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!✌🏻️

Special People in the Jungle😍

This morning, a lucky bunch of students decided to get up extra early and witness a beautiful sunrise on the Canopy - pretty positive they fall in the one percent for this one!😉 Watching the sun hit at tree top level is breathtaking and I'm so happy these students took advantage of this rare opportunity. Alondra meditated in the middle of a walkway, Maya did a little hot yoga and the rest took advantage of the great lighting for some glamour shots, jungle style!💁🏻 Sorry South Mountain, I just don't think your sunrise view is going to cut it anymore!

Because we had to share the walkways with pressed khakis and fanny packs yesterday, we gave the students one last opportunity to visit the Canopy and get the perfect profile picture. They had a blast exploring and finding their happy in the treetops. I'm so blessed to have been a part of their canopy experience - maybe sooner or maybe later, they'll realize what an absolutely awesome opportunity this really was! Side notes - parents, if you don't see your kid in a picture, just check Instagram or Facebook - many profile pics now feature the longest canopy walkway in the world - my inner Jane Goodall is jumping and swinging from the vines with joy!

Speaking of swinging from the vines...🌱 Let me introduce to 16 new stars of the upcoming Tarzan movie - Tarzan versus the Red Ryed Moth. Swinging on a vine is a right of passage for all Amazon locals, unfortunately, our guide-made vine broke before four girls had a chance to channel their inner Jane and I guess will just have to return to the Jungle! As mentioned, our guides put this whole thing together - they wanted to give the students one last Jungle activity before we headed to heated pool and pesticides. A few days ago, they walked into the dining room carrying machetes (you really can't make this stuff up) - I knew their plan but pointed them out to the kids so they'd remember when the surprise was revealed. This is just one example of how awesome our guides really are. I have to take this time to give our guides, Percy and Willy, the Arapaima sized shout out they deserve! They were invaluable in this whole adventure - held our hands every step, made sure we were safe from "moths" on the night hikes, shared personal stories of their Amazon childhood, answered at least 500 questions (hey Willy...), taught us Spanish and Yagua over and over again, and never left our side from the Iquitos airport on Day 1 to the security checkpoint on Day 9. I am eternally grateful for their patience, expertise, care and everything they did for the students. I hope my next batch of kids gets just as lucky as the #perucrew did.

After we finished filming Tarzan, we said goodbye to another dynamic duo, the bug guys - Randy and Steve! Just like the guides, they provided my students with invaluable expertise, opportunities and memories that we will never forget. I've already booked them for next summer and if I could, I'd hire the Steve and Randy show to come to MP monthly with their petting zoo!🐜😳

We boarded the boat to make our way to the fluffy pillows and terricloth robes, with a quick stop at Napo for one final pit and peak of the entire journey. The students were so reflective, it brought a tear to my eye and turned on the waterworks for Christa! We kept eyeing each other like teachers do, usually when a kid is in trouble, but this time, it was all good! The students had realized the magic of the Jungle and it has changed them! That's all you get about that for now, stay tuned for the final thought tomorrow (make sure you have your handkerchief on deck😢). Christa is also a very special person in this jungle experience, but I'm saving her for the final thought blog. 

At Ceiba Tops, a celebration like no other ensued! Picture Animal House...minus the bathtub drink dispensers! We took over the pool, danced with a local group from the nearby village, ate refridgerated food, sipped on virgin mini umbrellas, and used enough wifi to power the Matrix! It was heaven on Earth and ended with the most magical sunset on the Amazon River. As I watched the students party like its 1999, I felt the happiest i'd been the whole trip (and let me tell you, there were some big contenders leading up to this one). Tonight is our last sleep in the Rainforest - and it's amazing to realize how much everything has changed from the first.💓 There were smiles as far as the eye could see, new friendships that might never have happened in the four walls of MP, appreciation for people instead of things and memories instead of Instagram likes. There is much more reflection comin atcha in the final thought. 😁 

Time for a quick shout out to everyone who's reading/commenting/sharing the blog - including Doug from Sun City! 😉

We appreciate everyone's support and Amazon love as we wrap up the adventure of a lifetime!

