Visit the Amazon

“I woke up with the sun at 5:30am on my first full day in the rainforest. After breakfast, at what I would guess was 7:30am, I went on a “boat” ride with Ivan, the second son. I say “boat” because it was more like a small canoe that needed my continuous tossing of water overboard given the hole in the bottom. Had I felt safer before? Yes. Was I about to insult Ivan’s intelligence by asking him if he thought this was safe? Nope.”

“As we get into bed that first night I'm vigilant about keeping away from the mosquito net and we take the extra precaution of spraying ourselves with tropical strength insect repellent. [...] In the deep darkness I see lightning but hear no thunder. Photo negatives of the surrounding jungle flash on and off. Entering into the magical spirit I begin to wonder if I am the only person in the world who is watching this beautiful light show.”

“Before I knew it, I was on a speedboat zooming through the Amazon River with a banana in one hand and a beer in the other! I hadn’t even had time to settle down and connect to WiFi to tell my family I was off for the rainforest. Sorry, Mom! Cruising through the Amazon was surreal! You hear and learn all about the Amazon at a very young age and to be there in person was absolutely incredible! An hour later, I arrived at my home-stay in Gamboa, Peru. [...] My sleeping quarters consisted of a mosquito-netted hammock under a tin roof.”