My Jungle Memoirs 2. My first encounter with the jungle

From Rurrenabaque we took a three-day tour in the Madidi Park, right in the jungle and away from towns and villages. At the first glance, I was surprised to find the forest much more innocent-looking than I had expected. We walked among all shades of greenery, with some beautiful flowers and hundreds of butterflies flying around us (I felt as if I was visiting the butterfly conservatory in Niagara). The birds were singing and I was amused at the sight of a garlic tree, which one can smell from meters away, or learning about the only edible mushroom in the jungle: chicken breast mushroom. Apparently a soup made from the stuff tastes exactly like chicken soup.

When I looked closer at the trees I realized that a lot of them had many big and sharp spines on the trunk. Not at all innocent-looking, after all. Then I learned that the cute tiny caterpillar at my feet is in fact poisonous, and the beautiful little lagoons are full of bloodthirsty piranhas. And walking back to the lodge in the dark after dinner I almost stepped on a snake. Upon these and a few other incidents ( such as an encounter with an army of dangerous ants that destroy every living thing they encounter on their way), I was forced to revise my earlier impressions. The jungle might look innocent but nobody should be fooled by it.

For me, it was back to Australian drill: always watching the ground before stepping, NEVER walking in the dark without a flashlight, always shaking my shoes before putting them on, etc. However, after camping for two months in Australia I felt fearless and invincible. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I survived the encounter with the jungle and remained intact. I was never bitten by any poisonous reptile, and I wasn't eaten alive by the malicious ants. My Waterloo turned out to be the flying insects. I was bitten by all kids of them - sand flies (I never stayed in the sand), mosquitoes (I always used a mosquito repellent), wasps and all other kinds of other insects, the names of which I don't care to know. I may be itching like crazy and I may look like I had smallpox now but I proudly report that the insects didn't manage to ruin my experience - I would do it all over again!