Day six started with waking up to the sounds of bugs and birds in the rainforest. Today’s breakfast was by far my favorite meal so far. They made us something that was almost like breakfast tamales. They were SO SO GOOD. They tasted like thick crepes, and they were wrapped in leaves. There were also jams to put on it and I believe they were raspberry and pineapple. There was also plantain, some kind of cheese, and a bowl of mixed fresh fruit. There was also coffee and juice. One thing about going on this trip is they definitely feed you well. As I’m writing this, I’ve had a few more meals at the lodge, and it’s definitely been my favorite place to eat. 

The lodge is so incredible as well. The Rio Napo River runs right next to it and the rooms are gorgeous. There is a band new pool that opened just yesterday and access to the river to swim as well. There are patios with hammocks and a nice fireplace, and the view of the river from the dining room is so cool. The rooms don’t have windows, but everything is screened in. I also learned that in order to stay here you have to be studying, doing field work, or something along those lines. 

Anyways, after breakfast we sat down with a woman who had been doing pottery for about 45 years. She taught us how to make traditional chicha bowls. She was so kind, helpful, and the techniques were really interesting. Like to smooth the rim we used corn husk, and to shape the bowl we used the dried peel of a plant. After I was done with my bowl, we let them dry and had a little bit of free time. We all went down to the river next to the lodge with a couple of little girls. One of them lives here and the other said she was just visiting, but some of her family lives here, I think. When we were down there the little girl named Camilla picked a pretty red and orange flower to give to me. she is so sweet and cute. I didn’t spend too much time down there because I wanted to sit in the hammocks and blog a little bit. 

I didn’t get very far into blogging before it was time for lunch. Lunch was also really good. We had mashed potatoes with some kind of beef stew on top. They also served us fresh watermelon and salad. There was just something about eating the stew and mashed potatoes together that made it so delicious. After lunch we took a ride down the road to a spot with some cacao trees. They had been saving them for us so we could try them fresh. They used their machetes and started chopping a bunch of them down and opened them for us. We passed them around, and each colored pod tasted a little bit different. There were greenish ones, orange and red ones, and even some that were kind of purple. I really enjoyed it and could snack on the meat all the time if possible. When you eat them fresh you’re not supposed to eat the bean, you’re just supposed to suck the meat off of it. After we were done harvesting, we rode back to the lodge. It was so much fun, and it even started raining during the ride. 

We were all roasting in the sun, so when we got back we decided to take a dip in the pool that had just opened. It was so refreshing, and when we were swimming we even saw a rainbow in the distance over the river. After a while of swimming I got out so I could take a shower before dinner. After my shower I heard lots of commotion and screaming next door so obviously I went to see what the problem was. In the girls room next to us there was a giant cockroach almost the size of my fist. Matt and Wayne tried to hit it into a plastic bag with a pen. They thought they had it, but when they brought it outside to let it go there was nothing in the bag. The roach was still in their bathroom but had moved. So, then I grabbed the bag and put it over my hand to grab it, and I had it for a second but didn’t close the back quick enough so he flew out onto the counter. Everyone screamed and ran out of the room and left me there. Someone also turned off the lights, but he landed on the counter, so I just scooped him up and got him for real this time. I went outside and he flew to the ground from the balcony. The guys in the group didn’t like that he was now lurking outside of their room, so they killed him with a rock. 

After that fiasco I went back out to the hammocks for a little bit to write more of my blogs. It was softly raining and getting dark, so I was writing to the sounds of all the frogs. You could also hear the small stream running underneath of us and the big river next to us. It was so peaceful. It was soon time for dinner, and we had tilapia, salad, and soup with plantain and yuca. I didn’t really like the soup, but the tilapia was really good. After dinner we went on a short night walk and saw a bunch of bugs and spiders. It was the birthday of one of our guides, so we walked to a restaurant a couple minutes down the road to celebrate with her. Some people were playing pool or dancing. I decided to sit down and watch the people playing pool because unfortunately I’m no good at it, but I do enjoy watching. When we got back the the lodge I immediately went to bed and fell asleep to the sounds of the rain hitting the roof.