Monday, November 18

At 4:15 AM, my guide Lorenzo picked me up at the airport to catch the 6:00 AM flight to Leticia, the Colombian capital of the Amazonas region. There are no roads into this part of Colombia, so getting there by aircraft is the only way. Seeing the Amazon river from the air filled me with so much excitement for the adventure that lay ahead: two nights in the Amazon jungle, immersing myself in nature while learning about the indigeneous communities and their way of life.

It was a really small airport. Honestly I am not sure what I expected. I definitely felt like I was entering a totally different way of life, and that became abundantly clear as I got into the taxi and made my way to the river where I would get into a small boat. I asked Lorenzo, “there are so many little boats here, what are they doing?” He said, “they’re like taxis. Waiting to take people back and forth between the communities along the river.” These rivers are the roads. Instantly I saw an organized chaos, boats in informal lanes passing each other, with stuff to bring to the market: bananas, freshly caught fish, mangoes…I was in it. Experiencing the culture all around me.

Once we exited the small river that served as a port to Leticia (just a few hundred meters), we entered what was definitely the large Amazon river as we know it, filled with lots of boats, floating houses along the bank, and I saw steep banks, evidence of what I’d been hearing from my trip planners: the Amazon is experiencing historic lows in water level due to climate change. I was told, though, that just a few weeks prior the region finally received a significant amount of rain that brought temporary relief. The homes that are along the bank rise and fall with the water levels, supported by a raft of wood that can float on water. (I can’t find the exact name of it)

As we were in “deeper water” we could transfer to a slightly larger boat that could support a larger motor that would get us to our destination, Calanoa in a couple of hours. As we went upstream, the boats thinned out and we were definitely getting into a remote part of the region. I observed a few villages along the riverbank as we went, all of them looked just about the same. Simple and basic. I began to temper my expectations of my destination, this was definitely a different world and way of living. Anything beyond the bare necessities would be considered luxury.

As we arrived, the only way I knew is that our boat stopped at a simple dock with a low wooden “bridge.” I didn’t see much of Calanoa from the river. The walkway gave movement with each step and after I climbed a steep wooden staircase, I was greeted by one of the owners who escorted me on a brief tour. I immediately recognized how immersive this experience would be: communal dining in an open space, being right in the jungle, and hearing the chorus of birds, monkeys and frogs all around me.

I was taken to my treehouse and it was beautiful! I was immediately delighted by what appeared to be the Ritz Carlton of the Jungle: a private treehouse with electricity, running water, a portable fan, screens, bathroom with a rain shower, a hammock and a clear waterfront view of the Amazon river.

It was just before lunchtime when we’d arrived, and I had an hour to get settled and I took this time to settle into the hammock and read a while. Relaxation immediately set in.