Last year, dressed unlike anyone else, I entered the Amazon forest and stayed overnight.
Before leaving, I even sent the manuscript of Before Dawn Comes the Darkest Night to my assistant with instructions for publishing it if I could not be contacted.
But I had no idea that it would be the longest night of my life (up to this point). I could not tell the time; the forest had swallowed all the light from the moon and stars above. In that pitch-black night, ‘every minute lasted like an hour.’
The reason for that state of mind is a strange experience I had alone in the Amazon that I still cannot share publicly. There was a moment that night when I truly thought I was certain to die.
But perhaps that, too, is a privilege.
Where on Earth am I?
This is a place that is “not easy” to reach and “a little difficult” to leave.
Entrance to the legendary Amazon rainforest!
A place I read so much about as a child. I never thought there would be a day in my life when I could check in here.
The Amazon forest still holds many great mysteries for science. Tribes still live secluded within it. Covering an area the size of Australia, it has an incredibly fascinating ecosystem of animals and plants! This trip went ‘deep enough’ to call it an adventure. The deeper you go, the greater the thrill.
I had to “kidnap” the most knowledgeable expert on this forest I could find. That was my friend Cleu. Cleu confirmed that he had encountered giant snakes (Anacondas) in this forest before. Could Cleu be trusted?
According to statistics, of every 1.000 people entering the Amazon rainforest, 1 never returns.
