Living with the Machigenga: ep3 24Feb09
Once again a huge thanks to everyone who’s written so far, for everyone who’s been watching the series and for the many well-wishers for my China trip. Cant really say much more about it but it’s bleedin cold! Minus 25 and dropping! So back to show… well this is my blog that I wrote during the filming of episode 3… Wherever you are in the world, you can always have a bad day…. In the jungle it can feel a lot worse, and worsened by my worsening mental demise.
The Lord of the Jungle has returned to wreak a furious revenge on Mother Nature and begin the division of Gaia into her separate parts, where they can be confronted and destroyed. Sadly those battles are being lost, and on a daily basis… but the war continues.
“Don’t try to fight the forest, you will lose”. The warning I received on my arrival here. The Amazon seems to be full of a smorgasbord of assassin aphids and arachnids… if they kept themselves to themselves I most probably wouldn’t have a problem but it’s their approach to homo sapiens that is really biting my goat – perhaps there in lies the problem – bringing a goat to the jungle – that aside – the insect life here has taken it upon itself to unite under the marching tune of our Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il and have directed the self-reliance of juche towards speeding up my journey to the after-life. The day before yesterday was a case in point – stung 6 times by bees and wasps, bitten by countless mosquitoes and flies that have turned my ankles into a petri-dish of the inflamed and infected (75 bites on the last count). But just when I thought that was enough – I was blessed with the arrival of the most vicious and medieval of creatures, incensed with a single-minded sado-masochism – the bullet ant – the size of my thumb, packing a size to bite ratio to make a tyrannosaurus run for the hills crying for its mummy. If their bite wasn’t bad enough, these little bastards inject some poison into you that makes you swell (my toe swelled to 3 times it normal size) and gives you a 24hour fever. When I finally recovered I went looking for Satan’s little helpers and came across one on the path – it refused to move or even do the sensible thing and back off – instead it just stood there eye-balling me – like some cheesy showdown scene – neither of us willing to move, until he advanced. I pinned him down with a stick for a closer inspection and not being trained in these matters, there’s little I can report apart from this species seems to have a fixed grin, a maniacal, depraved and twisted face, not unlike the Joker and befitting of the most unpleasant of beings. In a move you may think is a little rash, I have now declared war on this species and await three tonnes on Agent Orange to begin a slow and methodical defoliation of their habitat.
Before I left I thought I had reconciled this journey in my mind with the indisputable fact that for the past 2 years I have spent 4 months of each summer living in the jungles of West Papua, some of the most notorious jungles and one of the few places left on our planet where maps are filled, not with confusing contours and squiggly patterns, but with large blanks entitled “Relief Data Incomplete”. Sadly I had over estimated the faculty of my memory. If only I had remembered the abhorrent reality of those miserable months, I would have refused to confront this horror again. It seems I have stumbled unwittingly upon the key characteristic of explorers, at least those who find there is no other way to make a living. They must all possess the most terrible short-term memory – because if they could remember the horror, why would anyone, save perhaps a puritan searching for enlightenment through suffering, want, nye choose to endure such misery? Sadly my time here has only just begun and I fear I have only really scratched the surface of this misery. I fell into the trap of PR – I should have known, and you should now be warned – “The Amazon jungle are the lungs of the world”, so say the soothsayers…. for ease, let us assume that his hyped fact is true – then there must be a huge amount more oxygen here then anywhere else – historically the last time that Earth had this level of oxygen was perhaps during the Carboniferous Period millions of years ago, when insects and other fauna with poorly developed respiratory systems, could feast on increased levels of airborne life force, to grow to absurd sizes – 2 metre centipedes, bats the size of double garages – this was a place when our forefathers would not have stood a chance. Despite the efforts to turn the Amazon into a paper-mill for the developed world, I can report some of this wildlife sadly still exists – the bullet ant is merely the pygmy cousin of a far more frightening relative, and he is not alone. These forests are plagued with creatures designed to ruin, not only your day, perhaps not even your genetic raison d’être to reproduce, but your entire life. I speak of diseases, like chagas – a particular insect that will bite you and then defecate next to the bite – knowing that of course you will then scratch the bite and scratch the insect’s faeces into the open wound. One to twenty years later the parasites will take terminal hold inflicting lethal brain or heart damage. Then of course there’s the little fish that takes unusual pleasure in swimming up your warm flow of uric acid when you take a leak, climbing up inside your urethra and then releasing it’s pronged gills lodging it into position. Unable to urinate, your bladder will expand and at this point the sufferer is at a t-junction of certainty – each path will not end well – either your bladder will explode or you will reach medical help in time and then have to beg the doctor to cut of your cock.
