No Relaxing in the Jungle

I thought the jungle would be a place I could relax and commune with nature. Quite the opposite. I was surrounded by a number of flesh eating bugs, stinging wasps and inch long bullet ants that pack the punch of a bullet wound if you are unlucky enough to get stung.  I was on edge the entire time.

One day, as I was climbing high into a tree to check on an artificial PVC macaw nest, I experienced a swarm of wasps descending upon me. I had unknowingly disturbed the nest they built on the back of this abandoned pipe.  Luckily my partner below emergency belayed me down to a safe distance because there was no way I was able to unlatch my Jumars and release myself quickly enough. I am not going to lie when I say from that day forward I literally got anxiety knowing I had to climb more trees that had hives of bees waiting to attack the next biologist who dared get near.