Soaking up the rainforest

The Amazon. From Ben & Jerry's icecream to Vanity Fair's Green Issue, the world's most famous jungle is everywhere. Evoking images of towering trees teeming with wildlife, it's a veritable Garden of Eden, guardian of biodiversity, producer of oxygen and moderator of global temperatures. And it's disappearing at a rapid rate.

So given the opportunity to visit, how could we pass?

Flying from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, Peru, we caught our first glimpse of the expansive forest below. Seemingly unending, the wide swath of trees was interlaced with broad, muddy rivers flowing inexorably to the sea, thousands of miles away.

One such river, the Madre de Dios, was our destination. Located in the heart of the Tambopata Nature Reserve, Explorers Inn would serve as our base of operations for five days of jungle exploration.

Stepping off the plane from Cusco, we could immediately feel a difference. In place of cool, dry air was an hot aerosol stew, more water than oxygen. To call the feeling oppressive is an understatement. I began to immediately sweat. Erin of course only glowed.

In town for less than an hour, I already smelled like an authentic jungle explorer. So along with our friend Catherine, off we set, upriver for a few hours until we landed on a muddy bank surrounded by towering trees. We had arrived.

Greeted with cool tropical drinks, I immediately took note of another aspect of jungle life: The panoply of insects swarming by land, sea and air.

During my time in graduate school, I had learned there are many more insects in the world than humans. By factors of ten. However, learning this fact is very different from understanding it. In the Amazon, we reached an enlightened plane of understanding. From the cockroach that jumped out of my toiletries as I reached for a toothbrush, to the nasty biting sandflies (or perhaps chiggers, I was never sure which), bugs are a reality of life deep in the forest.

Luckily, not all of them bite. I was constantly astounded by the array of multi-hued butterflies and moths circling frenetically. Led by our fearless guide Patricia, we set off to explore the jungle.

Wearing knee-high waterproof boots, we slogged through clay-based mud that threatened to remove our footwear with each step. Slurping our way forward,we covered miles in search of otters, monkeys, birds and other critters. And we were not disappointed.

Even with all this excitement, I have to admit I was ready to move on after five days. Our clothes had started to mold, despite our best efforts to dry them out. With a smell that could gag a mountain goat, I could see the baggage handlers in the airport grimace as they entered the six-foot stink radius of my suitcase.

Luckily our next destination was Arequipa, a high, dry city with plenty of laundry facilities. Jungle behind us, I am left feeling the Amazon is a bit like a sewer system: I am really glad it's there and I am happy to have an understanding of how it works, but I don't need to rush back again to visit anytime soon. As amazing as the jungle is, I really am a mountain guy.