There we were, in the heart of the Amazon jungle. City life was a distant memory. The thick forest enveloped us, and we were on our way to experience living in an alien culture, among the native tribespeople.
We spent the day with that tribe, but that was only the first stage of our journey. The tribe where we were going was much farther on, In the morning we packed for the trip. We had a six-hour journey ahead of us, up the Pur֚ s River, in a small boat. There were six of us altogether, including three veteran missionaries to that tribe who would be joining us.
The trip was wonderful. We enjoyed the scenery-a wealth of birds, monkeys, and even alligators along the riverbank. I knew that this river highway was home to many creatures. Alligators and snakes-including the anaconda-piranhas, fish like giant river monsters weighing 150 pounds or more... But the trip continued.