Amazon - Part 2: Jungle For Real

---

---

Even Chico sleeps in a hammock

Things happened quick in Manaus. All in the space of our first day there, we disembarked the boat, made our way to the other end of the city to collect the car (which we had sent from Belem on a different boat), dropped it off at a mechanic, found ourselves a local guide and were on our way into the jungle with him.

Finally, we had found something more like the jungle we had in mind! For the next 7 nights, we alternated between camping out in the forest and staying over at the local cabocos, as we made our way along the river by motorized canoe.

Experiencing life as a caboco is an unforgettable experience. Fascinating, is the way they live their simple lives in complete harmony with the environment. Even more intriguing is the number of children they all have, and the unbelievably young ages at which they start popping them out. Interestingly, electricity and TV arrived for some of these people a few months ago, which is sure to have an effect on the birth rate, now that there is something else to do in the spare time!

---

Photos

The Simple Life
One of the river-houses we slept in, side-by-side with the rest of the family.

The Simple Life
Parents generally have 10 kids and up. One couple we met had 22 children! And they all fit in a small house like this one, sleeping in hammocks hung inside, sometimes one above the other.

The Simple Life
It can be difficult to tell who is the mother of who sometimes. The girl at the back fell pregnant with her first kid when she was 11!

Jual the Guide
A true jungle man! We went into the jungle with him and his wife. They themselves are parents of 11 kids (1 soccer team!)

Indian Transformation
The kids, which seemed shy at first, suddenly attacked us with face-paint and combs. They were very curious about Liba´s blonde hair and Tom´s stubble.

Indian Transformation
Payback!

Indian Transformation
This is the plant that they get the paint from. You break open the shell and then crush the wet seeds with your fingers.

Crocodile Hunter
At night time we would go hunting for caiman, which are surprisingly really easy to catch. When it was darkest, we would go searching for them with torches and then when we would see the red reflection of their eyes, we´d continue shining the torch in their eyes as the light paralyzes them. It´s then easy to grab them out the water.

Piranha Fishing
The final score of piranhas caught was: Tom 2, Liba 2, Jual 16!

Piranha Fishing
Jual showing off his piranha teeth after removing them from one of the bigger one´s he caught.

Sleeping Arrangements
Mosquitos here are something else!
If it weren't for these hammock mosquito nets, we'd probably wake up with 1 litre less of blood each!

Comments

[Ajoy]

Awesome blog. I'm really enjoying the photos of the Amazon, you guys are really seeing the real country and will have a lifetime of stories..like the jaguar one sheesh.. We just get a glimpse and can only dream from our desks ha ha Cau and look forward to the next instalments! Can we see some bigger crocs?? just kidding, stay safe and keep having fun. Ajoy