Pirana fishing.
Golden Pirana! Our boat caught 4 different types... i caught none :(
We went on a jungle educational walk where we learned sooo much, I can only share a small fraction of it here. I gained an understanding and respect for the this place that I've never felt or seen before. It's incredible here, truly a masterpiece and symphony of life in delicate balance. There is no soil here. It is all clay. The plants here survive off of the humidity, rain, and decomposition of past vegetation. The rain is constantly washing away the nutrition from the ground and into the river, hence the dark color of the Rio Negro from my past post. The indigenous people here are migratory be necessity. In order to grow enough food to survive, they need to slash and burn an area to obtain ash to make the ground fertile. But every year the rain takes away the fertile soil, and they are forced to move and start over. The area that they burned regrows and becomes a fully integrated part of the jungle again within 15 years. This second growth they call "capoeira". It's incredible how voracious the life is here. So enough talking... here's some pictures from our informative jungle walk!
Is it a branch.. is it a knot... no my friends, it's an ants nest.
Close-up of the ants nest.
The indigenous people here use the ants as mosquito repellant.
All you need to do is scratch the nest to piss off the ants, place your hands on it till they are covered in angry ants, then smash them and rub them all over your body...stinky, but efficient.
We got 2 different stories on this one. You can choose your favorite, or comment below if you feel inclined to discover the truth. One guide told us that it's a locust nest where the baby locusts can sit inside for up to 10 years but once they emerge they only live for 1 month. Another guide told us (my favorite story), that it's a nest for a type of wasp here that hunts tarrantulas kills them with a poisonous bite. Once the tarrantula is dead, it plants its eggs inside the tarrantula and builds a nest over it, the babies emerge, eat the tarrantula, and then enter the world.
Chanel #5
Not joking. The bark from this tree is responsible for one of the most famous scents in the world. It is exported exclusively to France. But I have this piece in my bag... mmmm smells good.
The calling tree.
This gorgeous tree is used by the people here to call to one another. The wood is incredibly dense, and when you hit it with the back of your machete, it makes a resounding booming crack that can be heard for up to 10 miles away through dense jungle. If you're in the jungle and need help, keep hitting this tree and it will come.
Fresh Brasil Nut.
The flavor of this fresh nut was the most incredible thing. I have had many a brasil nut in my life, but never like this before. Its actually very moist when fresh, full of life and tastes remarkably like nutty coconut. I've turned into a brasil nut snob, its hard for me to eat them now when they aren't fresh :(
Heart of Palm
Our guide cut open a baby açaí palm tree for us to experience a fresh heart of palm. This is a unique experience, as usually you are only able to buy them pickled or jarred in the store. The fresh flavor was deliscious and unchanged by addittives, very nutricious and perfect for salads. Everything here tastes remarkably like coconut.
Our guide has eyes like a hawk. There was a little speck in the sky flying so high we could hardly see and our guide casually says, look a toucan. We're like, yeah right man, good one. But thanks to Rachels rediculous zoom, it has been confirmed, it was a toucan! We learned a funny story from our guide about toucans as well. Aparently, they mostly drink from the rain and other areas besides the river. Because if they see their image in the river, they could go into shock and die. Am I gullible? You decide.
Obviously it was night time, we were caiman hunting and caught the reflection of his eye. Thanks to the mesmerizing powers of a mag-light, we were able to get within 4 feet of him as he sat there looking all around trying to figure out if aliens were abducting him. It was amazing!!!!!
The handywork of capuchin monkeys.
The monkeys here, (we saw 2 groups of monkeys!) eat the husky finberous exterior, then throw down the central coconut area that they can't get into, where animals who live on the forest floor finish the meal for them.
The inside of this coconut. If they coconut is very old, you are likely to find grubs replacing the meat.
What do they taste like? You guessed it, coconut.
(if you ignore the initial crunch and explosion in your mouth, yikes!)
Super cool seed.
Red roots such as these are medicinal and make great teas.
Açaí!!!
Açaí palm roots :)
Star Fruit.
Mushroom!
The next day we had a beautiful day paddleboating through Turtle Lake, and up a small branch of the river. We turned off the motor, and our guide taught us how to paddle quietly, allowing us to see much more wildlife and experience the nature here in a way like never before. There were a few tight squeezes where we had to navigate under fallen trees to get through some congested areas. Check out the video below:
So fun!
We found a stow-away on our adventure.
I think he'll fit in my backpack.
Thinking of you Beth!
Poor Rachel got her finger stuck between a tree and the canoe we paddled in, and had to keep it elevated like captain hook for the rest of the journey. ARRRRGGGHH Matey.
Hey Rachel, what's the 3-2... thaaaat's right, its 1!!!!
Sunset from the other side of the lodge.
We went to a rubber plantation and learned all about the process of how rubber trees were initially harvested. Rubber trees originate from the Amazon, and were only brought to other parts of the world by the Europeans who colonized this region. After the sap is collected from the trees, you can dip molds in it and the vulcanize it to solidify with smoke.
Some rubber products.
Look, a reusable condom :P
Making friends with the locals.
Iguana!
These guys are awesome, it's rare to see them in the trees. We only saw this one because our guide has eyes like a hawk. Usually they spot you first, and the only thing you see of them is a resounding splash when they jump flailingly into the waters of the river from the trees to escape.
Dinner :)
Another riverside structure.
We had on overnight stay in the jungle. Collecting firewood looked like this. Humorously enough, the only dry wood you can find in the jungle to burn is old dead trees still emerging from the rivers. If the wood is on the ground in the jungle, chances are its rotting and wet.
We had on overnight stay in the jungle. Collecting firewood looked like this. Humorously enough, the only dry wood you can find in the jungle to burn is old dead trees still emerging from the rivers. If the wood is on the ground in the jungle, chances are its rotting and wet.
Rachel with all our collected firewood for the night.
This one's for you, Fabi!
And so begins a lesson in jungle safety... a series over the next 4 photos...
Make note of the dry palm leaves protecting the fire from rain.
2. Rice for dinner, which did finish by the way.
3. Blazing inferno and a seriously unfortunate tree bystander.
Did I call it? Yes I did!
4. The lesson, even if you fuck up and start a fire in the jungle and feel like an idiot,
it's so humid here that its not so scary and not too hard to control.
Chris, casually standing by with the chicken as our campside catches on fire. It was only his resolve that saved our perfectly marinated, skewered chicken from the dirt. Thanks for not flipping out, dropping our chicken, and running for it Chris!!
Bed... a line up of hammocks covered by mosquito nets.
We had a fun swinging hammock fight before falling asleep.
Our neighbor, a rather large monkey spider.
He was comfortably living in the roofing right above Rachel's hammock.
Goooood niiiiight.....
Sunrise.
A caiman on a log! A rare daytime sighting.
Our guide, Allen
Go team Awesome!
And thanks Adam for the finger of encouragement for Rachel :)
Rachel and I with the owner of the lodge.
He was so relaxed. Whatever you wanted to do or needed his response was always,
"No problem". We asked him if we could stay longer if we washed dishes as a joke and he said yes and meant it! Too bad we couldn't take him up on it as we had fights already booked...
Thanks for your hospitality Amazon and Boca do Juma... Eu sinto saudade de vocês.
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