Day 13: Puerto Maldonado

We were lucky to get the last two seats on the bus, but we can't say the same about the trip...12 hours on a smelly uncomfortable local bus, in which the driver only stopped twice, but not for passengers to get off even for a quick bathroom break. The bus was packed full, with people even sitting in the aisle. We tried to sleep as we could, taking clothes off as the weather was gradually getting warmer. We were already in the jungle at dawn, but still a long way to go to Puerto Maldonado. At least the views were nice, all green and a bit foggy around, just the opposite of the last landscape image we had on our minds.

 

views from the bus

We made it to Puerto Maldonado at last, coming across a rainy, humid and muddy town. We hadn't booked any hostel this time, so there we were, loaded with our backpacks in the rain and our trashbag-like ponchos on back in action, up and down the streets trying to find a hostel. We were looking for the youth hostel we saw on the internet and in our book guide, but it wasn't easy to handle a map in the rain, so we ended up in a filthy dive, but it could have been worse.

 

We didn't have any plans. All we knew is we wanted to go deep in the jungle, which had to be through some organized trip as it is a protected area, but didn't know how. So we basically spent the whole day going from nonexistent tourist offices to travel agencies.

 

Puerto Maldonado is a completely different town to the places we'd been so far. Muggy weather, muddy streets, cheeky men, reggaeton music everywhere...A Caribbean-like place that doesn't bear any remote resemblance to the Andean character. There's not much to do and see here, but it's the gateway to the jungle trips.

 

Our stomachs were rumbling, so we went to a fusion-style restaurant for lunch. It seemed to be rather posh and touristy, but still cheap. We tried the ceviche at last (raw fish with lemon juice). Although it's not the specialty in the jungle but in seaside towns, it tasted nice (Gina didn't like it much). We also tried ají de gallina (chicken chunks with boiled rice, eggs and potatoes, with a spicy sauce called ají), which was nice too. No soups in the jungle :)

 

 

 

 

views from the restaurant

 

In the afternoon, again up and down the streets looking for information, checking our emails, and going past the same places over and over again like two dumb robots. A rasta young guy came up to us and he offered us a free trip to the jungle as soon as we told him our plans. He said he had his own boat and he was going to go to some jungle spots with his friends. Very nice of him, but no, thanks.

 

Well, no plans yet but all we needed was a good night's sleep after the tortuous bus trip, so we'll see tomorrow!