There are some helpful hints based upon my personal experience in and around the equatorial jungles and rivers.   A very important thing to remember is that the Amazon will be HUMID.   When I say humid, I mean humid like Houston ... except that the air is clean and a pleasure to breathe.   If you read the Weather section, you will remember that the temperature is hot but not as hot as Dallas in the summer.   And the evening tend to be very pleasant, especially on the water.

CLOTHING:    The most important thing about clothing is that it be very, very light weight and breathable.   Cotton (as in the typical T-shirt) is a mistake for anyone but the natives because they do not sweat.   I guarantee you will sweat!   But it is not uncomfortable if you are dressed for it.   For the treks into the jungle I recommend long pants and high top shoes, because there may be brush or insects and it is best that you keep them on the outside of your clothes -- your don't want to share your clothes with any critters.   Now, I will be taking you on trails, nice trails -- we will NOT be slashing our way through the jungle with a machete.   The reason cotton is bad is that it absorbs the sweat and water and keeps it there ... it never dries out ... Yuck.   I prefer special clothing made for use in the tropics.   It is called Guidewear with Supplex, by Cabelas at www.cabelas.com.   Just search for Guidewear and Supplex.   They are not expensive.  It is a material that is feather light and wicks the water away from your body so you stay comfortable.   I usually only take two pair because each night I wash them out in my sink, hang them up and they are ready to wear the next morning.     I am told that Academy Sports carries a similar safari-type set of tropical clothing.

BEACH WEAR:    Your favorite swim suit and associate beach wear will be great, because you will have all the time you want to soak up those healing rays of sunshine (when it is not raining, that is -- it rains for a little while almost ever day, and people never slow down.   They just keep right on doing what they do).   

HATS:    Sun protection is the objective here.   And if it serves as a rain hat too, that is a plus.

SUNGLASSES:    No explanation needed here, eh?

BINOCULARS:        What a great thing to carry so you can get a close-up view of the flora and fauna.   It will enhance your pleasure immensely.   Be sure they are waterproof.       

FOOTWEAR:    Ah ha ...  This is important.   Flip-flops or sandals are just great around the boat or on the beach -- just what you might wear around the pool.   Be comfortable.   You will see natives with flip-flops or barefoot, but remember this is their home and they are acclimated and know their way around ... we don't.   For our treks in the jungle or rain forest, I still recommend high top boots.   I wear hiking boots simply because they are really comfortable and give me maximum protection, no matter what.   But you could use high top tennis shoes and be OK, because I will not be leading you anywhere without a good trail to follow.  

SOCKS:    Ah, once again, forget the cotton for the same reasons stated above.   Choose those hiking socks that are designed to wick away the moisture from your feet, and dry fast.   Once again you may be able to wash them out in your sink in the evening and be able to wear them in the morning.

PACK LIGHT:    I keep talking about washing things out at night and wearing them in the morning.   It is quick and easy and more importantly it means you can pack light.    Bring the absolute minimum.    Nothing spoils your fun more than having to carry around a ton of junk that you will never use.   And your certainly do not want to waste your energy hauling around old dirty wet colthes.   You have been Advised.

BANDANA:    A bandana is a must.   Remember Humphrey Bogart in the movie African Queen?   Don't you think would have paid dearly for a good bandana to wipe the sweat off?   What I like to take is a chamois ... like the one used to dry off cars.    It is greatly absorbent and you can wring it out easily and it is ready to go again.

DAY PACK / FANNY PACK:    This is what you will want to have with you almost all the time to carry all the convenient items you will want to have available.   It should be light weight and easy to deal with.    The heavier and awkward it is the more you will grow to hate it as time passes.

PONCHO:    Many of the natives wear the same thing rain or shine, and quite frankly, when I was there in January, I did the same.   You will be damp from perspiration most of the time any way and a little rain feels refreshing.   But some people may want a very, very, very light weight rain poncho.   Some people like an umbrella ... you will see a lot of them.

KNIFE, WHISTLE AND FLASHLIGHT:    OK.   Go ahead and laugh at me if you think I am sounding like the counselor at summer camp, but I promise you, you will be glad you have these along.   The knife will come in handy in 10,000 ways on a daily basis.   The whistle is such a wonderful way to get attention, even if you are not in am emergency -- if you are having an emergency, your whistle may become your best friend.   The flashlight, too, you will use daily.   I like to carry one of those 'head lamps' that straps right on my head so I can walk hands-free on those night treks into the jungle in search of the really big spiders that come out at night.   And I like them at night in the canoes as we do our night hunt for alligators in the swamps.

NAVIGATIONAL AIDS:    Read this to mean a compass, or sextant, or GPS device.   Not that you will need them on one of my expeditions, but you might have some fun learning how to use them.    Then you could go back home and tell those 'tall tales' about how you found your way out of an Amazon rain forest.  

COMFORT KIT:    And by this I mean personal toiletry items and first aid stuff.   In addition to the normal things you would bring on a trip, I mean such things as:   foot powder, Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, aspirin/Tylenol, sun screen, insect repellent, band aids, and iodine.   Maybe a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

ZIP LOCK BAGS:    All sizes.  You can never have too many of these wonderful little inventions.    They are great because they will help keep things dry and they keep out humidity or dust (not that dust is a big problem, after all, this isn't Lubbock).   And they are good simply to keep things organized.

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