Monkeys🙈🙉🙊 and The Final Thought💗

Today was our last day in the Rainforest and we went out big! Our morning started with a visit to Indiana, a town just up the river from Ceiba Tops. It is still technically in the Jungke, but they have electricity, motorized carts, and more commercial industry than we've seen in the villages. The students walked through their morning market, saw raw fish and chicken on countertops, and got a glimpse of how another set of locals live in The Amazon. 

We came back for breakfast, and cue the waterworks. Christa and the kids planned a little celebration to show their appreciation for me and this trip - I kept it together as long as possible, but a water balloon can only hold so long before it bursts all over my big cheesy smile. I will never forget the kind words of the students and how special I felt. Honestly, I have felt like the lucky one this entire time. To be able to share an adventure that changed my own life so much with the students, and then watch it transform their own is absolutely magical. 💗

Braid Day in the Amazon!

The Men of the Amazon!

After our Kum ba ya session, we headed to the long awaited and reason most of these students signed up for the trip, Monkey Island!🐒 it is a conservatory for monkeys who are young, sick or abandoned in the Jungle. They stay in this cage free facility until they are old and well enough to survive on their own - needless to say, they are very used to humans! One jumped in our boat as soon as we docked, another stole a granola bar from a zipped backpack, one took a selfie that would take most teenagers multiple attempts, and (to bring back one of my Dad's favorite Amazon Merd quotes) one turned from Curious George to Congo in a matter of seconds! It was everything the kids dreamt of and more and it looks like we are going to make it back to the U.S. Rabies free...🙏🏻 That was our grand finale before we  made the final bittersweet boat ride to the Iquitos Airport. 

The Final Thought

Anyone who has made it this far in the blog (first of all deserves a free trip to the Amazon for putting up with all of my sappy thoughts, and second) can easily see the transformation of everyone involved, including myself. When I think of the group of kids who took that first passport picture in the LA airport on 6/23 compared to the young adults standing in front of the Ceiba Tree on 7/1, they are worlds apart. Before this trip, their world was limited to Instagram likes, Friday nights at the mall and pop quizzes in Spanish class. Now, their world has no limit and they see it through Amazon coated eyeglasses! The #perucrew has braved the Canopy walkway, bonded over spiders and bathrooms, formed friendships under the craziest of conditions, taken about 2000 combined photos that will turn into memories that last a lifetime and formed a bond that only they understand. Each one has taken a piece of Amazon Inspiration that will stay with them for a lifetime!

To the Parents - thank you a million times over for trusting me with your loves in the Jungle. I can't imagine how scared you must have been at that first meeting at the Pecos Community Center when you realized this trip was real. Allowing your kids to be explorers and see the world has set the bar so high for the rest of their lives. I promise, they'll thank you one day if they haven't already!😉

To Christa - thank you for being so inspirational! One year ago, I never would have thought I'd end up on a paddle boat in the predator infested Amazon River with 16 students from Phoenix, AZ. You changed my life, and made it possible for me to change 16 more.💗

To the #perucrew - You are awesome! I am so grateful you took a chance on me and EcoTeach when you signed up for this crazy trip to the Jungle! I have been over the moon🌙 proud of you from Day One, through every experience, to your social media and kind words I see now after we've returned. As the inaugural AZ Student Academy, you've set the bar so high - I can't imagine another group even coming close. My wish is that your greatness doesn't stop here. You did things on this trip that made you see, you really can do anything! With a full heart, a pair of waterproof hiking boots and a tub of bug spray - you can see and change the world! This trip is a chapter in your book of life and I can't wait to see you find your happy!

Thank you to all of the Amazon Merd blog readers out there - your support has meant the world and inspired the #perucrew to keep on adventuring! There's more on the horizon for this group - Machu Pichu, the Galápagos Islands, an African Safari - they are limitless!

In the mean time, the Amazon 2016 trip is already on the books! Stay tuned as the #perucrew helps inspire another brave group of students to jump out into the adventure of a lifetime next summer! 💗 Adios, mis Amazon Amigos!✌🏻️