A Walk Through The Jungle And A Cruise On Cuyabeno Lagoon.

Walking through the jungle is hard work. It's hot and humid, the paths are narrow and twisting, and the mud is deep and slippery.

We struggled through mud that sometimes reached almost to the tops of our rubber boots. The suction was so strong that we almost lost our boots several times.

But there's so much cool stuff to see.

Huge trees and brilliant flowers.

The ceibo or kapok tree is the biggest tree in the Amazon jungle, reaching as much as 150 feet tall.

With huge roots that snake across and under the jungle floor for up to half a mile.

The roots of the palms grow out of the trunk, reaching for the ground to stabilize the tree as it grows taller.

 This iridescent dung beetle is expert at dealing with shit.

 We saw huge liana vines with trunks as thick as trees.

 Hundreds of ant and termite nests.

 A congregation of caterpillars.

And some tiny mushrooms.

 Some of the trees had bright red roots.

After the jungle walk, we went for a cruise on Cuyabeno Lagoon. This is part of of the flooded forest, a unique ecosystem. The trees that grow out of the water provide a home for whatever seeds happen to land on them: bromeliads, cacti (epiphyllum), even other trees.

 They are even home to ant and termite nests.

Their reflections on the still waters of the lagoon are weird and lovely. Sometimes it's hard to see where the tree ends and the reflection begins.

 We stayed for a lovely sunset.

 A fitting end to our jungle journey.

Next, back to Quito.

P.