Finally here, our review from the incredible trip to the Amazonas rain forest! There are pictures of the trip in the "Pictures" area of this profile (underneath the profile picture)
John and Maite, ambassadors of WWF's Amazonas project.
Review of the whole expedition:
When we arrived to Sao Paulo, we went to the international video conference that WWF had programmed to speak about how the different projects of protection of areas in Amazonas were going. We performed in the video conference and later on, we were named ambassadors of the specific project that WWF has in the Juruena National Park. We received a beautiful painting of a Panda with our names on it. We met many people involved in environmental projects that had to do with the protection of Amazonas areas. The following day we were leaving to Alta Floresta, joining a team of WWF on the journey to Juruena. A team of ZDF TV followed us all the time filming different interviews and situations. The president of the German WWF and his wife were with us, also, three women in charge of the marketing and communication issues of WWF Germany and Brazil, a man in charge of the coordination of the National Park and different professors from universities. ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The first thing I felt when we arrived to Alta Floresta was the breathing was kind of difficult. In a few minutes you get used to it, but the smell of wood and the dry atmosphere was so strange! Right before getting to the hotel we already watched the first wild animals, so it was amazing! Also, I read on the wall: "Please, do not feed the monkeys" Wowww, Johnny's dream! Monkeys! (and mine too, hehe) The visit was promising!
The next day we jumped on the 4x4 Jeeps and we drove through terrible roads (really funny!) but at the same time we already watched the first signs of the terrible deforestation and the reason why the strange atmosphere in the air. The forests were being burned everywhere. It looked like Sahara. Only some skinny cows were around.
After some hours of driving, suddenly the real forest appeared with strength. Two boats were waiting for us to go across the wonderful Cristalino River. When John and I watched the river, we went on tears. It is exactly like in the films, but it is real! It was there, in front of our nose, an amazing Amazonian river, huge! Surrounded by incredible vegetation and with the most strange bird sounds you ever heard, like come from another world... It was so exciting to sail in that river... Nature was embracing us like a mother was taking her babies in her arms. Right in that moment I understood exactly the meaning of "mother nature". Such strong energy that makes people cry of emotion. It was not only watching it, but feeling the breeze in the face, smelling the air, touching the water... I think I said the word "amazing" about thirty times.
We finally arrived to Cristalino Lodge, a private extension of virgin forest where scientists and nature lovers go to observe the flora and fauna. A very well organized bungalow-tipe hotel is set up over there. Just to eat their food is worth the trip! They developed a great integrated in nature complex of wooden small buildings where you can get to know very interesting people and the best; They guided us through the rain forest, showing us the different kinds of animals that live there, like tapirs, capybaras, paradise birds, etc, they also showed us how to find water inside a tree, medicinal plants... Such and interesting walk!
As everybody was going to swim in the river, I thought I would do the same, but I'm really scared of swimming in places where I don't see the bottom, so it took me some time to decide to jump into the Cristalino River. But in the end, I did it. The water was in the perfect temperature and I swam for maybe 15 minutes. It was so nice... That night we went to sail the river in the boats, in the dark, everything in silence, just the night animals were active, animals such CAIMANS!!!! Yes! There were caimans right there, where we were swimming only some hours agooooo!!! The guide said there was no problem, they get scared from humans, but just in case, the following day I didn't swim there. (John did) I forgot to tell you that we were not eaten by the Piranhas, the other way round, we ATE Piranha soup that night, one of the best fish soups I've ever tried!
The following day, very early in the morning we went to watch the sunrise, from above, from a huge metal observation tower they built in the middle of the forest. It was so high that I did not dare to climb to the top, but still, the view was really amazing. Slowly, as the new day was coming, the animals were waking up. All kinds of birds started to sing, and suddenly we heard something that was not a bird, they were MONKEYS!! There, in front of our eyes, some spider monkeys were having breakfast. One of them came so near that John couldn't believe it, he was saying "thank you" I guess that to the monkey, or to the chance, or to God for putting the monkey there, I don't know, but it was so funny to see John watching the monkey! That night he was murmuring to himself in bed "I was asking, please, a monkey" Hahahahha, he loves monkeys. I forgot to say I saw a tarantula at night, near my room!! I would stay hours speaking about the "Cristalino" river, but I have to continue.
We came back to Alta Floresta, the following day we drove for hours and hours in terrible roads, not only for they were very bad roads but also because the forest had disappeared! You could still see the fire in some parts of the land, the smoke was covering the sky, the sun was just a red ball in the sky that could be watched directly with no problem, the rivers were getting dry because of the strange microclimate, the dry heat was too strong! The grass was dry and the few cows (for so much land) were skinny, hours and hours of the same landscape, like the end of the world, just some black death trees and smoke.
