Blogs sponsored by Piotr Chmielinski Canoandes.org The word Pachamama translates to Mother Earth from the ancient Quechua language – pacha meaning universe, world, or earth, and mama meaning mother. In the many mountain villages I passed or stayed at, the people who live there spend most of their days working the land by hand in the various … Read more »
Blogs sponsored by Piotr Chmielinski Canoandes.org Staying healthy on a tropical jungle expedition is vital. I’ve had all the inoculations (yellow fever, typhoid, rabies etc), but there are still diseases lurking for which there is no prevention other than awareness and luck – e.g. malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, and more. Over the course of this expedition … Read more »
Blogs sponsored by Piotr Chmielinski Canoandes.org I can’t express in words how relieved Pizarro and I were to finally arrive safe and sound in Pucallpa almost 8 months later than expected. The Covid pandemic and lockdown in Peru had made us prisoners of the forest, effectively, unable to move from community to community, and therefore … Read more »
As Diego and I headed into the low-lying, tangled jungle and said our goodbyes to the people of the tiny community on the Rio Orosa, our packs seemed heavier than ever. We were carrying two weeks of food supplies, and the pack straps were already digging into my shoulders. With the oppressive heat and humidity, … Read more »
We were lucky it was raining… It was nearing 3pm, and I was looking for a suitable place to make camp. Diego and I, and Diego’s young son-in-law Liacon, had been walking through the heavy rain for the last few hours. We climbed a steep forested bank, cutting vigorously to reach the top, all the … Read more »
Apologies for the big gap since my last blog. All the goings-on over the last few months are far too numerous to mention in detail, but here`s a quick overview to give you some idea. The main task was to complete the final leg of the Brazilian Amazon from the large Ticuna community of Feijoal, … Read more »
After staying two nights at a unique community called Jerusalem, that sits atop a rare hill with wonderful views across the forest canopy and a large lake, and then several days later stumbling across the tiny village Nova Informa do Uruá, we were now supposedly heading for an island community named Tupi, near the Solimoes river. It was … Read more »
After two unsuccessful starts with different Ticuna guides, I was looking for a third-time-lucky break. I was resigned this time to doing a solo crossing, after having had to turn back twice, the second time being much more of a challenge. It had taken two days and a looong river paddle to get back to … Read more »
After a long stop in Amaturá re-organising, re-routing, having meetings with Ticuna chiefs, finding a Ticuna guide, having to go to another city to get cash and access WiFi, having various encounters with Federal and Military police and sourcing stuff to repair kit etc, including spending days sewing up all the holes in my mosquito net, here’s … Read more »
