This hotel is a two suite, swinging, 1960’s style design. This plane used to be the main shuttled for globetrotters like us to travel to South Africa, but now it is restored into this unique jumbo hotel. The hotel is located near the edge of Costa Verde area National Park and is swinging 50 feet high over looking the Jungle and the sea. It has it’s own private entrance up a river rock with a 360 degree surrounding garden. Now if you are in Costa Rica, this is a hotel to check out and see how creative a plane can be.

So far, I still don’t have my internal flights in Brazil and I didn’t book anything in Bahia- which, honestly, I’m not really worried about. However, the more I talk to people, the more they are trying to scare me! What if I miss one of my connecting flights to Brazil? What if the airline loses my luggage? What if I can’t hop on a plane to get to Rio? What if, what if, what if! I’ll deal with the “what if” if it does happen!

The total duration of my flight schedule is about 20 hrs. It will give me time to catch up on some reading that I have neglected in the last few weeks and get some sleep! I love sleeping on planes. It makes the flight pass by so much faster! Once I arrive to Manaus, I’ll find my hostel, meet people and visit the city with whoever wants to be my friend! The next morning, rise & shine, my tour to the jungle begins.

Here is more info on my tour:

Rain Forest Nature Expedition 6 days / 5 nights

1st Day - I’ll meet my group (between 5-8 people) and leave to pick up the speed boat so we can head to the other side of the river to Careiro village a typical fisherman spot for commercialization of river fish. On the way, we’ll get to see the magnificent “Meeting of the Waters” (the junction of the two rivers Amazon and Negro River).

After arriving at Careiro Village, we will continue along the famous TransAmazônica road for 40 kilometers until our arrival at Arara River where the motorized canoe will be waiting for us to take a journey through the Paraná do Mamori and Arara River basin. We’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a little tour to better understand the area, with an explanation about the ecosystem, flora and fauna.

2nd Day – Wake up early for a Safari! Jungle trekking in the morning and we will depart in motorized canoes and do some piranha fishing in the afternoon. The day will end with a night tour so we can discover the nocturnal environment and alligator spotting.

3rd Day -  We’ll visit native dwellings to see how the people deal with the jungle and their typical way of life.

4th & 5th Day – Stay far out in the jungle. Camping and cooking out.

6th Day – Free morning and then we’ll transfer back to Manaus.

As you can read for yourselves, it will definitely be an adventurous 6 days. I didn’t bother asking too many questions about where I’ll be sleeping or what I’ll be eating because in this case, the less I know, the better it is! What I do know is that I will be sleeping in jungle lodges and hammocks. I’m not quite sure on which nights but I guess we’ll find out soon enough! Stay tuned!

1. The Amazon: It’s hot, it’s humid and it’s sticky! There are bugs, insects, birds, fish and reptiles all over the place! I’ll be walking a lot and I’ll be sleeping in jungle lodges or hammocks. Based on this, the first items I plan to pack are hiking pants. Wearing shorts is definitely out of the question unless I want to be covered in bug bites for 2 weeks! This being said, how many pairs of pants will I need? What color? What material: Nylon? Cotton? Ok, so I was thinking of packing 3 pairs of hiking pants. I will not have access to a proper shower so let’s forget about finding a washing machine! If I bring 3 pairs of hiking pants, I’ll wear them twice. Not too bad, right? I am definetely buying dark colored pants because light colors obviously get dirty much faster. Now, what material? My first option is to buy 100% nylon. The advantage of buying 100% nylon pants is that it will dry fast but it may not be the best option in terms of breathability and I may consequently feel sticky relatively quickly. I do however need a material that dries fast because it will be rainy season in the jungle in December. Although it only pours a few minutes per day, it’s enough to get me wet in no time! My second option is 100% cotton. Cotton is a better option in terms of breathability but once the material gets wet, it will take forever to dry considering the high level of humidity. This being said, there is no way I want 100% cotton. My third option is to buy a pair of pants that has a mix of nylon and cotton. It would be a good solution in terms of having the best of both worlds. Based on this, I did go ahead and bought a pair of  Cool Pants from Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC).  1 down, 2 to go! Do I stick to 100% nylon for the other two pairs or should I buy a mix of cotton/nylon pants?

Now that we have the bottoms covered, how about tops? I’m thinking of bringing 3 short sleeve 100% cotton tops with one long sleeve cotton top and a lightweight long sleeve jacket. Cotton is definitely the best option for tops since the upper body is normally the first part of the body to transpire so breathability is important here. Again, there will be thousands of bugs in the wilderness so I need to bring long-sleeve tops regardless of how hot it will be! I still didn’t shop for tops… any suggestions anyone? 

A third important item is a pair of GORE-TEX hiking boots.  For those of you who are not familiar with GORE-TEX, it’s a waterproof and breathable fabric and a registered trademark of W.L. Gore & Associates that is used to make footwear and outerwear. I saw a pair at Atmosphere for $169. I don’t remember if they were a pair of Montrail or North Face. Which is better? I’ll also pack one pair of flip flops for when my feet need to breathe!

To this, I’ll add a mosquito head net to protect my head against mosquito bites, a headlamp so I can see where I’m walking at night, a cap to protect my head from the sun, a whistle to protect myself from strange jungle animals who may try to attack me, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, odorless soap/shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush, Pristine so I can disinfect dirty water in case I get stuck somewhere, a water bottle and obviously, a first-aid kit, toilet paper/wipes and my swiss army knife. And of course, I can’t forget my bathing suit so I can jump in the river! My electronics will be placed in Ziploc bags to avoid any damage that may be caused by high humidity.

2. Rio & Bahia: Packing for Rio and Bahia is much simpler. I plan to pack a few summer dresses and skirts (2-3), shorts (2) and 5 different camisoles for the rest of the trip. As most of you know, nightlife in Rio is crazy! So, I plan to pack one pair of nice sandals with 2-3 different outfits to go out. I’ll be leaving Montreal with a pair of jeans so I will have that covered. I think I have have enough items to pack in my backpack, what do you think?

The obvious that I did not mention is socks and underwear. I’ll bring 6 of each, 1 for every day in the jungle. I’m not too worried about Rio and Bahia because I’ll get the opportunity to wash my clothes there.

People, remember to always make a photocopy of your passport when going on vacation! You don’t want to ge stuck wherever you are! Keep it your photocopy in a different place than your original passport.

Did I cover everything? I hope so… last I heard, there were no convenience stores in the Jungle!