If you’ve been following these jungle crusaders closely, you probably have noticed a bit of a gap in communication. And although we’ve churned out pages of frustrated diatribe on the subject, now we will kindly condense:
Jungle to Jungle had assumed obtaining a normal tourist visa from Brazil would entail the simple payment of the recently increased tariff. We had been sorely mistaken.
In the last year, the United States has taken action to make it even more difficult, time-consuming, and costly for all Latin Americans to enter our country. Brazil, especially, has decidedly waged an equal encumbrance on US citizens exclusively. In addition to this significant “American only” fee, the office was closed for various holidays when J2J was attempting to purchase boat tickets to enter at the border.
Long story (and many strange smaller ones) short, we found ourselves stuck on the Columbia/Brazil border for over a week! We missed a meeting with our girls at Kalama (which broke our hearts), are paying a total of $1200 to get into and out of Brazil alone, and have only just yesterday reached Manaus.
There was a moment, a very low moment when we thought we may not even to be able to enter Brazil at all: Our whole project truncated by diplomatic bickering! And it was at this same sad time, meandering through the sweat-drenched outskirts of town that we spied a stately looking building with the word “SINCHI” emblazoned in gold on the side. Below it, the sign said “Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas de Amazonias”. Follow the jump to see what happened (and two new videos!)
Like any good investigators, we pried open the wooden gate and walked, unannounced, up to its front doors. Surprisingly, they slid open, giving way to a wave of icy, life-renewing air.. and then immediately thereafter, to a no-nonsense security guard with the mild look of “What-do-you-think-you-are-doing-here,-you-silly-smelly-touristas? (But who’s to say?)
We explained, in Spanish, our project and our predicament. Again surprisingly, his face softened, he told us to take a seat and then disappeared. When he re-emerged, he brought with him a woman with a sweet smile and amazing English-speaking abilities! She turned out to be a microbiologist named Clara Peña. We got the privilege of interviewing her, thus uncovering some crucial answers we had been searching for, and getting an official tour of SINCHI. Also, a truly miraculous bonus, right then and there, she called up Lilian Guariniza who just so happened to be a teacher at a tiny little jungle school called “Selvalegre” and arranged for us to meet the kids there and share our presentation about Hawaii’s gorgeous geology and biology with them!
It was only because we were forced to spend time in the bizarre and steamy little border town of Leticia, Columbia, that we had the opportunity and pleasure of working with these amazing women and learning some pretty Amazon.. I mean.. amazing things!
Posted in: Updates from the Amazon
Posted on September 20, 2009 by jungletojungle
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