Survivor in Amazon - Peru - Part 2 of 2

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. That's 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. Photo. A bald face ukari monkey. © Josh Cutler.

The air was thick, humid and so dense you could almost drink it. The mosquitoes 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 an 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?

Photo. Vising a village in the Amazon. © Josh Cutler.

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 never seen a digital camera before...there was no electricity for 100 miles!

Photo. Local children, excited about my "magic" camera. © Josh Cutler.

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!

Photo. The pet owl, which belongs to the old medicine women. © Josh Cutler.

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 Shaman.

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 kaleidoscope against the bright blue sky.

We reached an opening 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.

Photo. The author of the article, Josh, is swimming in the Amazon...pre-Pirhana bite. © Josh Cutler.

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!

Josh Cutler, 4 November 2004

Additional information
Read more about great adventures in Amazon on our website.

Based on our experiences and contacts in the region, we would like to give advise and provide information to they who like to travel there!

Contact us in Travel Explorations on stein@TravelExplorations.com.

Presentation of the author:
Josh Cutler has been interested in travel as far back as age 5. Growing up, he would spend countless hours reading and rereading the world atlas. While most other children played with Star Wars figures and Big Wheel Bikes, Josh's favourite toy was his globe. His country of origin is the USA (from the Philadelphia area). He currently lives in Ventnor, New Jersey.

His first travels led him to Mexico and Central America. Then, at age 25 he quit his job and spent months exploring Western Europe and North Africa. It was a life altering experience to live out of a back pack for such an extended period of time. As much as he saw...his hunger for travel and exploration seemed to grow larger.

Photo. Josh Cutler is an adventure traveller, photograph and freelance journalist from USA. When Josh grow up his favourite toy was his globe.

 

Josh's other passion was travel writing. He has had several articles published by Lonely Planet and Globe Trekker."My greatest joy is experiencing different cultures, religions and lifestyles...then being able to convey my visions through words and description to those back home."

Josh has visited over twenty countries including Peru, Morocco, Thailand, Cambodia, Turkey, Belize, Guatemala and most of Europe. For further information, assignments, articles and photos, Josh Cutler could be contacted on e-mail: NYCutler@aol.com.