Arachnophobia no more!🐜🙅🏻

Today was all Canopy, all day - with a little bit of conquering fears mixed in, too.😄 We got up extra early to see the sunrise on the canopy, but were clouded out (apparently it rains in the rainforest).🙈 So instead, the students jumped from walkway to walkway, meditated in the clouds, and took about a million selfies - the ultimate photo op.  This was an optional hike and I'm so proud that they decided to take advantage of this opportunity (luckily, we get another chance to see the rays tomorrow).

After breakfast, we took the whole group back up again for a group photo and our last official visit to the treetops. Unfortunately, there were day trippers and we had to share the magic. There are 4 lodges in the Explorama system and range in the amenities. The one we're at now is the most rustic with no wifi, limited electricity, no hot water and outdoor bathrooms/showers. Ceiba Tops (the promise land) is our final destination and where anyone In their right mind stays when they visit the Jungle. Travelers take a short boat ride to the canopy, walk around for an hour, and then return to their Piña Coladas and thatched roof cabanas with the occasional blue butterfly siting, claiming to have stayed in the rainforest. Now, I do love an umbrella in my frozen drink, but I love even more that we can say we truly experienced the Jungle. (And don't worry parents, there weren't any mini umbrellas this trip.) From ACTS lodge, we hike through the mud and snakes to get to the Canopy walkway, visit it whenever we please and finish with a cold shower and 10 new mosquito bites. It was awesome for my students to see the clean showered day trippers in their Patagonia apparel to appreciate the realness of this trip - and see the difference between tourism and immersion for their future expeditions.

Besides one upping the day trippers, today my students had a chance to do some real science! They observed a small area of the rainforest floor and canopy, and came up with research questions that would blow the College Board out of the Amazon River! I was so proud to see the little hamster running as they transformed into questioning members of the scientific community. We came back and watched Randy dig up a Bullet Ant colony - it was awesome! Randy had them on the edge of their boots to see an inch long Queen Ant🐜 with all of her minions around her.  Turns out, Science is cool - especially when it's done on Platform 6 at 118 feet in the air or 2 feet underground in between two predatory ant colonies!

After lunch, the students chose to go bug hunting with Randy, explore the Canopy with me or set up climate collection systems with Steve. Three went with Steve and had the opportunity of an academic lifetime! Rachel, Maya and Angel Carrillo helped build the data collection devices and hang them from the treetops.  Rachel, our little engineer, came up with an alternative design they're field testing and all three will be mentioned in Steve's research paper when he publishes. These three spent 6 hours on the canopy with Steve and came back sweaty, smelly and smiling from ear to ear! Published rainforest researchers in high school - pinch me please (unless you're a predatory Katydid) - this has to be a dream!💫 

With Randy's help after dinner, we set out to conquer some fears! Randy and Steve have been collecting organisms for their own personal insect petting zoo. We pulled out the big guns first - a Tarantula! Many students jumped at the chance to hold Charlotte - but a handful needed a little bit of poking. Randy held Lauren's hand as she picked up the spider, talked Alondra up from "kill it" to "I'm not done holding it," convinced Sarah and Angel Chavez to pick one up in the wild and put a huge smile on Justice's face! He is amazingly patient and loves teaching people to love Arthropods as much as he does (or at least enough to think twice before inducing death by salon product drowning). Being afraid of something is so limiting, now, when it comes to creepy crawlers, these students are limited no more! We ended with a night hike that could have been a sequel to A Bug's Life, not even exaggerating here!🐛

At the top of the Canopy or hunting bugs with Randy, one by one, the kids are realizing that "in the rainforest, anything is possible!"💪🏻🌴 (Thanks for the inspiration, Percy!) Hopefully that idea boards the plane with us back to Phoenix in 2 days.