Dispatches
Cristalino Jungle Lodge – Brazil, Part III: Day Two
April 9, 2009
Day two started bright and early with a boat ride up the Amazon – we captured photos of parakeets, macaws and even a few white-whiskered spider monkeys, who were not too happy to see us. After the boat ride, we broke up and hit the trails with a several researchers – a botanist and a primatologist – who told us about their work in the jungle, as well as the importance of scientific tourism at the site. We learned about the medicinal purposes of several plants, saw an enormous ficus tree that was currently eating other trees, and even saw popular acai trees – which many locals believe have health-boosting properties. That afternoon two members of Green Living Project (GLP) were treated to an exclusive plane ride over the lodge and the jungle. Buzzing over the tree-tops, they got first hand experience shooting footage of the Amazon at several hundred miles per hour. Back on land, the other half of the crew interviewed owner Vitoria Da Riva Carvalho about her work at the lodge, why she is working to improve the lives of the local community while protecting the forest and tourists, and how everyone else can get involved with helping to protect these precious natural resources. The evening closed with a beautiful feast where all of the guests were treated to specially prepared curry fish cooked over an open flame, roasted vegetables and piranha soup. Afterwards, our local guide extraordinaire Juliana Valentim treated us to several Brazilian songs with a guitar, while we relaxed on rocking lounge chairs and gazed up at the many stars and the full moon. A good time was had by all.
