Two hours and eight desperate toilet stops later the group arrive at the point where they need to travel inland. Elmanda spots an embankment. Reeds protrude high into the air from the browny-green tinged water and creeping plants hug the riverside. Karl is virtually rolled up in a ball with pain. Elmanda, Valencia and Emilio help haul him off the boat and onto land to rest, as they look around for something sturdy to moor the boat to. Once the boat is secured Elmanda and Emilio put Karl’s arms over their shoulders and start to haul him into the rainforest. After being uncomfortably dragged along for fifteen minutes Karl decides to walk by himself, conscious of being a burden. He sees that Elmanda needs to start cutting through the undergrowth, which is becoming increasingly dense the further they travel. Elmanda brings the group to a standstill, having noticed one particular tree. He examines the bark, before cutting into it with his large survival knife, until it bleeds a milky white sap.
“Here, have a look at this!”
“What is it?” Emilio asks as they gather round.
“It’s a milk tree. Karl, try the sap, it will help settle your stomach. You should normally avoid trees that have milky sap, because often the sap is poisonous. But this is one of the good ones, one of nature’s healers, so don’t worry.”
“Oh great, why did you have to tell me that some saps can be poisonous? You should have just kept that fact locked away in your head, and I could have settled my stomach just fine.” Karl is too sick and tired to dwell on the possible negative outcomes for once and starts to nourish himself upon the sap flowing from the tree. He can’t get enough, and latches onto the bark as if his life depended on it. He can almost feel the healing sap create a protective layer around his stomach lining.
“It’s actually really nice!” He announces in surprise as he comes up for air.
“How are you feeling now, Karl?” Elmanda asks caringly.
“I feel empty.”
Elmanda gets close to Karl, looks into his dilated pupils and checks his temperature by placing the back of his palm on Karl’s forehead.
“You don’t seem to have a temperature. And you haven’t been sick. Has there been any blood in your shit.”
“No, not at all.”
“Karl, I don’t think you have dysentery, just an upset stomach. You don’t need to worry so much.”
Karl takes in the reassuring information, but doesn’t verbally respond. The group give Karl time to replenish his energy, patiently waiting, as they all sympathise with his current condition. Karl repays their sympathy by giving them the nod to continue before he actually feels completely ready. Elmanda marches on into the undergrowth, guided by a compass and a basic route worked out from Emilio’s detailed map. Emilio is eager to walk alongside Elmanda to gain knowledge about the environment. Valencia and Karl follow at their own pace. Karl takes a deep breath and exhales, blowing his cheeks out fully with a sigh thrown in for good measure. Valencia looks at Karl in concern.
“Are you ok, Karl?”
“Not really. As you can tell, I’m kinda going through a lot at the moment. To be honest, Val, it’s been the craziest few days of my entire life. Emilio has dragged me into a few half-baked schemes before, but this is ridiculous. I’m not used to this at all, I mean who is? I’m exhausted, I have never felt this ill before, I don’t even know how I’m still moving, I just know I can’t stop for too long or I will never get going again.”
The pair walk on for a few moments in silence and deep thought.
“Please don’t be offended, but you have to be tough to survive out here. I mean, as much as I love the people, I’m always glad to get back to the city.”
“None taken. I’m shattered! This is the most exercise I’ve had in forever. We’ve walked a thousand miles already, I feel like an empty vessel, and just when I think there is nothing left to come out, bang! My feet are killing me, I’m aching in places I never knew could ache, and all these little insects keep biting me.”
“It will probably do you good. All the walking I mean!”
“I know I’m a bit overweight, but I can think of better ways of keeping in shape, like eating one doughnut, instead of a whole box.”
Valencia laughs out loud, making Emilio and Elmanda look back briefly to try and see what is so funny.
“Well, I'm guessing it’s only another few hours by foot to your destination. Didn’t you guys say the bus you were on got hijacked? You haven’t had much luck have you!”
Karl thinks deeply about Valencia’s comment before responding.
“You know Val, I’m not being funny, but I swear somebody’s been following us, I just keep getting this creepy feeling I’m being watched.”
“You’re just paranoid because you’re out of your comfort zone. And the amount of animals lurking around us watching our every step probably adds to that feeling as well.”
“Yeah, that’s what Emilio keeps saying. Maybe you’re both right.”
Valencia looks at Karl fondly, like she would a brother.
“You’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you?”
