Jungle Cruise

Early in the morning we woke up and wrapped all of our bags in plastic to prepare for the boat ride into the jungle. We piled into Toyota Celica wagons with our baggage in the back, and drove down a long dusty dirt road toward the river. We were stopped several times for construction, as the road is being paved for the first time. Most of the people in my group heeded instructions to bring hats and bandanas for the dusty ride, but I figured that being a desert camping veteran I would be fine without either. After 30 minutes I wished that I had both.

We pulled into a tiny little town on the river and got out of the cabs. After a few minutes to load all the bags onto one long canoe, we all piled into a second boat for passengers only. The boat was barely wide enough for two passengers to sit side by side on the hard plank seats, but long enough that it could have held 20 people. Fortunately, our guides could afford a nice quiet and fast Suzuki outboard motor, which is a real luxury on these rivers. Most of the natives either use noisy "peque-peque" (pron. peckey peckey, like the sound they make) motors with long extensions that hold the tiny propeller several feet behind the boat, or they just row by hand.

We sped along the water at a surprisingly brisk pace, considering that we were going against the slow current. Dense green foliage grew on either side of the muddy river, which was about 30 yards wide in most parts. Some of the trees were partially submerged, or over hung from the banks over the edge of the river. It had been raining recently, so the water was high for June, which is one of the drier months. Every now and then we passed moorings with long canoes tied to small piers or trees. Paths led up the muddy banks to houses and, in some cases, small towns. Eagles soared over our heads, small birds skimmed the surface of the water, and every now and then long-necked large river birds would watch us as we passed or take flight as we neared. Fishermen waved at us as we passed, and laughed at the rare sight of a boat full of gringos.

As we continued up the river, the weather alternated between sun and rain, slowly filling the bottom of the boat with several inches of water. At some point I realized that the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland was surprisingly accurate, and I felt like any moment the driver would discharge his pistol to scare off a large hippo. Of course, there aren't any hippos in the Amazon, but you get the point.

Finally, we made it to our destination tributary, and the rains had raised the water high enough that we could proceed to our camp without hiking through the mud. As we slowly made our way up the narrow and shallow tributary (little more than a creek in these dry months), the resemblance to the Disney ride only increased. The trees closed in over our heads, and large vines swooped over our heads and kissed the water in places. Due to the rains, the water was the color of coffee with cream, and it was impossible to see that it was actually rather shallow. The trees were covered with mud giving away a high water mark 15 feet above our heads.

We were able to pull right up to the camp kitchen, where the cooks were just finishing our soup lunch. We ate hungrily, and those of us that eat meat made the most of some tough pieces of jungle chicken. For the next 10 days, we would be eating a sparse traditional diet with little meat, so I appreciated the protein even though it was the least appetizing chicken I have ever eaten. We also had balls of plantain mixed with onions and potatoes, which were dry but tasty when broken up and mixed into the soup.

After lunch, we were shown our little tambos (traditional wooden huts). These little huts with mosquito net covered beds, hammocks, and little writing desks would be our homes. They are similar to the tambos that the natives of the jungle would traditionally live in, but the foam beds were a compromise for the comfort of the gringos, and instead of thatched roofs we had tin roofs, in order that we would be safe from falling branches from the tall trees which form a thick canopy over everything except the river.

I secured my mosquito netting around the bed, and settled into my hammock. Soon I drifted off to sleep for several hours, and by the time I woke up it was almost dinner time and night had fallen. The jungle around me was pitch black, except for the luminescent green bugs all around. I was completely disoriented by the darkness, and even though the moon was full it provided little light through the clouds and the dense canopy of the trees.

I put on my rubber boots, turned on my flashlight, and made my way to the kitchen for dinner. Those who had spent time in the jungle before felt immediately at home, but I was wide-eyed in the darkness and wondrous at the sound of the crickets and the frogs and the river. After dinner, I returned to my tambo and spent several minutes chasing out all the flying insects which were inside my mosquito net. I slept beautifully.