Back in Australia I have been doing much the same, however my internet access is a little more reliable. The media interest we have managed to generate through simple hard work and determination seems to be paying off. Daily we receive emails from magazines and newspapers eager to run something. We have a potential feature article in mainstream magazine Thats Life with a readership of over a million people! Awesome!

Wild Magazine, one of Australia’s leading outdoor magazines has also expressed keen interest in us writing an article for their next edition. After reading our post titled San Francisco (no flowers in our hair) it seems they were impressed enough to think we had an article in us worthy of publication. This is exciting news for Nathe and I.

As well there have been numerous articles in newspapers, TV and websites over the past week. We are stoked to get all this coverage, but it has certainly not come easily. To draw attention to our efforts has taken a lot of work. All the same we will keep pushing for coverage. Not, of course to get our mugs on TV or in the papers but to allow future endeavours to hopefully be looked upon by potential sponsors etc in high regard based upon this success.

Please keep checking back for more posts as we begin editing our footage and photos, as well as for more news regarding the team’s future plans.

First things first. While we appreciate any and to be frank all publicity we can garner for the expedition, the one thing that really kills us is inaccurate reporting. More than once, in articles about the expedition, the Amazon River has been referred to as the second longest river in the world! Journalists, have taken the decision into their own hands to brand the river so. This is wildly inaccurate and careless investigation. Please read the following from Wiki. These are the facts Jack!

“While debate as to whether the Amazon or the Nile is the world’s longest river has gone on for many years, the historic (yeh like, um, the Bible! – added by me) consensus of geographic authorities has been to regard the Amazon as the second longest river in the world, with the Nile being the longest. However, the Amazon has been measured by different geographers as being anywhere between 6,259 kilometres (3,889 mi) and 6,800 kilometres (4,225 mi) long. The Nile River in Africa is reported to be anywhere from 5,499 kilometres (3,417 mi) to 6,690 kilometres (4,157 mi). The differences in these measurements often result from the use of different definitions.”

“A recent study by Brazilian scientists claims that the Amazon is actually longer than the Nile. Using Nevado Mismi, which was labeled by the National Geographic Society as the Amazon’s source back in 2001, these scientists have made new calculations of the Amazon’s length. They now estimate that the Amazon is 65 miles longer than the Nile,^[7] and Guido Gelli, director of science at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), told the Brazilian TV network Globo in June 2007 that it could be considered as a fact that the Amazon was the longest river in the world. However, other geographers have had access to the same data since 2001, and a consensus has yet to emerge to support the claims of these Brazilian scientists.”

“Regardless of the actual length, the Amazon carries by far the greatest volume of any of Earth’s rivers.” OK?

Anyways, following on, I left Belem early Thursday morning and have made it to Chile. At 11pm this evening I shall make the flight to Auckland then onto Sydney. From Sydney I have a flight to Mackay, QLD, Australia arriving midday to make it just in time to surprise my grandma for her birthday. She will be well pleased. I hear she has become a bit of a celebrity at her retirement village thanks to her family connections to the expedition. Great to hear.

My last night in Belem was spent packing late and trying to extricate myself from that bloody beard which took several razors and some time. Funny looking oke staring back at me in the mirror now. He does not look quite so tough or mean, which just goes to show appearances mean nothing. Inside, this bloke is stronger in heart and spirit than he has ever been. I woke Nathe and we had a handshake and a quick hug and I was off. My mind was racing. This really was it. It’s over. The expedition is over. No more rowing, no more shifts, tides, headwinds, pain, swearing or river.

However, in saying that, since we reached that lighthouse it has been non-stop with emailing, phone calls, logistics etc. Nathe and I both at the point with trying to ship gear home where we just wanted it over. Because I am missioning to get home for my grandma’s birthday Nathe has been shouldered with the final sorting of the gear. Sorry bru! It’s packed, it’s ready to go. We must just agree on the price and off it goes. Enough already!

So back to Oz for me and back on the river for Nathe! Next week he will head back up the river we traveled downstream on for 5 months. He will be udertaking post expedition work, ensuring we have adequate footage & information on a lot of the deforestation areas. This means re-visiting some of the amazing places we stopped in but could not really appreciate or take in. Too numerous to mention and the people in these places amazing. All the way back to Peru visiting the many friends we made along the way. Nice, Mario, villagers. Unfortunately, Petronio will be away at the very time Nathe will make it to Lima, a real shame. In about a month, Nathe will head back for what I hope for him is a bit of rest!

