The Amazon ¨Officially¨ - Part Four

The Amazon ¨Officially¨ - Part Three

Swinging on jungle vines, sampling jungle fruits and eating grub, literally. I guess Eric and I both came into this trip with the goal of having an open mindset to trying new things. We found out quickly that the jungle provided many opportunities to test ours. Bananas are grown all over this region. I haven´t eaten a banana in twenty odd years. As a kid my mom used to cut up brown bananas on my cereal doing her best to remove the bad parts but by then the whole fruit was a discusting slimey mess and visions of vomit soon followed. I vowed never to eat them again. But they say time is a healer. After constant badgering from Eric, I finally tried a piece. Well...it didn´t kill me but the jury is still out on that subject. Some things came easily like drinking water out of cut vines. Our guide introduced us to a lot of plants and things that could be consumed if one where so inclined. But when he provided us with a leaf full of maggots, well somehow I just found myself a bit hesitant. But when in Rome. Think luke warm tapioca pudding in a rubber shell and you are in the ball park of the taste experience of these little jungle delicacies.

The Amazon ¨Officially¨ - Part Two

As soon as we arrived we had a quick lunch and then headed out into the jungle for a hike. You never really realize how jam packed the Amazon Basin is until you go there. Pictures can´t really do it justice to show the density of it. Here plants grow over eachother in a thick, blinding green fashion. Insects are the dominant species here. Everywhere you stepped, there was something that crawled. Walking and dodging our way through, I kept thinking that every leaf or tree hid something that would fall on you. It was the thought process that I could get knocked off by anything on the food chain. The Amazon allowed every organism a fighting chance. Here was a level playing ground. Ofcourse everything was fine. You realize your being an idiot and you just need to walk carefully and make sure to avoid the hazardous plants or insects that your guide points out to you. We saw about a dozen different types of ants. Some where poisonous and some just looked that way. There were literally ant highwways on the jungle ground where you saw millions carrying big green leaves back to the homestead. Cool stuff.

The Amazon ¨Officially¨ - Part One

Something about the potential to catch a piranhas in the Amazon Basin just sounded like something too good to pass up. Not only that, but to return to the states after backpacking across the whole of South America and say that we didn´t visit the Amazon Basin would just be silly. Down right shameful. Poor or not, we had to make a trip in to make it official. So to remedy the dilemma, Eric and I found a jungle tour guide service in Iquitos for an overnight excursion into Amazon tributary. We boarded long, wooded river speedboats and headed out into the sticks.

Honoring an Invite

Anna and her family were genuine in their offer for us to stay at their house and we followed them to their place from the port in Iquitos. Poverty is a hard thing to truely understand until you live it. They lived in what would resemble a broken down, two room shack. Rotten wood floors, cockroach infested, not running water, a hole in the ground as a toliet, and not much else. Yet despite having literally nothing, they opened their doors to us with warm happy hearts. They are a hapy family and not even being ¨pobre¨(as Anna warned us that they were) effected their attitude. I found it remarkable. As a thank you Eric and I made them a big American brunch for her and the eleven relatives that lived with them. They were a lot of fun and we were very grateful for their hospitality.

The Boat from Pucallpa to Iquitos - Part Five

For as cramped as we all were, everyone was in good spirits. The hold had a cheerful pressence to it created from its occupants in it together for the four day haul. Laughter could always be heard coming from the crowds gathered around listening to the comic performances put on by some of the other passengers. Latin music blared. Loud. Often times in the early morning. Mothers breast fed there infants openly. Eric and I taught the girls how to play rummy and despite the language barrier they quickly started whooping our butts. The girls sit on the dirty mattresses making bead necklaces to sell as Anna changes their little brother´s diaper. I read two books and had plenty of cat naps. We felt like pirates hanging in our hammocks. The boat was a lot like a huge slumber party turned Lord of the Flies. We were all in this together. I was in a good mood, but as the third day floated by and gave way into the fourth, my body yearned to be clean and the closed quarters started to get to us gringos. Luckily we arrived in Iquitos early that morning.

The Boat from Pucallpa to Iquitos - Part Four

Our ferry would stop at remote villages from time to time to pick up or drop off goods and the occassional person. For many of these villages, the once a week ferry stop was the only contact with the outside world. With that the boat served them under many different tittles varying from mailman to food delivery to hardware store and much more. For many of the poor vendors along the shoreline it was an opportunity for them to come on to the boat to sell goods while we sat for an hour at each port.