Peru 2010, by William Howell (Phase 10.4 volunteer)

The Amazon rainforest, a place shrouded in mystery and darkness.

My experience here is tale of many emotions, many strange encounters and many bitter struggles brought about by the conditions of living in such an unrelenting and unforgiving environment.

Since a young age I had learned about the Amazon, it had always seemed a fairytale-like place to me and caused much intrigue and desire to learn as much as I could about it. I had developed a vision of what it would be like in my mind and when I arrived I found it truly amazing to behold the majestic beauty of this immense forest.

The living conditions here are in stark contrast to anything I have experienced before, but are still impressive given the challenges presented in this remote location. The food is basic but for the most part sufficient and satisfying, this is often aided by the appetite worked by the labours of the day. Although there is the loss of many modern conveniences such as 24hour electricity and hot running water, these are small sacrifices to make when presented with the undeniable wonder and joy brought about by the diversity of the beautiful animals found in the forest.

Perhaps the hardest and most enduring part of my journey here was to consume rice with almost every meal, a feat I thought that I may never accomplish and would surely drive me to insanity.

As for the forest itself it is filled with many wondrous and truly agitating creatures, from beautiful frogs and snakes that captivate you with their vivid colours and transfixing eyes to relentless mosquitoes and scheming ants that seek out your belongings should you set them down for one second. None of this however compares with the shear diversity of plants and animals that can be found in this place and the tremendous noise that they together produce, it is both evocative and overwhelming to say the least.

The moment that I will remember most vividly from my time here is the night I saw the infamous bushmaster, a true leviathan, its bold black diamonds darker than the night’s sky, and its deep burning stare almost locking my mind with titanium chains. Words cannot describe the disturbing beauty this fatal creature possessed; it bore a feeling of shear malevolence I feel will remain with me for some time.

Of all the animals I have seen here, the one that holds the most awe and that I picture immediately when I think of the Amazon is the tree frog. For me it is the most striking animal to see, particularly at night when its colours are at their brightest. The finest example of this animal is the tomopterna or monkey tree frog, its name applies to the way in which it moves which is simply a joy to watch as it reveals its brilliant orange flanks broken by dark purple stripes.

 

For this remarkable experience I am truly indebted to FFT, a top group of researchers who have been a delight to volunteer for and who I have learned so much from over my time in Peru, so I would like to end by thanking them for making this a truly unique experience and certainly one I would like to repeat in the future.