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Into The Amazon
Into The Amazon
I have always been a fan of Brazilian culture. But I’m Nabu, and I cant just do the ordinary. So, I decided to go deep into the Amazon to see the lungs of the earth. With extensive planning and research, I got to do some weird things, some beautiful things, and of course, I almost died. Again.
I flew into Manaus via puddle jumper deep into the heart of the Amazon. Yup, just like Indiana Jones. Only my hats are way cooler. Unlike Dr. Jones, the local tribe that greeted me were very friendly. The Tatuye tribe welcomed me with open arms. They taught me about their culture and I even learned a few dance moves that I’ll be showing off very soon. The Tatuye Tribe is a small village of about 40 people lead by the chief Pino. After admiring my manly figure and suggesting me to marry his daughter so I can be the next chief in line (jokes), Chief Pino tells me how tourism is helping keep the traditions and heritage alive as they perform indigenous dances to visiting guest like myself.
These performances, as well as the selling of their crafts and souvenirs help bring money to their tribe which supports them as well. Also, only 6 months prior to my visit, they finally had access to electricity and toilets, which will change their way of life. Now note, only a small advancement to modern society. They had one light bulb in their main hut and one outhouse toilet. During the day, they have school boats, like school buses for us, to pick up the children of the tribe to take them to an education center in a nearby village, for all the tribes. These small integrations will impact the new generations as the modern world slowly integrates into their lifestyle.
Next, I had the opportunity to swim with the endangered and strange looking pink Dolphin. They were delicious! Just kidding. But I did get to eat some piranha which was surprisingly tasty. Piranhas tasted just like normal fish but had a layer of fat, just like a steak. It was near that same river where I was caught in a current and was almost dragged out in my video. You can see the look of panic on my face as I faced death once again.
Having grown up in the city, I was shocked at the purity of the Amazon. I experienced drinking water held in a tree branch when I ran out . The idea of eating a piranha freshly caught in a river was something I never pictured myself doing. And swimming with pink dolphins was an experience ill never forget! This is clearly one of my favorite adventures, and it has left a lasting impression on me. Viva Brasil!
As I travel to Xochimilco, I hear of an infamous Island of the Dolls! I gathered my guts and planned an adventured into this creepy and unique experience! I got more than what I expected!
I was introduced to a friend in New York who was an avid free diver and if you didn’t know, I’m very passionate about aquatic sports. So we became quick friends! Through our conversations, he told me about a crazy trip he did in Norway swimming with Orcas! Immediately I said I had to do it. Within that same year I was on my way to northern Norway! I wanted to do this trip because I had the need to challenge myself by facing one of the largest predators in the ocean. I do have this belief in life that you have to face fears and be in uncomfortable situations in order to grow in life. Yes, this does sound crazy, even my mother tried to stop me from going after watching the documentary "Black Fish" of orcas killing their trainers and assumed all orcas are serial killers! Interesting fact though, an Orca has never killed a human in the wild! So I gave her the deuces and headed into arctic ocean off of northern Norway. I went with an expedition crew mixed of three other divers and a professional crew to search for orcas…so we can swim with them. But This was an expedition like no other, and we were in search of them with the little daylight we had, because we only had 4 hours of daylight being further up north of the globe. Finally, we spot a pod of orcas and had to rush in order to put our wetsuits on. Now, I’m a pretty decent swimmer, however the suit makes you very buoyant and weight belts help you balance your body to have control in the moving waters. I forgot my weight belt during the rush into the ocean and fell a little behind the rest of the group when we got into the water because of it…I was in the back alone, far from the boat and far from my crew. All of a sudden I see 3 large fins swimming towards me. My mind raced! My first thought “shit my mom was right, but this is an epic way to go!” My second thought was “Yes! I finally get to see them! And holy shit they are HUGE!" To give you a perspective, the top fins of the orcas coming towards me were about 6 feet tall. Imagine Three 6ft fins swimming towards you in midst of the fog! The first one just swam down, second swam a different direction… The third was a teenage orca and came near me, tilting its head to take a peek at what I was. Seeing creatures that enormous, swim by you was a moment I can never and will never forget… This was the highlight of the trip and continued to see and learn so much about orcas after that. I definitely faced my fears and now onto the next challenge, maybe strand myself on an isolated island in the middle of south east asia and survive, or hike 500 miles across northern Spain? I do have those challenged noted and will continue my crazy adventures to see 100 counties, but in style!
