Videos & Instagram
I didn’t make & upload many videos at the start of the expedition, due to very limited internet access and when I did find WiFi it was far to slow to upload videos. Plus I had very little space on my small laptop to store video files. Most of the videos below were edited on an iPhone 10 I received in 2021.
Instagram feed.
@ ascentoftheamazon . Jan 26
Life in the slow lane. Sloth🦥
Village member Analdo rescued this baby Sloth from loggers after they had cut down sections of forest killing its mother in the process. Image 2
🦥Tree sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America.
🦥Specialised tendons in the sloth’s hands and feet lock into place, allowing them to hang upside down for long periods of time without wasting any energy.
🦥Sloths can swim three times as fast in the water as they can move on land.
🦥They have a highly specialised muscle arrangement that can produce enough strength to withstand the force of a jaguar trying to rip them from the tree.
🦥Sloths as a species eat leaves from over 90 different kinds of trees.
A single leaf can take up to 30 days to pass through the sloth’s digestive tract.
🦥One of the main sloths’ predators is the Harpy Eagle.
📸Casey. Marajo Isle Brazilian Amazon.
#sloth #rainforest #amazon #weboflife
Life in the slow lane. Sloth🦥
Village member Analdo rescued this baby Sloth from loggers after they had cut down sections of forest killing its mother in the process. Image 2
🦥Tree sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America.
🦥Specialised tendons in the sloth’s hands and feet lock into place, allowing them to hang upside down for long periods of time without wasting any energy.
🦥Sloths can swim three times as fast in the water as they can move on land.
🦥They have a highly specialised muscle arrangement that can produce enough strength to withstand the force of a jaguar trying to rip them from the tree.
🦥Sloths as a species eat leaves from over 90 different kinds of trees.
A single leaf can take up to 30 days to pass through the sloth’s digestive tract.
🦥One of the main sloths’ predators is the Harpy Eagle.
📸Casey. Marajo Isle Brazilian Amazon.
#sloth #rainforest #amazon #weboflife
@ ascentoftheamazon . Jan 16
The walking palm tree.
The Socratea exorrhiza
tree also nicknamed the “walking palm.”
I frequently encountered these interesting palm trees especially in the lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin.
I’ve seen first hand the interesting process of how the main trunk is used in the construction of house floors and walls. The method has been used for millennia by the indigenous. It is also used to make hunting spears.
“Socratea exorrhiza is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. The tree supposedly “walks” from shade to sunlight by growing roots in the direction it wants to travel, and then allowing the old roots to lift into the air and die. Some say the process takes a couple of years”.
📸Casey 2020 Peruvian Amazon
#Tree #Palm #Jungle #Rainforest #Biodiversity #Adventure #Walking
The walking palm tree.
The Socratea exorrhiza
tree also nicknamed the “walking palm.”
I frequently encountered these interesting palm trees especially in the lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin.
I’ve seen first hand the interesting process of how the main trunk is used in the construction of house floors and walls. The method has been used for millennia by the indigenous. It is also used to make hunting spears.
“Socratea exorrhiza is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. The tree supposedly “walks” from shade to sunlight by growing roots in the direction it wants to travel, and then allowing the old roots to lift into the air and die. Some say the process takes a couple of years”.
📸Casey 2020 Peruvian Amazon
#Tree #Palm #Jungle #Rainforest #Biodiversity #Adventure #Walking
@ ascentoftheamazon . Jan 11
A pre-Inca civilization.
Two weeks away from the Pacific coast in Peru I unexpectedly walked passed “Toro Muerto”.
An astonishing site of 3000 + volcanic rocks scattered across the hot arid desert landscape engraved with petroglyphs left behind by the Andean pre-Inca Wari civilization.
A few days after I finished the AOTA expedition, coincidentally in Arequipa I met the Peruvian Author @jamespossosanchez the Author of a book about the Petroglyphs, (image 2) He kindly presented me with signed copy of one of his amazing books (image 3)
📸Casey Peru 2022
#Wari #Arequipa #Peru #Petroglyphs #Inca #History #Adventure #Walking #Amazon #Rainforest
A pre-Inca civilization.
Two weeks away from the Pacific coast in Peru I unexpectedly walked passed “Toro Muerto”.
An astonishing site of 3000 + volcanic rocks scattered across the hot arid desert landscape engraved with petroglyphs left behind by the Andean pre-Inca Wari civilization.
A few days after I finished the AOTA expedition, coincidentally in Arequipa I met the Peruvian Author @jamespossosanchez the Author of a book about the Petroglyphs, (image 2) He kindly presented me with signed copy of one of his amazing books (image 3)
📸Casey Peru 2022
#Wari #Arequipa #Peru #Petroglyphs #Inca #History #Adventure #Walking #Amazon #Rainforest
@ ascentoftheamazon . Jan 7
“The price is the climb, but the reward is the view” ~ P. Casey
#Andes #instareel #drone #landscape #mountain #metaphor #Life #climbing #View #trekking #peru
Could we get this quote trending @djiglobal ?😁
🎥Casey. Andes Peru 2022
“The price is the climb, but the reward is the view” ~ P. Casey
#Andes #instareel #drone #landscape #mountain #metaphor #Life #climbing #View #trekking #peru
Could we get this quote trending @djiglobal ?😁
🎥Casey. Andes Peru 2022
@ ascentoftheamazon . Dec 31
As our miraculous spaceship Earth 🌍 sail’s into another 940 million km journey around the sun 🌞 at 107,000 kph. I’m wishing your 365 days & nights, 35 million heartbeats & 8 million breaths in #2024 to be strong and filled with hope, happiness, good health and peace🙏.
