Into the wild
Carmen MeyerAugust 3, 2016
Into the Wild
Coming face-to-face with tarantulas and piranhas – being a Global Ideas reporter isn’t for everyone. But for Carmen Meyer, it’s just another day on the job. She talks about her trip to Peru in search of the paiche fish.
Getting there...
The journey to the protected area in Peru where the paiche fish are found was really long. I don’t know exactly how long it took – maybe 10 hours? During that time we got stuck on sandbanks or in smaller overgrown branches of the river. With all the detours, it made the trip even longer.
It’s going swimmingly
Of course, it’s hot in the jungle. And the river is teeming with piranhas. But what can you do when you’re completely soaked through with sweat? At first, I didn’t dare jump in the water.
Cooling off
But after two days, two of the Peruvians working on the project dived in, and then I followed them. The indigenous fishermen advised us to move a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever kicked so much while swimming before.
Close encounters
At night, we could always see the eyes of the caimans reflecting back at us from the boat’s light. And they were not always so small – there were some crocodiles that were up to four meters long. It makes you quite tense, even if they were not visible during the day.
…in a while crocodile
On one of the evenings, the fishermen brought some young caimans into our camp. When they let go of them, the animals ran straight through our tents. Some of the fishermen themselves had to jump frantically aside.
Up close and personal
Of course, you don’t expect to stay in a four-star hotel when you’re doing work like this – and you also know you’ll have to put up with a lot. But at night, when you find a tarantula crawling over the equipment, and that is right next to your mosquito net, you feel a little uncomfortable.
Feeling at home
We filmed at the home of the Shipipo. I have rarely met such hospitable and wonderful people. Honestly, sunstroke and heat no longer played a role. And as guests we could hardly turn down an invitation to dance.
Reality check
That was a terrible moment for me. One morning at 6am, a couple of fishermen woke us up suddenly to show us the caiman they’d caught. They were so proud. They dragged the half-dead animal into the village to hack it apart in front of our eyes with an ax. I don’t know how the cameraman was able to film it, I couldn’t watch.
A memorable experience
I would definitely do the trip exactly the same again. It’s just afterwards that you need the time to process your experiences.