Tuesday 7th October

Heading back to Misahualli today breakfast at 8am boiled eggs, 3 small slices of bread toasted, jam and butter, coffee with powdered milk, yuk milk goes all lumpy for some reason don´t like it much and we are given a knife and fork to eat a boiled egg in it´s shell not quite sure about that. Depart 9am for 2 hour jungle walk with our guide Wilfredo who teaches us a lot about the medicinal and culinary uses of the jungle plants, even tricking us into eating lemon ants, none of us are very impressed when he tells us, shows just how gullible you can be. Gemma, Rebecca, Louise, Sarah and other Gemma decide to return to camp by floating down the river on inner tubes while the rest of us go back in the canoe. I have a bad back so decide I may be better off in the canoe but I would really like to go in the tubes. I get soaked in canoe on the way back going through the rapids when water washes over the canoe and at this stage have no more dry clothes so decide to sit in the sun and dry off until lunch, I actually lay down on a seat and go to sleep and when I wake I have a group of about 10 native children standing over me, maybe I was snoring and they were intrigued I´m not sure but I wake up and entertain them with some drawings which they enjoy but then they are very easily pleased as my drawings are not brilliant and they always have a smile. After lunch we sadly depart for Misahualli, I have enjoyed my time in the jungle more than I thought I would and the native people especially the gorgeous children are so freindly. Tomorrow we head to Banos which we are all looking forward to as there are lots of adventure activities to keep us busy. Banos is a scenic little town named after the 5 sets of thermal baths found there and is a part of Llanganated National Park nestled on the side of Tungurahua volcano. In spite of the volcanic activity that forced an evacuation from Banos during 1999/2000, the town is a popular tourist destination, the attraction being the hot springs, the amazing scenery and the accessability to the jungle. Banos here we come.