Image-@NASA
#2024 #happynewyear #Journey @nasa #hope #peace
As our miraculous spaceship Earth 🌍 sail’s into another 940 million km journey around the sun 🌞 at 107,000 kph. I’m wishing your 365 days & nights, 35 million heartbeats & 8 million breaths in #2024 to be strong and filled with hope, happiness, good health and peace🙏.
Image-@NASA
#2024 #happynewyear #Journey @nasa #hope #peace
@ ascentoftheamazon . Dec 15
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man” ~ Charles Darwin.
Over the next few weeks I plan to post info & images of my top 10 amazing animals i had close encounters with in the Amazon during my expedition, including the location.
First up….
Arapaima gigas - Pirarucu- Portuguese or Paiche- Spanish
Native to the river basins of the Amazon and Essequibo.
One of earths largest known freshwater fish, reportedly some reaching lengths of up to 450 cm (15 ft). - Wiki.
Adults may weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb)
Pirarucu derives from the Tupi language words pira and urucum, meaning red fish, thought to refer to either the red flecks on the scales towards the tail, or the reddish-orange color of its meat.
The fish have flexible armor-like scales made up of a hard, mineralized outer layer and a tough-but-flexible inner layer that help protect it from attacks by piranhas
According to scientists their scales are one of the most fracture-resistant materials found in nature.
The species is an obligate air-breather, so needs to come to the surface regularly to gulp air.
Arapaima are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their size and because they must surface periodically to breathe.
Source information- Wikipedia.
I filmed these Arapaima in a lake in Nauta Peru in 2019
Last image by Shizhao- source Wikipedia.
📸Casey Peruvian Amazon August 2019
#Arapaima #Fish #AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #christmas
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man” ~ Charles Darwin.
Over the next few weeks I plan to post info & images of my top 10 amazing animals i had close encounters with in the Amazon during my expedition, including the location.
First up….
Arapaima gigas - Pirarucu- Portuguese or Paiche- Spanish
Native to the river basins of the Amazon and Essequibo.
One of earths largest known freshwater fish, reportedly some reaching lengths of up to 450 cm (15 ft). - Wiki.
Adults may weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb)
Pirarucu derives from the Tupi language words pira and urucum, meaning red fish, thought to refer to either the red flecks on the scales towards the tail, or the reddish-orange color of its meat.
The fish have flexible armor-like scales made up of a hard, mineralized outer layer and a tough-but-flexible inner layer that help protect it from attacks by piranhas
According to scientists their scales are one of the most fracture-resistant materials found in nature.
The species is an obligate air-breather, so needs to come to the surface regularly to gulp air.
Arapaima are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their size and because they must surface periodically to breathe.
Source information- Wikipedia.
I filmed these Arapaima in a lake in Nauta Peru in 2019
Last image by Shizhao- source Wikipedia.
📸Casey Peruvian Amazon August 2019
#Arapaima #Fish #AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #christmas
@ ascentoftheamazon . Dec 5
Gadiel Sánchez Rivera….
Walked with me from his home town Pucallpa Peru to the first Ashaninka village on the Rio Sheshea in early 2021.
The seasonal rain, mosquitoes and flooded forest made the going very challenging & uncomfortable for us both.
Read my blog from that time - The Green Ocean.
We were due to walk to Atalaya and beyond but he unfortunately got sick with malaria and had to return home to his family.
He was the guide who accompanied Discovery channel presenter @ed_stafford on the successful Amazon Source to sea trek completed in 2010.
Gadiel (Cho) Now has two young sons one of whom was born only a few weeks before we left Pucallpa. (Image 5)
Name: Gadiel Sánchez Rivera
Guide: Pucallpa city to Rio Sheshea March 2021
Home: Pucallpa Peru
Blogs: Alas De Esperanza-Wings Of Hope & The Green Ocean
📸Casey 2021 Ucayali Peru.
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Swimming #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #Malaria
Gadiel Sánchez Rivera….
Walked with me from his home town Pucallpa Peru to the first Ashaninka village on the Rio Sheshea in early 2021.
The seasonal rain, mosquitoes and flooded forest made the going very challenging & uncomfortable for us both.
Read my blog from that time - The Green Ocean.
We were due to walk to Atalaya and beyond but he unfortunately got sick with malaria and had to return home to his family.
He was the guide who accompanied Discovery channel presenter @ed_stafford on the successful Amazon Source to sea trek completed in 2010.
Gadiel (Cho) Now has two young sons one of whom was born only a few weeks before we left Pucallpa. (Image 5)
Name: Gadiel Sánchez Rivera
Guide: Pucallpa city to Rio Sheshea March 2021
Home: Pucallpa Peru
Blogs: Alas De Esperanza-Wings Of Hope & The Green Ocean
📸Casey 2021 Ucayali Peru.
