Amazon Forest has Green Spider and the Best Life Lesson!

Back in 2007, I went for a 20 days expedition in the Amazon Forest, in Brazil and I would you like to tell you my experience.

I was working for a Adventure Sports magazine and my job consists of reporting the experience of being in the jungle. As a reporter, I tried to pay attention in every detail but when you talk about Amazon Forest, details always show up in huge proportions.I saw big trees and plants that made me feel in Jurassic Park.

Everyday, I woke up at five in the morning to walk for four/five hours to see the wild life or on a boat trip for hours to see a specific plants like one that was used by the native Indians to relieve toothache. I was so curious that I chewed the plant so much that my mouth and my tongue were numb for 30 minutes. :-)

At night, I swam with a shoaling with more than 200 fishes. I was afraid of been eaten by crocodiles or to see an anaconda but nothing like that happened. I saw capivaras, wild pigs, snakes, parrots and all types of birds, monkeys and a huge amount of butterflies.

In the meanwhile, I was bitten by a million of mosquitos, every day, in all possible places of my body.

Then, I spent two days in an Island inside the jungle where a man lived by himself. He had to hunt a will pig for our dinner.

At night, the wild sounds were surreal and it was the first time in my life that I saw so many shooting stars! I didn’t have more wishes to make so I started repeating the ones I wanted most to come true. :-)

Another part of my role as a reporter was to try some adventure sports and write about it. I did rafting class IV (Long, difficult rapids with turbulent water), treetop walk, treetop adventure, cycling and snorkelling.

On my last day, I was feeling like Tarzan, you know what I mean? It's like if I was part of the jungle and was able to communicate with the nature and the nature with myself. That's when I saw this little creature.

It was on the car hood and I couldn't believe it was real. Have you ever thought you could find a green spider with four eyes? And if you pay attention, it looks like it wears glasses and has a transparent body. The spider reminds me a grandfather, I don’t know why…

After 20 days in the wild, I went back to the other jungle called São Paulo city with a different mentality that guides me wherever I go. I learned that we are so small compared to nature. Sometimes we think we know everything, we need everything, we should work like crazy to achieve everything but when you connect with the nature, you realise you are everything.

One Love @marcelli

Photos by Bruno Dias and Marcelli D'Andrea