On my final evening we celebrated our success in style. A roadside stall burger and a walk to McDonalds in the mall for a grande McSuper Shake. We sure know how to party. Crazy!

More and more the media are taking an interest, of a kind (see above), in our feat. Today the Courier Mail in Queensland will run an article in their outdoor section. The Sunshine Coast Daily (QLD) and my own local, the Coolum Advertiser are also running stories. More are on the way, thanks in no small part to the massive work done by Angela Hanley, expedition administration officer extraordinaire!

Don’t forget our spots in SA mag, Getaway, UK mag myfreesport and Brasil’s Go Outside, as well as upcoming in Czech Outdoor and US Competitor.

By far the most respected expedition website online, ExplorersWeb have also posted the first 2 in a 3 part series of interviews of the expedition. Awesome! Check them out.

I suppose the biggest news is that Monday, 3rd of March at 6.15am QLD time, 7.15am NSW time (Australia, of course) the expedition has a spot on Sunrise, Australia’s most popular morning show! Pretty stoked! Mel and Kochie will be firing off a few questions to me from Sydney, NSW while I am in the Channel 7 studios in Mackay, QLD. It’s a real bummer that Nathe cannot be there for the interview. Pure circumstance means Nathe is in Brasil and I am in Australia. Seven wants the exclusive and want it fast. What can you do? So it is with mixed feelings that we feel joy at this good fortune. Anyway, I just hope I can interrupt Kochie long enough to thank some of our sponsors and thank my mate for the journey we undertook together. Tune in! Can they bleep out swear words on live TV? (Kidding!!!)

Also, we will be interviewed on ABC radio (Brisbane) that same day. The interview will air on their Morning Show radio programme hosted by Spencer Howson. So again if you get the chance tune in!

I leave behind in Brasil a bloke who was already my mate. After our experiences together over the last 6 months we now have something much more than that. In the past, Nathe and I never caught up for drinks, to party, to watch the footy or anything like that. We climbed, we did adventure races, we paddled and for the past 4 years planned this expedition. But the bond we have was forged under the most extreme of conditions and that can never be broken. We won’t, in all likelihood, see each other so much over the next few years. Me in Europe, Nathe in Australia and Africa, but no matter, that unbreakable link will remain for our lifetimes. I want to thank Welchy for being alongside me for the whole of the expedition. When I did it tough in the whitewater, he promised he would be right beside me every step of the way to the ocean. He was true to his word. We made it to that lighthouse and there we were, side by side. Cheers Nathe, you unstoppable, stubborn, determined SOB!

Oh, I fly into Mackay, Australia at 12.05pm, Sunday 2nd March and return to Brisbane at 6.10pm, Tuesday 4th March. Just for all those autograph hunters. I can picture it now, the hordes of people, the girls screaming. You know like when the Beatles came out to Australia! Wake up, you clown your dreaming again!

Ciao

We are currently back in Belem. Whilst we have savoured the opportunity to sleep in a real bed & have a hot shower (for the first time in a long, long time) – we are still missioning with post expedition work. Organising & packaging equipment for shipping, re-scheduling flights, working on sponsor commitments, trying to keep the website, family & friends up to date & a few other challenges that have blown up in our faces means the whirlwind that has been Expedition Amazonas continues even after we have claimed the prize. I think we are both looking forward to being able to take a step back very soon so we can let the achievement sink in & enjoy the moment – to be able to integrate & appreciate our little adventure.

Physically, our bodies still bear the scars of our epic. Shoulders, knees, elbows, & the connective tissue in fingers are the main bearers of pain at the moment but no doubt, time & rest will ease these little afflictions. Mentally its actually been a little challenging to adjust to the reality that we have finished – that we have completed the mission. Often times when lying in bed, you will find yourself unconsciously preparing to start your shift on the oars but then it suddenly hits you – oh yeh, no more paddling…its done!

Since having completed our journey, I have been asked a number of times “how do you feel?” Well I certainly feel pretty happy that we succeeded in our mission but without trying to sound like a pratt, it was never any surprise to me to be standing at that light beacon at Ponte Taipu. I had made my mind up long ago that’s what we were going to do & that’s exactly what we did – whatever it took! But to be honest, I think I need a bit of time to allow the ‘mission mode’ to wind down & then bask in the beauty of what we have just achieved.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters, family & friends for the inspirational words & posts along the way. I know I have said it before but you may never realise how uplifting it was to read your kind words when things were tough. Thank you all for sharing & being part of our adventure.

