AMAZONAS - Part 1

Hello dear ones!

So I'm back from what was probably the most exciting weekend of my life!

And I can say this after traveling all over Costa Rica for six weeks and having so many amazing experiences ☺️

I was on, in, and at the Amazon! Let me tell you how my journey began.

On Thursday night, we were picked up directly in front of our doorstep by our travel bus. At 11:00 PM, we set off, traveling for 10 hours over very bumpy roads to the meeting point at the Amazon. We were greeted by our guide for the 4 days and received an introduction!

The Amazon is, alongside the Nile in Egypt, the longest river in the world, with nearly 7000 km of the main river flowing through the countries of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.

The Amazon region contributes immensely to global air purification through the storage and transformation of CO2.

Also, the breathtaking flora and fauna, which attract researchers and nature lovers from around the world, must be mentioned. The guide explained to us that there are species of flora and fauna that exist exclusively in the Amazon jungle. The locals, especially the indigenous people, are very proud of this, and the highest priority is to protect this wonder!

We started on one of the tributaries of the Amazon - Rio Negro, which flows into the main river.

In the jungle, it's important to be attentive and never venture in without an experienced person, as many species of spiders and snakes are venomous.

With these first impressions, we boarded a banana boat that took us to our lodge, a small settlement of wooden huts!

The lodge is nice - modest but beautiful.

My first impression of the jungle is that I can hardly put the beauty into words. It is as green as I have never seen before and everywhere you can hear different animals, like a grand concert!

The air is very fresh and smells like the palm house in Frankfurt, only more natural and less intense.

On the first day, we made our own chocolate from cocoa beans, which was delicious but not very sweet, so we added a lot of sugar!

Then in the evening, we went to a lagoon of the Amazon, followed by a night tour where we saw a caiman, snakes, and owls.

That was incredible because we got very close to the animals with the boat.

On the second day, we visited the indigenous people who have lived in the jungle for generations! The guide explained to us that there are several tribes along the river that get along but avoid each other.

The visit was really impressive; we met a man who lives with his five wives in very cramped quarters in a very makeshift wooden house. Food is cooked over an open fire, and the walls and roof are definitely not completely sealed. As we entered the house, a turtle was being grilled - a specialty!

We didn’t try it because we went on to see the shaman, the oldest and most experienced man of the tribe. He was dressed very interestingly, in a long shirt and a lot of handmade jewelry. He taught us about the powers of nature and demonstrated it on some plants.

Then we could buy the handmade jewelry of the people, and then we went to Mirella, a woman from the tribe, who cooked for us. There were many fruits, and we also made traditional yuca bread together.

It is very delicious but very labor-intensive to make.

Sadly, it was already time to go home; the encounter with the tribe left a strong impression on me. After the visit, I was very contemplative because, while it is very special and exciting to meet such a foreign culture, I didn’t feel that the women were very happy.

Mirella told us that she has already sent all her five children to the city to build a life away from the tribe. She seemed very sad that she could not be with her children; why, I don't know :(

As I write this, I realize that my report is becoming longer than expected, so I will make it into two parts!

During my time in the jungle, I wrote a lot in my journal and realized how grateful I can be to grow up in such an emancipated world.

Mirella can neither write nor read and is completely inferior to her husband. I wouldn't wish that for any woman in this world.

With these thoughtful reflections, I conclude the first part and will go right into the next one :)

Warm regards and enjoy looking at the photos!

Paulita