But for those keen on a more pleasurable death, there is at least some joy extended through the predator’s level of consideration, perhaps even politeness: a jaguar will only bite your skull, the anaconda will only squeeze when you breath out and the piranha will only feast on your flesh if you are bleeding already. I hope this helps to explain my predicament. I have begun a journey into the land the Spanish Conquistadors described as a “100 miles of dark and screaming, the dark we all come out of hot. Things flying, fleeing, falling, falling dead and their death unnoticed.” This is not a place to come with noble motivations, purposes or quests. But on days like these, it is a place to ask that question that all sane men fear: “why am I here?” To which there is only one answer: to find the sublime.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I only have one thing to say on this post. You poor thing… :( Bugs are not cool. I hope China is treating you better.
Blessed be
Michelle
February 24th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Aloha Olly,
Episode 3 was great… though I have to say,I actually screamed and got a major case of the heebie-jeebies during that scene where the girl handed you and Mark a live bug to eat by the river. I don’t know what kind of bug it was, but it looked very similar to the large centipedes that sometimes creep into the house here (nightmare inducing!). Our neighbor got bit by one and it landed him in the hospital for 3 days – so I absolutely cannot imagine voluntarily picking one up and happily chewing on it.
Looking forward to ep 4 – it looks like it’s gonna be a good one! Keep warm and have a great rest-of-your-trip.
Mahalo,
Monica
February 24th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Oi Olly!
I just love the show! This is my favor of your postings so far. Sounds very sado – maso but as a Brazilian living the boring Ohio winter I feel a little closer to home watching your show and reading your blog about those so familiar annoying little creatures. I am so sorry you had a hard time. I complete HATE bugs, cannot stand any of them, like you I am very allergic it (not necessary the way to go if you live between Amozia forest and Pantanal). The chagas mosquito is prominent in mud and wood houses. They normally only come out at night but can be very dangerous. The other ones are more manageable. Long sleeve shirts after 4 pm are your best bet. Also I know it’s kind of weird but I always have with me ( if I am going to a place with those pleasant creatures) a little bottle of Especifico P. Pessoa. It’s an anti-poison formula used in case of snake poison, It’s made from the actual snake venom. Now days is very hard to find but is the BEST thing to use for mosquito bites, and comes in handy if you ever get bit by a snake or a spider. Maybe I can send you a bottle next time :)
I was also wondering since most of those cultures and communities were killed not by guns but for the exposure to unknown virus that the newcomers brought with them. What kind of precautions, if any, do you and the crew take to avoid this kind of problem?
Can’t wait for the next show! Stay warm.
-Renata
February 24th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Olly!
My sister and I absolutely love the show! It’s our sunday night ritual. You and Mark are a great team. I really hope you guys are planning another expedition together soon. If so, where might it be?
Good luck in China!
Holly and Katy
February 24th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hi Olly,
Hope you are safe and keeping warm! I thought it is so mean how the tribes women are treating you! When you were in the river building te dam and the one of the women came up to you to eat that bug and knew that it was poisonous was so cruel! The new baby monkey is so adorable and love seeing you and Mark handle her. Next weeks show looks even more interesting to see what happens to the newborn. I hope you have better days to come with the tribe. It does look like a challenge, but you handle yourself well in the jungle. Oh and by the way, have you ever encountered any snakes while looking for food and what happens if you get really sick? Are the medics ready to attend to you and Mark?
