My trip to the Amazon
- Thread starter Adamson
- Start date
Very nice photos. I've done two trips to the Peruvian Amazon back in the 1990's and would love to go into Guyana. I am heading to Uruguay in November. I highly recommend for people to go on a trip to these places it has always been a blast and it is generally not that expensive.
Wow thanks for all the responses everyone, I appreciate it!
It is just so bizzare to me because the people there didn't know I was big into these type of fish, Arapaima is just what they eat all the time.
AROWANAS SHOULD NOT BE AQUARIUM FISH. In the wild they are constantly jumping out of the water to eat bug and stuff flying above the surface. This alone makes them not ideal for our fish tanks..
I am watching Jeremy Wade's Arapaima episode right now and I notice a few things. Everywhere he goes looks just like where I was, the floating houses etc. In the episode he says that caymans would get up to 20 feet long...yeah right.. Pablo my tour guide did the same thing (going out in the dark with a flash light so we could see their eyes) and Pablo would try and barehand these things. I know he might not have the same safety standards as Jeremy Wade, but still. Reading a little bit about Jeremy Wade, it sounds like he goes out a little, but still stays in relative safe lodges and stuff. I'd love to meet him, I know Nicole's husband (from Aquascape) has met him while on the set of Good Morning America or whatever.
Also, do any of you know about the pink dolphins found in these parts of the Amazon River and its sub-rivers? Really quite beautiful fish, I didn't know about them until I visited and saw for myself.
Haha thanks. You know after the first time I went to Colombia I mentioned to her mom that I would like to go into the rainforest and Amazon. She thought that it would be interesting as well. Fast-forward to July of this year, she didn't plan it until she flew into Bogota (Late July), and planned it like 3 weeks in advance of when we actually went. Surprisingly she actually used a small travel agency, which bewilders me because I literally did not see any other tourists the whole time we were in Leticia. I take that back, I saw a couple back packers but I know they didn't get the same experience because they just stayed in hotels in Leticia and took day trips into the jungle.More pics of GF!
jokes aside, that's a fantastic post, a real "bucket list" trip for many of us. Great write up too. How did you go about planning the trip, find Pablo, book accommodation etc?
I wasn't, I wasn't able to sink my bait deep enough to get to the big ones. The little piranhas go for your bait instantly as you throw it in. They are a lot more hungry than our aquarium piranhas. Yeah, 10 Manuelies in a stew would probably be my most expensive meal lol.
You know actually not. Most meals are on the smaller side, especially my first time there a year and a half ago, I found myself hungry a lot. This time I knew better and knew to eat whenever I got the chance. But I definitely wouldn't say it is a lot of meaty foods. People eat chicken, not a lot of beef, some fish. Of course it is all regional too; Santa Marta (on the Caribbean coast), Bogota (elevation of 9,000 ft), and Leticia (Amazon River Basin) are so incredibly different. While in Leticia I had eggs and tomoato every day for breakfast, Chicken, rice, beans, and salad everyday for lunch, and Arapaima, rice, beans, and yuca for dinner.
It is just so bizzare to me because the people there didn't know I was big into these type of fish, Arapaima is just what they eat all the time.
Yeah I would say so. I didn't really see any cichlids, except for some apisto's in a stream. Apparently there are peacock bass though. I also saw a lot of Arowanas jumping around. Which brings me to a point I thought a lot about while I was there.
AROWANAS SHOULD NOT BE AQUARIUM FISH. In the wild they are constantly jumping out of the water to eat bug and stuff flying above the surface. This alone makes them not ideal for our fish tanks..
I am watching Jeremy Wade's Arapaima episode right now and I notice a few things. Everywhere he goes looks just like where I was, the floating houses etc. In the episode he says that caymans would get up to 20 feet long...yeah right.. Pablo my tour guide did the same thing (going out in the dark with a flash light so we could see their eyes) and Pablo would try and barehand these things. I know he might not have the same safety standards as Jeremy Wade, but still. Reading a little bit about Jeremy Wade, it sounds like he goes out a little, but still stays in relative safe lodges and stuff. I'd love to meet him, I know Nicole's husband (from Aquascape) has met him while on the set of Good Morning America or whatever.
