Cutting it Short

A lot has happened in the last 9 days. I returned to Peru via a crowded Bolivian mini-bus. I had a harrowing (and freezing) overnight ride on a malfunctioning Peruvian bus. I rested in beautiful Pisac. I returned to the ruins of Cusco with another Quechua-speaking native, and learned about a prophecy contained on the Temple of the Moon. I went to Machu Picchu and took over 200 photographs and climbed the surrounding peaks, which was one of the more physically intensive things I have ever done. I ate more wonderful food, shopped for gifts and souvenirs, and finally made it back to Lima, where I met up with the group I will be traveling to the jungle with.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to turn all these experiences into blog entries before I go to sleep, and tomorrow I have an early flight to Pucallpa, followed by a 2 hour drive, a 2 hour boat ride up the river, and a hike into the jungle where I will be living for two weeks.

My group had a nice conversation about what we are going to face in the jungle. We discussed various methods for going to the bathroom without getting one's tender bits devoured by ants. We discussed all the wildlife that we may encounter up-close, from pumas to deadly snakes to stingrays to tarantulas bigger than your hand, and a few non-dangerous animals as well, like frogs the size of basketballs and strange luminescent insects. Biting fish are to expected, but hopefully not the kind that crawl up your urethra and have to be surgically removed.

I don't mean to make any of this sound any more dangerous than it really is. Don't get me wrong, I would feel safer spending weeks in this jungle than wandering around South Central LA for one night, but it's good to consider the possibilities before one is faced with them unexpectedly.

Of course, even though there is Internet access in almost every desert on earth, on the highest peaks of the Himalayas, and at the South Pole, there is no Internet access in this part of the Amazon jungle. Satelites cannot be reached through the dense foliage, and the nearest cell towers will be far too distant for a signal. There is no electricity, few gasoline motors, and completely unpredictable weather. I will be completely incommunicado for the next two weeks.

So, to my friends and family, farewell for now, and I'll talk to you when I emerge. Think good thoughts, do not worry about me, and be glad that I'm not wandering around Compton.