As I sat at my desk I was literally counting down the hours. It was only two more hours till the end of the day and the start of my vacation. A well deserved vacation I might add. I had been working long hours for months now without a day off in my new job. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the work. It was very gratifying and the boss appreciated my efforts. I just needed a vacation and bad.
Since getting a divorce several months back, I have had newfound freedom to do things I had always wanted to do but was unable to due to my marital commitments. One of the things I had started doing was taking flying lessons, which I thoroughly enjoy and the other thing I always wanted to do was to take a truly exotic vacation.
I had been planning this vacation for some time. I have a friend named Pete who has family in South America. Our plan was to fly down to South America and stay with his relatives in Columbia for a couple of days then cross into Peru. From there we would hike and raft up the Amazon River into Brazil and spend the last few days on the beach in a resort hotel. It all seemed perfect. Pete's family knew a couple of people who were familiar with the Amazon region. The area could be somewhat dangerous without the right native guides. My command of the Spanish language was about as non-existent as the Easter Bunny. I knew 'ola' and 'kay pasta' and if pressed, I might be able to order a beer, but other than that I was definitely 'shit out of luck' as we say in English. Pete knew the language well and that would work until we hooked up with his family in Columbia. Once we got to Brazil, the two guides would take a small plane back to Columbia and we would get what would undoubtedly be a well-needed rest on the warm, sunny beaches of Brazil. I could just imagine those hot looking Brazilian woman topless on the beach. I was so looking forward to this.
The last hour of the workweek was finally here. I started wrapping up any unfinished business but it really looked pretty good. I was certain my boss John would be able to handle everything by himself. Heck, he got along all right before me. He had become a bit dependent on me recently, but I was sure he would be fine. As the end of the day finally approached, I endured last minute jokes about what I might bring back from Columbia to pay for the trip and the usual 'nail one of them Brazilian women for me' type stuff from my male colleagues. Heck, that was one favor I wouldn't mind doing.
When I got home I took a quick shower and grabbed a Guinness out of the refrigerator. I called Pete and asked him if he wanted to join me at the local TGI Friday's for dinner. I really had nothing to cook at home since I had not gone food shopping recently. It would have made no sense to buy food since I was going to be away for a couple of weeks.
Pete arrived at the restaurant shortly after I had seated myself at the bar and ordered another Guinness. We both ordered the ribs since this would be the last time we would have anything resembling American food for a couple of weeks, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. We discussed the trip over dinner, Pete filling me in on last minute details. He also handed me a special cell phone with a built-in GPS unit. It was a precautionary measure should anything unforeseen happen in the Amazon. This seemed extremely unlikely considering the level of experience of the people I was going to be with. We sat and joked about the wild women we would meet on the beaches of Brazil before getting our check and heading home.
That night I was so psyched I could barely sleep. I really didn't care, I could sleep on the plane if I had to.
Morning arrived and I got up and got ready. Pete drove over and parked his car in the parking lot of the condo where I lived. Pete was several years older than me and retired, but really did not go away often. He was divorced as well, for several years. When the limo from the car service arrived to take us to Newark Airport you would have thought we were two kids going to camp or something getting away from their parents for the first time. We were somewhat intoxicated with excitement. By evening, with any luck, we would just be intoxicated.
The plane ride to South America was somewhat uneventful. We arrived in Brazil and transferred to a small plane, which would take us to Columbia. We would be taking off from Brazil at the end of the trip two weeks from now.
We landed in Columbia at one of the poorest excuses for an airport I have yet to see. We negotiated with a local cabby to take us to Pete's cousin Christina's house. I didn't know an old Fiat could hold together at 70 miles per hour on a dirt road, but I've been wrong before. I totally underestimated the strength of duct tape over rust. We did make good time though. When we got to Christina's house her and her husband Jose greeted us. We were treated like family, which of course Pete was. Everyone hugged everyone else and we were escorted inside and shown to our quarters.
