I am privileged to be able to trek the rivers of the Amazonas in Brazil. Being one of God’s favorites; He has positioned me to experience many of His wonders. I have divided this blog post into 2 parts. I hope you enjoy! Below I describe 3 of 6 Amazon treasures that bring me great joy. All the pictures are from our personal journeys and experiences.
PIRANHA!
I was holding this small flesh-eating fish while my friend, translator and photographer Roque Sales snapped the picture. I am glad it was only the camera snapping! He has some wonderful shots of our ventures on his Facebook Page. These fish are amazing. We stick a small piece of raw meat on a hook with about 10 feet of line and steel leader attached to a bamboo pole. Stick your line in the water and wait. I did learn a trick from the locals– If you splash the water with the tip of your pole it attracts the piranhas. They are tricked into thinking there is a feeding frenzy. We cook them and mostly use them for making broth. We have fried them but there are way too many bones for me to handle.
Açai
I love açai! This is a berry that grows from trees that are about 82 feet tall and have leaves that are close to 10 feet long! The name is an adaption from the Tupian indian word that carries this meaning: ‘[fruit that] cries or expels water’. I agree–it does expel water in the form of tears from my eyes due to it’s great taste and overall deliciousness! The benefits of the berry are limitless: energy, lots of fiber, good for the heart, etc. In 2004 MonaVie an MLM began selling an Açai blend drink for $40 a bottle. I get açai here in my part of Brazil for about U$3.00. The tree is great for many uses. Apart from the use of its fruit as food or beverage, the açaí palm has other commercial uses. Leaves may be made into hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roofs for homes; the trunk wood, resistant to pests, for building construction.
Water//Agua
This is something I am very passionate about. The Amazon is the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its flow and the area of its basin. The total length of the river—as measured from the headwaters of the Ucayali-Apurímac river system in southern Peru—is at least 4,000 miles, which makes it slightly shorter than the Nile River but still the equivalent of the distance from New York City to Rome! Wow! This is the source of drinking water for many people who live along side the riverbeds. They drink the same water that their livestock defecates in and their sewage runs into and this is a big problem! 1.4 million children die every year from water-borne illnesses–that’s 1 child every 20 seconds. In some regions of the Amazon they don’t even name their children until after the age of 2 because of the high death rate caused by water borne diseases. Think about that! The problem is solveable –We deliver water filters that are easy to use, tested and proven and provide water for entire schools, villages and regions.
These are 3 treasures that I get to experience in this beautiful land I’ve been called to. There are many more I could write about. I have decided to post 3 more treasures in Part 2 next week. I hope you have enjoyed seeing a glimpse and part of our world.
Be watching for Part 2 next week.