Also, do any of you know about the pink dolphins found in these parts of the Amazon River and its sub-rivers? Really quite beautiful fish, I didn't know about them until I visited and saw for myself.
I dont think most readers realize how expensive those piranhas are. Those aren't your dime a dozen red bellies
They put up any type of a fight?
Didnt jeremy wade have an episode on that pink dolphin?
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
They put up any type of a fight?
Didnt jeremy wade have an episode on that pink dolphin?
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I talked to Pablo as much as I could about fish, asking him specific questions about if he knew anyone who ever caught and shipped fish. He said he had known some people who caught ornamental fish and shipped them to the middle of the country, but he wasn't sure what for.
I asked him a lot about the Arapaima. He said that a hotel in Leticia at one point had one in a fish tank, but the fish flapped its tail so hard against the glass that it shattered it and had to be brought to an outdoor pond where it now remains.
The local people down there are probably the most kind I have ever met. They are literally living a native lifestyle and to be welcoming to some gringo man like me who didn't know their language, their culture, anything, wow it just isn't anything you would experience in the first world.
It sounded like some of you liked pictures of the trees and nature, I am going to try and add a few more photos.
This was Miguel, the caretaker who lived with his family at the place we stayed in the jungle. An extremely hard worker who I am sure would be absolutely lost if he were ever in a city, or even a town for that matter. He is indigenous and grew up there.
This was the bark on some trees there. It was actually used to make weapons by the natives hundreds of years ago because the prickly part almost guaranteed an infection if it pierced the skin.
At first I thought these boat engines were made from weed-whackers.
Here is a handmade bag that our guide whipped together in about 3 minutes out of a branch
We visited Miguel's home village and he helped his mom cook this yucca topping that the locals like to put on their meat. Not a huge fan, but interesting to see foods being made a natural way.
My girlfriend and I in front of the Rio Jaguar
We had a scenic view when we wanted to go to the bathroom
Cayman head
Strange tree trunk
In this shot you can actually see down the tributary out to the actual Amazon
My poor girlfriend had to go to the 3rd world hospital :[
I asked him a lot about the Arapaima. He said that a hotel in Leticia at one point had one in a fish tank, but the fish flapped its tail so hard against the glass that it shattered it and had to be brought to an outdoor pond where it now remains.
The local people down there are probably the most kind I have ever met. They are literally living a native lifestyle and to be welcoming to some gringo man like me who didn't know their language, their culture, anything, wow it just isn't anything you would experience in the first world.
It sounded like some of you liked pictures of the trees and nature, I am going to try and add a few more photos.
This was Miguel, the caretaker who lived with his family at the place we stayed in the jungle. An extremely hard worker who I am sure would be absolutely lost if he were ever in a city, or even a town for that matter. He is indigenous and grew up there.
This was the bark on some trees there. It was actually used to make weapons by the natives hundreds of years ago because the prickly part almost guaranteed an infection if it pierced the skin.
At first I thought these boat engines were made from weed-whackers.
Here is a handmade bag that our guide whipped together in about 3 minutes out of a branch
We visited Miguel's home village and he helped his mom cook this yucca topping that the locals like to put on their meat. Not a huge fan, but interesting to see foods being made a natural way.
My girlfriend and I in front of the Rio Jaguar
We had a scenic view when we wanted to go to the bathroom
Cayman head
Strange tree trunk
In this shot you can actually see down the tributary out to the actual Amazon
My poor girlfriend had to go to the 3rd world hospital :[
Max I am so jealous! That is the trip of a lifetime for me! Sadly, I have exactly NO chance of ever convincing my wife to take vacation time to visit a hot, steamy jungle in another country, especially since we both grew up in the Okefenokee Swamp on the Florida / Georgia line. Sigh.
I'm glad you had fun man. I REALLY enjoyed the pics. Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you had fun man. I REALLY enjoyed the pics. Thanks for sharing!
Okay,me and mine have already talked about taking such trips and she has no interest in going but she knows it's something I really want to do and doesn't mind me going without her.