Take care for now! Ready for the next episode!
Veronica
February 25th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Hi Olly,
You looked so cute holding that baby monkey. Did you see any really beautiful or dangerous animals, while you were living with the machigenga? Why didn’t you take any insect repellent?
Safe Journeys
February 25th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Olly,
What an adventure! I marvel at how you and Mark can adapt to living in so strange a place. It is also remarkable that you will try to eat what the natives eat. From New York, I fell you have come upon the greatest of diets for someone like me would not eat for a very long time if monkey and grubs were the only fare.
A wonderful show with much new information. However, it seems to me you had a lot mor fun with the Mek and Kombai.
Keep safe.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I’ve been in awe of you and Mark since Living with the Kombai. And now the Machigenga, I thought I had seen it all until you drank those hallucinogenic herbs. I truly feared for you. And those ants and mosquitoes, I can truly empathize. I lived in the Philippines once and the ants feasted on my ankles and the mosquitoes took the rest. It was painful! Drink rum, lots of it if you have it. Stay healthy, Olly, I love watching your adventures. So is the search for the sublime pretty much a standard for all adventurers? I suppose I could never be one. I don’t have the courage.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Hi Olly,
Minus 25, eh? It sounds like you are in training for a show in Vermont! I look forward to finding out what the China project is all about.
I enjoyed this week’s Machigenga episode and was happy to see you had not only moved indoors but had been able to build your own home. It seems that the Machigenga are coming around about you and I was glad to see that as well. As someone who loves to throw dinner parties for my friends, I was so pleased for you that your housewarming dinner party was such a success. Well done, Olly!
And as much as I have been enjoying the shows, I have really loved your blogs. Your humor, curiosity and intellect really shine through. Do you have any plans to publish a collection of your blogs/essays? I (and many others I would think) would really enjoy some sort of compilation of stills and essays from your work (all of it, not just “The Tribe” series).
Working in Human Services, I don’t have much of a personal travel budget so a lot of my travel is vicarious. I thank you and Mark (and Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman) for showing me places I will most likey never see with my own eyes. Plonking down on my couch on a cold Vermont winter’s night and watching you and Mark in the jungle makes it seem a little less harsh here. At least we don’t have monster bugs until the spring and summer when the skies are hazy with black files and mosquitos. And even then they are just annoying, not crapping parasites into our system that crop up 20 odd years later and do us in!
I see that Mark is scheduled to do a live chat on the Travel Channel’s website. Is there any chance you might do one in the future?
I love your answer to your question, “To fnd the sublime”. That is something for me to keep in mind when I am having my own challenges in the metaphorical jungle of my own day to day stuff. Stay well and warm. Best wishes,
Sara M
February 25th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Hi Olly,
I was beyond thrilled to see you embark on another new adventure. I am always impressed with the respect and humility you show to each tribe, and I smile every time the show portrays you as the Stan Laurel of the Amazon, might have something to do with that umbrella :o). I am pleased to see you gaining more acceptance in the tribe and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
I am interested to know your reaction upon leaving these remote locations. After having spent a lengthy amount of time living a slower paced, unfettered life do you find you have a greater appreciation or discontentment with the modern world in which we live?
Good luck in China and keep exploring!
Kat
February 25th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Hey Olly,
I love this show, I think that it is really neat what you and Mark are doing living with the tribes and everything. When I watch these shows I see how beautiful the nature is and I think that it would be so much fun to be there and do what you are doing. But then I think about what you have to eat and where you have to sleep and all the bugs and everything and then it’s like “no thanks.”
Anyways it gives me a greater appreciation for what you do, it’s really interesting how they live. Although, I do feel really bad for the animals that are being hunted, I dont think that I could let them kill or watch them kill the animals if I was there. Do you ever feel that way when you see them killing the animals? Like do you ever wish you could like help them? I know that it’s the only way they can survive but it is just so sad.
