We have finally reached home base for the rest of the trip! We are currently staying at a lodge in Iyarinia, which overlooks the Napo River! Our welcome looked a little like something out of a war movie as we immediately hit the ground running, suitcases gripped until knuckles were white, gravel crumbling under our feet as we all sprinted down the path past the new critters and plants. It was around 8pm when we arrived which meant it was pitch black outside. That could only mean that the world’s strangest creatures were out to play. 

When my roommate Alexa and I stepped into our room,we were shocked to see an unexpected guest, A BIG OL’ CRICKET! After screaming for no good reason other than to be dramatic, we led the critter out of the room and went on down to dinner, only to be met with ANOTHER CREATURE. Overlooking our dinner was a fully grown tarantula, crawling around the ceiling as if it wanted to torment its new visitors. The creature count increased with every new minute spent in the environment. It is completely fascinating. After dinner, me and few buds went exploring our new home. We ventured off towards a path further into the woods to see a collection of spiders, crickets, stick bugs, and last and most terrifying – the bullet ant. We saw a friend group of the ants hanging out on a tree a bit too nonchalant for my liking. We continued to see new, never-before-seen things and spent over an hour conjuring a new founded appreciation for the world we live in. 

After all the traveling that was done this day, I quickly retired to my bed (which had a bug net! I felt like a princess). I got to fall asleep listening to the world outside full of critters that were just waking up. They sang outside the windows, and I drifted off immediately. What an experience.