“Who, Emilio? Sure, he’s my best buddy, I’ve known him ever since me and my mum moved to New York. We’re polar opposites in terms of personality, but have a lot in common, if that makes any sense. He’s actually a really exciting guy to be around. And that’s where we’re different. He’s always jumping head first into things, like this, for God’s sake. My idea of excitement is beating my best score on Pacman or waking up and realising it’s Pancake Day or something!”
“What’s Pancake Day?” Valencia asks.
“You don’t know Pancake Day? Oh, it’s a British tradition, you just eat pancakes all day, basically. I think there’s some religious thing behind it, but I don’t really know what it is.”
Valencia starts creasing up with laughter. The boys are a breath of fresh air; so different to anyone she has met before. Karl never intended his comments to be so comical, and starts to naively think that she’s laughing because she really likes him, maybe even fancies him. And with his newfound comedic talent he has an over confident surge of inspiration.
“So Valencia, how come you’ve got such a big round ass, must be from eating all those mushrooms in the jungle, right?”
As soon as Karl has uttered the ridiculous statement Valencia’s laughter is instantly silenced, as she begins to worry about her posterior and tries to think what the hell her backside has to do with the conversation. Karl, realising the stupidity of his outlandish comment, starts to panic.
“No! No, what I mean is there’s nothing wrong with your figure, in fact you’re perfect. But, like what can anyone eat here that could make them gain weight. Not that you’re fat or anything. Fuck!” Karl makes a futile attempt to rectify the situation.
Valencia searches for the right thing to say, before realizing Karl’s sudden outburst maybe just nervousness around her.
“It’s cool, Karl. Forget it. Have you ever had a girlfriend?”
Karl is taken aback, thinking she’s asking him because she’s interested. He has no idea how to respond, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.
“Yeah, I got a girl! I mean I had a girl. We had a thing in Las Vegas one time.”
Valencia doesn’t know what to believe, but is fascinated by Las Vegas.
“Wow, what’s Las Vegas like? I’d love to go there, it looks amazing on those travel programmes.”
“Oh, well, I don’t really know! You see me and my girl never left the hotel suite, if you know what I mean.” Karl tries to act cool and experienced.
Valencia doesn’t buy it, and is starting to laugh more at Karl than with him. She starts adopting the approach she’s seen Emilio use when Karl acts stupidily. She pats him on the head.
“It’s ok, Karl. We’re going to get through this, ok? But for now how about we catc
h up with Emilio and Elmanda?”
Valencia ups her tempo, eager to find out what Emilio and Elmanda are talking about and avoid any further embarrassment for Karl, who lags behind, talking loudly to himself while no one can hear him.
“Oh yeah, nice one Karl, you idiot, you really swept her off her feet!”
As the hours wear on, Karl falls further and further behind the fitter and more focused members of the expedition. The most exercise he normally gets back home is a slow, slouched daydream to the local corner store to stock up on bottles of soda. Only Valencia notices Karl’s struggle, and hangs back to wait for him. She would rather be with Emilio and Elmanda as they confidently venture forward, but her sympathy for Karl’s bumbling discomfort in this harsh but beautiful environment wins out. Emilio is concentrating on keeping up with Elmanda, who is hacking forcefully through the relentless undergrowth. Absorbing every decision, copying each move Elmanda makes, Emilio is enjoying himself so much that he is not even aware of Karl struggling to keep pace. Elmanda thrashes and slices his way through green walls of lush forest. Rain begins to ping and trickle off the masses of outstretched branches. Unable to hang back any longer, Valencia runs up alongside Elmanda and grabs his right arm, deftly taking the machete from him, before he’s even realised what’s happened. She waves it around playfully while the boys all duck and dive out of her way, genuinely worried they may get caught accidentally by the hefty blade.
“Let me take it from here.” She says confidently.
“Be my guest, but be careful with that thing. I don’t want you cutting your own head off.” Elmanda smiles.
