Demarcation Diaries
31 August 2001
Last night we were entertained by a spectacular light show courtesy
of mother nature. As the day came to an end, a thunderstorm closed
in on us. Without a drop of rain falling, we found ourselves emerged
in a barrage of lightning, though few of them ever touched the
ground.
Crew meeting on the
deck of the Comte Savio |
The sheer frequency was breathtaking, I counted more than
two lightning bolts a second for almost an hour. Every day,
every night there is a new drama being played out before
us.
We are more or less done organising our gear and our days
are now used for training on the small aluminium boat, how
to use the GPS, how to prevent injury and disease and even
how to cook.
|
After the creepy creepers medical session, we concluded that
the easiest way to prevent being bitten is to be harshly prejudicial
and apply the sweeping generalisation "if it moves don't
touch it" at all times. With such a multitude of stinging,
biting and poisonous creatures around, it make sense to be respectful.
Don't pat the animals.
|
As I write this the thermometer next to me shows 37.5 degrees
Celsius in the shade. At night it drops to a comfortable
26 and this morning I woke up feeling a bit frozen for the
first time since I arrived in the country. We have access
to Commandante Savio's small cabins but everybody chooses
to sleep in hammocks on the open middle deck.
The river is getting narrower and the jungle is getting
thicker. The odd houses of the river people are also changing
character, from simple wooden cabins to Indian-style open
huts. We are moving further into the wild, away from the
domesticated and the tame.
|
 |
Steve
Sweden
Steve is also known as Polecat on the Greenpeace Cyberactivist
community at http://act.greenpeace.org.
He is now making his way to the remote reaches of the Amazon because
he responded to a call for volunteers which was posted at the
site.
You can help Greenpeace win campaigns by joining
the Cyberactivist community, taking the actions posted there,
and watching for your own opportunities to volunteer.
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