Sucking mud and hunting Anacondas in the Amazon

The first day that we were in the Amazon, our guide excitedly told us we were heading off in the canoe to go see an anaconda snake. We were all given wellington boots as it might be a little muddy, (boy was that an understatement).  Now this whole trip did not seem like such a good idea to me, as I was not sure I wanted to get up and close with an enormous snake that could strangle me to death.  But any way off we headed in the canoe across the lake.

At first it was beautiful, with that lovely late afternoon sun giving a warm glow to the jungle, and we were canoeing on the Amazon after all, and then we ran aground. The only thing to do was get out of the canoe and walk it to the island that held the snake, at first just a couple of people.

Then everyone was out walking with the warm Amazon river flooding over the top of the boots!

The worst was yet to come.  When we arrived at the island the water had recently receaded to expose what we lovingly christened sucking mud.

Sucking because it sucked peoples boots off, and I think would have swallowed you whole if you did not keep moving!

Regaining composure and emptying boots.

My husband heroically rescued several damsels whose boots were left behind in the mud with no thought to his own cleanliness at all.

And yes we did see the Anaconda, though it was curled up in tree stump and looked for all the world like a used tyre, I did not even bother to take a picture of it. We earned our dinner that night, and after all it's adventures like that, that give you stories to tell.