Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon with about 60 other exchange students. I have never seen anything so spectacular, truly, and seeing it with my best friends made it all the better.
The first day, we arrived in Leticia, the capital of the Amazonas department. The first thing I felt was the heat and humidity- like Indiana in the summer, but more humid (our guide informed us that 100% humidity is the norm there). We walked around the town and saw some GIANT lily pads (they're the biggest in the world), and got a glimpse of the majestic Amazon River, where we set off the next day.
The Amazon River is GIANT. It's wider than the Mississippi, and it extends for what seems like forever. On either side, the rainforest stretches on and on. As we went down the river in our boat, every now and then we'd pass a native canoe with people sailing along. And then, we saw one of the coolest things I've seen yet- pink dolphins! There are only nine species of freshwater dolphins in the world, and four of them live in the Amazon River, and they're pink! I think it's the coolest thing ever.
And then... it started to pour down rain. Not the kind of rain where it starts to sprinkle and then pours, no: it just started pouring out of nowhere. And ten minutes later it stopped. Didn't slow down, just stopped completely. It was super cool and weird at the same time, but that's how the rain works there.
A downpour on the Amazon River:
Over the next five days, we visited two different towns, both deep in the jungle. The first was Puerto Nariño, a Colombian indigenous village. There we had the opportunity to participate in several hikes through the jungle- they were muddy, rainy, full of bugs and animals, and totally fun. I saw colorful tree frogs, a snake, exchange students falling into creeks, and the Southern Cross (a constellation of stars that can only be seen south of the equator). One of the coolest moments in these walks was when, as we were walking, all of a sudden we heard a drum beat off in the distance. We asked the guide- was it coming from native people? Were they doing it for tourists, or as a real ceremony? Turns out, the natives were doing it for real, for themselves- nothing touristy about it.
And that's when it hit me- we were really in the Amazon. In the biggest rainforest in the world, thousands of miles away from civilization. Way out there in other corners of this vast jungle there are people who have never been in contact with modern society; a lost world. We were in the lung of the earth, a place where 50% of all living species reside. How awesome is that? I was in awe at the beauty that surrounded me, it was truly amazing.
During the rest of the trip, I got to swim in the Amazon River (thankfully the piranhas didn't join), I saw a sloth in the wild, learned about the native cultures and customs, and visited Peru. The Amazon Rainforest is another world- it has its own people, languages, animals and laws. This trip was definitely the best of all the trips I've participated in, and I'm so grateful I got to go on it. The Amazon is a magical place, and is worth seeing, at least once.
But it may not be there for much longer if things continue how they are- global warming is wiping out species, and millions of acres of the Amazon are lost every year to big industries and deforestation. It must stop- without the Amazon, without this grand lung of the earth, we could not survive. Thus, the next time you take a shower, make it a little shorter. The next time you want to buy a plastic water bottle, reconsider. Be conscious about how your actions are affecting the environment, and keep in mind what you can do to help. It is up to us to save the Amazon, and to save the world. We can do it, I know we can.
A hike with Exchange students through a clearing in the jungle:
