Hello Moto

If you ever wondered where the hell did those obnoxious ringtones came from, well, they came from the Amazon. There are ambulance birds that sound like they ambulance, donkey birds that sound like donkeys, and so many other types. One of which can also imitate up to 30 sounds. One of the birds in particular literally sounds like the Hello Moto ringtone. It is bizarre.

If you ever wondered what an owl looks like in real life, well just imagine Mr. Belvedere in bird like form and there you go. It is also bizarre.

I went on a 6 day Manu Jungle tour in Peru and dropped off Machin Blanco aka Kelsey in the middle of the jungle on the 5th day. He will be posted there for the next month or so. It was a long, long, long, journey. Day 1 began at 5:00 am and reached camp at about 5:00pm. Did a bit of bird watching.

Days 2 & 3 were spent on the boat for about 10 hours. Lots of bird watching and napping. And being sprayed on by the river or the rain. Lovely. We were able to go to a high tower on the 2nd day and more animal stalking. On the 3rd day, we went to a clay lick where parrots, macaws, and all other sorts of wildlife gather. The birds go to the clay lick to lick calcium from the clay that they do not easily get from their regular diet. I think something that they eat in their regular diet can poison them so they need the calcium to balance their diet. Google it.

Day 4 was the big day and we roamed the jungle for jaguars, crocodiles, pumas, anacondas, birds, and all of that sort. Unfortunately, the jag, puma, and ana did not want to come to play, but in search of them is quite exciting! More time is definitely needed in the jungle. There is this one kind of monkey. I think the Wooly monkey that is quite territorial and if you come to close will defecate, throw things at you, and do all things possible to get you away. Quite funny. I think I was the only one in the group who wanted to get peed on by a monkey. yehahhahaha

Day 5 left Machin Blanco and was on the boat for 12 hours. We had to push it twice for a few minutes because the river was too low. There was a fiesta (I think for for the Black Virgin Mary, but don't quote me on that) in the town we stayed at and there was free booze! Each year the 96 families rotate to host the party.

Day 6 journeyed to the place where I volunteered for 4 days. There is a reforestation project where we planted native plants and chopped the bamboo. The place used to be a bamboo farm, but it has since been abandonded and those guys are multiplying like a mother. For those days I mainly hiked, hacked, and cleaned plants. I also had the most amount of leisure time ever to read. Very dangerous for me to walk around hiking with a machete. I did not feel safe for the person in front of me.

For me, the coolest part of the Amazon is the sounds. How quiet and alone one can really be and just to be able to literally listen to the night. To look up and see the Milky Way, Venus, or what have you. It is all pretty awesome just to be out there. In a certain part of the Amazon that does not allow logging or any sort of building, the world around you can either be quite scary, quite beautiful, or a certain mix of both. Each crack, each new sound brings wonder and awe of the possibilites. And also, possibily, a quick jump of the heart depending what that sound is.