NYCutler
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Peru Diaries #1: Survivor-Amazon
THE AMAZON
The sky roared like the belly of a hungry jaguar...our small boat was headed
right toward the navy blue storm cloud. By small, I mean large enough for five
passengers and the three live chickens cramped behind my seat.
We had only been on the Amazon River for ten minutes when the sky openned up
and sheets of rain poured down upon us, filling our ride with puddles of water.
I had total confidence in our driver...although I must admit it made me
nervous when I saw him cross himself and begin to pray.
The five of us each grabbed a corner of a plastic tarp to shield us from the
pounding rain.
Soon nature´s fury was over and all my belongings I meticulously packed for the
next 17 days were completely soaked! ¨Thats life in the rain forest¨ my guide
joked in broken English ¨You can always expect some rain¨.
Moments later we were baking in the tropical sun, coasting down the murky brown
river like a condor on a mountain breeze. Civilization disappeared behind me
as I headed into the great unknown.
The Amazon River is one of the world´s great natural mysteries. It stretches
4000 miles long and most of it has yet to be explored. The basin is home to
2,000 species of fish (more than the entire Atlantic Ocean) and 4,000 species
of birds! Its greatest biodiversity is in its insects...millions of
them...needless to say, I packed my deet bug spray.
After two hours on the open water the river started to become very thin &
shallow. The underside of the boat was taking a beating from the sunken logs
& debris. Suddenly, our boat became lodged on the bottom, scraping its belly
on the muddy surface.
Patiently, my guide waited for a local to arrive and literally ¨tow¨ our motor
boat the remaining 5 kilometers upriver. Amazonian children curious to see
what all the commotion was about rushed out of their ramshackle stick huts to
give us a wave. At 135 km into the jungle, this ¨excitement¨ was probably the
highlight of their week.
After clearing that obstacle we docked our boat and made our way to the Muyuna
lodge where I was to stay the next three days. Muyuna is an ecological
establishment with eight simple wooden cabins built on stilts. They are
sometimes underwater during the wet season. Fortunately, we had two months
until the rain really began to come down.
Muyuna is literally in the middle of nowhere...about 20 miles due east from
¨Bumblefuck¨. It has no electricity, gas or hot water. Here, nestled in the
heart of the Yucacana branch of the Amazon, life is simple. The area is filled
with tons of trees, animals and all the oxygen the world will ever need.
This deep in the jungle you can see colors you´ve never seen before or even
knew existed! The combined sounds of the birds, insects and running river can
lull one into a state of complete serenity.
NIGHTFALL
As night sprawls across the Amazon basin, the mosquito army arrives in swarms.
The massive amounts of pesky insects call the attention of their biggest
predator...the bat. As dusk envelops the area, hundreds of bats awaken for
their feeding frenzy. It is like witnessing a airborne buffet. One
bloodsucker eating another... The bats eradic flight is an unbelievable sight
to witness...They whizzed inches from my face, never once crashing into one
another.
After sunset, I accompanied my guide, Horhay, on a nocturnal hunt. On this
¨hunt¨we would shoot nothing but pictures, take nothing but memories and leave
nothing but footprints...
We trekked through the jungle under the luminous moonlight until we came upon a
massive fig tree. It looked like an arboreal labrynth with its entire root
system above the ground. The tree had lots of hiding spaces for the ¨Bird
Eating Tarantula¨...You can imagine how big these arachnids are if they eat
BIRDS! They were everywhere, creeping, crawling and eating. The tree
appeared to be alive with the furry legged creatures. Horhay caught one with
his bare hands and put it on my arm. He assured me ¨It won´t bite if you don´t
move¨. Needless to say, I was as still as the night...petrified as wood!
After the adrenaline rush of the Tarantula tree we boarded our small boat to
witness some of the nocturnal life along the riverbed. With the choral
soundtrack of a million frogs, we coasted downstream, motor off, to avoid
scaring away the Amazon Caimans (gators). We shined our flashlights into the
mass of vegetation hoping to see the reflective reptilian eyes staring back.
¨Theres one!¨ my guide whispered. Fifteen feet from our small boat lay the
prehistoric beast. It´s crazy to think that only hours before, the local
children were bathing, swimming and fishing in this very river...such is life
on the Amazon.
PHISHING for PIRHANA
The following morning we awoke early for a sunrise fishing trip. Dawn in the
heart of the jungle is a different kind of visual feast. A light fog pulls
back like a blanket revealing nature´s intense colors. Within minutes the
universe changes from misty grey into a blinding green. A light layer of haze
hovers over the waters surface until the intense tropical sun beats it into
submission.
