At last, the final day is here, the day before my departure back to Lima. I rose early before everyone else at 05:30 as I still wanted to go to the plantation – a steep wee slippery hill to a plateau. I was hoping to photograph some humming birds that I knew preferred the nectar from the flower of the pineapple plant.

What a wonderful morning – so quiet, so peaceful and so still, I don’t think the monkeys were even out their trees yet!

A few capuchins, woolly and spider monkeys came to visit and even Yara made an appearance.

There was one little female humming bird but it was too far away and anyway I had become breakfast for the miriads of mosquitoes that had caught my scent on the breeze and were feasting on my bare legs. In my rush to leave the Volvo house I had forgotten my water and binoculars which was really frustrating as I heard lots of little bird in the trees so I headed back down the slippery slope which was more treturous going down than coming up especially in these crocs.

So, for my last day I volunteered to work half day the routine is that you get the whole day off but as I had had the day off yesterday and I knew Mondays were always chaotic I decided to do my last good deed.

Alix put me in the clinic and I was glad, I couldn’t face any more morauding monkeys, rutting bad tempered deer and shitty cages. There were only two patients left, the opposum had been freed on the plantation the night before as he didn’t need any treatment so, that only left the night monkey with the broken leg and paralysed right arm and the baby Capachin.

The poor wee night monkey, he struggled to move but he was eating soft fruits – mango, mashed banana, papaya, tuna and loved his crickets so, at least that was something.

All fed, cleaned, checked and I had collected the poo samples from them so I moved into the clinicto examine the contents under the microscope. I love microscopic work – as much as I love macro photography – quite exciting to discover detail you never otherwise see. There was nothing in the night monkey poo but that wasn’t the case for the Capachin poo, it was full of worms and worm eggs 🤮. Hopefully he’ll be given a dose of anthelmintics before he’s let loose with the other monkey inhabitants.

A quick spagetti lunch before taking delivery of the weekly shopping from market at Curimana. It was loaded into canoes on the other side of the port and put into wheelbarrows and trundled over the path to the Amazin warehouse, the bodega and the Volvo kitchen.

I had to terminate my offer of help as it was now almost 3pm and I didn’t want to have to pack using my headtorch. So off to the Volvo house I skipped, grinning from ear to ear.

As far as packing goes, I am the worst packer in the whole world, out and In, in and out, reshuffled and reshaped, it never seams to fit no matter how neat I make my piles. I left my towel, crocs and cheap waterproofs that never kept me dry anyway and after a couple of hours I managed to zip the zips and clip the clips and it wasn’t getting opened again until Lima.

I headed to the shower to stand under the dribbling cold rose for the very last lime. Everyone went to the waterfall but I’d rather have some me time for a while.

Rodger is making me dinner and Dylan is making me my favourite carrot cake – what a little star, I shall miss his cheeky disposition.

I hope it’s not going to be a long night, I’m tired and there’s nothing more that I’d like than to slip under my mozzie net and think some private thoughts as I fall into a deep slumber, after all, I have a canoe to catch in the morning!

Rodger called me into the seating area to show me something interesting. Not sure what I was expecting but I didn’t expect this…. a huge, hairy, fat tarantula that had come out from the hole in the frame of the seat where he lives 😱

Everyone was tired thank goodness. Me, Anna and Sophie (my little room mates) stayed up to play a game of ‘worms’ till 10 o’clock. A lovely end to my stay at E.V

22nd October

Well here I am, 3 weeks earlier than planned and I have repacked and ready to leave Esperanza Verde.

The canoe was picking me up at 10am, I still had my breakfast to get and say goodbye to the rest of the volunteers. I wrote them this letter and left it on the volo kitchen table to read when they came for morning break:

Dearest Volunteers,

The day has finally come and I am leaving Esperanza Verde with a heavy heart as I love this environment. For me it has been both a challenging and rewarding three weeks that has taught me a lot about myself and my capabilities but it has been made easier by all of your company.

To Sophie and Anna who have been my most adorable roommates (who remind me of my daughter) I leave you with a packet Harobo mix (to share or not to share, you choose, but Rodger will cry into his pillow if you don’t) and for Dylan (who reminds me of my adventurous son) I have left you my shortbread as you did not get any from the last box – I’m sure you will share!!

You all have such amazing enthusiasm and I wish you many wonderful exciting adventures as you travel throughout your lives and every success in whatever you decide to do.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your journey and Dylan ( from your surrogate jungle mother) don’t push the boundaries too far.

Lots of love

Diane

Travelling round the campus I said my goodbyes to the volunteers except Dylan, I couldn’t find Dylan and I would never leave without saying my farewell to him. Looking on the rota sheet behind the door in the Volvo kitchen I saw that he was up in the clinic so I climbed the steep stairs for the last time and there he was, cleaning and feeding the Capachin and Night monkey. Awe, it was so sad. We hugged and said our goodbyes, I shall miss him and his erratic behaviour – he was so much fun.

I popped my head into the office to say cheerio to Alex and Olivia and wished them both well and success with Esperanza Verde.

I had found a pupae attached to a primus stove a few days earlier, removed it from the precarious position, reattached it to the lid of a box using some suture material I had found in the clinic and had been monitoring it excited to see what it morphed into. It was big, pea green and beautiful about the size of a quail egg.

From the corner of my eye I notice the box lid was open and the pupae gone and after questioning Alex I was told that it had hatched and she had set it free. Although really disappointed not to have seen what it had become, I took a lot of comfort in knowing it had survived and was flying free out there in the lush vegitation.

