We leave Napo at 4.55. It is pitch dark and the paddle across the jet black water seems unearthly. Bats skim the water, frogs chirrup and there is the occasional bird wake-up call. The trip takes an hour to the village where we change onto the fast motorised canoe for the journey back to Coca.
The weather changes from a mist rising from the jungle to thick fog.
Visibility is appalling. At times it is only a few yards. How the driver can see and continue to drive so fast is beyond me. He slows occasionally to negotiate sandbanks or avoid floating logs but it is a somewhat unsettling experience which lasts for the best part of 3 hours. Despite being on the equator the air is cool and I am glad to be wearing my fleece.
We are served breakfast on the boat. Coffee and a partitioned box with scrambled egg, cold meats, bread and fruit.
Transfer from the dock at Coca is efficient and we are soon in Coca airport awaiting the short flight back to Quito.
For ease we stay at the Wyndham airport hotel. We arrive at mid-day and our room is not ready so we sit on the patio with a drink.
We spend the afternoon in a lazy manner and have early supper in the restaurant where they served an extremely good all you could eat buffet. Tomorrow will be another early start for the 08.04 flight to Baltra in the Galapagos.