Back in the US

We returned to the US last night after 4 days on the Amazon River. There are no words to describe the majestic awesome beauty of the river and it's surrounding jungle. And the pictures don't do it justice either. In spite of all the rain, the wet season is the time to go there. The river can be 30-35 feet higher in the rainy season, allowing access to places you can't go during regular tourist season. Our lodge was comfortable and we had an excellent local guide.

The highlights of the trip included seeing river dolphins, including the rarer pink ones, eating primative-looking piriracu, the delicious fish that has fed the Amazonian people for centuries, Larry slogging through the river's edge in the pitch dark with the guide to capture a baby caimen and seeing the sunrise over the river.

The focus of our EcoLodge was education and preservation of the river and jungle. We visited a center where monkeys captured for illegal trade come when they are recovered and need to be rehabilitated before their return to the wild and a similar place for caimen. We learned about the traditional nutritional and medicinal properties of the local plants and about how the indigenous natives live deep in the jungle versus the coboclos, who are of indigenous origin, but live a more modern life along the river.

I don't think I'll suffer the extreme reverse culture shock after this trip that I did before. But I have to remind myself I can drink from the water fountain, put toilet paper in the toilet and best of all, there are washcloths in the hotel. They've never heard of washcloths in Brazil. I was disturbed by the loud, harsh, raspy voiced Southern businessmen in the airport last night in contrast to the lyrical, melodic Portuguese I'm used to hearing. I just wanted to put my hands over my ears and scream at them to shut up!

We are headed to SC to see Aubrey and Dylan for the rest of the week and will be home again next week.
Judy