Boca Manu has its origins in the rubber trade - the community is called Fitzcarrald

Day Two - April 23rd 2006

At the crack of dawn we were up and watching Macaws screeching over Pilcopata.
Once we had eaten breakfast we left for Atalaya to catch the boat downriver.
After an eternity loading up we were finally on our way.
Our first stop was to collect wellington boots to use on our journey.
As I got out of the boat I heard a splash, a quick check of my pocket revealed that my camera was now out the bottom of the Madre de Dios river.
After a significant amount of swearing from me, one of the locals managed to fish the camera out of the water.
It was obvious straight away that I wouldn't be taking any photos with it on this trip.
Immediately, Rebecca one of the Spanish group travelling with us offered me the use of the camera and an email of her photos.
The loss of the use of my camera on our first day in the jungle got me in a bad mood and the weather just made it worse.
I was sat at the front of the boat fully exposed to the rain and cold wind that was battering us.
This was not the dream trip to the jungle I had hoped for.
After two hours of black clouds and downpour the weather improved and so did my mood.
The sights, sounds and smells of the jungle were doing their trick and my sense of anticipation was rising.
A good job really as we had a nine hour trip to Blanquillo our next stop.
We made a brief call at Boca Manu, the only town in this part of the jungle, a ramshackle little place with a couple of shops and toilet that flushed with a paint pot.
I did manage to get myself a Twix that was three months out of date but it's crumbly sweetness helped on the rest of the journey.
Back in the boat hot drinks were served.
I didn't realise that the handle of the Thermos I was using had a joint in it and managed to spill boiling water all over me and my binoculars.
Now I was without my camera and my binoculars.
Our arrival at Blanquillo cheered me up no end with it's reminders of my time there with Mum, Dad, Esther, Tony and John three years ago. The growth of the jungle has changed the gardens a great deal since then but inside things were much the same.
I was in the room Mum & Dad had last time avoiding our own Bamboo Rat attacked quarters.
After some owl watching and another lovely meal I went to bed early aware that we were getting up at 5am to go to the Macaw lick nearby.