She was a part of the annual Explorers Programme, 11th in the series of ‘Pan Global Adventure for Environmental Action’ (PANGAEA).
The selection process included a ten-day selection camp at the Mike Horn Expedition Center in the Swiss Alps.
Following is the edited version of a report sent by Shruthi.
We joined Mike Horn, a world-renowned explorer and environmentalist onboard ‘Pangaea,’ a 60-foot sailing vessel and set sail down the mighty Rio Negro and Amazon River.
From the very beginning, Mike threw us out of our comfort zone and guided us to learn from our experiences.
On the first night, around 10 pm, learning how to deal with a man-overboard, we were asked to jump overboard, trusting our teammates to rescue us.
The water was black, 30 metres deep and home to dolphins, piranhas and small crocodiles among other creatures.
I took the plunge; it was invigorating, awakening and so powerful that I was carried downstream by the mighty river. The experience definitely brought our team closer!
Exciting Journey
Over the next three weeks, we snorkeled through the flooded forests, paddled down the river on local canoes, trekked and machete our way through the jungle and explored the swamps.
Every step was a journey into a new world.
Our surroundings were teeming with wildlife!
We saw butterflies in every colour imaginable, insects, spiders, scorpions, piranhas, parrots- but the highlight had to be the endangered pink Amazonian river dolphin.
The cheeky creatures would swim right up to us, poke our foreheads with their noses and play with us as we stroked their silky skin.
The experience was inspired us to do our best to preserve these animals and their surroundings for future generations.
We usually drifted to sleep on the deck of our sailboat as we gazed into the stars; but we also had a few nights in the jungle.
We learnt how to put our hammocks up to elude the ants, light fires to cook our food and keep the mosquitoes away.
What an experience to fall asleep to the magical sounds of the rainforest and to wake up to a ray of light breaking through the thick jungle!
We visited many communities on the riverside and communicated with them in a mix of broken Spanish, Portuguese, sign language and of course playing football!
The locals were welcoming and happy. It was an eye-opening experience learning their way of life and how they survive in this environment.
We also had an opportunity to take part in tree planting. It was a beautiful experience feeling the roots hugging our fingers, having mud caked over hands and knowing that the seedlings that we held in our hands would soon grow into mighty trees.
The passion for football that I developed at high school was enlivened as I played with local schoolchildren during the adventure. It was a great environment of fun and laughter, embellished by Nature.’
Speaking of the environment, I was rudely awakened to the fact that a piece of land, corresponding to the size of a football field is cut down in the Amazon forest every 11 seconds.
Pangaea nurtured and provided us with incredible experiences to grow as people.
