Interview (march 2017): “The fear is part of life”

Javier Colorado full round the world by bike in 38 months

Imagine leaving it all to fulfill your greatest dream. To wake up one day and know that, over the next four months, will not have more resources than a paddle and a canoe created by your own hands to go the longest river in the world. Without hardly any contact with civilization, only surrounded by the nature of one of the landscapes richest in the world.

This is the adventure that Javier Colorado imagined after touring the world on a bike the past 2013: to conquer the Amazon river in a canoe 5 meters long, which cross four countries of ibero-america: Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

Diploma in Technical Industrial Engineering, specialized in Industrial Chemistry and Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, lover of sport and travel began this new adventure in April, when he landed in the city of Quito, Ecuador. Accompanied by his camera and a friend, Manuel Salvador.

“This journey started making a canoe,”

In Francisco de Orellana, Ecuador, Javier contacted a community, on the edge of Yasuní National Park, the natural reserve with the greatest biodiversity on the planet.

There was hosted for two weeks by the locals, who taught her how to make the canoe with the that for 4 months he would travel through the Amazon river. A boat made of a single piece of 5 meters long, which would row the 3,000 miles to get to Manaus, in Brazil, through the above-mentioned Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.

Your contact with the nature of the amazon begins in the Tiputini river, which crossed the Yasuní National Park. For two weeks suffered storms constants and met settlements Quechua and Huaorani, accompanied by the wildlife: dolphins, monkeys, otters, capybaras, even alligators.

“One of the experiences more beautiful was to see the storms, as it reached the curtain of rain, how it fell. What was not so funny was the wind, because we were in danger of capsize”.

Each night in the forest created its shelter for the night. “I never had a fear of thinking about where I was going to camp that night or even where we were going to get, we always find the perfect place for camping, food, or people that helped us,”.

“Every night before going to bed I went into my tent and found that there was no one else. Then you could sleep in the middle of the nature. Although he never slept alone. I remember one night when I turned on the light of my visor and I saw that we had a bird of prey”. Account Colorado who says: “The best time of the day was the shower or the bath under the sunset”.

After getting to the mouth of the Tiputini came to the Napo river wide and mighty, so that I can cover more distance in each day. But also with the increased flow rate, increased the threats. “On one occasion that he paddled with dolphins one, he let out a jackknife that almost knocks over the canoe. I thought it was a cayman, but everything was a setback”.

“Traveling is you happen more travel and the following prepared during the previous, you have a lot of time, you’re alone”. “You first have to visualize the journey, to dream with him. Then always foresee everything that can go wrong and try to find the solutions, for if it happen to me the worst. Attempt to channel the fear.”

Their arrival in the Amazon was not expected, since to reach the mouth of the Napo river, did not find the channel that carried the city in the middle of the night. So Manuel, your camera during this trip, warned Colorado, rowed against the tide. They had arrived in the Amazon. Once in the longest river in the world: “The winds picked up and the waves did shake the canoe. But facing my fears is part of the experience”.

“Not only travelled through the Amazon I the Amazon”

The tour concluded with arrival at Manaus, Brazil, but travel to Colorado can expect not to end here. Your next adventure will be to swim around Zanzibar, Tanzania. “Although from now on I would like to have a balance between travel and time with my family and friends here. From now on I don’t want to make a trip that lasts more than 3 months”.

“The biggest learning I’ve taken from these experiences are these two lessons: The people, the 99.9% of the people that I have met had a huge heart, and the second, that we are all able to accomplish our dreams if we have confidence. We should all learn to make real our ideas, no matter what”.

This adventure has always had a social goal

The collaboration between The South Face, an NGO that promotes higher education in Africa, and Glenfiddich, whisky distillery that Javier works on his travels. Becará to a young african woman of 19 years to be able to begin her studies in Nursing at the University of Nairobi. “Looking for people to carry out a social change. People who want to stay in their country and help their development. Only with their own people, Africa can develop.”