🌳 🐒 🐟 🚤 🌙

Imagine sitting in an Amazon lodge room at night, tea in hand, deciding what to wear the next day after spending the evening drifting through the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Brazil in a canoe and meeting a small alligator.

But to understand how we got here, we need to go back to the morning when our guide forgot his phone at the hotel on our way from São Paulo to Manaus in Brazil.

The bus turned around. Time disappeared. Boarding time approached.

A few of us sprinted through the airport and made the flight.

Five people did not.

The Amazon had claimed its first victims.

Fortunately, only their travel plans. 😄

As news arrived that the delayed group would reach hours later, a serious debate broke out:

Should the monkeys be postponed? 🐒

The Monkey Faction secured majority support.

The verdict was clear:

“We will do everything as planned.”

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Amazon rainforest, the monkeys remained blissfully unaware that they had become the centre of an international diplomatic incident. 🌎😂

The delayed travellers eventually arrived.

And rest of the adventure unfolded with a long walk through the rainforest, where the dense canopy filtered the sunlight into scattered beams, the air thick and damp against my skin, and every layer of the forest seemed alive with the hum of insects and distant bird calls.

It was followed by feeding monkeys who snatched food with quick, curious hands, piranha fishing with the sharp tug of the line breaking the still water, a speedboat ride through heavy tropical humidity and warm spray, and an ongoing internal debate about whether I was energetic enough to join the night canoe ride.

I eventually went.

The canoe drifted through complete darkness.

It was scary at first, but just a few seconds later, it gave way to a strange sense of peace and liberation.

Our guide somehow produced a small alligator from the darkness — a strong comeback for a trip starting with a panic & crisis. 🐊

The monkeys survived the crisis.

The alligator made a guest appearance.

And I ended the adventure back in my room with a cup of tea, wondering how just a weekend in the Amazon Rainforest had managed to fill my heart while also packing in airport chaos, monkey politics, piranhas, and an alligator.

So after travelling so much , I realised again that travel itineraries never mention these parts and which is exactly why they make the best stories, amazing memories and lifetime friends.

😁