Las Amazonas!!!

So, it happened like this. My esteemed traveling partner, Adrienne, got it into her head that we would be traveling to the Amazons for Christmas. It sounded great...and insane...much like all of her other traveling ideas (let's go to Cuba illegally, and then to the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere!). I had my doubts, seeing as how we had no legitimate contacts in that area, and it was already December when we were deciding all of this. However, things, as they seem to do for us, worked out. We met the leaders of the YWAM base in that area, and they mentioned that a group was coming from Hawaii, and they needed some translators.

We volunteered before they finished their sentence.

So, on New Year's Eve, we packed our backpacks and boarded a plane for Leticia, Colombia, a town of 200,000 located on the very southern tip of the country. We celebrated the ushering in of 2008 with our new Hawaiian and Colombian friends, and the following day, Adrienne, Fabian (who also works with Formando Vidas, and who was also there to translate) and I walked to Brazil, took a boat across the Amazon, and had an Inca Kola in Peru...just because we could. That puts the "Countries That Tyler Has Visited Even For Just One Day" list into the double digits.

Not like I'm counting or anything.

We spent a few days in Leticia, preparing for our upcoming trip deep into the jungle by buying clothing that would protect us from the flying death-bugs these people called mosquitos, while still keeping us from dying of heat stroke. When the day finally came, we took a motorboat 3 hours upriver to a community called La Maloka, where we set up shop at in the school building. The people here were very warm and welcoming, which is strange when you imagine what would happen if a bunch of indigenous people just waltzed into your suburban cul-de-sac and started playing with your kids.

The people here wore western clothes, so their village would never make it into National Geographic, but have no doubt, it was indeed the Amazon. These people would shoot arrows (which I shot) into the muddy waters of the Amazon River (which I swam in) and kill several large, black suckerfish (which I ate...whole). Something about the closeness to nature in which these people lived brought out the primal nature in me. I took off my boots, and trekked barefoot through the mud, which was a horrible idea, because after the first day, my feet were covered in mysterious red spots that itched like mad. I climbed trees to get coconuts, which was also unfortunate, because I hate coconuts, and I was then obliged to eat the spoils of my efforts. I had no fear of the wildlife, and would play with tarantulas and snakes as if they were children's toys. That one was also probably stupid, but I didn't get hurt, so it all worked out.

We spent the majority of our time playing with the kids, planning our nightly services, and waiting for the daily torrential downpour to arrive so that the temperature would drop below 1,890,265 Celsius. A good time seemed to be had by all, and we were quite sad to leave, but there was something about the cold, blank stare of the hideous fish that lay in my daily soup that made it a little easier to return to civilization.

Back in Leticia, we recovered from our little excursion, while we took full advantage of modern amenities like ice cream, oscillating fans, and showers that are more than just standing outside during a rainstorm. We didn't simply engage in leisure activities, though. We visited some neighborhoods, made some friends, and played some soccer (pronounced fooootball), which, by the way, I am getting pretty good at. At the end of the week, we prepared for departure once again, loading everything onto the USS Gringo, and went ever farther into the Heart of Darkness.

The two communities we visited finally topped rural Guatemala as the most beautiful place that my eyes have ever seen, and despite the evil parrot that would attempt to decapitate you every time you used the bathroom, it was paradise. We only spent a few days in this Eden, and then a day or two getting things ordered in Leticia, and it was home-sweet-Bogota once again.

When I got home, things had changed a bit. I left our house with Ryan and David, and I came back with the same Ryan (if not a bit frazzled) but no David, a family of 3 and a golden Labrador. David ran away again, and two ex-members of the ministry and their son (and his dog) took his place. Their names are David, Yanira, little Lucas, and Toby the dog. On top of all of that, my very good friend Wes McKain flew in the day after I got back, and it has been wonderful having him around.

Life is rather hectic these days. I am showing Wes the ropes, still translating for the Hawaii team (who will be here in Bogota for another few weeks), and preparing for my classes. The little tykes start school the 5th of February, and I will either be Science teacher for all classes, or I will have my own little troupe of kiddos that I will be wholly responsible for. Either one means more responsibility, but I am looking forward to getting more involved in their lives.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time,

Tyler