Emilio and Karl mock her childishly, not believing a girl would have the strength and stamina needed to make any progress through the relentless undergrowth. Valencia is unfazed and begins chopping and hacking the tangled foliage with stubborn intent, unlocking the hidden rainforest before them. Mocking grins are slowly replaced with expressions of shock and awe. Valencia cuts through a particularly dense mesh of unruly vines hung with deep green leaves, and reveals a natural shelter formed by the surrounding trees, ideal for taking a much needed rest from the heavy rain. She walks into the den and stabs the machete firmly into the bark of a tree, as if marking her territory and proving a point. Elmanda signals for the others to hurry into the shelter as the rain becomes torrential. Emilio rests his backside on a mound of soil between the gangling vines. Piles of leaves pave the floor of the shelter. Valencia huddles up beside Karl and Emilio as they all breathe a sigh of relief once the weight has been taking from their aching, blistered feet. Karl’s cheeks are bright red, and he seems far more fatigued than everybody else. Valencia slaps him on the knee.
“Hey, are you ok? You don’t look well at all!”
Karl is aroused by Valencia touching his knee and feels like returning the gesture. But he thinks better of it, through lack of self-confidence, respect and illness. Instead, he just looks at her in awe. She has a unique beauty, which is heightened by the elements that have soaked her to the bone. Every voluptuous contour of her body is defined and in full view, leaving little to Karl’s imagination. His eyes wander towards her wet vest, which clings tightly to her busty chest, making it difficult to concentrate on much else. Emilio doesn’t bat an eye, as he is accustomed to seeing the marvel of the female form, and his focus is on the fearlessness and strength of Elmanda. Emilio notices Karl gazing at Valencia lustfully out of the corner of his eye.
“Hey Karl! Why don’t you take a picture, it will last longer?” He teases childishly. The comment causes Valencia and Elmanda to look at Karl, who jumps out of his skin with embarrassment. Emilio laughs at the situation, leaving the others to wonder what is so amusing.
“What’s so funny?” Valencia asks with an expectant smile. Emilio opens his mouth to tell her exactly what he’s laughing at, but is cut off by Karl, who is eager to change the subject immediately.
“So Elmanda, how much further do we have to go?”
Elmanda takes a deep breath and creases his face in thought as he takes a strange object from his pocket.
“Around an hour, maybe two. Is anyone hungry?”
Karl’s hand immediately springs up into the air as fast as a boffin during class question time. Elmanda is holding an unusual round fruit with dark maroon scales all over it. He throws it at Karl, who moves like lightning from his slouched position to grab the fruit before it hits him square in the face.
“What the hell is this?” Karl sniffs at the fruit, then turns it over in his hands, examining it closely.
“Out here we call it Aguaje. Try it!”
Karl closes his teeth around the strange fruit and struggles to bite through the outer skin. Elmanda and Valencia crease up laughing, as the fruit is supposed to be peeled before consumption. Karl realizes what everyone is laughing at and hurls the fruit back toward Elmanda, who dodges the missile, a playful expression lighting up his features.
“Here, try this instead.” He takes the biggest and greenest grapefruit Emilio and Karl have ever seen and rests it on a flat piece of bark before cutting it into four pieces and distributing it to the hungry, tired members of his party.
“Wow, I never knew fruit could taste this good!” Karl blurts through a mouthful of crushed fruit, as the abundant juices stream down his chin.
“That’s because this is the first time you’ve ever had any!” Quips Emilio.
“Shut up, Emilio. That’s not true. I accidentally ate some sliced banana that was hidden in a banoffee pie once. Right now I’m so hungry I could eat a massive plate of broccoli, and I hate that stuff.”
Valencia and Elmanda are creasing up with laughter as the boys squabble. The group calm and relax whilst eating the fruit and staring out at the rain pelting through the tropical landscape. Half an hour passes peacefully and the rain starts to subside. Elmanda rises to his feet and signals for the rest of the group to follow in his footsteps. They quickly fall back into the rhythm they were keeping before they rested. Hours pass, with the sun beating heavily down upon the vast jungle canopy. Karl walks upfront alongside Elmanda, as he has renewed his energy and is interested in spending some time with the warm and non-judgemental man. Valencia and Emilio wander along behind them at a distance. Emilio wants Karl to get more involved, and is happy to see that he is taking an interest in Elmanda. Valencia seizes the opportunity to try and delve into Emilio’s personal history.
“So, have you got a girlfriend?”
“I’ve got loads of friends who just so happen to be girls.”
“No, you know what I’m saying. Do you look at any of those girls as more than just a friend?” Valencia asks in a playful tone, not hiding her interest in the slightest. British boys are a rare commodity in Iquitos, and she’s fascinated by Emilio. She loves the way he talks and his unusual humour. The two boys represent the kind of fun group she’s always wanted to be part of. Although she is bubbly and makes friends easily she hasn’t met many people who share her dreams and ambitions.
