Justification

To live the rhythm of the river. Amazon legend has it that there is a giant river turtle that has jungle growing on its shell. When there is an earthquake it’s because the turtle stirred. I’d like my boat to be a smaller river turtle, and us that sit atop it to grow into the jungle, to become absorbed into it.

I dedicate this journey to the rural people of South America. I am trying to adopt the same care and patience with which campesinos live and work the land. I try to do things slowly, deliberately. In building the boat and on-route I will employ skills that people teach me, as well as skills they have already taught me. I hope to document the stories of the people I meet. Many of the rural people I have met in Ecuador and Peru have a wisdom that strikes to the heart of things.

 

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