VISITING THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON MAY BE A 'ONE IN A LIFE TIME' EXPERIENCE FOR HUNDREDS OF TRAVELERS WHO TAKE THE RISK TO GO FURTHER, WITH MANY DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS; MOST COMMON: WILDLIFE/WILD SPECIES WATCHING, CULTURAL HERITAGE SHOW/EXCHANGE AND THE GREATEST BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES VIEWING. BUT MANY TIMES, THESE EXPECTATIONS TURN BLURRY WHEN OTHER ASPECTS (FEARS, REVIEWS, BUDGET, INTERESTS, ETC,...) ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ON THE VISITOR'S CHOISE PICKING THE TOUR PROVIDER.
THAT IS WHY WE DEDICATE THIS BLOG TO SPREADING THIS CONTENT ABOUT HOW TRAVELERS CAN DECIDE WHEN AND HOW TO VISIT THE VAST WOLRD OF WATER THAT CAN ONLY BE FOUND AND THE MOST EXOTIC SPECIES THAT CAN EVER BE SEEN IN THIS MAGICAL PLACE. THE EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE VERY FULLY REWARDING FOR THOSE WHO FULFILL THEIR EXPECTATIONS ENJOYING THE BEST ADVENTURE OF THEIR LIVES, BUT ALSO IT MIGHT TURN IN A PRETTY FRUSTRATING FEELING IF EXPECTATIONS GO COMPLETELY OPPOSITE THE REALITY.
BUT, HOW CAN I PLAN MY TRIP TO THE AMAZONS CONSCIOUSLY AND ACCORDING TO MY EXPECTATIONS? YOU CAN SIPLY FOLLOW THESE RULES:
RESPECT ABOVE ALL.
COLOMBIA IS A COUNTRY FULL OF CONTRASTS. PEOPLE, WEATHER, LANDSCAPES VARY FROM ONE REGION TO OTHERS. THAT IS WHY MANY VISITORS COME TO COLOMBIA AND GET THE CHALLENGE TO HAVE A FIRST GLANCE BEFORE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE COMPLETE COUNTRY. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE PART OF THIS CONTRAST AS WELL, AND AMAZONAS IS HOME FOR PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS THAT MIGRATED YEARS AGO FROM OTHER REGIONS OF COLOMBIA FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
THE REAL OMAGUAS FROM THE OLD AMAZONS EXTINGUISHED DURING THE ROPE EXPLOITATION PERIOD AND THESE PEOPLE CAME TO REPLACE PART OF THE LEGACY AND KNOWLEDGE OMAGUAS LEFT AFTER THE TRAGICAL PERIOD. TICUNAS, HUITOTOS, BORAS, YAGUAS, MACUNAS, COCAMAS, AND MANY MORE CAME ALONG THE GREAT RIVER TO GIVE THE AMAZONS A SECOND CHANCE TO BE THE PERFECT PARADISE TO LIVE IN AND THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH THEIR OWN EVOLUTION PROCESS, COMPAINED BY THE STATE OF COLOMBIA AND PART OF THE LAWS. THAT IS WHY THEY MAY LOOK SIMILAR TO COLOMBIAN PEOPLE AND THEY ARE USED TO MANY THINGS WE ALL USE NOWADAYS. PLEASE, WE INVITE YOU ALL, RESPECTFULLY, TO INTERNALIZE THIS FACT AND BE OPEN TO WHAT THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO SHARE WITH YOU.
EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT WEARING TOP FEATHERS AND LOINCLOTH VISITORS SHOULD BE RESPECTFUL TO THEIR CULTURE AND REMEMBER THAT 'THE IMPORTANT THING IS WHAT YOU KNOW, NOT HOW YOU LOOK'.
