Training at Wasai Lodge

Hi everyone, Just a quick hello to let u know we are fine! I am in puerto maldonado now, came here yesterday with the other resident guide, jorge, i am training with him at the moment. Rich is at the lodge upriver, he has been learning the trails for the last couple of days and when i go back, thats what i´ll be doing too. Whats nice about this place is that the tours are much more varied..u can do 2, 3 or 4 night stays, and if people want to do the 4 night stay, u even take them camping in the jungle for one night! We spend about 2 nights a week here in Puerto Maldonado, cos for the last day, u take the tourists to Sandoval Lake which is near town, so thats why we have to stay in town for that night. I went to sandoval lake yesterday...BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! (except for the fact that the motor FELL OFF the boat into the Madre de Dios (mother of God!) river on the way there and we had to hitch a lift tied to another canoe!!!) Didnt get to see the giant otters though, but jorge says they see them about 10 times a month there, so hopefully we will get to see some soon. Oh, have to tell u Kapybaras are COMMON here!!! We saw 8 on the banks of the river on our way up to the lodge the other day....CRAZYYY! We have also seen saddlebacked tamarins (monkeys) and im sure, by now, rich has seen loads of new birds too (will ask him when i see him this afternoon). I have just been to visit a local school (VERY POOR!) with jorges group of tourists this morning..it was really cool, the kids at the school got dressed up and did dances for us and even made us necklaces. One of the guys in the tourist group is a professor of education at an american university, so he wanted to take some books, pens etc to the school, which was nice of him. The kids were dying for us to take photos of them, so they could see themselves on camera, so i got some photos to show u guys! The group of tourists is an american college group doing a tour of peru..really nice people..and how is this for coincidence..the professor was just in pmb at our Varsity last month!!!!!!! So he cannot get over how he has met up with a maritzburg girl in the middle of the amazon jungle! I had to laugh! Otherwise things are going ok, still got lots to learn about the tours (not many people are willing to help us find out what to do unfortunately, so we have kind of been left on our own to find things out!But thats fine!). But everything is so relaxed here, there is about 7 staff members altogether at each lodge (the one in town and the one down river) and the one downriver doesnt even have a manager! I am leaving in a few minutes to fetch jorges new guests from the airport and then its another 4 hr canoe upriver back to lodge, so will get back to rich at about 5 this afternoon. Have also tried some really traditional food here at this lodge..it doesnt have buffet meals like sacha..like yesterday i ate Juanes..which is a leg of chicken in rice with egg all wrapped in a big leaf!!! Also had this traditional lentil stew, and lomo saltado (stirfried beef) and also drunk a yuca drink (cant remember the name, but it is like the chicha they have in ecuador) OK, thats about all the news for now! hope everyone is well, will try email again soon! Lots of love, H

Lake Sandoval