I would also like to acknowledge & thank the chap who has been beside me for the last 6 months & part of Expedition Amazonas from pretty much the moment I saw his eyes light up about 3 years ago when I asked if he was in. My mate & adventurer Mark Buffalo Kalch. After Big Phil had to leave us due to illness in Iquitos, something quite remarkable happened. I’m not sure if even he was aware of it at the time but slowly Marko began to change. It has been quite an amazing transformation & a wonderful spectacle to watch unravel before my very eyes. Marko stepped up, he raised the bar – whilst its still Buf, the man who stands before me today is more assertive, believes in himself & what he is capable of, but perhaps more importantly he has that dogged determination & won’t back down. Some of the things I have seen him do & say of late were not there 6 months ago. Beware, you will discover very soon a new man, a very powerful man! Thanks Mate for being by my side every step of the way & remember to keep pushing pushing for grander, more challenging life adventures!

It would be remiss of me at this time not to recognize & thank our team mate Big Phil Swart for his contribution to our success. Thanks big fella for joining us to Iquitos & being part of that life changing epic through the Apurimac. In the final 1km to Ponte Taipu & standing there in the pouring rain under that light beacon, our hearts & thoughts went out to you. Thanks for the adventure Indy!

One of the elements that has made the Expedition Amazonas experience so special has been the people we have met along the way. The list just goes on & on – Our logistics gurus, Petronio (Destination Peru), Mario (Andean Origins), Vera Cardosa (who is an amazing tour guide here in Belem who is helping us at the moment). Our medical adviser, Dr Caeser Sanchez. Alex from Hostal Manaus. Nice Yalan our legend river guide mate & his crew who offered us so much hospitality & support through the Apurimac. All these special people have helped us along the way & all we now consider friends. Then there is all the wonderful memories the local villagers have given us – truly beautiful people – so genuine, so giving! Everyone from Rocy the fisherman who fed us & gave us shelter after almost drowning at Powac & losing everything, to the children with their radiant smiles & playful antics. Thank you friends.

Then there is, of course, all of our awesome sponsors. Where would we be without all of their top notch equipment & service? Their continued service & support contributed greatly in creating the professional outfit that is Expedition Amazonas & its ultimate success. So to Electrotech Australia, Ark Inflatables, First Ascent, Teva, Fluid, Suunto, Kokatat, RAM, WRSI, Garmin, Storm Case, VIO, Zeal Optics, Benchmade, Goya Gear, & KINeSYS thank you, thank you, thank you.

A big thank you to Thomas Cavanagh & Amazon Watch. Again their support has been awesome. We hope in some small way we can now help their cause with our story & our footage. The Amazon is an amazing place & one of the planets richest, most diverse natural phenomenoms. We saw first hand the deforestation & devastation that plagues almost the entire region. We don’t have all the answers but the first step is definitely awareness. We must all be prepared to get off our bottoms & take some action, even if it is small. “From little things, big things grow” – each little individual action step moves us collectively towards a positive solution. Visit Amazon Watch now at www.amazonwatch.org & learn more about the huge challenges that face not only Peru & Brasil but the whole planet.

One last acknowledgement & thank-you. To 2 special people – Alexa Russell & Mike Saunders. It was over 5 years ago now that each of you gave me a book on paddling the Amazon. Two different books given to me by 2 different people(who didnt even know each other) in 2 different countries within 2 months of each other – co-incidence? I dont think so. It was these books that sparked the raging fire that is now Expedition Amazonas. Thank-you to the both of you for starting the fire within!

Whilst the river journey & adventure has reached an end, our life adventures certainly have not. We have only scratched the surface … so keep tuning into the website & communicating with us over the next few months as we begin working on documentaries, books & the next big adventure! If we can but inspire one or two of you out there to put it all on the line & pursue your wildest dreams & believe that you can actually do it – YES YOU! – then our little jaunt down the Amazon River has all been worth it!

Also an apology to friends and sponsors of the expedition who were waiting with excitement the arrival of the team´s best looking member (no, not Scotty, we will see him in a couple of days!), Miss Holly Tett. Hol´s important work commitments have left her unable to join the expedition as yet. Obviously Hol is disappointed, however she will join us as soon as she can on the river.

Awe.

We arrived in Arequipa yesterday after a 14 hour bus ride from Lima. The day before we spent the entire day from 10am to 10pm attempting to extract our long delayed gear from Peruvian customs. Nathan and Petronio did all the hard work, talking and being frustrated as expected. In the end we had our gear and in a relatively speedy fashion. Again, Petronio came to the fore!

Some repacking of the gear and it was sent off to Cuzco to met us in 2 weeks at the end of our trek to the put-in at Pilpinto.

