the survival Course in the jungle unexpectedly opened for us a riddle of creation of a cosiness in the house. What criteria are important for cosiness creation? How the cosiness in the house can help to survive in difficult conditions? Even if in heart of the wild jungle it is possible to create such remarkable place how it is possible to add a cosiness where we are at the moment?
If to you suggested to go on a week to live in the center of the Amazonian jungle moreover and with an express course on a survival – that you would draw what picture of the accommodation? Especially, if before you visited a museum of Amazonian tribes, came into the dwellings stuck together from dirt decorated with bones of animals and the dried heads of enemies?
Therefore, when we with the husband, being in travel across Latin America, received such offer from the fellow travelers, I was not sure at all that I want there. On the one hand, I always with enthusiasm plunge into the new experience, new culture – actually for this reason we and travel. But on the other hand, stories of Ecuadorian friends about the dangers trapping in the Amazonian jungle in the form of poisonous, predatory or pathogenic beings, frightened me outright.
We applied already developed criterion to decision-making: «Whether we will regret, what did not go, being so close?». This question criterion helped us to decide more than once on a choice.
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Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive -
Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive -
Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive -
Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive -
Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive -
Natalia Gulchevskaya, Igor Antarov, personal archive
Certainly, we agreed. And here we pay week residence, a survival course in the jungle and we buy air tickets Lima-Iquitos.
The first impression grasping spirit – flight over the boundless green ocean of the jungle. Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian Amazonia, call the city island, to reach it it is possible or by air, or on water, week by the ship across Amazon. After traditional excursion on the city and eating of a fried crocodile on the fishing mooring we go by the boat in Lodge (a special place where we will live in heart of the jungle).
The majestic river that spreads a boundless water smooth surface, is closed by the narrow passage between trees. Actually, Amazon is not one river with a certain course. It is the whole country – Amazonia, in size with Australia, with thousand the rivulets flowing directly on the wood, artfully changing the course.
On the way to us the American Indian villages standing on piles at water occasionally meet. When Amazon spreads, inhabitants transfer the simple belongings under a roof and move by boats. Now we were lucky – there was a dry season, for a week of our accommodation there was only two tropical heavy rain, and it was possible to go to the jungle on foot.
To my simplification, inhabitants of villages appeared are quite civilized – are dressed in a most up-to-date way, though is very poor, and the most important – are friendly. Yako’s our conductor – too, by the way, the radical Indian, the native of these places. But from 80th years it drives tourists, trained American and even Russian soldiers to a survival in the jungle, freely speaks in English, conducts a page in the Facebook and very эрудирован. Its presence gives at once to confidence. And here we already joyfully anticipate – what gift to us will be presented by the jungle.
And our residence appears the first gift! Lodge is a system of lodges from the natural materials lifted over the earth on piles. All residential zone is packed into a protivomoskitny grid that allows to feel inside in safety, as at home. And around – the real, wild jungle! Their damp inexpressible smell slightly intoxicates, creates feeling of unreality of the events. To be convinced that all this not a dream and not a hallucination, we wrote down 10-minute video excursion.
This experience set us thinking deeply – what exactly creates feeling of such cosiness? We remembered all our travel on the different countries, a set of places in which it was possible to live. Any places left us indifferent, from others we aspired to move down quicker, and there were places in which it would be desirable to remain to live! What united all these cozy places?
Question to readers: remember such places in your life – what exactly for you creates a cosiness?
Probably, each person will have, individual criteria. At us vision, fortunately, completely coincides with the husband.
First of all, it is the nature around – clean air, greens, life. Even if it is the city – that low houses, trees, beds, squares. Space which charges energy.
Secondly, this feeling of safety and household comfort.
Thirdly, this esthetic pleasure from stay in an interior. Let it will be simple – as in Lodge, and is thus issued with soul when each thing is not casual, and supplements the general harmonious picture.
And, of course, the main thing – the atmosphere of affability created by the owner of this dwelling and its inhabitants.
By all criteria our Lodge got the highest points.
Ask a question: even if in heart of the wild jungle it is possible to create such remarkable place how it is possible to add a cosiness where we are at the moment? After all stay in a cozy place possesses surprising influence, bringing into a condition of peace of mind and satisfaction, harmony and happiness. And, being in such condition, we can easily overcome a hardship of the outside world.
We checked these hypotheses in the same place, in the jungle when the survival course began.
Travel on a canoe to a dry site of the jungle, a food by the fish caught by the hands (piranha and a barracuda who are found here in a large number), a practical training on water search in lianas and to manufacturing of hunting traps was necessary to us.
But the main thing – spending the night in the middle of the wood! It is good that though in a hammock which protects from snakes and insects though like a puma it, of course, will not rescue from predators.
And so, wonderfully our bivouac too was cozy! Generally thanks to our dear Yako’s cares and his assistant Freddie, certainly. But also thanks to condition of clemency already saved up in Lodge.
Us did not frighten the met snakes whom here it appeared really much, the huge ants, striving to get into a hammock on a rope from a tree, even malicious mosquitoes, potential sources of danger. Being there, we really felt that we live, «here and now» And, even feeling physical discomfort from heavy rain which has suddenly covered us, we kept wonderful mood. Including because knew that we will return to the cozy house.