Blogs sponsored by Piotr Chmielinski Canoandes.org Music “Doina de La Visna” by Gheorghe Zamifir. Available here. This will be the last blog before I hit the Pacific Ocean, hopefully just a few days from now. Landscapes A very eventful last few weeks since I climbed Mismi and left Chivay, and all the details … Read more »
The crossing Walking (& swimming) from Nauta to Requena had been playing on my mind for months. I just could not see a way across, and even at low water the route seemed impossible. I met Jorge, an out of work maths teacher, when I was in Nauta standing on the bank of the Marañón river … 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 »
After leaving Tefe (the city where the famous naturalist Henry Walter Bates based himself for several years) and following an exhausting 7.5K swim across Lago Tefé, my current guide Everaldo and I set off for the long slog to Juruá. Armed with Everaldo’s vast knowledge of the rainforest and my own very modest experience, we … Read more »
It would have been much quicker walking along the exposed banks of the Solimões (Amazon) river, but the risk of encountering river pirates was very high – so for this latest section, Coari to Tefé, we would just have to grit our teeth, sharpen our machetes, and cut our own path through the longer and … Read more »
Finding and organising guides/walking companions has proved to be time consuming and expensive. I have lost weeks – months even – over the course of this expedition, finding and waiting for guides, and I have just lost another month of good low-water walking time doing just that. However, the benefits of walking with a local … Read more »
I was sitting in the little Igapo Açu Pousda alone, unable to find anyone who would walk with me, and thinking about attempting a solo crossing. I could see what looked like an indigenous guy sitting at the other side of the room. I went over and asked him if he was from a community … Read more »
I could clearly see the sand banks of Jurura that the seasonal low water levels had exposed. The calm dark waters of the Nhamundá river reflected the blisteringly hot sun and deep blue cloudless sky, while in the foreground sprawled the lush greens of the jungle. Several times I had walked to this point contemplating and … Read more »
Header photo: Lorimar & daughter: Piria Para Brazil I still find it very difficult to sit down and write, having spent all of my working life on my feet and never worked in an office environment. I constantly feel the urge to get out and about and do something physically constructive, even if it’s … Read more »
