We traveled to and up the Amazon via progressively smaller planes (see pic) and then by boat while swinging in hammocks (see pic). We started in Manaus, Brasil and ended up at the origin of the Amazon near Iquitos, Peru - the largest city in the world that is not reachable by road. It was good to be in a Spanish-speaking country, Portugese was more difficult than we needed it to be. (Like we Americans, the Brazilians are not inclined to speak a 2nd language, neither the Spanish of all of its neighbors or the English of its distant neighbors.)
With our rubber boots and insect deterrant (even deet fails here), we went up a tributary of the Amazon to camp and look for jungle critters and fish for piranha. Shaw brought home dinner.. We drank water from cat claw vines and saw cappuchin monkeys. And got devoured by mosquitoes and chiggers. Just like home! And we got to share in the heart of a Saturday night at a jungle village disco (see pic).
This South American river was very reminiscent of the Mekong of Southeast Asia - same kind of watercraft (see pic), same kind of net fishing, same pink dolphins, same palm dwellings (see pic), same asiatic faces, similar plants and fauna save for a few less elephants and a few more jaguars and sloths (see pic). I felt like I had completed some geographic journey that had started last December in Laos. Austin and journey's end were getting closer. . . .
And so this part of my mid-life walkabout comes to an end, 11 months from when it started. Best parts? All the people along the many roads who shared their homes, their time, their food, their knowledge and their companionship with me. I was blessed by you all. And, of course, the time spent together with each of my kids tramping the world's highways and hiking trails. Thanks to you both for joining me for a part of my journey. What's next? Start putting together a new life puzzle with some similar yet different pieces. Future travel? Still want to see Cuba . . . .