Journey Along The Rio Babanoza, Part I
My journey into the jungle, canoeing down the legendary Rio Babanoza (headwaters to the Amazon River) was truly an adventure of a lifetime. The fame of the Rio Babanoza was unknown to me until I started questioning local people about a river trip where I might find aromatic plants and was told that the Rio Babanoza was the river to explore.
As we launched our canoes and loaded our gear, Giovanni, our guide, and my chief cameraman, John Whetten from our Utah office, didn’t have a clue that this journey would return ten-fold all the emotion possible of the human experience. Fighting the whitewater and the whirlpools was a grand exercise learning to strategically maneuver our 17-foot canoe overloaded with five days of provisions and gear.
We made frequent stops to visit with the local people along the river and inquired about Ocotea, Limincio, Zaragosa, and other aromatic plants. We soon discovered that the Babanoza was a fickle beast; when storms moved in b the river would rise at frightening speed and had been known to rise sometimes 15 feet in a single night.
Stay tuned for exciting tales of our jungle adventures and discoveries!
Essentially Yours,
Gary Young
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