The Amazon Rainforest
We spent six days and five nights in the rainforest. Three of those nights were deep in the rainforest at a campsite next to a small waterfall called Cumapi Rapids. The other two nights on the way to the campsite at a floating wooden house occupied by the guard of Cumapi Lake. We slept in hammocks each night either under a tarp or on the deck of the floating house. Our days were largely spent laying in the sun, eating, relaxing, and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the jungle. Our guides took us on hikes and canoe rides around the campsite, taught us how to fish using only a line or a spear, and showed us the plants and animals native to the Amazon.
The Campsite
After 30 hours of travel from Manaus, we arrived at Cumapi Rapids, where we would be staying the next few days. The campsite was on a raised piece of flat land that had already been outfitted with poles, a make shift table, and a bench carved from a log. Our guides put up the tarp and hammocks, and gathered wood. This is where we slept, ate, bathed, swam, and relaxed. There weren't many places to sit, so I spent most of my time laying on the roof of the boat, reading. The hammocks were surprisingly comfortable, and had nets that zipped on top to protect us from mosquito-bourne diseases. The water was cold, but refreshing, and necessary after a few days of sweating into the same clothes. However, there were caimans sharing the site, so I was reluctant to spend more time than necessary in the rapids. For lunch and dinner, we mostly ate freshly-caught fish, either roasted or made into soup. We tried bass, rainbow bass, vampire fish (with roe), catfish, and matriçao (a fish in the piranha family). We also had instant coffee, hot chocolate, fried pancakes, hard tapioca, spam, rice, and guava jelly with condensed milk for dessert. Farofa was, of course, served with every meal.
Nature Hike
Samir and Maqueis took us on a hike in the woods where they showed us the functions of various plants. They showed us how one tree bleeds magnesium when you cut into the bark, and how another bleeds rubber. To an outsider, these look identical, but while the magnesium is edible and nutritious, the rubber is not. We drank water from the root of a tree that started spouting like a hose when Maqueis cut into it. Some trees' roots grow primarily above ground, since the top layer of dirt is where all the nutrients are. One type of tree has growths that indigenous tribes use as blowguns. Samir and Maqueis showed us which plant can make temporary anti-venom for bushmaster bites, and found trees that produce cacao and açai, which we ate next to a river created by tapirs walking the same path repeatedly. Maqueis cut a small piece of wood off a branch that he spent the next few days carving into a perfect miniature canoe, which he gifted to us as a souvenir. The forest was very humid and full of bugs, and we couldn't wait to jump into the rapids when we returned to camp.
The Rainforest at Night
Our main objective in exploring the rainforest at night was to see caimans, who hunt at night. They're easy to spot because when you shine a light on them, their eyes glow pink. We saw at least a dozen, resting with their heads slightly above water. There were some false positives as well; wherever we shined our lights, we saw tiny sparkles of pale blue and pink, which turned out to be the reflection from the eyes of tiny spiders. Throughout this, we were surrounded by the sounds of frogs. We also got to see the night sky with no light pollution - my favorite part. When we returned to camp, a wandering spider was waiting for us. These are large, venomous spiders, but their bites rarely kill. Maqueis removed it with his machete and threw it somewhere away from camp.
Fishing
Our guides did most of the fishing, but took us out a few times to teach us how the locals fish and let us try. Our first
attempt was cut short when a storm rolled in. The guides were generally pretty laid back, but had some sense of urgency
when the thunder started, since the channels aren't safe during storms. The three canoes (Caitlin/John/Maqueis, Mike/Samir,
John/Perí) had started to head back to camp when we heard a loud crack and saw a full sized tree fall between Mike and Samir's
canoe and John and Perí's. Everyone was okay, and John and Perí were able to steer around the tree and make it back to camp.
Our second attempt was more successful. Maqueis showed us his fishing technique: Put a chunk of fish on a hook as bait, attach it
to the fishing line, and throw it from the reel - no pole needed. John and Maqueis both caught matriçao,
which we ate later. Maqueis also caught a catfish that we used as bait. John almost caught a huge stingray; he reeled it to the
surface before it bit off the hook to escape. Caitlin spent this time avoiding the caught fish that were flopping around
the canoe, and asking Maqueis how to say different animals' names in Portuguese.
Cumapi Lake Guard Station
We spent our first and last nights in the Amazon at the guard station at Cumapi Lake, a few hours from our campsite. Neither of these visits were planned. On the first night, our departure from Marãa was delayed by rain and we couldn't make it to the campsite before nightfall. On the last night, we planned to camp on a small, arid island, but a storm rolled in, which would have made it unsafe to stay there. This gave us a glimpse into a way of life that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. The guard station is a small floating house that has two rooms: a kitchen with a sink, stove, and toilet, and a bedroom with a radio and a mattress on the floor. At least one man appeared to stay there, and guests seemed to stop by at all hours and hang their hammocks wherever they fit. The guests usually brought freshly-caught fish with them. By the time we arrived on the way back, the station had gotten a miniature guard dog. No one here spoke any English, hence our vague understanding of this place.
Spear Fishing
On our last night staying at the Cumapi Lake guard station, our guides took us spear fishing. There were sections of the
lake where trees grew out of the water - this is where the fish were. Maqueis took us in his canoe, paddling across
the open water in the pure darkness. The only light came from lightning flashing above, which wasn't enough to illuminate the
dolphins that we could hear breaching around us. It was awesome and
terrifying. Entering the grove with the fish was equally surreal.
Because everything was dark except what was illuminated by the headlamp, it felt like we were in a cave with a rainforest
inside. Occasionally, a caiman would slowly swim by with its glowing pink eyes, adding to the ambiance. The fish we were
trying to spear were difficult to spot, but were perfectly still...until
we tried to spear them. We didn't manage to catch any, but the locals did, and were kind enough to share with us.
When we returned to the station, the locals were fixing a grill whose tray had collapsed. They used a wooden slab as a new
tray, doused it in water, and covered it with ash. They grilled the fish on top of this without the wooden tray catching on
fire. We were impressed both by the ingenuity and by the food.