After breakfast, we bid a temporary farewell to rustic Posada San Pedro lodge, knowing we would return there for another sleepover on the way out of Manu.  There aren't a lot of lodging options....

 

We started out walking along the road, until Cook and our driver came by to pick us up.  We'd drive a little while, then get out to hike again.

If you've ever driven the road to Hana on Maui, this drive reminded me of it.  Turn after turn after turn, and waterfalls everywhere!  Spectacular!

 

And lots of beautiful birds!  Look at the tail on this hummingbird!

 

And here or there a toucan!

 

Every so often we'd drive through a village...

 

Coca leaves drying in the sun.  The growing of coca is strictly controlled, but many grow it illegally and sell on the black market.

 

This bird was squawking up a storm and doing a dance to impress the girls...and us!

 

Do you see the toucan poking his bill out of that tree?

 

We didn't either until Nicolas pointed it out.  Amazing sight!

 

We'd be tooling right along until we met someone else on the nearly-deserted the road.  Someone has to back up...there is no room to pass...

 

Wild pineapple...just growing along the road...

 

Nico spotted this bird and its baby (look closely!) perfectly camouflaged way up high in a tree.  It's a Great Potoo, and it looks just like the stump of a tree branch.  She looks like a happy mommy, doesn't she?  As we watched them, the baby suddenly scooted under Mama Potoo's wing and disappeared from sight.  God's creativity in His creation of life never ceases to amaze me!

 

We're heading down there...to the riverside village of Atalaya to trade in our van for a boat to move farther north into Manu via the river.

 

While Kim waited for Cook (in the back) to fill the boat with the supplies we'd need...

 

...I watched the village kids play a competitive game of "football" (soccer), using a plastic pop bottle for a ball.  Kids are kids the world around...

 

Not only did we pick up a boat, we also added a couple of more to our entourage...our boatman Guan and his young assistant Hector...to join Kim and Nicolas and me (far left) and Cook (kneeling).  Our own little team!

 

A last glance back at civilization for a few days....so long Atalaya...

 

Amazon jungle, here we come!

 

Every so often, Nico would tell Guan to pull the boat ashore and we'd take off hiking into the rainforest.

 

This is one of the nicer bridges we crossed...

 

Aren't they cute?

 

We walked to a lagoon...

 

...and took a little scenic ride through the marsh on this balsa raft.

 

Hector was our poler!

 

We saw lots of birds up close and personal...

 

...especially hoatzins, a very prehistoric-looking and awkward bird that lives in marshy places.

 

Hoatzins making more hoatzins...

 

Motmot...

 

Horned screamer...

 

Some type of flycatcher...

 

I don't know, but it sure is purdy...

 

A nice little excursion, then hiked back to the bigger boat...

 

We need to get to our lodge before the sun goes down.

 

Parrots overhead...

 

Banana market.  Area farmers are bringing their bananas to sell.

 

Question #1:  Where do all these people live???

 

Question #2:  How did that truck get here???

 

Question #3:  WHO is going to eat ALL THOSE BANANAS???!!!  That's a LOT of bananas!

 

Just as we arrived at the dock of the Pantiacolla Lodge, a gorgeous rainbow graced the heavens!

 

Off the boat...

 

...up this "flight" (and a couple others!) of stairs, and a quarter-mile later...

 

...the Pantiacolla Lodge (this is the main lodge/kitchen/dining area), which would be our home base for the next two days and nights.

 

Our room is the left half...and there's an attached bathroom with HOT water on the back.  No lights, but hot water...

 

A step up from Posada San Pedro, but still very rustic and much hotter and stickier.

No lights...but they were thoughtful to leave a candle on the the bedside table...

 

We'd seen very few monkeys all day, but when we got to the lodge the howler monkeys were all over the trees...

 

...watching us move in.  And we certainly heard their loud howling early the next morning.  Who needs an alarm in the jungle?!

 

We'd arrived!  The next morning involved that bare orange cliffside clay area...and the biggest challenge of the trip.

Better get a good night's sleep and rev myself up for...

...more Manu adventures!