Well I just want to say that I think the show is great and I hope that you and Mark have it in you to do some more shows. Have fun and I think your awesome and cute.
Allie
February 25th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Hey,
I’m doing the kombai as a school project and they seem fairly menacing to me!
I was just wondering about what rituals they did (apart from the Khakhua-kumu cannabalism) Like bowing to a fire and praising the Gods for the drought that has lasted for 5 years.
Any interesting facts I could use would be appreciated.
Sarah
February 26th, 2009 at 1:34 am
I noticed that it seems that young girls are breast feeding babies…am i right? are they theirs?
Good Luck with ALL of your projects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry about the bugs too ha ha! :)
February 26th, 2009 at 2:19 am
o- and i’m glad you got what i was trying to describe about the feeling i described! (episode 2)…. I hope you find who you are looking for in THIS life, and experience this great love. I have yet to find it myself! ha ha
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February 26th, 2009 at 2:20 am
PS. i did not mean to say “describe twice”
February 26th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Hi Olly,
I found it hard to keep a straight face while I tried to feel sorry for you when you claimed to have been attacked by a legion of insects under Kim Jong-il’s command.
Anacondas, bullet ants, and jaguars- oh my! So what if one of your toes got swollen-you have nine more! So what if mosquitoes, bees, etc feasted on your ankles-you are still ambulatory! So what if it was possible for a little fish to have swum upstream your urethra- Umm…I have no counter for this one! Probably you’re thinking right now, how dare that I wrote such things and belittled your experiences when neither my extremities nor genitalia were on the line.
Well, I guess it goes with the honor of being among the “50 Extraordinary Pioneers” of exploration alongside Ran Fiennes, Edmund Hillary, etc. What’s an adventure without any risk? If only Roy Chapman Andrews could see you now. I say you’d make him proud!
I hope that you would rely on your long-term memory to remember the pros and would continue to rely on your short-term memory to overlook the cons of your past journeys. May your adventures with Mark carry on for many years-until you both have explored all the most remote tribes in the world (I have no idea how many there really are), but you get the point.
Kidding aside, at the beginning of each episode the narrator claims that “there’s nothing too tough, there’s nothing that you and Mark won’t do” to gain the tribe’s acceptance-but to what extent? Did you and Mark sign a waiver? Would the crew interfere if ever your and Mark’s safety are on the line? Lastly, where did you guys get your drinking water? How safe is it to drink from the Amazon River considering the “little fishes” that live in it?
Keep safe and try to stay warm over there in China,
Lissa
February 26th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Hi,
Hope all is well. I have never writen on a blog before but this time I felt as if I had to write on this on.
I just started watching your adventure to the unknow and it is amazing.
I liked it so much that I bought the DVD’s for the past two seasons and I am in the process of watching them as well. The only thing I wish the DVD’s would have is behind the scenes footage and comments from you and Mark.
It really does take an amazing soul to go out and do what the both of you do. My motto in life is that if a place does not have electricity I have no right to be there.
If you are ever speaking in New York the concret jungle please let us know.
Wishing you health, happiness, love and wealth.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
even indiana jones didn’t like snakes. :)
February 27th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Olly,
First I want to say I absolutely love the show. It saddens me to know i’m at work when it comes on…but halleleujah for re-runs. Reading what you say about everyone having a bad day sort of puts my own into perspective. I mean I could be in a remote jungle with my best mate fighting insects…rather than here in the South fighting insects! I guess the cicadas would be a comfort to hear. I wish you well in all of your future endeavors and please know that there are people all over the world wishing they could be where you are…or at least beside you when you return ;) Also do as we say in the South and man up and bite the bugs back!
