Brazil means a lot to us. It is not just the country where we met but it is also home to 60% of the vast Amazon Rainforest. What others and ourselves like to describe as the lungs of the earth. We were able to return to Brazil in January to experience this inspiring jungle where we found ourselves living our childhood dreams. The journey to the forest itself requires patience. Getting there was a feat, but nothing was going to stop us from arriving.
Every year, over 250,000 km2 (100,000 sqm) of Amazonian floodplain forests are covered by water that overflows from rivers. Floods can go long distances into the jungle and cause a rise in the water level of up to 15 meters in some regions depending on the season. This part of the jungle is the habitat of different species such as Manatees or giant fish like the Pirarucu, and the legendary Pink Dolphin. .
If you were not raised in the Amazon these animals appear otherworldly. Almost from a different time. They are the decedents of the sea creatures impacted by tectonic shifts and land formations over millions and millions of years. It is creatures like them as well as the abundant biodiversity in the rainforest that have inspired incredible legends amongst the indigenous Amazonians. These stories are truly reflections of the people, their environment, and cosmology. To the many tribes this concept exists: human and spirits, together with animal and plant species are considered to belong to the same category of beings. Everyone and everything is connected.
TJJ Team