Six weeks as a Peacock Bass guide in the jungle, 4 groups I cared for, of course a lot happened in this weeks and I made tons of experiences. Mostly good ones but as always in life there were also a few not so pleasureful ones. But in my opinion there's usually something to learn from the bad ones too, even if it's only training for our patience.
Following some moments that I probably won't forget anytime soon. Enjoy!
- A client demanded from me to arrange for him to catch an Arapayma the coming day. When I explained him that they don’t exist in this part of the world, he got angry and blamed me for it.
- One evening I arrived in camp and as soon as I set foot on land a client jumped at me asking for his towel. When I explained that I have to ask staff for it he started screaming and almost hit me. They washed his towel because it was laying on the floor and in his arrival it was waiting for him on the dining table, fresh and clean.
- Some guests told me that they want to eat fried Piranha for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I told them that for that they have to catch enough Piranhas, which they did so I arranged everything how they told me with the kitchen. At the end of the week, the same guests complained that the food wasn’t various enough.
- One group told me that I did an excellent job and that they want to do the same trip again next season, under the condition that I will be their guide again. One of the coolest compliments I’ve got, ever.
- Some guests shouted at me, demanding an empty bottle of Tequila which they drank the evening before. I went through all the trash to find it, only so they could look at it on the dining table for the rest of the week. I think this bottle is still standing there.
- While an American guest and I were having lunch in the camp the capitan (the leader of the community) started to ask us some random questions about our home countries. He wanted to know from the American if he meets Donald Trump (the actual president USA, 2020) on a daily basis. When I explained him that he has never seen him in person and probably won’t, the capitan couldn’t believe it because even he has seen him in TV once. To say that this discussion was amusing would be a big understatement.
- One night some of the locals brought a Japanese to our camp and asked me to speak with him since there appeared to be a misunderstanding. The situation: this guy just went up to some locals and asked them to take him fishing, paid them barely enough to pay for the needed gas and food, barely speaks English and no Spanish at all, uses a translator device for communication. When I asked him about the problem he complained that they told him that tomorrow they will fish down the river so that they reach the city by the evening. But he wanted to be I the city the following morning at 6am. Which means that they have to leave at around 2am what nobody around here does due to the risks of navigating on the river in complete darkness. When I explained him that and also that he basically isn’t allowed to fish here anyway, because he has to book a fishing trip with a local official operator, he got pissed off and told me that he wants to travel the world and fish everywhere for as cheap as possible. Well, you get what you pay for was basically my response and I added that his plan here is highly risky too because if something happens to him, nobody will look for him since he isn’t registered anywhere. He then got angry and started to scream at me in Japanese, I didn’t understand a word but regarding his gestures I guessed that he wasn’t about to ask me to be his friend. So I told him that I only explained the facts to him and that this isn’t a reason to insult me. He starred at me and was like “Oh, you speak japanese?!” After that he refused to talk to anybody and I haven’t heard of him ever since.
- Fishing with a guest on a very slow morning, as we were passing towards a nice spot I get the urge to make a cast to a certain point, I was pretty sure that a big one would be waiting there. But I decided to let the guest go first and told him where to cast. He didn't really believe me but made a cast anyways. A couple seconds later he got a bite and shortly after I had to pleasure to land him a +20lb fish. Told you so! :)
- While fishing with two guests on the boat, out of a sudden I hooked a smaller Peacock Bass. As I got the fish in front of the boat a huge Peacock Bass appears out of nowhere and tries several ties to take the lure out of my fishes mouth. I immediately tell the guests to cast right in front of me so one of them would hook the big one. I was sure that this fish would eat whatever hits the water right them and got excited. Did we catch the fish you might ask yourself? Well, one kept casting to the same spot than before and the other just watched me trying to keep the big one at the boat as long as I could until it the smaller one shook off the lure and both fish disappeared. I was speechless and the guests just meant that they didn't believe me..
- Last but not least one from a day when I could fish alone. So there is this small lagoon I fished before with various guests, we would always see big fish there but never would one bite. This day seemed different and a couple of minutes into fishing this spot I get a huge blow-up on my Highroller Riproller. As my guide and I were standing in the water to land the fish, which weighted +20lbs, about 10meter in front of us two even bigger fish started chasing fish against the beach. If I'd casted there at this moment I probably would have hooked one but we were busy with the one I just caught. A few minutes after releasing my catch we go over that same spot again and I get another huge blow up but lost it. I couldn't believe to have encountered two fish that big in such a short time. Even if I lost the second fish, that was an amazing fishing moment for me!
- the one that didn't get away -
As you can see, it wasn't always easy but in the end I'm thankful for each moment. If there wouldn't be bad times, the good times probably wouldn't be appreciated that much and a bad experience from time to time can bring you back to reality in case life seems too good, I guess.
Just to be clear, I don't have a problem with any of these people mentioned. I'm grateful to have met all of them and I'm sure that wherever I go there will be people that like the way I am and some won't, which is ok. :)
In this case, wherever you go, open your mind and treat people as you want to be treated.
Thanks for your time!
PEACE!
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