Leicester Man ‘Celebrates’ 2 years In The Amazon Jungle

Peterborough-born Ed Stafford is attempting to walk the length of the Amazon river from source to sea. He’s been at it for two years so far. Here’s his latest reflection on the epic voyage.

The main emotion is being worn out. I look back on the early videos we took on the Pacific coast of Peru two years ago and I see a naive enthusiasm that has been knocked about a bit over the past two years.

I’m no longer walking with my original partner Luke, he left after three months, but I’ve been walking with a Peruvian forestry worker for 20 months now. Cho’s become a solid mate and we have the brotherly ability to vent at each other with frustrated exhaustion and know that the other won’t mind one bit. The important thing is we have complimentary skills and mutual respect - the markings of a good pairing.

The most memorable moment has to be being taken prisoner by a tribe of Asheninka indians. We’d been strongly warned not to pass their lands and that I would be killed if I tried to continue. We thought we’d be crafty and sneak along the sand-bank island in the centre of the river. As we almost reached the end of the island Cho told me to look over my shoulder. As I did I saw several dugout canoes approaching from the far bank. The display was immediately frightening as the men and women in the small boats were all standing up and holding either shotguns, machetes, or bows and arrows.

As they rushed towards us up the beach I thought we were about to be killed. We’d known it was a gamble to push on and I was expecting to pay for that gamble with my life. The looks on the faces of the women especially left me in no doubt that had we been even remotely aggressive the tribesmen were ready to kill us. These people have lived a violent life through the terrorist years and are no strangers to shedding blood.

But we weren’t killed. And every bit of interaction helped dispel the confusion and anger in these fiercely defensive indigenous people. We were taken back to their village, made to show all of the contents of our packs, and subjected t

o a passionate lecturing from the chief. But with time it became obvious that our lives were not in danger and we started to plea with the tribe. After much debate we were granted permission to continue if we hired the chief and his brother as guides through the Asheninka lands. We accepted this offer and incredibly Alfonso and Andreas ended up becoming loyal friends and walking with us for 47 days. They returned home to their village with broad smiles and a new outboard motor for the community bought out of their wages.

From Peru we passed through the southern tip of Colombia until we arrived in the Brazilian Amazon basin. Brazil has posed less problems with the people - they have generally been hospitable beyond criticism and we are always fed and looked after when we stumble, somewhat fazed, out of the tree line.

The Brazilian dangers have been lack of people and sheer remoteness. Cho and I have had several incidences where our expected re-supply settlement has moved (or never existed) and so have had some hungry walks for several days on little or occasionally no food. We lived off palm hearts and piranhas for several weeks in the summer of 2009 - and lost a considerable amount of weight!

I originally thought the journey would take me a year from beginning to end. Wishful thinking definitely. I now estimate I’ll be back in Leicestershire in September this year. Two years and six months after I left.

To find out more about Ed and his trip head to . There’s a huge amount of photos, blogs and video clips from the journey so far.

More stuff that you might find interesting

• No Related Post