Heading back to the dorm, I picked up my lead weight of a rucksack and my red backpack (worn on the front) and waddled in the direction of the port to pick up my canoe for this epic journey to Curimana passing a few of the resident monkeys on the way.

I hoped he won’t be late because the sandflies were vicious and there was no shade to protect me from the heat that was already rising.it was a strange feeling walking away, I didn’t turn back, I made my way to the port avoiding the marching fire ant colony that looked as they were moving house

The Canoe trip

The boatman wasn’t late, he must have been watching for me from the other side of the river for as soon as I came into his field of view, he started his engine and was over in less than three minutes.

All aboard, just me, I had the whole canoe to myself – just perfect – an hour of floating down the tributary of the Ukalaya river heading to Carimana for the last time. There, I would catch a pick-up to Pucallpa.

It was just beautiful, I knew the sun was seething hot but the motion of the canoe created a cool breeze which was deceiving so I lathered the suncream on all my exposed skin – arms, legs, face and neck then I lay back to take in the breathtaking panoramic view.

I had so many pieces of equipment to use and before long, I was getting flustered and worried that something would end up overboard – my phone, binoculars, my new shiny, expensive (birthday present from my husband) camera with two lenses, as well as trying the balance my (birthday present from my daughter) solar panel batterypack on the side to catch the rays of the sun. The canoe was very long but equally as thin and not much room to manoover.

I took so many photos. I just wanted to capture all the scenes on the banks in the trees and also of the other passing canoes but I quickly realised that I was actually depriving myself of the relaxing journey it should be so I put down my camera, I opened eyes, ears and my nostrel and used all my senses to appreciated the stimulating display of nature that surrounded me – so peaceful, so beautiful – so perfect. I was drifting down a river in the Amazon after all.

Wow, the hour went in way too fast and before I knew it I was standing in the hustle and bustle of Curimana waiting for the taxi to Pucallpa.

I didn’t have the luxury of having space around me for the next trip. As usual everyone piled in and me and an older gentleman ( older than me 🤣) were squashed into the wee seats away at the back behind the rear seating area. The windows didn’t open and we were sitting in what was ewuivemlant to a tinderbox the sweat was pouring down our faces like little waterfalls and we both at the same time requested that the people in the rear seats rolled down their window.

The journey was fine. Two and a half hours later I was back in Pucallpa where my journey began three weeks earlier. Before I knew it I was sitting in a wee Tuk-tuk getting taken to the airport.

So now I was in the little small airport with one wee cafe. I was seven and a half hours early for my check-in but it would be fine.

Putting my luggage on a trolley, I headed straight to the toilet taking my trolley in too. It was a tight squeeze and no-one else would fit but I wasn’t leaving it outside. OMG, warm water, I had not felt warm water on my skin for over 3 weeks and……a hand drier. I stayed in there for such a long time and probably tripled the electricity output for the airport – amazing! For the first time I actually felt as though my hand were clean.

Where to next? It had to be that wee cafe! I could have eaten one of everything on display- I couldn’t decide and that revolving cold juice – I thought I was going to faint.

After much deliberation, I chose a cheese and ham toastie and a cooled mango juice. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this much depraved of food, I wanted to sook my toastie to make it last but i couldn’t resist and I inhaled it so quickly I don’t think my tongue had a chance to savour the taste. 🤣

Trying to pass the time, I phoned everyone I knew who had WhatsApp (free on Wifi), added to my Facebook, answered text and answered emails…..6.5hrs left 😩. I was seated right across from the cafe and contemplated having round two but I knew I would put all that weight back on that I had lost due to my ill health and I kind of like my new leaner figure. (Rachel says I should rename my blog ‘Diarrhoea Diary’ 🤣

Did I mention I now had a headcold? Well it was getting worse – my head aches, my nose is streaming , I’m constantly sneezing and my throat is on fire. Great, just bloody great all I need Now is my lips to be covered in scabs (aka coldsores). I remember reporting one of the woolly monkeys sneezing – what if I’ve caught it from him – what if I’m the Patient zero like in the film Outbreak!!!

I’ll go see if I can check in early. It’s 16:36 and my flight leaves at 20:49 – fat chance I bet.

After 6 hrs of revisiting the toilets to remind me what warm air and water feels like, and yip, revisiting the wee cafe for a repeat order, check-in began and I was finally rid of my oversized rucksack. Inside the terminal they were asking us to board and even I with my pigeon Spanish understood the request for people with babes, disabilities and the elderly (not me) to come forward, so why on earth did 95% of the passengers join the queue and cause chaos. I was in group 6, the last to be called and to be honest I was glad to sit and wait for the mayhem to resolve.

It was a quick uneventful flight back to Lima that lasted just under an hour. My rucksack was one of the first off the plane and on the carousel which was amazing. Straight out the door to scan the manic sea of people for my pre-ordered taxi.

Nope, no-one there with my name held high, I waited and waited in case he was caught up in traffic – I waited that long the next group of arrivals were coming through the door. I phoned the hotel, nope, no driver was dispatched – no great deal, I booked a taxi at one of the kiosks and was on my way to the hotel in the residential area of Miraflores booked by Rachel : Miraflores is probably the most popular district in Lima from a tourist’s perspective, featuring gorgeous coastal views, quality shopping, and world-class food. My life just took a giant leap into luxury!!! To Rachel 😘😘😘😘😘