Travels on a Motorbike

And this was no European rain. This was proper Amazonian rain forest rain. Heavy bombs of water, drenching anything they came into contact with. Thankfully we only had to witness this miraculous incendiary feat on the final morning of our jungle trek. Those that were awake had been enjoying the electric light show above from the comfort of their hammocks as thunder and lightning rolled past our jungle camp. After about an hour into the show our head guide shouted for everyone to pack up and huddle under the palm leaf shelter because it was going to rain. Apparently he could hear it approaching. (It all sounded the same to me. I guess that’s why he’s a guide.) Sure enough, within 10 minutes the rain arrived; soaking anything/anyone that hadn’t made it under the shelter in time. The downpour started to ease after another 20 minutes and just as we [tourists] had resigned ourselves to no breakfast before the 3 hour hike and 1 hour boat ride back to the jungle lodge the guides darted out, cut palm branches (to shelter the fire place), cut the wet layers off the logs and started a roaring fire… in the rain. Breakfast was served. Amazing!

At the risk of sounding like an ungrateful tourist, watching our guides make fire in the rain was probably the most spectacular thing I experienced in the Amazon. The problem is on my part. I’ve had my expectations skewed by nature programs and films. It wasn’t the wildlife. I knew that we might not see many animals. The jungle is vast and they have better places to be than hanging around paths cut by humans. It was the vegetation that let me down. I had visions of thick, impenetrable jungle and vines, all shrouded in mist. (Perhaps with the odd monkey or parrot occasionally swinging/flying into view.) In reality, the canopy (60 metres above) starves the rest of the jungle of sunlight. So in the desperate race upwards many plants don’t waste energy producing lots of leaves and fruits at our level. It all happens in the canopy above. My deflated expectations aside, it was still a hugely enjoyable experience; spotting monkeys and birds (albeit in the canopy 60 metres above), catching piranhas and caymans, learning about the medicinal properties of plants and trees, making blowpipes, canoeing through flooded forest channels, watching sunrise and sunset from the river, etc. It’s worth going, just don’t expect many David Attenborough moments.

After being shown this extremely large and well camouflaged tarantula every nature poo thereafter was a rather tense affair.

I also have a vague recollection of buying (perhaps sponsoring) a couple of Amazon rain forest tress for 50 pence each when I was in junior school. I’ve half a mind to try and claim a couple of the mahogany trees I saw. At 6 metres circumference and 60 metres tall they must be worth a fortune now. Not a bad little investment… I wonder if I still have the certificate somewhere.

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