27th August 2009 - Heavy packs and the search for fish

So we found Porto Seguro – earlier than we had expected – and had a day resting there with a kind, very tanned, Brazilian family. Cho went fishing and I mended my trousers – again.

A bit of blind luck

From there we headed east again and this time on our own. With 36kgs each, Cho and my pace was slow and we walked an average of 5km a day for the first few days.

Imagine a place that has twisted gnarled roots, thick, razor wire-like thorns, and mud that sucks you down into it. Then imagine not having any idea when it will finish. In an hour? Four hours? Four days?

35kg packs are not designed for the jungle

In order to save weight in our packs we are not carrying protein at the moment (no tinned tuna or corned beef!), so we need to find rivers to fish. The problem recently has been that there have been very few rivers and when we do find them they are too small or dried up to contain fish. This is because the water level is dropping rapidly in the Amazon at this time of year.

For a couple of days we ate only farine (made from yucca), sugar and milk powder. It kept us going but what we really needed was a bigger river or an oxbow lake to try and catch some fish to eat for supper. Our tummies were rumbling!

Today we crossed a big lake and have made camp at the water’s edge. We put the net out and you’ll have to watch the following video to find out what happened...

In search of fish

The one slight concern with fishing in the oxbow lakes are the caiman! These are the crocodilians of South America and they can grow up to 20 feet long.

Join us on Thursday 3rd September for the next update. Don't forget to check out our Question of the Week videos - and send in your questions!

For more about Ed and his Amazon adventure, visit www.walkingtheamazon.com.