Anthony Lujan Photography Blog

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Today I’m going to walk you through Day 8 – Tour Tres Chimbadas Lake. This is a nine part series of my excursion to Peru. If you haven’t read the Travel Tuesday entries please take the time to check it out.

Just a quick recap:

Sunday, May 11, 2008 Day 1 - Flying from LAX to Lima, Peru

Monday, May 12 2008 Day 2 – Sightseeing in Lima

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Day 3 - Flying from Lima to Cusco

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Day 4 – Traveling by train to Machu Picchu

Thursday, May 15, 2008 Day 5 – Tour Pisac Market & Ollantaytambo

Friday, May 16, 2008 Day 6 – Tour City & Ruins Tour

Saturday, May 17, 2008 Day 7 – Flying to Puerto Maldonado, boat ride to Posada Amazonas

Sunday, May 18, 2008 Day 8 – Tour Tres Chimbadas Lake

Monday, May 19, 2008 Day 9 – Walking tour to the Clay Lick

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Day 10 – Airfare One Way Puerto Maldonado to Lima then Lima to LAX

In this blog entry I’m going to walk you through my day 8 in Tour Tres Chimbadas Lake.

Let’s begin. Sunday, May 18, 2008 Day 8 – Tour Tres Chimbadas Lake

Before we begin I have to tell you about my first night sleeping in the Amazon. Let me recap how the night started. We returned from our walk to the Canopy Tower. It’s getting late and dark. We arrive back at the lodge for a very late dinner.  By this time the lodge was getting close to turning off the lanterns! I’ve never been in this raw experience before so I’m a little scared. Remember my room is the furthest room into the Amazon.  I’m going to bed with my flash light and a knife in my pocket. It’s hot and muggy and I’m going to sleeping with my clothes on. I climb into bed and noticed so many noises coming from all three sides of my room. I hear things falling or climbing in the trees outside.  The only protection I have between me and the jungle is a mosquito and have you seen them? The net is thin!

I lay down in bed thinking it’s safe and sound as they told us nothing has happened to any guest.  I’m worried about the bugs that might be in my bed as the net isn’t really flat against the bed. I’m afraid if I toss and turn in the middle of night like I do at home, I’m gonna let in some blood sucking insect. So already I can’t sleep. To top it all off I hear things flying around me. I don’t recall what bird flies at night.

Finally I fell alseep only to be woken up shortly what felt like an hour of sleep by Luis our guide. It’ s now 4:30 in the am (1 am California time). We need to head to the lake for day break. Birds and wildlife tend to get an early start.

Tres Chimbadas is thirty minutes by boat and forty five minutes hiking from Posada Amazonas.

Once there you will paddle around the lake in a catamaran, searching for the resident family of nine giant river otters (seen by 60% of our lake visitors) and other lakeside wildlife such as caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. The otters are most active from dawn to eight or nine AM. View full post »