Bad Shamans and other jungle challanges

So, the little curse on my electronics is a direct result of the bad shamans. Fine. I can understand why bad shamans don't want progress in there peaceful and rather simple lives. So cursing my electronics...cool. However, apparently this seems to be the excuse for all of the unexplained oddites that happen. Not so practical or logical however it has served these people for centuries. It's somewhat of an uphill battle if I'm going against bad shamans for some of the issues that are occuring around here.


I know I went on somewhat of an environmental rant the other day. Reviewing it today, I do still feel the same. However, I have an intersesting story to add to the mix.


A few days ago there were three Achuar men riding their canoe down river to god knows where. Anyway, the boat capsized. Two of the three men swam to one shore, the other one swam to the other shore, or tried. This is not exactly a lazy river. This is a serious don't F-with me type of river. It is fed from the Andes and stretches far and wide and it is famous for very torrent whirl pools. I've seen some of the whirl pools on my way in, there cool to see and I would not want to be in one.


So the poor guy who picked the "other" shore at some point in his swim he screamed "help, help" flailing his arms in the air. Then he went under and no one has seen him again. So the logical conclusion is.....what do you think? Cramp in the leg, stuck in a whirlpool? Nope. The entire community thinks he's been eaten by an Anaconda.


Ok, Anacondas are a little scary especially after that awesome movie J-Lo made. I'll grant you there are Anacondas in the area. There are crocodiles and other fine things in the river, not to mention bad shamans.


WELL the search party went up and down this raging river for a whole 2 hours looking for poor Rafael. There was no sign of him or a body to recover, which now reinforces the fact, to the community, that Rafael met his demise a la Anaconda.


Before I go on this is the same community that wants the ecolodge and that wants to preserve their way of life. However, it is a little tense because now that the Anaconda has a taste for human blood he is angry and wants more. Well shoot, the river is being avoided the whole community, 7,000 in habitants, are in a down right tizz over this.


The next logical conclusion? Treck, and I mean treck to the somewhat near by military outpost and ask for dynamite. In fact the amount of dynamite that was requested, to kill the angry Anaconda -- and everything else for quite a distance, was denied on account that the military just doesn't keep dynamite anymore.

Well thank God for that!