We arrived to Apiacas, a town near the border of the Juruena's National Park. The wooden houses had a maximum of one floor, built very rough, many little shops, markets, car care centres... The hotels there were mostly thought for the people that were travelling there for the wood business. Once there, the people explained us that the neighbours were worry about the National Park, because they could not cut or burn forest beyond its borders to make clean land for the caws, etc. (Don't they have enough space????) They explained us very interesting aspects of their lives and worries. The next night, WWF made a conference in front of the whole town to explain them how other towns surrounding other national parks were going forward with their lives adapting themselves to the new situation. They explained them how to live without having to destroy the forest, but using it in a clever way. We visited three people that build their business in a clever way, one of them had many cows and part of his land was plain for the cows, but they didn't destroy the forest, the rivers were surrounded by forest and so the cows could go and drink, the grass was greener, they took care of their land. Also some other people were living out of their fruit trees and market gardens, built also in a clever way. These people were an example, but still, they were only 3 people :-(
We think the philosophy of WWF is very good, by not fighting the enemy of the environment but trying to get compromises and solutions together.
We visited some gold mines, they were a few men working there, trying to find something in a place that had been checked out thousand times. I guess they are hooked over there. There was a pair that used to live out of the gold mines, a man and a woman, when the mining was downing, this pair built their own orchard, market garden and farm right beside the mines, and though the miners would laugh at them, they went forward with their project. Though they are still involved in the miners' community, they are an example for all of them. Right near the mines there was a town, a ghost town, built roughly about twenty years ago when the gold mines were really active. Back then, thousands of people were living in that rough town, nowadays, just 50 people remain there, hooked to those mines. Like a far west wooden town, a town without law, were a murder just happened the week before, and the dust was covering everything, pigs and babies were walking free in the roads. A gold dealer remained in the town, a lady with many gold chains and jewels. Several houses had their own business, bars where they were selling drinks and daily needs. We met two ladies in the street and John and I decided to sing them a capella song, just for them. After some notes, they couldn't hold their tears. There was such a desperation and tension that they had to explode. There was a lot of suffering in this town.
The next day we flew to the heart of the Juruena's National Park. From the little plane we could see all the disaster in detail, only when we were flying over the park is when we started seeing some green. I must say that the worse thing is the smoke everywhere. It's the most disgusting and bigger smoke machine of the world!! it seems the firemen must be also an extinct species. Fact is that the hospitals are full of little children with heavy breathing problems. When I saw all the destruction from above, I had to cry. It was too much for me.
We landed in Juruena, in the middle of the jungle, where a diamond dealer had his mines. Just in case, the guy had a revolver hidden in his pants. He was the second most reach dealer of the country! We went to check the beautiful Salto Augusto cascades, sailing in little boats again. It was a great feeling, a place where still only a few people can access, showing itself just for us. We saw all the strength of the water and the beauty of the many butterflies over there. So many colours altogether! The waterfalls were cut in two, left and right. Not too high but as I said, millions of litters of water showing all its might. As we went to the right waterfall, John discovered a bat's nest. We could hear them but it was too dark to see them, so he turned on his infra-red camera and so we could see all the cute bats trying to find a place in their nest. When we came back to the landing road, the diamond dealer invited us to stay over night, but if I tell you the truth, I just wanted to run away! By the way, I gave him our myspace site to have a look, hahahha! You're a cool guy!!
Right from the Salto Augusto cascades we started our long trip back home, check this out:
-Boat from cascades to earth
-Tractor from river to landing road.
-Small 5 seats plane from Juruena to Alta Floresta
-Jeep from Alta Floresta landing road to hotel
-JEEP from Alta Floresta to Cuiaba!!! The smoke of the many fires did that the airports couldn't deliver any services. 9 hours driving, 9 hours of deforestation, 9 hours of soy (soja) fields and fire till Cuiaba.
-Taxi from hotel in Cuiaba to Airport
-Flight from Cuiaba to Sao Paulo Congonhas airport
-Van from this airport to the international Sao Paulo airport
-Flight from Sao Paulo to Paris (Yippiiii Europe again!)
-U train from airport to centre Paris
-spent a night there and then, taxi to the train station
-Train Paris-Hendaye
-Small train Hendaye-San Sebastian
-Bus San Sebastian-Pamplona
-My father was waiting with the car at the bus station in Pamplona.
END!! We are back home again!
For several days, even some weeks, we were waking up at night thinking that we still were in Amazonas and I must say that we are still a little bit in a shock state.
What we saw is that the lungs of the planet have a heavy cancer and if we don't operate soon, there will be no chemo therapy that can heal this. How much time is there left? Will we see the end, or maybe our sons and daughters? Amazonas is our own breathing system, ours, from the whole planet Earth. Is there any possibility that the whole world takes over the green area and blocks it as a worldwide protected independent country? I guess we are dreaming, but sometimes the most radical solution is the right one for certain things.
Amazonas is right there, not as far as we think, and it is more than real, not a cold picture in TV. While we were walking in the green rain forest, we had the feeling of being observed by the own forest, the plants were touching us, not the other way round, we were the aliens over there. You feel such energy! As I said before, you feel embraced by your own mother and seriously, when we were flying over burning forests, we could almost see green hands coming out of the trees, like an "Ents' forest", crying, asking for help to us, the only witnesses from above. They cannot move, they are hooked to the ground, they are mute victims, and while they are in fire, burning, it feels like they are looking at us, just observing us, and waiting for their end. What we experienced there was new for us, it was too much for our sensitive hearts. But also, we discovered that every single person living in this planet has the power to do something about it. If each one of us puts a little tiny bit from our side the results can be huge! We are many altogether! And we honestly think that WWF and its enthusiastic members are doing a great job. Please, visit their web site or contact them to see how you can help.