Amazon Basin, Peru (28 Feb 07 - 04 Mar 07)

Jungle Fever

Overall, I had an incredible experience in the jungle. It was so primal, so savage. And we didn´t even venture that far into the jungle. We did the best that we could with our limited time budget, and it was enough. I am glad that we avoided the touristic jungle lodge experience and instead opted for a more unique trip that lured us off the beaten path. Cheers to the crew of Amazon Explorer for providing such an awesome experience.

Our 5 day jungle expedition first took us 250 km upriver from Iquitos into the selva baja, the low jungle. The low jungle is inundated by the river, so it is wet, muddy, and teeming with life. We sailed up the 7th tributary of the Rio Amazonas until we reached a hidden lake. The sail itself was relaxing and proved to be a great time to observe the wildlife. Freshwater dolphins were jumping next to the boat, giant kingfishers were diving into the water and pulling out fish, and giant turkey vultures soared silently overhead. We set up camp and from there ventured further into the jungle on various hikes and canoe rides. After 2 days in the selva baja, we cruised downriver past Iquitos to the selva media, the middle jungle. From there we embarked on additional hikes and canoe rides to find various jungle flora and fauna.

When we sailed on larger rivers like the Amazonas or the Huallaga, we were so far from the bank that everything looked the same. You could concentrate on one spot of the forest, close your eyes for ten minutes, and swear that you hadn´t moved an inch when you reopen your eyes. The same murky water and the same impenetrable wall of green vegetation. Sailing up the tributary was different, because the banks closed in and we were able to see so much more. It was as if the jungle itself were coming into focus.

Hanging out on the bow of the Valiente.

Hector y yo on a jungle walk.

Our hooch for the first night. With the exception of the two sheets of visqueen, the shelter was constructed entirely from jungle materials. The strings used to tie down the visqueen are actually long, narrow strips of bark. I thought it was pretty cool, until I woke up in the middle of the night with sheets of water cascading over my body. There was a torrential downpour with strong winds, and our primitive shelter was no match for it. My bug netting became so waterlogged that it collapsed.

Gigantic ojé tree.

Crazy flower.

Deforestation! Don´t worry. I didn´t hack this palm tree down for no reason. We were hungry and needed something to eat.

Seriously. After stripping off the outside bark and flesh, Rotelio reveals the bland, yet edible, heart of palm.

Drinking from a water vine.

After hacking these fruits in half, you could squeeze out the gelatin-esque flesh for a refreshing treat. Pretty much everything in the jungle is edible. We ate so many different things that I grew tired of snapping photos of them.

Hector holding up a recently speared stingray. Yes, we ate that too.

Huge centipede. No, we didn´t eat it, but we did eat some grubs that tasted like peanuts.

Piranha!

Baby 3 toed sloth.

Oso Perezoso.

Boa constrictor. Hector found this snake and caught it, then released it back into the wild and let me try to catch it. I will post a video of my successful attempt.

Mate mate, a prehistoric turtle.

Anaconda! We were watching the mate mate swim in a bog, when this anaconda appeared out of nowhere. It took both Hector and Percy to finally wrestle this 4 meter long creature into submission.


After witnessing the titanic struggle between our guides and the snake, I demurred from trying to catch this one on my own.

The most dangerous animal in the jungle - the mosquito. Fortunately, I was prepared with my 100% DEET insect repellant and my recently acquired malaria medication. 12 weeks worth of Aralen cost me only $1.44 in Cuenca! I am taking quite a gamble, however, because malaria is supposed to have developed resistance to the drug in certain areas of the world.

Showering in the rain outside of the shaman´s hut.
This was the cleanest I ever got on the entire trip.