The Amazon - Day 1 Part 2 Piranhas and Alligators
After having lunch, we embarked on our first adventure...Piranha fishing. All of our trips from the lodge were in this wooden boat equipped with a small motor. I nervously stepped in and sat down as the boat swayed back and forth from the movement. If I stuck my arm out to the side, I was able to touch the water. John John our captain sat in the back controlling the motor and steering the boat while our tour guide sat in the front.
Tour guide Joshua and yes that's a machete he's using to cut the meat.
We found a nice quiet spot surrounded by trees to do some fishing. We used bamboo fishing poles attached to a fishing line with a small hook at the end. Our guide, Joshua, told us Piranhas are smart and you have to be fast when catching them because they are good at being able to get the bait off the hook without letting the hook get them! As soon as you feel a tug on the line, you are supposed to quickly pull up. Well, for anyone who knows me, I don't go fishing. So I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that these fish have sharp teeth.
I felt a tug on my line and I quickly pulled up to realize that Piranha had taken all the bait! I was too slow. More bait...more waiting....then finally I felt a tug and I quickly pulled up, but I pulled up with such force that the string went flying in the air along with the Piranha attached and the Piranha landed behind me back in the water with a splash while I simultaneously let out a high pitched scream. Both the Joshua and John John started hysterically laughing. I was so annoyed that I lost that fish!
Within a few minutes, Suzette caught one and successfully got it into the boat! A few minutes later, I almost caught another one but it fell from the hook as I tried to pull it up. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I successfully caught a Piranha! Later, we had those Piranhas for dinner...not much meat to them, but they were still pretty tasty!
The candid shot as I was freaking out as it was flopping around on the hook!
We headed back to the lodge for dinner and then went out at night in search of alligators and caiman (which are learned are relatives of the alligator). It's now completely dark except for our guide's flashlight and the small blinking light attached to the end of the boat. After cruising down the river for a few minutes, John John turns off the motor and he and Joshua begin paddling. Suzette and I sit there perfectly quiet and trying to be as still as we can as we swat the mosquitoes away from us. Long sleeved clothes, DEET, and other bug repellent did not stop those pesky buggers from biting! Joshua shines a light out into the water and the grassy area ahead of us and you can see the alligators' eyes shine back at us. You could hear them making this deep growling noise. Before I knew it, I looked up and saw Joshua slowly sliding off the boat and into the water. I'm thinking...you're crazy...you just showed us there are alligators in the water. Why in the world are you getting INTO that water? Within a minute he was walking next to the boat holding a baby alligator! He said he saw a caiman that was a meter long but it got away from him. I'm thinking...thank goodness. I don't want that large reptile near me! Feeling both excited and nervous I reached out and tightly held the baby. Although it was still small, it could definitely do some damage with those teeth!
He climbed back into the boat and released the alligator back into water. The paddling began as we backed out of the area and finally started the motor to return to the lodge. Day 1...check!
John John
We found a nice quiet spot surrounded by trees to do some fishing. We used bamboo fishing poles attached to a fishing line with a small hook at the end. Our guide, Joshua, told us Piranhas are smart and you have to be fast when catching them because they are good at being able to get the bait off the hook without letting the hook get them! As soon as you feel a tug on the line, you are supposed to quickly pull up. Well, for anyone who knows me, I don't go fishing. So I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that these fish have sharp teeth.
I felt a tug on my line and I quickly pulled up to realize that Piranha had taken all the bait! I was too slow. More bait...more waiting....then finally I felt a tug and I quickly pulled up, but I pulled up with such force that the string went flying in the air along with the Piranha attached and the Piranha landed behind me back in the water with a splash while I simultaneously let out a high pitched scream. Both the Joshua and John John started hysterically laughing. I was so annoyed that I lost that fish!
Within a few minutes, Suzette caught one and successfully got it into the boat! A few minutes later, I almost caught another one but it fell from the hook as I tried to pull it up. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I successfully caught a Piranha! Later, we had those Piranhas for dinner...not much meat to them, but they were still pretty tasty!
We headed back to the lodge for dinner and then went out at night in search of alligators and caiman (which are learned are relatives of the alligator). It's now completely dark except for our guide's flashlight and the small blinking light attached to the end of the boat. After cruising down the river for a few minutes, John John turns off the motor and he and Joshua begin paddling. Suzette and I sit there perfectly quiet and trying to be as still as we can as we swat the mosquitoes away from us. Long sleeved clothes, DEET, and other bug repellent did not stop those pesky buggers from biting! Joshua shines a light out into the water and the grassy area ahead of us and you can see the alligators' eyes shine back at us. You could hear them making this deep growling noise. Before I knew it, I looked up and saw Joshua slowly sliding off the boat and into the water. I'm thinking...you're crazy...you just showed us there are alligators in the water. Why in the world are you getting INTO that water? Within a minute he was walking next to the boat holding a baby alligator! He said he saw a caiman that was a meter long but it got away from him. I'm thinking...thank goodness. I don't want that large reptile near me! Feeling both excited and nervous I reached out and tightly held the baby. Although it was still small, it could definitely do some damage with those teeth!
He climbed back into the boat and released the alligator back into water. The paddling began as we backed out of the area and finally started the motor to return to the lodge. Day 1...check!
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