I wonder why I have always been so fascinated with rain forests like the Amazon. The lushness of the jungle is surely different from the sparse western plains of Oklahoma where I was raised, and that could be a factor. Yet much of the fascination must come from the incredible majesty of the multi-layered rain forest. Also, the seemingly impenetrable jungle is so fragile that one knows it won’t last; a few persistent natives equipped with outboard motors, chainsaws and matches are finishing it off too fast. A haunting charm of the Amazon and other jungles is their transitory nature, too soon giving way to civilization.

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