DAY 26. EUPHORIA

I had a good rest and I feel better. I must have really strained myself too much.

The spider is back again, and it is eating something. The spider is as big as my hand! I tried to chase it away, but it is hiding under my bed like a dozen other creatures. I will let it live.

It looks like there is a chance at me getting some sunshine today! The river is covered in some greenery that resembles water lilies. Maybe the water level in the upper reaches has risen so much that it has washed out the contents of some pond. I am so waiting for the sun.

A local fisherman pulled over to have a chat with me. I snatched the opportunity to ask him all my fishing questions. And what do you think? Unlike on the Ucayali, nobody uses a fishing rod and that black berry as bait here. Anzuelos, hooks with live bait, are hardly ever used either. The water is high, and fish behave differently. These days local people use fishing nets! This is the way. I was relieved because it meant that there is nothing wrong with me or my skills – it is rather the time of the year that is unfavourable for fishing. On the other hand, this comforting realization does not provide more food for my belly.

Once again, I notice a huge beetle that flies to the boat from the bank now and then and buzzes loudly. I do not know what I did to it, but it has been like this for days on end. If only I could understand what the beetle is trying to say!

A large ship passed by. I was expecting waves, but nothing terrible happened. When there is no strong wind, the Amazon is a river like any other. It presents no real danger. Indeed, there are powerful whirlpools on the bends, but with proper focus and skill, they are not dangerous. After that time when I paddled across an open sea strip on my packraft to reach an island in Brazil, it is difficult for any waves to discourage me. I am experienced! But the wind takes away all control from me. If it is windy, all that I can do is to make a beeline for some dry land.

On the bank, I noticed some fruit-bearing palm trees for the first time. I think it is ‘aguaje’, a local delicacy that cannot be found in other parts of the world. It resembles a pinecone a little, but inside there is sweet orange pulp. However, the tree trunks are very tall and thin, and I cannot think of any way to reach the fruit.

The sun burst through the clouds, and it became warmer. My trousers are finally dry. I parked my boat at one of the many floating islands – they are everywhere. Every now and then flowers of different shapes and colours peek out among the greenery. It is so unusual to see such bright colours, because in the rain everything looks the same.

There are only 70 kilometres left before I reach Iquitos, and a new island is forming right around my boat. Great, the driftwood will serve as a bumper and will protect me from being hit by a random log or a tree. In theory, if the ‘island’ grew to some decent size, I could even sleep here. But I am not going to test the theory. It is not worth the risk, and I do not have a death wish yet. In any case, travelling alongside floating logs is much more dangerous – with bad timing, the boat can get caught between them.

Now the river has started to grow narrow, at the bend the speed of the current reached 10.5 kilometres per hour – and I am not paddling at all. That is very cool. I have my belongings out in the sun and the boat has dried as well. Now I can even see where the water is coming in from. Apparently, there are leeks both in the bow and the stern.

The surroundings matched my lightened mood. A huge butterfly, apparently a swallowtail, came by and landed on the palm of my hand without any fear. It is a little daily miracle.

I landed near a settlement to buy more bananas and some snack. I was greeted warmly, as always. I was directed to a place where I could get some bananas, including ‘maduros’, the kind that can be eaten raw. They are small but very sweet. I also had some ‘juane’, a sort of chicken pilaf. Now I can be on my way again.

There are still 40 kilometres to go before I reach Iquitos. I bought some more ‘juane’ to eat on the road and asked the locals for the name of the tackle they use to catch fish in the dry season. It is a throwing net. It is called ‘tarafa’ here – I have been thinking about buying one for a long time. It is not easy to fish with it, especially for an experienced person, but I would like to learn. Maybe I can find one in the capital. I will have to sell my hammock to buy that, it costs about $50.

I leave the settlement and look at the stilted houses on the water. They say that in a couple of months the water level will drop five or six metres lower. Can you imagine a change like that? I am used to fluctuations of a couple metres, but no, this is the Amazon: it is huge. If the water rises, it washes away forests; if it falls, it creates fields. Isn’t it me being philosophical today? It is visible that I am not hungry now.

The altitude is now about 90 metres above the sea level. At the beginning of the journey, it was about 120 metres. On the map, a long time ago, I saw a big red spot in the middle of the plain, which means a place of high altitude. There must be a mountain in the middle of the jungle! I looked at the map and it says it that it is over 1000 metres. According to the GPS, the place is just under four kilometres away, but I cannot see it. It cannot be right, can it? With a flat terrain like this, I would be able to see it for sure. It is weird.

I have been starving, so I decided to eat the leftover ‘juane’ right now. I cannot quite remember if I have already written about it, but I will repeat it to be on the safe side. ‘Juane’ is a kind of pilaf that is cooked directly in a leaf; it is a banana leaf, I think. Inside, there is rice, one olive and a piece of chicken. It tastes divine!

Today I am resting and gaining strength as I realised that there will be no time for rest in Iquitos, I have too many things to do there.

It is a beautiful evening! The birds are singing, there is neither wind nor rain. I am fed up with rain. I am lying on my bed and reading a book. There is not much going on, and I feel like I am getting the hang of it now. I am almost recovered, not in a hurry to search for something, I am just going about my life quietly. It does not matter that I am in a boat on the Amazon. This is my home now: here are my walls, here is my bed, I am just enjoying life. The only thing missing is fishing opportunities, but that is something that I will fix soon. Below me there are 40 metres of deep water, and it hides an abundance of different fish, dolphins, and even manatees. Farther along the river, if my memory serves me correctly, there are even sharks, but the species I crave to see most is crocodiles. I think that I will find them in the future.

I set up camp for the night and stretched out the mosquito net. Iquitos is just a stone’s throw away, no more than 30 kilometres. I will get there tomorrow, and I hope to leave the mosquitoes behind. You should see the way they are looking at me through the net right now, little vampires.

10 May, ~63 (1052) km covered.