Today we would be fishing for the Amazon´s most feared predator...not the
Caiman or the Jaguar...but the Pirhana! Catching these infamous beasts is
quite simple. They eat anything and eat often! Within an hour we caught
enough pirhana for lunch AND dinner. They´re actually quite tasty...once you
get past the bones.
JUNGLE TREK
If the Amazon River is the spine of the forest, than the trees are surely its
lungs, breathing life into the land. I saddled up my knee high rubber boots
and grabbed my machete and agua. In the Amazon, a jungle trek requires a
machete knife...any semblence of trail can potentially be covered with plants
and vines within days. Thats how quickly vegetation grows here...
Our boat docked at the trail head...we would walk another two hours through
thick mud to reach the village of San Juan (not San Juan, Puerto Rico). The
dense mud clung to my heels like a vice grip as I hacked my way though the
fallen trees and branches.
Monkeys, sloths and tropical birds were hidden, however, Horhay´s eagle eyes
seemed to find them with ease. The air was thick, humid and so dense you could
almost drink it. The mosquitos were absolutely relentless...after the first
hour I became used to the sound of buzzing in my ears. They hovered over me
like a busload of seniors at a Atlantic City buffet! I was definitely their
main course that afternoon.
We finally arrived at the village, only to be surprised at the presence of a
soccer (err...I mean futbol field) in the center of their small community.
Besides fishing, what else is there to do in the middle of nowhere? I wandered
around and took pictures of the children. I later showed them their faces on
the digital camera screen...you would think I was a magician the way their
angelic faces lit up. They surrounded me in utter amazement. It´s quite
possible these children had neer seen a digital camera before...there was no
electricity for 100 miles!
There was an elderly ¨medicine woman¨ in the village with a blind pet owl. It
was quite tame and let me pet it...and I thought MY pets were strange!
As I strolled around I noticed I had a trail of curious children following me,
perplexed by my magic camera. Since I had a captive audience I did some simple
magic tricks for them (detachible thumb & pulling coins out from their ears).
Their laughter was a language that transcends all boundaries. It warmed my
heart and soul.
After a couple more tricks I departed on my boat...I figure I better leave
before the tribe adopted me as their new Shamen...¨Magic Josh¨
THE PINK DOLPHINS
My last day in the Amazon we embarked on a quest to find the elusive Pink
Dolphin. These freshwater dolphins can reach 7 feet in length and weigh 350
pounds! Their bodies are entirely pink (they have blood vessels right below
their skin). We cruised down the river until it bottle necked into a thin
stream. Tall jungle reeds slapped against our boat, startling hundreds of
resting yellow butterflies into the air. They fluttered about, creating a
living kaliedoscope against the bright blue sky.
We reached an openning in the dense reeds and the thin river transformed into a
large stagnant lake. Horhay turned the motor off and we waited
patiently...within minutes a vibrant pink head emerged from the murky brown
water and blew a spritz into the air. WOW! It mesmerized me...here I was,
100 miles deep in the jungle and dolphins...PINK dolphins...were frolicking
around my boat. Deep in the Amazon, life can be full of wonderful surprises...
After our sighting, we docked the boat on an embankment. ¨You can swim here¨
Horhay said reassuringly ¨No Pirhanas aqui¨ What the hell...you only live
once...and if he was wrong, it was going to be a short life.
I nervously inched my way into the lukewarm murky water. It smelled like a
pile of wet leaves on collection day... Despite the smell, it was heavenly
warm and felt great on my tired muscles. The bottom was sandy, yet sticky. It
was a substrate like I´ve never felt before. With each step, the riverbed
clung to my feet like bubble gum. Funky...yet I never sunk into the mud.
I relished in the moment...Here I was, swimming in the infamous Amazon River.
A childhood dream of the ultimate nature lover had come true...
Just then...out of nowhere I felt a bite! I screamed and jumped out of that
river faster than a Jaguar in heat! I was totally freaked out by the whole
experience. My guide and boat driver were totally hysterical at my reaction.
They had never seen anyone move so fast. I had a little nibble mark on my
elbow...my newest travel scar with a cool story behind it. I don´t think I´ve
ever been so scared in my entire life! Who else can say they´ve been bit by a
Pirhana and lived to tell the tale...
ON THE HORIZON
I am now in Iquitos...Peru´s main Amazon city. I plan on spending a couple
relaxing days here until I meet up with Marna in Lima. I am having a magical
experience so far and its only the beginning!
I´ll write more in a couple days. Until then...The tribe has spoken...
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10-13-2004 12:00 PM