February 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Thank you once again for everyone that’s taken the time to blog about the latest episode… and for all your support! The first few episodes I got in the neck from the tribe and it seems from some of the viewers! Travel Channel sent me a list of some of the messages posted on their site! So thank you for being able to see the wood from the trees… the programme makers seemed to enjoy painting me out to be a bit of girls blouse… although having spent a year living in the jungles in the past year, I would beg you not to believe everything they say! So here’s a few replies to your questions… China’s going well – still alive so all can’t be bad! xx
RENATA: how do we ensure that we don’t bring in viruses and disease? A large number of indigenous groups have been killed by diseases introduced by outsiders – as they have never come across those diseases, they have no immunity to them and a simple cold, a flu or more serious diseases like cholera, smallpox etc can often kill huge numbers. For more information on this it’s worth reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book: “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond and check out Survival International’s website for the most up to date situation regarding this. So what did we do? Well firstly we selected a group who were not uncontacted, who had had some previous exposure to the outside and who were therefore not initially at high risk from our arrival. We ensured that all the crew had full medicals and doubled checked on arrival in Peru where we all received the most up to date flu jabs. We also worked very closely with a local NGO – CEDIA – who paved our way when in the jungles and negotiated with the tribe and on behalf of the Machigenga – they checked us out and checked out the health of the tribe before we arrived. We also sent in a recce trip to check out the tribe before we arrived. We travelled with a doctor who treated the tribe and everyone we met should they have had any illnesses. Through CEDIA we also donated health services and health care including vaccinations to the tribe in the wider area. PS: thanks for the heads up on Especifico P Pressoa – sounds incredible. Will definetly check it out!
Holly and Katy: Next trip? We’re currently looking at a few options. Cant really tell you more at this stage as we wont it to be a surprise.. but if you’ve got any ideas… let me know!
Veronica: what happens if we get really sick? Well luckily we have a doctor in the production camp with a huge medical kit. If it’s life threatening, we can call in medivac (medical evacuation). Luckily we didn’t get sick – whilst the food doesn’t look too tasty, it’s all organic so very healthy! The worst I got on this trip, was 10 stitches in my head when I cracked it open on some rocks in the river.
Jessica: Any dangerous animals? Not too many expect those cats during my trip! We saw a few snakes, footprints of jaguar but not much else sadly. One of the most dangerous things is huge herds of peccary – wild boars – sometimes in their 100s – and they can be incredibly aggressive and savage you if you’re in their way! The most dangerous thing in the jungle is usually people (as you’ll see in some forthcoming episodes….;-)
Maria: search for the sublime? Still working on it…but yes, I hope it’s always a key part of the adventure. I find it sometimes come when I find purpose, connection and understanding to my environment and the people I meet – or if really lucky, perhaps when you find love… guess the sublime can mean so many things to so many people… and it keeps changing and moving. Pascal once said: “our nature lies in movement, complete calm is death” – may be there’s something in that? I’ll let you know when I work it out! PS: don’t say you don’t have the courage! We all do, we all have different forms of courage, different challenges and different ways to confront it – I’m sure there’s a host of things you do, that I wouldn’t have the courage for! You’ve just really want to do it and you’ll find a way to overcome whatever is in your way….
Sara M: live chat? Yep – I’ll do some for sure when I get back from China… 8/9th March. I’ll try and set it up with the Travel Channel…
S: young girls breast-feeding? The youngest women breast-feeding in the village were late teens, early twenties – we get into child-rearing later in the series, so I wont spoil it all now!
