Jungle Report

Hola de Tena!

Well we are all set up here in the "Jungle Lodge" - here is my first customer enjoying her breakfast! Actually we are going to have guests come in today - I am a little nervous, and so glad Amanda and Mark are here - not sure how I will be when we have more visitors next week and I am alone! While I am living my dream, running a bed and breakfast in South America, I sure hope it doesn't become my nightmare!

We went out in Service yesterday evening and I am so sad I didn't have my camera with me - I will have to try and describe how great it was. First of all we had to get out of the car we were in to walk across a rickety swing bridge - would not have been a good look for a overloaded car to fall into the river. The territory was a little in the campo (country) so we walked up a dusty road with lush greenery all around us to little shack houses usually filled with hundreds of kids and chickens running in the yard. Every so often there would be a break in the banana palms and you could see the blue of the Andes Ranges in the background. With the sounds of birds and insects and the obligatory occasional blearing of South American music from a house or two - the scene was magical. Maybe I am over city living - very tempting to think about moving somewhere like this. The only problem is we would really need a car if we moved out of Cuenca so that is a bit of drawback - that and the mosquito bites which you still get even if you have sprayed yourself liberally with insect deterrent.


Have to tell you about one house we walked up to - the kids playing in front yelled out to their Mama - "viene la abuelita Gringa!" - " Here comes the Gringa (foreigner) Grandma!" - HOW RUDE! I laughed so hard, not quite true yet but won't be long!