Here we are at 2200m. High, but nothing drastic. Our bus ride today takes us to Chivay and around 3600m. That is getting high for sure! We will spend another day in Chivay to aclimatise before we embark on the trek. This will give our bodies a chance to adapt to the ever decreasing amount of oxygen in the air. We will also repack and balance our packs.

From Nath
As we all await in anticipation to physically start this great journey, a special thank you that was forgotten has popped into my head. A very special thank you to Mad Madonna, for your special little envelope. It was a couple of days before I opened it, and wonderful surprise when I did – Thank you!

And off into the unknown we trek…..

The positive side to all this is that we have had the time & opportunity to really refine our logistical arrangements with Petronio & Mario (who are our lynchpins to the complex logistics that kick in as we complete the hike & begin a hectic 4 weeks on the whitewater). We have had a number of long meetings with the both of them – discussing different ideas, routes & drops off points….& lots of laughs along the way! They are both characters & great to work with.

We have also had a few meetings with our medical contact & advisor (for the Peruvian leg of the journey). His name is Dr Cesar Sanchez & he also has been superb – helping us with all those little medical odds & ends. Mark & Phil met with Cesar late last week to sort out some medical business & then they were given a guided tour of one of Peru’s largest and busiest hospitals, EsSalud in La Victoria. They also got to see a liver transplant operation taking place …. a training operation on a volunteer dog…interesting.

There has been some dramas with our BGAN system & then accessing the network (to allow satellite phone & internet access). You will see from some of the latest pictures that we have been scaling the city buildings of Lima to try & get a better satellite link! We have spent long hours working through technical documents & then interpreting them onto the operating system. Our saving grace here has been the wonderful support from Electrotech Australia. Neil Cavill from Electrotech has been a wealth of knowledge & a great help. After many emails & skype calls Neil guided us through solutions to quite a few technical problems – Thanks Neil we appreciate your time & patience. We are now officially on the air, you can check-out our sat phone info on the contacts page…

The other big positive is that we have finished off & refined the Helmet Cam. You will see from the pic’s that we have now sorted it into a smick waterproof package. After visiting some interesting places to find a suitable o ring seal, we then spent some time at Petronio’s home (we like to call it the Expedition Amazonas Workshop) & finished off the intricate wiring. The end result is a pretty cool product. We gave it a good test run through some of the local markets & we were super impressed with its operation & quality footage – it seems the guys from VIO have really produced a winner here. You can see some of the footage here….

And last but not least, we all got to experience a bit of authentic Peruvian nightlife when we visited a cool little Salsa bar with our new friends Petronio & Dr Cesar. Quite amazing how well everybody dances here & was a top night. Although we all need to work on, not only our Spanish but also our dancing…especially Phil & Mark … as I rate myself!

It has been an absolutely hectic last couple of weeks. Working flat out till a couple of hours before take-off. I even got a Hep B jab an hour before going to the airport! Talk about cutting it fine.

There are so many people to thank for getting the expedition to this point. When you are reaching for your dreams it is amazing how your friends come to the fore. So many offers of help in all sorts of ways. The whole team values the friendship and support shown by all our friends and family more than can be expressed in words. So I have written a poem…well no…I haven’t.

Lima tonight, with Philip arriving the next day. We will be in Lima for a week, awaiting our 350kg of gear we sent over with Jetta Express. A few loose ends to tidy up and then we are off!

The towns which took the full force of the earthquake in Peru include Ica, Pisco and Chincha.  These towns lie about 500km NW from where the team is due to begin their trek in under a month.

It’s times like these, with so much sadness and devastation that put into perspective our little jaunt.

If you are so inclined please help out by donating to the NGO of your choosing. Oxfam do good work.

His first major expedition at the age of twenty-three was to Northern Ethiopia’s Danakil region. Even now a pretty sketchy place to go to (just ask my mate Pete!). Keep in mind this was 1933!

While preparing for the expedition, Thesiger states, “I was now busy raising the necessary money. The Royal Geographical Society approved my plans and made me a grant, as did the Percy Sladen Trust of the Linnean Society. The Natural History Museum undertook to buy any suitable specimens which I brought back, and most firms I approached agreed to provide rations, ammunition, films, medicine and other requirements for the expedition, either free or at a considerable discount”.

The parallels between Thesiger’s preparation and ours struck me as very similar. Of course, I do not see us as receiving “free” equipment etc. However it is satisfying to know that even the greats of exploration endured the same trials and tribulations when planning a major expedition.