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Published: November 7th 2009
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Sunrise in Madidi
Beautiful lookout over our home for a week. It was already 92 degrees, with 145% humidity. There is another story I chose not to write. It is a tale of the battle for world domination between two of the most powerful organisms to ever grace this planet: the ant and the sandfly. Or is it the bacteria and the virus? Regardless, perhaps it is a story that will be written sometime soon. But not today. It is much too frightening, and considering the time of year, our cup of frightening images is already nearly full. No, today I must reserve words for an organism with which I am much more familiar-- myself. And for a place in which I am not familiar at all-- the jungle.
What a place!
Not for me of course. But for so many other living, breathing, biting, photosynthesizing, walking, crawling, biting, grunting, chirping, whistling, biting organisms. This includes other humans. Emphasis on the word other. Humans who don´t sweat, and don´t have to drink water, but when they do can drink right from the source, and can grab an alligator by the face, and can make a viagara tea from tree bark, and can use a machete. Like Reynaldo.
Reynaldo can make a balsa raft in an hour. An
The Ride In
No, mom, that is not a snake on the bow. hour twenty when I insist on helping. And the bugs don´t seem to... bug him.
But not me.
They almost stole my mind. Just scurried off with it along with my blood. And they were much closer to flying away with Elaines'. The bugs. Imagine a nice walk through your favorite forest. Maybe it´s a place you´ve known since childhood. Now cover every square inch of that beloved place with insects. Ants. Sand flies. Wasps. Ants. Ticks. Mosquitoes. Ants. Is it still your favorite place? I almost forgot. Before you add all the insects you need to turn up the heat. Higher. Higher. Higher still. So high that you don´t have to move to work up a sweat. You don´t have to wear clothes either. To work up a sweat, that is.
Did I mention that the bugs happen to love it when you sweat. It´s sort of an insect aphrodesiac.
What a place!
Six days in the jungle. I am wearing wool socks, long pants, boots, and am carrying 40 lbs. on my back. I walk behind Reynaldo and Elaine, and being six inches taller than either of them, am subject to a face
This branch could save your life
Elaine and I enjoying a moments´rest. Notice the Penn State shirt. I guarantee Reynaldo (it wasn´t actually me) has no idea what Penn State is. The branch is full of water-- a nice source in a pinch. full of spider web every so often. There is a trail. Sometimes. The rest of the time Reynaldo makes a small opening in the foliage with his machete, through which we walk. The terrain is mostly flat, covered in plant growth, and full of mystery.
Like that leaf. That leaf! It´s...walking away. In the jungle even the leaves can walk. Well, not exactly. Upon further review, it is the tiny, infamous, and powerful, leaf cutter ants that are carrying their prize away. But this leaf will not feed a single ant. No, these ants are farmers. And will use the leaf to breed a type of fungus that they will then devour. Genius!
The jungle is forever alive with a vast array of sounds, that shift with the movement of the sun and the changing of the season. In the distance through the chorus of insecti and bird calls, a loud, deep grunting can be heard. And the clapping of teeth. Chanchos! (Wild pigs.)
Earlier we were informed of their potential for aggressiveness. Typical stuff really. Treeing jaguars. And eating humans. So, naturally, we must move in closer. They travel in packs that can number 200, and
when hunting, will circle their prey in a matter of moments. They are also easily startled by loud noises, which we use with frequency to keep ourselves out of the trees, and out of their mouths.
There are few opportunities to glimpse the sky, without the aid of clear-cutting. It is therefore a treat, when, following the creation of camp, we amble onward to a lookout point. The view follows the snaking Rio Beni as it vanishes on the horizon, and is in the perfect position to enjoy the various macaws and parrots returning home from another days' feasting. Early morning and late evening (for obvious reasons, I think) are always the best times for wildlife viewing, and the jungle is no exception. Between the parrots and the monkeys, there isn´t much space left for others to voice their opinions. And to catch a glimpse of either, (which we frequently have), makes any journey worthwhile. We spend an hour in the company of the monogamous scarlet macaw, and only begin the journey home after the sun falls.
A nighthike. It is one thing to embark on a nighttime stroll when you are following a well-carved path, (as we
View into the Depths
It is very difficult to get a decent photo of the density of the jungle. did the previous night), but it is something entirely different without the security of space. Last night we encountered one of the most venomous snakes in the jungle, and near the river, followed the eyes of alligators as they lay in waiting beneath the waters´surface.
Tonight, Reynaldo pauses from time to time to assess the situation. And as if channeling an otherwordly force, decides on a direction. Claustrophobia is always a stones´throw away, as dense plant life and darkness threaten stability. As always, sweat is present, and when we finally return to camp, I´m too exhausted to have a look at the tarantulas Elaine encounters while washing in the creek.
The creek. The river. The best places to spend time in the jungle. Any hike improves immediately if the endpoint is one of the aforementioned places. In either, danger is relatively distant. (See: bacteria. There also exists the mild threat of manta ray or electric eel. In fact the day before we arrived, another guide was stung by a ray. But it is rare...we are told.) However, any notion of danger, is overshadowed by the tranquility afforded by immersing your body in water, and for providing time away
The NYC of Spiderwebs
It houses thousands of spiders and is 10 feet tall and 5 feet deep! from insects. Mostly. We spend hours on end in the chocolate liquid.
There are many places that make me question our status at the top of the food chain, but perhaps, none more than the jungle. Without the benefit of growing-up and evolving in such an environment, I feel utterly incapable. Yet I am forever drawn to its secrets and its diversity. It stands apart from other ecosystems, and rightfully so. There are times when it begins to feel familiar... and then another surprise emerges. Like that giant turtle staring at me.
What a place!
Bienvenidos a la selva.
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korpalski
Brad Korpalski
haha
10 ft tall and 5 ft deep--and housed giant man eating tarantulas!