People & Culture

Dec 30, 2019
Jesus’ Trek to the Brazilian Amazon

JesusSevillano

Latin America Medical Education Manager Jesus Sevillano, MD, recently returned from a truly unique Trip of a Lifetime that he describes as his dream vacation. He shared about the trip:

“For my Trip of a Lifetime, I went to the Marié River in the Brazilian Amazon, better known as “River of Giants,” to fish for peacock bass. To get there, I flew from Miami to Manaus, Brazil, the capital city of the state of Amazonas. Then I took a sea plane for 3 ½ hours to get to the river. I was around 700 miles from the nearest civilization. I spent a week in a boat house, fishing every day, looking mainly for Amazonian peacock bass. I was very lucky to also catch a rare black arowana, known for being difficult to find and catch, and big piranhas.

JesusSevillano

Fresh water fishing is one of my passions. When I lived in Venezuela, where I’m originally from, I used to go fishing in the Amazon at least twice a year. Last year I turned 50 and I had gone more than five years without fishing in the Amazon, so going to Marié River was my dream birthday present; however, getting that sought after spot on the river has a two-year waitlist, so I didn’t think I’d get to go.

I was so surprised when, right after I received my Trip of a Lifetime email from Arthrex, a friend of mine that had been on the waitlist for two years called and told me that a fisherman had cancelled his trip, so there was a spot available. I submitted the request through the Trip of a Lifetime portal and it was approved!

There is so much I loved about this trip—the pleasure of fishing my favorite fish (always catch and release), enjoying the Amazon and breathing in the cleanest air in the “lung of the planet,” and being away from civilization for a week. I also had the opportunity to observe toucans and parrots flying freely, monkeys jumping between trees above me, and a turtle hatchling.

JesusSevillanoWhile I was there, I met a Brazilian biologist who was the author of a Brazilian river fish species book. We spent a couple days fishing together while I listened to his stories about the river and its surrounding communities. I was also able to help him tag peacock bass to study their migratory behavior, growing patterns and any other changes for a research project.

I returned completely recharged and with the deepest gratitude (as always) to Arthrex for sponsoring my dream fishing trip."

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