Amazon Expedition – Day 5

Blog written by Shaya

We woke up on the boat, excited for 24 hours we would never forget! We had a quick swim in the river and took the opportunity to wash our shirts (in the jungle these get surprisingly dirty!) After breakfast we went to the village where we met 8 other young people that are actively doing their best to conserve the environment in their community.
It was really exciting to meet them! They presented their project and talked about their goals and hopes for the future. It is fair to say that we were all really impressed by their motivation and the bond between them that formed a great group of caring and passionate teenagers. We also got to present the PANGAEA project. It was really fun and we all felt proud to present this global environmental project and urged the local group to get involved.
We went back to the boat for lunch and packed our bags with our hammocks, sleeping bags and the equipment for the upcoming afternoon jungle hike. Setting off to land on the dinghies, we looked like pros with our machetes and nothing could wipe the smile of our faces!
The hike in the jungle was a dog’s bullock (all the new expressions and words you learn on a multicultural boat is amazing!) It was amazing to be walking through what seemed like a green paradise. After a short hike that served as our warm-up to the upcoming jungle treks, we set camp! Mike taught us how to place and tie our hammocks so that it stays firm and to keep the ants away. What took us an hour to do apparently took him 4 minutes during his expeditions (practice is needed!).
Have you ever slept in a jungle, in your own hammock, where nearly all of the surrounding animals are completely unknown to you? That’s exactly what we did! After making a fire and sharpening a stick, we grilled our sausages and talked around the fire before heading off to our own little personal headquarters for the night. What an experience to fall asleep with magical sounds of the rainforest and waking up to a stray of light breaking through the thick jungle!