This time, I ventured personally into the Amazon rainforest, starting from Leticia in Colombia and moving on to parts of the Peruvian Amazon. Even though I didn’t journey deep into its heart, it was more than enough to satisfy my imagination of what a true rainforest should be like.
In November, it’s still the dry season, and you can clearly see how dramatically the water levels of the tributaries have dropped.
Areas that I assumed were vast grasslands transform entirely during the rainy season, getting submerged under water. Many homes here are built high off the ground, while some are even equipped with floating logs so they can rise with the waters when the rains arrive.
The rainforest is teeming with mosquitoes and other insects, making long-sleeved shirts and pants absolute necessities (and they need to be thick—mosquitoes can easily bite through thin fabric).
This time around, we also brought along head nets, which proved to be lifesavers, shielding us from disaster.
