Today was the day in which I'd take my final steps away from civilization and really ruff it out in the Amazon jungle. Kind of bad timing though that the night before only gave me 3 hours of sleep. A few things may have been the cause, but I'm betting that the main reason was the chorus of snoring in the room I was sleeping in. By around 2:30ish, I finally broke out the heavy artillery - gravol and ear plugs. Together, they made the difference and I was able to finally pass out for the last bit of the night. 6:30 was the wake up call today and I was really missing those hours of sleep. I packed up the last of the things I needed, but realized that with a towel, blanket, sleeping bag, etc., my little backpack just wouldn't cut it and my big one needed to remain packed so that the transition to the airport on Saturday will be swift. I was lent another backpack around the same size, which took care of the rest of my things. It was just a bit annoying to have to carry two backpacks. Breakfast was bread and tapioca pancakes, which was a good filling meal before having to take off. Before leaving, two more people who lived around the area, joined us to help as guides. We definitely were going to be safe with this team. And so, the hike into the jungle began. It was pretty standard, like the other jungle hikes. Being tired and carrying so much though, was the perfect recipe for a clumsy hike. About half way in, I was tripping over everything. I never fell, but I felt like the jungle had set up all these roots and plants just for me and there were probably a group of monkeys with popcorn, laughing at me. I was wearing out near the end, but I was pleasantly surprised when I realized how short the hike actually was. We arrived after only a couple hours and started setting up the tarps and hammocks. As soon as mine was up, I was in it and ready for sleep. Our arrival and set up was really well timed, because as soon as I got in my hammock with tarp overhead, the skies opened. The system they have set up for us worked amazing; everything stayed dry and i got to sleep in the amazon in the middle of a downpour. Later on, i woke up and we had the same kind of campfire lunch as I had on previous trips out. It was tasty, but I didn't end up eating too much because I wasn't feeling well - I assume because of the lack of sleep. I got some more water from the nearby creek and again, took another nap. When I woke up the next time, I was a bit more refreshed but still had a headache. One of the guys recommended jumping into the creek to cure it. I remember that working at home for heat-induced headaches, so I figured that was a good idea. Everyone was getting their swimsuits on anyway to wash up after the hike. The water was cold, but definitely not glacier-fed, canadian creek cold. Falling into it was quite pleasant and I got all cleaned up. The rest of the evening has been a fair bit of chilling out. I'm really hoping for a good sleep tonight, and figure that I'll get it as long as I fall asleep before the snorers. The jungle noises at night are pretty cool. Bats and fireflies hover through the pitch black sky as crickets and birds sing in the distance. I'm excited to see what tomorrow will bring as we continue deeper into the jungle.
Can you see the firefly?
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