One day I woke up and was hanging off the side of Piedra Bonita in Rio De Janeiro. Yes, the world-famous hub of Jesus, Carnival, and butt lifts had one more visitor, Nabu. I was so excited to be there, I could not decide what to do first. I finally concluded to take in the whole city all at once and jump off one of its highest peaks. Paragliding over Rio was terrifying. Little known fact about me, I’m terrified of heights. After a quick change of pants and some bravery shots, I took the leap. And man was it worth it. I tried not blink as Rio De Janeiro was gliding below me. Yes, I really did feel like the king of the world. Landing was another thing altogether. I’m happy to report that I nailed it! Though I almost lost my wallet in the process (That’s why I’m holding it in the video). Awesome is an absolute understatement. The sight of the beaches next to towering skyscrapers made me fall in love with Rio. While flying above the gorgeous city I was able to spot a few things that piqued my curiosity. Those were up next. I could not wait to see what other magical things Rio had to offer. Will I do it again? As the Brazilians say, Volte Sempre!
La Feria Nacional de La Pirotecnica is what it’s called, but for the monoglots out there, it translates to the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec, State of Mexico. Was it scary? Absolutely! I came within inches of losing an eye and a few of my fingertips. Over the years I’ve become quite attached to those. When I found out how absolutely dangerous it was, I knew I had to visit. Who wouldn’t want to see a bunch of bull structures built of paper, wood, and metal blow up. The community gets together each year and they truly try to outdo their records on how many bulls they can light up. When I was there, they built around 250-300 of them! First, a little history. Originally a festival dedicated to John of God, it was started as a religious festival like most celebrations in Mexico. Ironically, the sale of fireworks were banned by the local government because of a few exploding limbs. But because the ban hurt the local economy, voila! The festival was born. 60 percent of the Tultepec population work in firework production and It is now a tourist attraction known far and wide lasting a total of seven days. The festival now attracts over 100,000 people and five to ten million pesos in revenue. Upon arrival I noticed the medical tent fully equipped to handle any emergency, and lots of Gorilla Glue to stick those limbs back on. I found myself getting shot at, burned, singed, and barely dodging rockets shooting randomly at my head. I consider myself lucky to still have eyebrows. Unfortunately, I saw a child in the medical tent with an eye patch and a full body bandage for being unlucky with burns! Among the chaos there was an inherent beauty to the blasts of light shredding the night. I had many brief moments to see spectacular firework explosions, but that is because I had to watch my back. I could have been ran over by a charging piñata lit on fire! Would I go back? Absolutely! But adventure calls and I still have 100 countries to get to.
Over a year ago I was on the night train headed south in Vietnam, when I met a photographer with the most curious accent. The accent had hints of Scottish, English, and southern Alabama. When I asked him where he was from, he regaled me with stories of his native South Africa. I was enthralled, and immediately booked my next adventure. With that I was off to the southernmost country in the African continent. Upon landing I knew I wanted to take in the wildlife. Kruger National Park was the destination of choice. I went ahead and hired two park rangers to protect me. The only requirement was they had to carry guns taller than me. Just in case we ran into any poachers. The good news is they didn’t have to fire their rifles. The bad news? A person in the group I was with was wearing white and red. Turns out elephants are scientifically proven to hate those colors. As a result, the tour truck was almost rammed headfirst by a pair of two-thousand-pound elephants! But it may be possible that it was because we interrupted the male trying to spit some game. It wasn’t the only wild animal encounter I had. It turns out hyenas aren’t nearly as funny as The Lion King portrayed them. However, warthogs are still kinda gross, so that part was accurate. I was fortunate to see the “Big Five,” which are the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. These animals are considered the most dangerous in Africa and are known to fight to the death. After my day in the South African wild, I headed back to Cape Town. I decided to relax when I came back and try the sushi. Because nothing says South Africa like sushi. I didn’t have that much more time in the country so I had to use my time wisely. I kind of yadda yadda’d my way through swimming with sharks and felt underdressed as I shook hands with some penguins at Boulder Beach. I also hiked up Table Mountain to see some epic views of the city, and they didn’t disappoint! It turns out that photographer I met on the train was right. South Africa was one of the most exciting places I have ever been. My only regret is I didn’t do more. But there are only so many hours in a day and I have 100 countries to get to.