Our accommodations were not exactly four star, but they were comfortable. That evening our guides, Pedro and Miguel came over. We all enjoyed an authentic Colombian dinner. It is amazing what South American women can do with plantains and rice. It was truly delicious. Afterwards we sat around drinking rum. I couldn't say for sure, but my guess is it was made in a fifty-five gallon drum out back. It sure did the trick. It also gave us a chance to get acquainted with our guides. They seemed like fun guys, especially after a few swigs of rum. There was a lot of singing and talking in Spanish, none of which I understood. I really didn't care, as I was feeling quite good from the rum. Pedro and Miguel would also stay over that evening and spend the following day with us.
The following day consisted of a repeat of the previous evening. There was more Colombian food, and plenty of rum to wash it down with. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Pete was obviously delighted to have this chance to see his cousin. Pedro and Miguel seemed delighted there was rum and I was just delighted, taking it all in. That afternoon, immediately after dinner, we would trek out to Peru. It was not that far across the border, I was told, but it would still take hours allowing for the less than stellar Colombian roadways.
When the time came for us to pile into Miguel's old Toyota Land Cruiser, we said our good-byes to Pete's cousin and her husband. There was more hugging and lots of talk in Spanish. There was also a bit of tears and a few shots of rum were consumed, apparently for good luck.
We arrived in Peru late that night. We stayed at a friend of Miguel's humble abode. It was essentially a shack with a tin roof and hammocks. I really didn't mind at this point. It was just a place to sleep before setting off into the Amazon rain forest. My mind was racing that night as I settled into my hammock. I could only begin to imagine the adventure that lay before me. I was truly psyched.
Before I knew it the sun had risen and we were awakened in preparation for our adventure. We all got dressed and gathered our equipment. Miguel's friend Luis would drive us to the start of the Amazon rain forest and then drive the Land Cruiser back to his place where it would stay until our guides got back. They would take a small plane back from Brazil. Pete and I would foot the bill for the small plane, and they were glad to do it. We were certainly glad to have them. We would certainly be lost otherwise.
After a last minute check of our hiking gear, which included plenty of rum, we all piled into the old Toyota. We traveled for hours down dirt roads seemingly in the middle of nowhere. When the old Land Cruiser could go no farther, we were dropped off in the middle of the rain forest. Actually, it was probably more near the edge, but I certainly couldn't tell. We said goodbye to Luis, and after more hugging and Spanish talking he drove off. Our trek had officially begun.
Miguel was the most knowledgeable regarding the territory and seemed to be a natural leader. Whatever he said went. We did a last minute check of the GPS phones before starting our hike. Whether or not they would work in the dense rain forest was another matter, but it was somewhat comforting to know they were there.
As we started walking the dense foliage formed a natural roof over our heads. The sun would generally poke through but at times it became quite dark. We traveled over all kinds of rough terrain and I was quite thankful for the new hiking boots I had bought. After a couple of hours of walking we stopped to take a break. There was a bit of drinking and I certainly took a swig from the flask I was carrying. A short time later we were back on our adventure and what an adventure it was. The sounds of the animals deep in the rain forest was the only noise one could hear. We were far away from the noise of the city and far away from any semblance of civilization. It was nice to commune with nature in this way.
A bit further on our trek took us along the top edge of a deep ravine. The view from above was spectacular. It must have been a hundred yards down to the bottom, at least. There was a flowing stream at the bottom, which no doubt fed into the Amazon. It may in fact be the start of the great river. Above us the sky poked through the vast green foliage in streams of color as the light beams cut through the mighty forest giving light to countless living things below. The colorful birds flew from tree to almighty tree singing their songs and providing the soundtrack for this wondrous journey. Then the unthinkable happened. While looking up at the captivating scenery surrounding me, I tripped and slid down the ravine falling nearly three hundred feet to the bottom.
I landed at the bottom and took a moment to gather my wits. I was lucky I wasn't killed. The vast amounts of foliage broke my fall most of the way down the side of the ravine. I was fortunate enough to somehow land on my feet. My ankle was sore but otherwise I was feeling no pain. Thank God for the rum. Speaking of which, I looked for my flask. At least I had that. I took it out and took a big swig. I checked for my other gear. I must have lost my GPS unit in the fall, but otherwise I seemed to have everything.
"Amigo! Amigo!" I heard Miguel shout.
"Down here!" I shouted back.
"You OK?" He asked in a loud voice. Actually I could barely hear him this far down.