Bushwhacking through the Amazonian Jungle

After our tour of the farm, we headed to a primary school for the Wapixana and Macuxi tribes in Pacaraima. Upon arrival, we presented the children with gifts ranging from potato chips to fruit to balloons. We avoided sweets and candies because of the lack of dentistry in the area, but the children were very pleased with their gifts! After, the children treated us by performing their national anthem and two other songs.

After the children's performance, we headed into the jungle for our hike. After checking our blood pressure and pulse to ensure we were all physically fit for the hike, we began our tour of the Amazon jungle.

Throughout the tour, our guide pointed out a number of neat aspects of the jungle. He explained to us the medicinal uses of many of the plants, including cures for malaria, rashes, nausea, and cleansing rituals. We then came across rocks with indigenous cravings dating back hundreds of years, and also found wild orchids and million year old species of fern trees along the path. He also showed us a tree that holds water (similar to a cactus), and cut off a branch, so we could all take a drink!

After, we reached the summit of the hill, where the community is considering adding a bird watching tower for ecotourism. We unfortunately did not see many birds because of the time of day (early morning is best), so we head back down, circling around the hill, and arrived at the Sama River. The river was beautiful and featured the ideal picture of the Amazon jungle. Audriana, Tim and Alex braved the river and went swimming. It was so hot and humid, the water looked tempting, but I knew if I went swimming, my clothes would never dry in the humidity! I'm glad I choose not to go swimming, for that evening Alex found a tick on his side! Gross!

After our break at the river, we headed back to the school. Avoiding a cobra in the path, we began our descent down the hill, in which our tour guides literally had to bushwhack our way through the jungle with machetes. The jungle was so alive that the path would begin to close if you didn’t stay close enough to the person in front of you! Altogether, our hike through the jungle, a total of 6.5 km, was a blast and an experience of a lifetime!