Escape from the jungle

Unloading at Lucerna - Giles Crosse

Often the most interesting days are the least expected. Arriving at Lucerna, to unload and return to Puerto Maldonado via car, it transpired Amazonian tormentas had flooded out part of the road, leaving our return route to humanity impassable.

Strict rules are meant to prevent vehicles using the carreteras that link Lucerna and the main highway during bad weather, as the road becomes yet more damaged and dangerous when heavy trucks pass over the waterlogged ground.

The riverbank at Lucerna - manual loading set to commence - Giles Crosse

In theory, this left us without a route out, as the gate was locked where our transport was awaiting some two hours away.

However, swift communications with local Brazilnut merchants, already at Lucerna and hence unable to be locked off the carretera, provided a potential escape route; on top of their truck, astride the brazilnuts.

Some time later, equipment, luggage and Fauna Forever humans were ready for departure. At this point, we already understood another truck had crashed some miles up the road. Hence the task was to breach several hills of muddy, ruined track, reach the overturned truck, right it, and continue onwards in the hope our scheduled transport would appear somewhere down the line.

Hill number one - Giles Crosse

Inclines on an Amazon carretera after a rainstorm in a truck are no joking matter. The incline doesn't look too bad in this photo, but it's pitted with deep ruts, the mud is sticky with moisture or dusty. Our truck failed in its initial attempts to get up this section.

A makeshift road - Giles Crosse 

Even planks were insufficient to enable the truck to pass the obstacles...

Walking back to Lucerna - Giles Crosse

It became apparent pretty quickly that the Brazilnut merchants had a scheme in mind. This necessitated walking back down the road we had just passed to Lucerna, in search of dry leaves and palm fronds to forge a makeshift road...

Palm fronds - Giles Crosse

Once collected, these fronds line the pitmarks and puddles, offering traction to the tyres and enabling vehicles to pass.

Fronds in the Brazilnut truck - Giles Crosse

They do the job really well, and it's well worthwhile reloading them up into the truck for reuse further down the line...

The top of a brazilnut truck is a wobbly place - Giles Crosse 

Even moving happily down the road, razor sharp bamboo spines and branches protrude above it... A watchful eye is required to prevent these damaging life and limb. The truck rolls and balances too, so a tight grip is advised...

Ravine no.2 - Giles Crosse

There are some serious craters in these roads...

Advice worth taking - Giles Crosse 

On some of the hills, it's too dangerous to ride on the truck, best walk behind...

Giles Crosse

Nearly there - Giles Crosse

Eventually, some ten hours after a 6AM departure from ARCC, we arrived back in Maldonado. In spite of any difficulties, the Amazon remains a disarmingly beautiful and wonderful place, though it's equally imposing and powerful. Being stuck or acting foolishly in this part of the world is not recommended. The forest will offer little sanction or pity to those who approach its boundaries without caution.

For those who respect and care for this place, it offers much much more.