I took a flight from Quito, Ecuador to a small town called Shell on the edge of the Amazon Basin. From here a took an even smaller 4-seat plane to the heart of the Achuar Indian territory in some of the most lush, beautiful forest there is.
The Achuar were the last group of Indigenous to be found in the Amazon and still live as they did hundreds of years ago.. I stayed a lodge called Kapawi which was started about 10 years ago with the Achuar as their partners. January of this year, the whole operation was handed over to the Achuar for them to operate and manage. This will give them another vehicle to sustain their culture and educate travelers about themselves and the virgin rainforest in which they subsist.
I fished for piranah, catfish and more in a dugout canoe with a couple Ahuar guys who were leading me through the may waterways among the tributaries of the Amazon river.
The most amazing night was when we took a canoe out at 10 pm and floated for about 3 miles down the river under a full moon. The hydrology of the river in intense! These huge boils of water surface from the deep randomly and create this huge bang and noise on the river, like a submarine surfacing. It really sounds like a tidal waves is about to explode onto you.....
The Achaur believe these are giant Anacondas from the deep rising to the surface gnashing their teeth....
The mist, moon and noises really made this one of the most memorabel experiences of my life!
The mighty Amazon Basin......
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1 comment:
Just watched your show on the travel channel... very cool!
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