito bites: Steve 24, Beth 57