Lissa: Nothing too tough? Well that’s rubbish! I can think of a whole host of things I wouldn’t want to do, but luckily we don’t often have to do those things! It’s not that I’m against the ‘tough’, so long as there is good purpose to it – the sake of hurting oneself just for the sake of it is for others! Some people excel at it and take pleasure in it, but not me. I find it slightly annoying how the early part of series has been edited to present me as a complete incompetent in the jungle and often rather pathetic! Sadly it’s out of my hands and the programme makers decide what’s best for the story! Having spent a year in the jungles over the past 3 years, I’m pretty hardy to all this and am obviously a touch capable and tougher than I have been portrayed… but TV is TV! Right, sorry, rant over!! good to know my suffering is at least amusing to you ;-) of course it’s tough but you’ve got to laugh… (usually the programme makers cut out of it before then – just when I make light of how ‘tough’ it is – because it’s not really that tough – the hardest thing I’ve done is walk across the Gobi Desert – covering a marathon a day for months on end, running out of food and water, being imprisoned on charges including espionage, getting lost, temperatures ranging from +40 to minus 15 degrees bla bla)… so over the years I just have to make light of how tough things are – because I know it can always get a hell of a lot worse – it works for me and find it’s the only way to deal with it I think… if you cant laugh at your own misery, then you’re done for! The difficulty is now trying to find new ways of expressing it all and new ways to find being turned in a petri-dish for the criminally psychotic insect population vaguely amusing! Sorry, I’m rambling. So we don’t sign a waiver. We assess the risks we are taking and try to mitigate against those risks before launching in. There’s always a lot of unknowns so often its just trusting your judgement and not taking silly risks. The crew boil the water for drinking, but we often drink from little streams or springs feeding the major rivers. They’re usually fine and delicious – full of jungle nutrients and minerals!
Bye for now… back to the snows of China xx
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I feel terrible for enjoying this as much as I did. I made the mistake of reading it during some down time at work and, while it made my day infinitely brighter, I know the people around me think I am crazy for laughing so hard at my computer screen.
I know how serious you probably were at the time, but something about declaring war on an insect makes me grin stupidly huge.
Thanks for allowing me a laugh at your expense!
Brooke
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Hi Olly,
I’ve been reading the comments and your response to them. Just wanted to say I admire the way that you stay cheerful and are able to joke about the difficult and not so enjoyable bits of life. This is also how I deal with the tough stuff, I think its so important to be able to laugh at yourself and your own situations and it has got me through a lot. I also wanted to say that I’m sure it’s clear to most (if not all) of the people who watch that you are very competent.
Have fun, and avoid the bitey things!
Anna
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Hi Olly,
It`s Anne I was reading the episode 3′Living with the Machigenga.
I see you had a very worst day on this episode.How sad.If I was the one bitten or stung on that bees maybe im gonna cry.I know how sore the bees when the stung at you.Ants and worm are really scary.The jungle are really fascinating but there are lots of encounter anacondas, and dangerous species.You guys are doing great on this show i appreciate it. What am I worried on that jungle is. How can we get better when we got sick?Are the government supported them?Its really painful to think about the children when the got ill. Just curious, do they have any bathroom on their village??You guys are the good example.Without discovering this tribe people we dont how they survive or we dont know about their living ,about the inside of Macheigenga. Keep up the good work.Takce care .God Bless.Hope yu will answer back our question.Thanks!!
Anne
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Hi Again,
Why are people saying something to olly, You didint think of it.If you were on that jungle maybe you complaining everyday minutes.Its not hard to live on the jungle specially those insect that bother you when you slept at night.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Oh my goodness, Olly.
I had no idea that you were having such a bad time. I’m so glad your okay now and out of danger. We sure wouldn’t want you to get infected with chagas. What a horrible thought. You could never wear a penis gourd again.
My husband likes to go fishing and once he came back and had me to check his back for ticks. I didn’t see any. He said that there was a place on his back that was itching, but it only looked like a pimple. He went for two weeks and he kept thinking to himself, “this pimple is hurting more and more”. He finally tried to squeeze it by looking in a mirror that was facing another mirror so that he could see his back. (I didn’t know this was going on). Anyway, he squeezed it and a tick came out of it. It had been growing under his skin for two weeks, it must have been too tiny to see when it made it’s way under his skin. He was very lucky that he didn’t get sick. Some ticks here in Arkansas carry lime disease.
March 13th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
enjoy your shows. i think it would be interesting if you would bring a member of one of the tribes to our country and film their reactions to our culture. can you imagine their reaction if you took them to a grocery store? keep up the good work. looking forward to future episodes.