RULE #2
MAKE UP YOUR MIND ABOUT YOUR EXPECTATIONS.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A 5 STARS RESORT WITH WARM WATER TUB, ALL AREAS WI-FI COVERED AND ROOMS PERFECTLY CLEAN FROM MOSQUITOS AND BUGS? THEN SKIP THE AMAZONS FOR NOW, WE ARE COMPLETELY POSITIVE YOU WILL FIND THOUSANDS OF DESTINATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET EXACTLY THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO ENDURE THE WILDNESS AND REMOTENESS THAT CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN LETICIA AND SURROUNDINGS. IN 2018 IT WAS BUILT THE THIRD SIGNAL TOWER IN TOWN, AND THERE ARE MORE THAN 30.000 PEOPLE LIVING AND USING THEIR SMART PHONES (NOT COUNTING THE VISITORS) TRYING TO GET DATA AND CALLS ALL FROM ONLY THREE SIGNAL TOWERS. PLEASE, ADMIT IT, WE ARE 20 YEARS LATE TECHNOLOGICALLY TALKING, AND WE ALL SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS! THERE ARE SO MANY WONDERS TO SEE HERE, THAT YOU WON'T NEED THAT TECHNOLOGY MAYBE IN WEEKS, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT ADVENTURE. THAT'S WHAT THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON OFFERS; ADVENTURES, REAL UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES FULL OF KNOWLEDGE AND REMARKABLE MOMENTS AMONG WILDLIFE AND AMAZING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
RULE #3
GET OVER HOLLYWOOD MOVIES. 'NON BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MINDS.' B.M.
HOLLYWOOD HAS TOLD US ANACONDAS WILL COME ACROSS THE RIVER AND TRY TO EAT US ALIVE. WELL, THEN THOUSANDS OF ANACONDAS WOULD BE LIVING BEHIND PUERTO NARI—O'S DOCK WAITNG FOR THE PARTY TIME WHEN VISITORS GET NEAR. OR MAYBE A HUGE CAIMAN WILL COME TOWARDS OUR TRIP TEAM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE AND TRY TO GET US APART TO HAVE AN EASIER BATE. HOLLYWOOD'S MISTAKE, WILD SPECIES WON'T ATTACT IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT UNLESS THEY FEEL OR THEIR BABIES ARE THREATENED BY ANY HUMAN BEING. THIS IS THE MOST CHERISHED RULE IN THE JUNGLE. ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT NEEDS A SHOTGUN FOR BEING SAFE IN THE JUNGLE IS A HUNTER, AND BECAUSE OF THEM WE WON'T SEE ANY OF THESE SPECIES NEARBY ANYMORE.
RULE #4
BE PRACTICAL. MINIMALISM IS YOUR FRIEND WHEN PACKAGING TO AMAZONAS
WHEN YOU ARE VISITING VEGAS, YOU MAY NEED A COMPLETE MAKEOVER 'ARSENAL', THE BEST SUIT TO WEAR AND ALL THE ACCESSORIES THAT GO PERFECT WITH IT. BUT VISITING THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON RAINFOREST REQUIRES ANOTHER KIND OF LUGGAGE, HAVING IN MIND HOW LONG YOU ARE STAYING AND THE PLACES YOU ARE VISITING. THERE ARE SOME TIPS ABOUT WHAT TO BRING TO AMAZONAS.
DON'T EXPECT YOUR TOUR PROVIDER TO GIVE YOU ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT WHAT TO GET IN YOU BAG UNLESS YOU ASK THEM. YOU MAY HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL BAG WITH ALL THESE ITEMS WE RECCOMMEND YOU TAKE BEFORE ARRIVING IN THE AMAZONS:
1. LONG SLEEVED SHIRT AND TROUSERS, NOT HEAVY.
2. SOCKS FOR WEARING RAIN BOOTS WHEN NEEDED.
3. MOSQUITOS REPELENT OF PERSONAL PREFERENCE
4. FLASHLIGHT WITH EXTRA BATTERIES.
5. LIGHT WEIGHT SHOES.
6. CASH. THIS SOUNDS WEIRD, BUT DUE TO THE REMOTENESS, IT CAN GET A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO USE VISA OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC PAYMENT METHOD. IN LETICIA YOU CAN FIND A FEW ATM AND SOME PLACES ACCEPT VISA, BUT NOT ALL WORK WITH FOREIGN CARDS. IN PUERTO NARINO YOU WON'T FIND ANY ATM. SO, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH CASH TO COVER ALL YOUR EXPENSES WHEN YOU GET THERE.
RULE #5
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: A LIFE'S RULE: BE HAPPY
SMILE. REMEMBER YOUR CHILDHOOD. AMAZONAS IS A PLACE TO EMBRACE THE EARTH AND TO BE THANKFUL ABOUT THE GREAT FACT WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO ENJOY ALL OF IT. FAUNA, FLORA AND PEOPLE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR EVER. PUT THIS FIRST ON YOUR 'THINGS TO DO' LIST WHEN YOU GET IN COLOMBIA AMAZONAS AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG, WHICH IS NOT A RANDOM THING, IT IS A FACT FOR MANY OF US WHO DECIDED TO TAKE THE RISK TO GO FURTHER.
