The Amazon

For as long as I can remember I have always had an unprecedented fascination with the Amazon. Growing up I had rainforest pictures plastered all over my walls and dreamt of becoming a wildlife biologist who conducted research deep within the jungles of South America. It was not until college that I realized that I would much rather go to the beach than study biochemistry, thanks University of Hawai'i, for instilling such values into my lifestyle! Needless to say that dream never came into fruition, but the connection with the Amazon never waned. I knew I would venture to this destination as I have an undeniable spiritual connection there, very much like my connection to Hawai'i. I just never thought I would be so young when the opportunity arose.

The van came to pick up my sisters (Amy and Missy) and I bright and early from our bed & breakfast in Cusco, Peru. Our gear had been meticulously tarped and tied to the top of the van and I thought to myself, wow, are we really about to do this? We eagerly jumped into the waiting vehicle and off we went into the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Through the Sacred Valley, over the Andean Highlands, and finally a descent through the Amazon Cloud Forest, the three of us, plus our driver, guide, and private chef (okay we weren't exactly "roughing" it) survived the nearly 10 hour ride to Tambo Paititi. The views driving down into the cloud forest were almost indescribable. Emerald green mountains, layer after layer, were as far as the eye could see. Waterfalls careened down the steep slopes and flowed deep into the valleys below.

Tambo Paititi is located about a mile from the road. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, we grabbed our bags and hiked through the dense forest to our jungle bungalows. It was exactly how I pictured - all were open air and connected by a wooden boardwalk. Mosquito netting draped the small beds and you could hear the calming sound of the river flowing below. Hummingbirds were everywhere. All different species came together to feed on the flowers that grew ravenously alongside the outskirts of the grounds.

The following morning the three of us awoke to the most gorgeous sunrise. It was a rich pink that faded into orange and yellow. That morning we geared up, grabbed our "Indiana Jones" boots, and embarked on a hike to the top of the mountain behind our lodging. Part of the way up our guide yelled at us to get down. We immediately hunkered down into the dirt and looked up. A monkey was making his way - not even 30 feet from where we were standing - swinging peacefully from branch to branch. The foliage was absolutely amazing. The trees and plants were growing so close together it was almost as if they were one entity. Our trail stopped abruptly where there was a tree with actual spectacled bear scratch marks on its trunk. According to our guide the man who was responsible for blazing the trail got not so coincidentally spooked and never returned to finish. Well, you definitely can't blame him!

From there our expedition ventured farther into the jungle. We drove about another four hours to the town of Atalaya where we were to board a boat that would take us to Tambo Eori. However, we nearly never made it. Just above the village they were doing road maintenance and literally dumping I don't even know how many pounds of gravel right in front of us. There was a lot of Spanish yelling going on and before you knew it we were all out of the vehicle trying to compact the loose gravel in order to make it dense enough for us to pass without becoming trapped. It was a bit stressful, but eventually and with some amazing driving I might add we made it safely to the small river harbor.

Local children escorted us onto the boat where we would spend the next 45 minutes floating down the Madre de Dios. The water was brown and murky and looked as if at any moment an anaconda would surface. I was a bit weary to say the least. Birds of all kinds flocked to the river banks and you could hear the screeching of parrots in the distance. That night I did not sleep well as you could clearly depict the sounds of the rustling of trees, night monkeys playing in the canopy, and nocturnal animals scurrying about. I also forgot to mention that I will never live down the fact that I brought my very OWN mosquito tent that was given to me by my dear friend Maureen, who would not let me leave home without it! That tent had proved worthy as it saved her okole in the jungles of Madagascar, Thailand, and god knows what other exotic locations. As much as I love nature I must admit that I am a little bit of a chicken and I DO NOT under any circumstances do mosquitoes! The following nights were much better as the night sounds actually put me to sleep.

Our most memorable day was when we were escorted on a hike by Julio, an actual native Amazonian and of course our guide, to translate because Julio spoke absoutely no English! He was an older man who knew the forest like the back of his hand. He knew all the plants and their uses and was excited that we were interested in all of his inherant knowledge. Julio hiked so fast we were literally running behind him to catch up fearing that we may be left for the jaguars! He took us to a swimming hole that was absolutey stunning. Green, crystal-clear water layed before us. It was perfect for taking a cooling dip and was a brief escape from the humidity. There were caiman tracks coming right out where we were getting in, but we were promised they were at least a day old, so we hopped right in! Julio left us there so he could go skinny dipping farther down. The small river was like grand central station. We saw so many animal tracks from jaguars, tapirs, river otters, caiman, you name it, we probably saw it!

My absolute favorite were the birds. They were everywhere - macaws, parakeets, lorikeets, and toucans. Their vibrant plumage easily stood out against the green foliage. Being immersed into this environment was an extremely spiritual experience. Upon my departure from Hawai'i, a very wise kahuna had instructed me to give an offering to honor the 4 main Hawaiian dieties. If you know your history well enough the connection between South America and the Pacific in ancient times is simply undeniable. As I walked back to Tambo Eori from where I left the offerings a beautiful bright red bird flew directly in front of me as if acknowledging the acceptance of the gifts. That very same night as I was sitting at the dinner table I glanced up and saw the moon, as big as I have ever seen it, rise directly above the sillouhette of the canopy. It was one of the most truly spectacular things I have ever seen. In that very moment I felt so incredibly connected to the earth and truly understood just how important the relationship between her and mankind really is. My soul felt renewed and cleansed. As we departed the Amazon I felt a deep sadness, but knew that one day I would return.