Marty’s photo of the day #4228: One thing I’ve learned about visiting tropical rainforests is that for the first few days my pores will actually ache from sweating so much. Then, miraculously, my body will adjust to all the heat and humidity, and I’m just fine for the rest of my visit. Of course, if I’m willing to swim with the electric eels and piranhas—as I am in this photo—I don’t have to wait.
Yes, members of the Yagua tribe were actually fishing for and catching piranhas not far from me and an electric eel was spotted as well. Even so, movies have exaggerated the danger. Piranhas, for instance, prefer to eat the fins of other fish, and as long as I wasn’t bleeding while swimming with them the danger was very minimal.
(Photographed in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru)