SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE AMAZON

Laura Stokes Avatar

On the hunt!

Vitorino is a member of the Maiqjuna village in the forest a few miles from the Napo River. To hunt for his family, he looks for a calpo—a waterhole with evidence that animals use it frequently to get salt and other minerals.

He waits, he shoots…these days with a rifle.

What about the BLOW GUN, you say? Glad you asked!

The art lives on, at least in the villages that serve tourists, and maybe others…

And it turns out that YOURS TRULY is a dead-eye with a blowgun. Check out my two shots!

Slo-mo action…watch the dart 🙂
Right between the eyes
El maestro is on my left

Beware the piranha!

Is it true what they say about the piranha? *

Their teeth are used to sharpen darts for the blowguns.

When fishing for them, bait your hook with raw beef, then stir up the water so they think their prey is struggling. Hook ‘em when they come to investigate.

This one became part of our dinner. They are tasty!

And what about me, the great blowgun hunter? Am I a good fisherwoman?

Check out my WHOPPER!

We returned this gigantically tiny Amazon catfish to the river so it could become lunch for a PINK DOLPHIN.

(Yes, the fabled pink dolphins of the Amazon exist, and we saw them with our own eyes. Heart-stopping beauty. More on that later, when we have time to sift through the videos…)

* People bathe and wash their clothes, and kids play in the Amazon every day, with no fear of piranha. The people eat piranha, not the other way around.


5 responses

  1. Janice Telonicher Stokes

    I want to see the pink dolphin 🐬!!

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  2. Marlene Gardner

    Great videos!!

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  3. Suzanne Speh

    We went swimming in the Amazon with the pink dolphins – it was glorious – thought I felt something nibbling my toes but it was probably an overactive imagination – I think the same thing in Bass lake!

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  4. Diane Henderson

    We are loving your blog, Laura–and we’re learning a lot from your entries. Through your videos you are sharing the sights with us. The way you filmed walking across that rope bridge felt like experiencing it. What an amazing trip you’re having!

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  5. Diane Henderson

    I never thought of a piranha as a game fish that would be good to eat. You’ve taught us something else. And, hey, you really are a dead eye with that blowgun! Pretty impressive!

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