When I decided at the last minute to go through the Amazon on my way from Magical Medellin to Adventurous Machu Picchu, it didn’t actually occur to me that I was going to be IN the Amazon. I know that sounds a bit odd but, with my nomadic non-stop travel lifestyle, it is not unusual because I am always planning some trip or another. And so there I was, in the Amazon, on the days leading up to Christmas. I received a fantastic deal on an all-inclusive lodge – because it was last minute – in the very interior of the Peruvian Jungle about 3.5 hours from Iquitos. It was amazing! Or shall I say amazoning!
I am working on a number of projects at the moment and really just needed a quiet place to get away for a few days to get some of my thoughts down onto paper.
The lodge – full of no one else except the guides and the spiders and the mosquitos – was exactly what I asked for. When the opportunity presented itself to go even further into the amazon jungle, I could not resist. A night of canoe camping – Canadian Style – and sleeping in a hammock and small tent made for a perfect final evening.
Catching and eating piranhas in the afternoon and then out in the boat in the dark to find Caymans and get hit by flying fresh water barracuda as they flung themselves into the boat. The bullfrogs and the birds were almost deafening but somehow lulled me to sleep. Our journey back to the lodge through the amazon surrounded by Toucans, Parrots, Tiger Herons, Hawks and Kingfishers was magical and all that was left was one last cuddle with Pablo Escobar the Sloth and Martina (one name like Cher) the woolly monkey before heading out.
It is incredible to me how productive and creative the mind can be when it is given some peace, quiet and a little boredom. Perhaps, in our over stimulated world – in which I subscribe – our minds cannot breathe. I have known for a while now how important it is to take some time for myself away from the pulls and shiny objects of the world, but that does not diminish how awesome it is when I get to do it.
And so the lesson from this short adventure is: Once a year go somewhere without wifi, electricity, hot water or westerners.
When was the last time you went somewhere to completely unplug and write with a pen and paper?
