There were a few places where the boat simply couldn't pass through the fallen trees. Here, Marco would cut through the vines and branches, being careful to not injure or upset sleeping snakes in the vines, until we were able to pass the boat under or around the fallen tree.

Though we were warned repetitively about snakes in vines, we never saw a single snake! We asked about them at the traditional settlement and were told to be very careful, as a child had spotted a giant python floating down the river. One of the men went downstream, found and killed the snake. The children are warned to stay in the huts during the days to avoid such dangers while their parents are away. I wondered how many days had passed since the sighting and received a surprising answer - "Seven years ago." I felt sorry for the rare snake who had wandered dangerously far from the forest - human fear can be a very destructive force.