What a long day!!! We started at 6 AM this morning. We got up early to board a little boat. We took the boat out to go look for monkeys and birds. Some people saw a monkey. I didn't see it. It was super small and some people saw it with binoculars. I saw an iguana perched way up high in a tree though. It was crazy camouflaged. It was awesome. We saw some little birds too. Those weren't too exciting. Except the fact that they live in the Amazon rainforest. That's just cool to say. The weather was nice. I actually enjoyed being up so early. The air was cool and the boat ride was nice. Then we came back and had breakfast. I had heaps of bacon, eggs, watermelon, and different types of breads. Then after lunch we were able to board another boat. This boat was huge though! It was really cool being on a big boat. We sat on the second floor. After awhile going up the river we boarded a smaller boat that we had been dragging along. We took it out and went piraña fishing!!!! That was awesome!!!! The second you stuck your fishing pole in the water with some meat on it you received a bite!!!!! THE VERY SECOND!!! It was insane!!! That means they are everywhere!! Those little buggers are hard to bring up though!!! Our group ended up catching and trapping 9. Everyone obviously felt bites. Some people, like me, were even able to surface the pirañas but then they'd jump off the hook. Our tour guide had the tip of his finger bitten off by a piraña!!! Not today. But he showed us! It was crazy. Those things are scary. I think I might have mentioned yesterday how they have the "teeth of a shark".
After fishing for a while for pirañas we took the boat out to the deeper middle part of the amazon. Let me tell you. Life doesn't get better than what I witnessed. I sat there and watched tons of dolphins jump throw the water. I saw PINK DOLPHINS. They weren't even that far from our boat either!! Everyone except me was able to jump in and swim!!! I was content sitting at the tip of the front of the boat though and just watch. The amazon temperate felt amazing, but I forgot to wear my suit. I thought how simple the life was. When we woke up at 6 am we passed people up swimming. Some people were fishing too. But that is obviously not for fun. Well maybe it is. But I think it is more of a livelihood. They don't have tv or wifi or electricity. They go to bed around 7 when it gets dark because they have nothing better to do. If life ever was too much for me to handle and I just needed a break from it all I would come to the amazon. Wake up in the morning and catch myself a fish. In the morning ride we also so a man who had caught a ceviche. That is a fish that Peru is known for. I've eaten it serval times. Life is just simple here. I have loved not having wifi here. It is like it doesn't exist and I don't miss it. Then we came back to the lodge and ate lunch. We ate fish, pork, rice, and vegetables. Not my favorite meal so far. But it was sufficient and not bad. After lunch I went to my room and slept for a little bit. Then I got up a played a card game with some exchange students. I laid in one of the hammocks for a little bit. And then we got ready to board another boat. While getting life jackets my tour guild told me to run and get my tribal custom. He said when we arrived at my next destination he was going to paint my face. Our next destination is a library in the middle of the jungle. Kids come there after school to read and have fun after reading. No one has books in their houses. Reading for fun can only be done at the library. We brought tons of new books to add to the library. Then we spent a couple hours playing with the kids. It was super fun! We ended up playing a game outside and I was the first one to fall smack in the mud!!!!! My other pair of modest kapris got a hole ripped in the butt. Now my only other pair of modest shorts were covered in mud. I didn't bring any more shorts at all. All I had left are jeans. We kept playing. Several other people ended up falling in the mud. It was so hilarious and fun.
My friend, Kaylee, from Australia. She wis one of the only exchange students who will stay with me until I leave.
Then we watched some kids scale trees!!!!!! They just climbed up these huge tall trees like it was so easy!! It was like something you'd see a movie. I tried to do it. Failed miserably. A lot of people tried too. I think only 1 or 2 exchange students could do it. It was crazy! So cool! It was like something you'd see in a movie where someone scales a tree to pick a coconut or something!
I got eaten alive while playing these games!!!! My legs are incredibly uncomfortable now. I am trying not to touch them not think about the itch though. After we got back from the library I thought we were done for the day. So I washed my pants off in a shower and hung them up to dry. I put on my swim suit bottoms and tank top and went to go swim. I hope you caught how I said tank top. The bites burned but it was heavenly. I could feel a headache coming on from lack of water. The water felt so good on my head. Then I was informed I had to get ready cause I was leaving soon. I wouldn't have swam if I had known we were leaving! Now all my bug spray was washed off and my clothes we went!! I've almost used my host moms whole bottle of bug spray. Bug spray and sunscreen are ridiculously expensive here in Peru. I will have to buy her more bug spray. To be polite. I hung oh my wet clothes and put on my last pair of jeans. I put on some rubber boots, and I long sleeve shirt. By this time it is dark. We boarded a boat. Then we headed out to look for tarantulas!!!! They come out in the night. We some TONS. More than tons!!!! It was insane!! I wasn't scared. I was just kind of sitting there. It didn't bother me. Some people were freaking out though. All these trips we go on are only with 12 people. We have 3 groups that we are broken up into. We are the only group who went out tonight though. We were supposed to get to an area and go night hiking in the jungle. But by the time we arrived we had to turn back because we would be late for dinner. On the way back our guild tried to find an alligator. He was trying to call it. We never saw one though. I enjoyed our conversation on the boats with the exchange students. We got back 15 minutes late for dinner though. For dinner we had rice, chicken, some type of beef I think, vegetables and fruits, and some type of cake. Peruvian cake is nothing compared to American cake. They always look nice. But they never satisfy my cake crave. They don't taste that good. We always drink some type of fruit juice too. They always taste amazing. Everyday they are different. After dinner headed to a room in our lodge. There was turned off the lights and listened to story's. My guild told funny stories about people who had visited this lodge before. I understood everything. Completely. Then another your guild started telling scary stories. By that time I was done listening haha. I got up and left. Took a HOT AMAZING shower at 10. It's now 10:50. The fan will turn off in 10 minutes when the electricity is turned off for the night. Then I will try not to touch my bites and fall asleep while being hot. I figure sleeping with wet hair is a good thing though. My Australian friend, Kaylee, is up writing in her journal too. This is an incredible experience. We are so blessed to get to be here. She writes hers in Spanish though. Well, she attempts. The Australlians came here 2 weeks after me. There are only 2 of them. The other exchange students will leave in July. It will just be me, the 2 Australians, and the new kids that come at that point. I really like the Australians. So that's good. One is... I think the word is esentric... She is a little weird. So some people get annoyed by her. But I like her a lot. And the other one is super cute and I like her too. The always have positive attitudes too. Which I love. Well. Better get to sleep.
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