Landing in Leticia offers a spectacular view of the sheer size of the Amazon rain forest. It is almost like going to a different planet when you compare the view from Bogotá airport. A sea of green forest met the horizon in every direction, it felt like we were literally landing in the middle of the whole jungle. This of course was not the case as it is vast and its centre probably lies a lot further south in Bolivia or Brazil. Another sad truth hit me with regard to just how big it must have been originally, I could actually see a flattened area that had obviously been recently cut down.
Leticia itself was not that much of a spectacle but there were signs that we were close to something very special; The 100's of Parakeets that flocked to the park every evening, the turtles in the river, the Jaguar skins on the hostel wall.
The hostel owner was worth meeting though, he speaks 5 languages for a start. For the most part he was very nice but did have some paranoid tendencies and was partial to some very funny five minutes. After assuring us that his room was a safe place to put the bags while we were there, he changed his mind completely after requesting a place to leave some of our unnecessary belongings before our journey to Puerto Narino. Apparently someone had tried to break in the night before and he was now building a mirador (watch tower) for the night guard and going to operate a shoot on site policy which may be of some concern to travellers returning from a late night that take a wrong turn. He also kicked a couple of lads out before they had checked in because they had bad auras. Like I said definitely worth meeting.
Apart from access to the real Amazon Leticia is notable for being in the corner of 3 countries; Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. You can actually walk between Brazil and Colombia without showing your passport. Peru is only a very short boat ride away. We also found one of the finest pastries we have encountered this whole trip; an extremely fine example of the raspberry Danish.
After rain stopped play for a whole day we finally left on the boat to Puerto Narino. After all the nonsense of packing smaller bags and then having to take our big ones anyway we were not amused by all of the usual realities of moving locations in South America; The delays, the uncertainties about price, not being sure whether the people helping you actually are, more delays, carrying bags, trying to avoid confrontation or theft....... We were really tired any way but for the first time I felt like I was tried of all the rigmarole and was quite looking forward to some home comforts. Maybe I was ready to go home in 4 weeks.
Puerto Narino was an instant reminder of why you put yourself through all of the discomfort of the road and 10 minutes after arrival all I did was wish that I could spend more time there. After getting a free (it really was) boat from the centre to our hostel we were greeted by excellently loud, eccentric and benevolent owner Hector and 2 of the cutest monkeys I have ever seen. They climbed all over you (especially if you were a girl), let you stroke them and would even sleep in you lap. They were adorable like spoilt children until you had a conflict of interests e.g. you did not want them to; drink your coffee, eat your lunch, rummage through your belongings, wake you up in the morning. Hector was not unlike Dr Doolittle in his affinity for animals as he had won the affection of a dog, 1 cat, 4 kittens, 2 monkeys, 1 Macaw and an incredible little owl. All were free to come and go at will. His communication style differed somewhat from the Dr though as he was definitely more of a monkey shouter than a horse whisperer. The comical chants of “Monkey NO!” never get tired and the thought of hearing it is making me smile right now. You can even induce the chant by calling “Monkey NO!” yourself and then in a fantastic and predictable echo you get Hector version right back. I am quite tempted to call it out right now, although it is rather unfair on the monkeys when they are behaving and relaxing.
The range, scope and value of activities at Puerto Narino is staggering. During our 5 days here we have; seen and swam with pink and grey fresh water dolphins, fished for and eaten piranhas, gone on an amazing 5 hour trek to a local village and back (after watching a local game of football and grabbing a locally grown pineapple for refreshment), finding a cocoa farm and a man who processed and sold balonitas (little balls) of pure cocoa, hammocking, relaxing, and cooking. We also located the pineapple bush which you have to see to believe, much like the cashew tree. The amount of effort the plant puts in to producing the fruit or nut and then one tropical salad later (I do love a cashew nut sprinkling) and it is all gone.
There was one very memorable moment on the return trip from the village. On the way out we had past a little house and they had a very yappy little dog. On the way back we saw that same dog with his 3 big brothers running towards us barking quite aggressively. We had a minute or so before they arrived so I thought it would be best to grab a nearby stick, the girls did the same. Unfortunately the nearby sticks we all rotten and on the first practice swing my diminished from 5 ft to 1 and a half. I stood my ground with the girls as the dogs approached. They attacked the girls first and Chantelle retreated a couple of steps quickly with a little scream, Ngaire stood her ground but more in fear than in courage as the dogs were biting at the stick and her legs. She was moving slowly towards me and I was bracing myself for the confrontation with the 4 dogs and me when something amazing happened. That something had a name. It was our French friend Jonathan who I had completely forgotten about. Luckily he had not forgotten about us. He charged in with nothing but his t-shirt and saved the day. The girls were calling him a hero and I was inclined to agree. It got us thinking about a certain song by Mariah Carey which we rewrote in his honour;
There’s a hero
When you’re lost inside the woods
You don’t have to be afraid
Of rabid dogs
There's no answer
If the dogs can smell your fear
And then Jonathan appears
And scares them away
And then a hero comes along
And his name was Jonathan
And he cast the dogs aside
And we knew we would survive
So when you feel like life is gone
He's beside you
And he's strong
And we finally saw the truth
He's pure hero we've got proof
Its a slow death when you face the pack alone
And the end is getting near
You hold your breath
He will save you
Armed only with his shirt
And the terror that you felt
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
And his name was Jonathan
And he cast the dogs aside
And we knew we would survive
So when you feel like life is gone
He's beside you
And he's strong
And we finally saw the truth
He's pure hero we've got proof
And we finally saw the truth
He's pure hero we've got proof
It really is a place beyond words and although we were sad to leave we hope that we will return. I would recommend it but hope it does not become too popular and ruin something very special.
Joseph Davies 16/11/2010
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