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Swimming #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #Malaria
@ ascentoftheamazon . Nov 28
“There are always going to be obstacles that come in your way, stay positive” ~ Michael Phelps.
🏊🏻When I swam across the Amazon (several times) I drifted down river as I swam.
🏊🏻This shot was about halfway across a 13km swim downriver to Iquitos Peru.
🏊🏻I calculated roughly where I would end up taking into account to speed of the river flow.
🏊🏻This obviously added extra (walking) kilometers to the overall trek but to maintain an unbroken trail I had to do this, I then continued walking from that point on the opposite bank.
My then guide Diego was in an escort boat filming. He said “ I’m poor but I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars”
🎥Diego Santos Peru 2019
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Swimming #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration @m_phelps00 @gopro
“There are always going to be obstacles that come in your way, stay positive” ~ Michael Phelps.
🏊🏻When I swam across the Amazon (several times) I drifted down river as I swam.
🏊🏻This shot was about halfway across a 13km swim downriver to Iquitos Peru.
🏊🏻I calculated roughly where I would end up taking into account to speed of the river flow.
🏊🏻This obviously added extra (walking) kilometers to the overall trek but to maintain an unbroken trail I had to do this, I then continued walking from that point on the opposite bank.
My then guide Diego was in an escort boat filming. He said “ I’m poor but I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars”
🎥Diego Santos Peru 2019
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Swimming #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration @m_phelps00 @gopro
@ ascentoftheamazon . Nov 26
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” ~ Joseph Campbell.
I spent weeks meticulously planning and preparing for the walk along the riverbank of the stunning river Ene in Peru (Photo) due to repeated warnings of the very real risks of doing so.
But I had to do it to reach the Amazon source river - the Apurimac river.
The Rio Ene runs through lush green high forested valleys, still homeland for the indigenous Asháninka people and has been for millennia.
Myself and a local Ashaninka chief passed many Ashaninka villages.
In one I was informed that I was the first gringo to ever enter their village.
Another incredible leg of my Amazon river journey I will never forget.
Pasonki - thank you to all the Asháninka people🙏
Read the blog I wrote at that time.
Google ….
Ascent Of The Amazon. Apurimac “God Speaks”
My Website link is in my Instagram bio.
📸Casey Peru 2021
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration @fabu_ashaninka
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” ~ Joseph Campbell.
I spent weeks meticulously planning and preparing for the walk along the riverbank of the stunning river Ene in Peru (Photo) due to repeated warnings of the very real risks of doing so.
But I had to do it to reach the Amazon source river - the Apurimac river.
The Rio Ene runs through lush green high forested valleys, still homeland for the indigenous Asháninka people and has been for millennia.
Myself and a local Ashaninka chief passed many Ashaninka villages.
In one I was informed that I was the first gringo to ever enter their village.
Another incredible leg of my Amazon river journey I will never forget.
Pasonki - thank you to all the Asháninka people🙏
Read the blog I wrote at that time.
Google ….
Ascent Of The Amazon. Apurimac “God Speaks”
My Website link is in my Instagram bio.
📸Casey Peru 2021
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration @fabu_ashaninka
@ ascentoftheamazon . Nov 25
A Camouflaged mushroom.?
I encountered many different mushrooms in the rainforest but this unusual naturally military style camouflaged mushroom was hard to spot in the Peruvian Amazon.
🍄Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies or reproductive structures of a much larger underground fungus.
🍄Fungi are the largest life forms on earth.
🍄Fungal mycelium can grow and expand for miles under the ground as they go in search of food.
🍄Fungi allow trees to talk to each other.
🍄Mycorrhizal fungi have a special relationship with host trees and plants. The fungi interact with the plant’s roots and provide nutrients, getting sugars in return.
🍄They have been used to treat infection for hundreds of years and have many medicinal uses.
📸Casey Peruvian Amazon 2019
#fungi #mycillium #weboflife
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #House @paulstamets
A Camouflaged mushroom.?
I encountered many different mushrooms in the rainforest but this unusual naturally military style camouflaged mushroom was hard to spot in the Peruvian Amazon.
🍄Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies or reproductive structures of a much larger underground fungus.
🍄Fungi are the largest life forms on earth.
🍄Fungal mycelium can grow and expand for miles under the ground as they go in search of food.
🍄Fungi allow trees to talk to each other.
🍄Mycorrhizal fungi have a special relationship with host trees and plants. The fungi interact with the plant’s roots and provide nutrients, getting sugars in return.
🍄They have been used to treat infection for hundreds of years and have many medicinal uses.
📸Casey Peruvian Amazon 2019
#fungi #mycillium #weboflife
#AmazonRiver #Trekking #Mountains #Brazil #Peru #Travel #Nature #Instatravel #Ashaninka #Sea #Jungle #Wildlife #Rainforest #Indigenous #Andes #Conservation #Expedition #Adventure #Rivers #Quechua #Science #Amazon #Inca #Exploration #House @paulstamets