“I can’t believe you actually grew up around here.” Emilio gently tries to change the subject.
“Well, what kind of girls do you like?” Valencia is undeterred.
“Ones that don’t ask too many questions!”
Valencia stands still in her tracks as Emilio continues walking ahead. After a few yards Emilio turns to her, wondering why she’s stopped walking.
“What’s the matter, have you got cramp or something?”
Valencia stands, hands on hips, biting her lip, trying to fathom Emilio out.
“You know it’s the women that are supposed to act hard to get. You’ve got this all the wrong way round.” She protests loudly.
“What did you say? Come on, let’s get going.” Emilio toys with her.
The group arrive at a particularly overgrown stretch of the forest where low hanging branches i
ntertwine with thick dark brown vines, lacing the way forward shut.
“You might as well rest up. This may take some work.” Elmanda scratches his head as he looks at the wall of damp vines.
“Good! Man, I gotta sit down again, my stomach’s aching.” Karl sinks into a mesh of bushes set back from the new pathway the group have created. As his weight pushes into the supporting bushes a swarm of spiders the size of a child’s hand spill out of their disrupted colony, crawling all over Karl. The others have their backs to him, and are completely oblivious. Karl’s throat has seized up, and he sits motionless and silent as the spiders cover his face and body. Hearing a rustling sound from behind him, Emilio turns around to see Karl helplessly clutching at the foliage around him, like a security blanket.
"Wow, you gotta be kidding me, what the hell?" Elmanda and Valencia look around at the same time.
“Oh shit.” Elmanda says. “Don’t move, Karl. They could be poisonous.”
“What kind of spiders are they?” Emilio asks fretfully.
“I don’t know, but this is amazing, I’ve never seen them group together before. Spiders are normally solitary creatures.”
Valencia sees one of the spiders scuttling towards her and squashes it with the side of her sandal, causing a yellowy-brown goo to seep out onto her bare toes. Angrily, she stamps on another approaching spider, making the mess even worse. Karl goes into a sudden frenzy, brushing them off and screaming frantically. The disoriented spiders scuttle about, searching for escape routes. One is too large to fit through a narrow gap between the shrubs and jumps manically, displaying ferocious looking fangs. After this, everyone stays rooted to the spot until the spiders disband, scattering in different directions. Karl decides it is probably safer to stay standing, no matter how exhausted he is. Elmanda gets back to cutting through the clustered vines, until he has created a gap just big enough to crawl through. He calls for the group to follow him. Once they emerge on the opposite side they are met by the welcome sight of water streaming off rocks and into a small pool.
“Is this water safe to drink?” Karl asks desperately.
“Sure, go ahead!” Elmanda replies with confidence.
Karl crouches down by the pool and cups his hands together to shovel as much water as he possibly can down his throat.
Everyone drinks from the pool and splashes the fresh water over their heads in an attempt to cool down and rinse the grime and sweat from their hair, before continuing on in the impossibly humid heat. After a little while they come to a clearing.
“Check out these weird trees!” Karl remarks “They’ve got blue patches and spots all over them.”
Emilio notices a similar blue patch on the ground in front of him and bends down on one knee for a closer inspection. Touching the blue patch, he puts it up to his nose to smell the substance. Rubbing it between his fingers and then looking around clearing he concludes “It’s calcium oxide.”
“What’s it doing out here” Karl asks innocently.
“We’re looking at what makes up seventeen percent of Peru’s gross domestic product.” States Emilio, but Karl is none the wiser.
“It’s used to make cocaine, Karl.” Elmanda has come across the waste from cocaine production in the rainforest before.
“But I thought it’s made pure from leaves.” Karl is wide-eyed.
“No, they use all kind of chemicals to extract the coca from the coca leaves; petrol, cement, calcium oxide, ammonia. It’s a misconception that cocaine is ever pure.” Emilio explains.
“Can you tell if it’s been made recently?” Valencia asks urgently.
“Within the last couple of days, if I had to hazard a guess.” Replies Emilio, wondering which direction whoever made it would have gone in.
“We need to leave immediately.” Elmanda is eager to keep moving. Emilio sees a blue trail leading down a beaten forest path away from the direction they are supposed to be travelling, and is so intrigued his curiosity starts to get the better of him.