MOUNT VERNON — Janet, 67, and Larry Miller, 69, like adventure. They’ve been to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and many other far-flung destinations. In their 50s, they began to sail their own sailboat to Cuba and Canada and on Lake Erie, and they don’t mind roughing it in places with only cold water for bathing, kerosene lights, spiders and outhouses.
But they always wanted to explore the Amazon rainforest, so they did.
“We’d been reading about it for years. We saw movies and documentaries from ‘National Geographic,’” said Larry. “We did research on the Internet, and saw some ads. We’ve wanted to do that for years and years.”
They joined a 10-day tour that provided a guide, lodging and food, then flew from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Lima, Peru, to Iquitos, Peru. Then it was up the Amazon River 75 to 100 miles, utilizing 18-foot aluminum boats with outboard motors, canoes, a ferry and, finally, dugout canoes.
“The only transportation was water,” said Janet.
The Millers took up a challenge posted on the Mount Vernon News Web site in which travelers are encouraged to take along a newspaper, display it in front of a local artifact or site, take a photo and e-mail it to the News.
Posing with a group of children, the Millers asked a Peruvian boy to hold up the newspaper.
“He didn’t seem to have any curiosity about what we were doing,” said Larry. “But everywhere we went, they wanted to know where we were from, what we like to do here and would we come back to see them again.”
The couple took many pictures of the exotic birds, butterflies, snakes and monkeys of the rainforest, as well as three-toed sloths and capybara, the world’s largest rodent.
But the critter that made the biggest impression was an anaconda snake.
“I’d joked with the grandkids that I was going to wrestle one,” said Larry, “so I wanted to at least handle one. I asked our guide and he said a family across the river had one that they kept as a pet. They dumped the snake out of a bag, and I think it was a little bit agitated. So I was trying to hold it by the head, but I grabbed it too far back and it whipped around and bit me.”
The bite was not serious, but the Millers do have a photo of Larry’s blood-stained hand successfully holding the anaconda.
The Millers hiked through the jungle at night and in the early morning mists, took cold showers and used kerosene lanterns for light. They stayed at five different lodges, each one increasingly more primitive. They watched tribal dances, Larry swam in the Amazon with a group of children and Janet caught a piranha.
The tour company advised the Millers to take along gently used clothing, crayons, toys, writing tablets, hats and school supplies as gifts for the native people they would meet. They said the items were received with much gratitude, especially by the children.
“The government pays for school teachers, but not school supplies,” said Larry.
At a trading station, the Millers spotted an artifact they wanted to purchase among the many items for sale.
“They make things out of beads and seeds from the jungle,” explained Janet.
But the native salesman didn’t want payment. Instead, by pointing to Larry over and over, he insisted that he wanted Larry’s bright red shirt and cap. A photograph shows the couple, Larry shirtless, with a group of friendly artisans.
“The whole tribe was standing around. They really got tickled over that,” said Janet, adding that they never felt in danger in the rainforest. “You have to be careful of spiders and snakes, but they’re more dangerous than the people. The people are so friendly.”
Meals were tasty and nutritious, the Millers said, and they grew quite fond of Inca Cola, a popular lemon-lime drink of the region.
“We had some very good meals,” said Janet, “and we ate fruits we’d never eaten before. They do have a very little beef, but it’s tough.”
The natives’ diet is limited, said Larry.
“They have fish, fruits and vegetables from the jungle,” he said. “But a doctor from Minnesota who was there told us the No. 1 problem is parasites, from drinking the muddy river water, and pneumonia from the damp conditions. They get over 200 inches of rain every year.”
The Millers saw much poverty in the rainforest.
“It seemed that the ones who lived in villages did better than the ones who live in outlying areas,” said Larry. “It’s not a clean place. We drank bottled water. The people cook over open fires, and they use termite nests as mosquito repellent.”
The Millers gained a broader perspective from their trip to the Amazon.
“But that’s what’s happened to us practically every place we’ve been,” said Larry.
“We learn to appreciate what we have here,” added Janet. “It was good to get home. And there are things we wish we’d known before we had gone. We would have taken more clothing for the people had we realized the need.”
Would they go again? The response was immediate.
“Yeah,” they chorused.
But for now, they’ve been researching the nearly 26,000-mile Pan-American Highway that runs from Alaska to the tip of South America. And the ancient pyramids in Egypt. But first they’re headed for New York City in June to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Broadway.
“From now on, we’ll make sure to take the Mount Vernon News wherever we go,” said Larry.
