amazon glamping

i'm cuter than curious george

the amazon's smallest monkey

it's not easy being green

laurel almost walked into me

we finally get to a clearing

our jungle crew

famous amazon pink dolphins...trust us

our trusted yacht

piranha in picture is larger than it appears

...but mine is bigger

it's good to be at the top of the food chain

me tarzan, you jane

2 feet wide lilly pad

canoeing thru a lilly pad lagoon

emerging from the jungle

el capitan

not my hand

amazon sky

emil says:

the amazon is adult swim only.  i am so proud of my wife for putting on her big boy pants and getting through this portion of our journey (albeit barely).  for a woman who thinks roughing it is anything other than a ritz carlton, this was an episode of fear factor.  and a more impressive feat is laurel’s grandparents bob and betty visiting this place some years ago. galapagos animals are abundant and lack predators and thus lack fear, african animals are chasing or being chased, amazon animals lurk, creep, crawl, and slither, and are elusive.  the jungle is filled with juxtapositions:  one is never dry nor is one wet, only 10% of the suns rays hit the jungle floor but it couldn’t be hotter, with 105% humidity, no breeze can penetrate the canopy, one hears more than one sees and oddly one sees more animals at night.  your mind interferes here. fear percolates. what just made that sound?  are my footsteps as loud as i think they are? how can it be so loud in here yet i can’t see anything? if i keep looking at my feet i won't see the monkeys but if I look up i won't make it 5 feet without stepping upon something i shouldn’t be stepping on. we can’t survive 6 hours out here alone, yet there are a plethora of water sources and edible fruit, if you know how/where to look.  the smallest parrots and tree frogs make the loudest of the shrieks and calls; the largest of the anacondas and jaguars make nary a sound. creepy crawly things are also a lot bigger here: tarantulas the size of one’s face with offspring to boot. i swear i saw a mosquito with a tattoo that read “i eat insect repellant for breakfast”. no swimming with any cuts or open wounds, the piranhas have teeth that movies only marginally exaggerate, and if the bait of choice while fishing is raw red meat you know you aint swimming.  this was a truly thrilling exhilarating and most beautiful hell.

laurel says: 


i imagined my time in the amazon playing out like a scene from one of my favorite movies,  ‘troop beverly hills.’  in reality the only aspect of the trip that even remotely resembled the film was the lifetime nature appreciation patch that i was awarded for surviving 5 days here.  this jungle is not for the faint of heart.  our jungle lodge was much closer to camping than a resort.  sure we had running water and prepared meals, but no electricity, no hot water and more bugs than you can shake a stick at is intense for 5 days.  that paired with 3 hour treks thru virgin jungle- only our jungle guide and his machete blazing the trail, scalding hot sun and killer humidity eventually took its toll.  i emerge from the jungle on heavy doses of antibiotics and rehydration salts.  clearly, i am not cut out for the amazon.  but i would not change the experience.  it was worth it for the once in a lifetime experience of living in the amazonian jungle (plus I lost 3 pounds).  the beauty is difficult to describe and pictures can scarcely do it justice.  the density and scale of the jungle trumps any forest i have ever seen.  even with acute focus you can only take in 1/1000 of the life that is surrounding you.  boating on the amazon is one of the most peaceful experiences one can have, watching the vibrant jungle and magnificent cloud formations drift by.  i never thought i would ever go piranha fishing, trek thru the vast amazon jungle, or canoe up an amazon tributary and i am proud of myself for pushing myself to the limit (and slightly beyond).  now get this girl back to civilization…its time for a serious mani/pedi!