Jungle

I left Israel in 1980, after three years in the army.

I was desperate to escape the well-worn path.

You know, high school, university,

work, marriage, kids...

...not me.

I wanted to be different, to experience the extraordinary...

...and to enter the unknown...

...discover lost tribes the hidden treasures...

...the darkest heart of the jungle...

...which, of course, is why I ended up in Bolivia...

...South America.

Thank you, sir.

You're welcome, may God be with you.

Cheers.

Wait, wait! Wait! Wait!

Wait, please!

Wait, wait!

- Hey! - Sir?

Wait, wait!

Whoo!

Thank you so much, sir.

Thank you. Thank you so much, sir.

Can I take that?

- Thank you. - Yeah. Okay.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Thank you. Thank you so much, everyone.

Thank you so much.

- I'm sorry about the bag. - Oh, no problem.

Okay, good. I'm Marcus Stamm.

- Yossi Ghinsberg. - Nice to meet you.

- And you. - Yeah.

You couldn't help but fall in love

with Marcus Stamm.

This Swiss school teacher on a sabbatical...

...had the heart of a poet and the soul of a saint.

I'd never met anyone like him before.

This is not bad!

I told my parents I'd be back in a year

but I don't think I'm ever going back.

Well, lucky you.

- Morning. - Morning.

She likes you.

No. It can't be.

Kevin? Hey!

Hey, Kevin!

Oh, my God! Hey!

My God! Come here!

What are you doing here?

Marcus! How are you, man?

Hey, I thought you went home after Patagonia!

No, I decided to trek up the Cordilleras...

- ... to get some more shots. - Hey.

This is my friend, Yossi Ghinsberg.

- Hey, man. Kevin Gale. - Good to meet you.

Good to meet you, too.

Come here, man!

I had already heard about Kevin Gale.

- He taught me that... - He was a legend...

... amongst the backpacking community because he had hiked all..

...over South America, taking incredible photographs.

But, you know, that's why we're here...

I also knew he was Marcus's closest friend.

I've only been in South America for a few months.

Really? Where were you before that?

The glamorous world of fishing trawlers in Alaska.

Yeah, that sounds great.

Freezing my ass off in New York, unloading trucks.

Really?

But then went to Vegas to make my fortune.

- What happened? - I lost everything.

Yeah.

Well, you found this guy, and that is...

...priceless.

Okay.

Where'd you just come back in from?

Well, I went up to this place called Colca.

It's in southern Peru.

I was taking shots of condors.

It's amazing.

That's gross! Yeah.

Bottoms up.

What is this stuff?

It's called San Pedro.

And how long does San Pedro normally take to...

...kick in?

You'll know.

Nothing's happening.

Just wait. Trust me.

I actually feel kind of light-headed.

I think it's starting.

Mm-hmm.

I'm flying.

"With the long, lonely night ahead..."

...and all the time in the world to decide on the actions

of a future life...

"...he closed his eyes."

"It takes time to live."

"It takes time to live."

That's great.

I think I should send this book to my father.

Doesn't he like you on the road?

It's not that he doesn't like it.

He just can't understand it.

And so he thinks...

...I'm throwing my life away.

I read a book once that said...

"The last human freedom...

...is to choose one's own way."

Yeah, that would be nice.

Sorry about him. He's American.

- This? Here? - On the right, here.

We're definitely gonna fit in, right?

It'll be fine.

Hola.

Good morning.

Are you American?

No.

There's nothing like the jungle at night.

It's the most alive sound.

Insects, birds.

All these animals around you.

It's like they're screaming at you...

...pulsing like electricity.

And then suddenly...

...it stops.

There is nothing.

Just you and whatever you came looking for.

Between the mining and the missionaries,

there'll be nothing left.

In one generation, all of the Indians gone.

The last of the hidden world, gone.

Gone!

That's what you're dreaming of.

Right? The hidden world?

That's why you're here.

Yossi, I'm not trying to be an asshole.

I'm just saying.

Do you want to be like every other tourist?

You want to go to Machu Picchu? Anybody can go to Machu Picchu.

But the jungle?

To see wild Indians that nobody has ever seen before and this guy, Karl, who I met...

- Who's very nice.. - Karl?

- He can take us there! - How do you know...

- ...he is telling the truth? - He pans for gold.

- He's friends with the Indians. - He could be making

- ...all of this up... - No.

...like a spiel for him. - You know.

They know each other, they're friends, they hang out.

Smiling with the Indians.

- You met him in the street! - He showed me photos.

Okay... You can take photos of this.

Him standing there, with the Indians, right?

He says the rivers there are filled with gold...

and we come back with pockets full.

- How can you even trust... - Please watch that, it's burning, okay?

Yes. No, that is good.

Magical. Thank you.

There you go!

- It's nonsense, Yossi. - Please

- No - ... meet him!

- You just... - I'm doing it!

you seem very sold on the idea.

I'm gonna do it.

You'll see I'm right. Cancel your flights home.

And come with me.

Cancel our flight home?

That's great.

You're being stupid, Yossi, okay?

Wow!

Kevin, tell him he's crazy.

I think Marcus is right. It sounds like bullshit.

Just meet him.

This map's useless.

It's what, one to 500?

It's a joke.

It's this and it's here.

I'm your navigation.

The Toromonas Indians are here.

"Río Colorado" Chico.

We fly to Apolo, here.

We hike to Asariamas.

Then from here to Río Colorado, Chico...

...three, four days.

I've never heard of these Toromonas.

Exactly.

- You're a photographer, right? - Yeah.

There, you take photos,

they get you straight into National Geographic.

So, what do you say?

50 bucks a head to guide us.

That's it. To help and buy provisions.

And he says he'll pay us back when we pan some gold.

Yeah. The gold. Yeah. Whatever happened...

.. to talking him out of it? Like we...

No, I know, I know.

Look, I have my doubts as well, but Karl seems to know ...

...what he's talking about. And he's right.

I'd get some amazing shots. Like, once-in-a-lifetime shots.

Kevin wants to go. Marcus, come on.

You have to come with us. It'll be an adventure.