From the South, the Lodge borders on the river, and from three other three sides – on the rainforest. It is about 5 km from there to the nearest country road, and people come here by boats, also to deliver food and water and get rid of wastes. Vessels are the only possible transport in most of the places in the Amazonia basin – from the ancient times till today. In the meantime, there is no lack of guests in Wasai Lodge, who enjoy almost all the necessary comforts.
The main building consists of a kitchen with utility rooms and a spacious territory for guests, composed of a dining area, a small library and a covered verandah, overlooking the river.
The verandah is equipped with sofas and armchairs, and its main feature is that here it is possible to get mobile reception.
Bladi from Venado Station is inimitable, but food in Wasai is remarkable, nevertheless. For example, today we had yucca (tasted as potato, but thicker) accompanied with stuffed vegetables and rice, banana pancakes, star-fruit jam and mixed juice from tropical fruits. The cooks prepared special vegetarian food by my requests while others were eating meat cooked in bamboo stems.
Even in the low season the main terrace was not empty, especially during the evenings. Every day people from all walks of life - the individual adventure travellers, students, volunteers, writers, romantic couples and small groups with their guides - come here to have some rest and a delicious dinner.
Hardly can I remember whenever I met so many interesting people in one place once before. People coming here have nothing to do with the idle tourists sunbathing at the beach. The majority of the visitors are experienced travellers who have visited a lot of unusual places, and everyone has some exciting tale to be told to like-minded travellers. So, the dinner usually starts with the sharing of impressions about the day spent: everyone saw something unusual – we are, after all, in the Amazonian rainforest!
- Today I’ve spotted a tapir on our way to Chuncho Lake. It was awesome! – a pretty lady with typical American intonations imparted to us rapturously.
- ‘Splendid!’ – the local guide comments. - To see a wild full-sized tapir in this part of the forest is almost the same that to meet a jaguar in broad daylight!
Suddenly, from the darkness Chris appears.
- ‘Does anybody want to see caimans? Just go down to the boat, it is departing in 10 minutes!’
Unwillingly leaving the terrace after the dinner, people disperse to sleep. There are several wooden houses on the lodge; each of them having two separate entrances. My hut was quite spacious with two beds covered with mosquito nets, a bathroom and a private terrace with a little table, armchair and the possibility to set a hammock. It was just cold water in the shower, of course – but there was a shower, however!
On the way to my hut, I am overtaking by Chris and a group of students.
- ‘Sorry, don't you see a tarantula, by any chance? It must be somewhere over there.... O, here it is - just on the palm-tree near your house!’
But the tarantula was a nice neighbour who never shatters my peace and quiet. The other residents of the Lodge are quite remarkable, too. A black cat, who loves stuffed vegetables and bread and hates the eggs.
Agouti, walking around the territory whenever and wherever it likes. Paca named Pikachu – funny brown-grey little animal, just a bit bigger than cat. His main activity was to beg visitors for food or making deep research inside of the garbage can, with sincere tender emotion covering his strange face.
The lodge is full of fruit trees – I found passion fruit, papaya, starfruit and some other plants with fruits that I've never seen before. The people recruited at the lodge sometimes pick them up, wash and put into the big plate near the thermoses with hot water and coffee, constantly presented in the main terrace.
But a lot of the fruits just lie around the trees, like yellow leafs in autumn time in European countries.
The breakfast is served early in the morning; whatever are your later plans, it's better to start them as early as possible before the hot tropical sun began to scorch at the full capacity. Newcomers go to explore on of the jungle trails or to try zip-line, or to see colourful Macaw, coming to the nearest clay lick.
Volunteers start their work – there is a lot to do there, from the making of new trails and placing signs on them to any aspects of scientific researchers. Some people just prefer to have a rest, enjoying the comfort of the lodge; for others, the breakfast is the time to say “good-bye” to their fellow-travellers and continue their exploration of unknowable immense lands of Amazonia.
12.03.2015