The best part of the trip began with a little ferry ride across the Black River to a little resort called Tiwa. The Black River is technically the Amazon (the "Amazon" as most people refer to is actually a long set of several rivers all linked together, forming one long body of river from the Atlantic to the western regions of South America), but only a section of it.
Leaving behind civilization as we know it to set foot into the wild of the Amazon.
Well, maybe it wasn't TOTALLY wild. The huts we stayed in were actually very nice, with electricity and water-heating showerheads and even mini-refrigerators. But it was still awesome. This pool is alligator-infested.
Right after arriving, our guide Terry had us put on our jeans and tennis shoes and took us immediately into the wild.
Our machete-wielding guide Terry was incredible in every way, shape, and form. He knew the secrets of the Amazon rainforest, how to get certain bugs to come out of their hiding places, and the special features of certain native plants. When we were entering the forest, he told us that he was responsible for taking us into the jungle, but we were responsible for getting out. This turned out to be something very significant to our group, and became a theme for our trip.
Terry used his machete to make this tree bleed.
Terry also invited us to put our hands on a large ant nest, which seemed like madness--but since we don't ask questions with Terry, I obeyed. The ants were too small to inflict any real pain, but the cool thing was he had us rub our hands together and the ants actually had this really cool cedar scent. I never would have imagined that ants could be used as a natural perfume.
Terry also chipped some amber off of a tree and stuck it inside of a seed pod, and then lit it on fire. It burned like coal. Terry said that it was used by the natives for building fires.
A small alligator living outside our huts and myself.
This parrot was crazy. Apparently it was "tame," as it had been living around the tourists for a long time, but it actually turned out to be a relentless terrorist. Its massive claws and razor-sharp beak actually ripped chunks out of this chair, and did considerable damage to other things it could find. It ripped through the mosquito net on one of the huts windows and entered the room, to the great surprise of Vanessa's sons who were sleeping therein. Also, it would shriek and follow in great swooping motions whoever it decided to attack. We found out later from Terry that its wife had previously been killed and eaten by a boa constrictor, which may be the cause of all its rancor.
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