The experience in Brazil has been AMAZING thus far! Two days ago, we spent the night at the INPA research station a few hours into the jungle in Manaus. The drive probably took over two hours, and it was definitely an interesting ride. At first, the roads were smooth, but once we got closer to our destination, the roads turned into dirt, and were extremely bumpy. Eventually, we turned onto a road that was very narrow, muddy, and surrounded by trees. Our car was literally swerving due to all of the mud, and branches were hitting every angle of the car. Some of the other members of our group got the chance to ride in the back of the jeep which had to be fun due to the bumpy roads and exposure to nature. Soon, the jeeps stopped and we hiked through the jungle for about twenty minutes until we came to the research station. Although the camp was relatively small, all of our hammocks were hung neatly under tin roofs, and we all felt like we had enough space. As expected, we were all completely separated from our modern day luxuries such as clean water, sanitation, and technology. However, everybody seemed to be happy as they were taking in their surroundings, regardless of what was no longer available to us. Everybody enjoyed the meals that were cooked for us even though flies were swarming us, and the group really bonded over the meals. During the day we went for an hour and a half hike through the jungle. We saw a big hawk in the distance, some monkeys, and a massive tree that had to be hundreds of years old. At night, we all fell asleep relatively quickly, and surprisingly, our hammocks were very comfortable. Nobody had trouble sleeping. All in all, the night in the Amazon has been a night to remember for a lifetime. Without this study abroad program, none of us would have such a unique opportunity to explore the jungle. Today, we are heading out on a boat on the Rio Negro. We're sure the next several days will be interesting. Chao chao!
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