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Into the Heart of the Amazon: Yossi Ghinsberg's Fight for Life
In November 1981, a man named Yossi Ghinsberg got lost in the Amazon forests. He was alone and stayed lost for three whole weeks. The Amazon is a huge forest, covering an area of about 6.7 million square kilometres, and it's known for being one of the most dangerous places on Earth. How did Yossi manage to survive for so long on his own? Let's find out in today's true story of survival.
In November 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg, who was only 21 years old at the time, finished his military training in Israel's army and served in the Navy for three years. After that, he read a book called Papillon by Henri Charrière, who talked about his life as a criminal. This book really inspired Ghinsberg, so he decided to travel the world. He planned to go to South America and explore the famous but risky Amazon forests.
When Ghinsberg began his journey, he met three other people. The first was Kevin Gale, who was a photographer from America. The second was Karl Ruprechter, an Australian geologist searching for gold. And the third was Marcus Stamm, a teacher from Switzerland. They all decided to travel together through the Amazon forests. Kevin led the group because he had experience in the Amazon. Without much planning, they entered the dense forests with only basic gear.
As the four people begin their journey, they venture into remote parts of the Amazon forests where few people ever go. In these areas, there are hardly any signs or directions to guide them. As they delve deeper into the forests, they begin to lose their way. Additionally, their food and other supplies start running low, causing them to become weaker over time. Among them, Stamm suffers the most. He develops a condition called Trench Foot, which occurs when someone stands in cold and wet conditions for too long. This causes severe pain and swelling in the feet, and reduces blood flow to the affected area. Stamm's discomfort adds to the challenges they face on their journey through the unforgiving terrain of the Amazon.
Now everyone faced a serious issue: what to eat to survive. They resorted to shooting monkeys for food, but Stamm refused. Yossi explained, "We were extremely hungry after walking for so long with little food. In the thick forests, we found something to eat. When hunger reaches a certain point, you'll eat almost anything. The idea of what's 'clean' or 'scary' doesn't matter anymore." So, in their desperate situation, they hunted monkeys to stave off starvation. Hunger drove them to do things they wouldn't normally consider. This shows how extreme circumstances can change our perceptions and actions. Even though Stamm resisted eating monkeys, the others felt they had no choice but to do what was necessary to survive.
Finally, everyone decides to split up rather than continue their journey together. Ruprechter and Stamm choose to return from there, while Ghinsberg and Gale decide to move forward by building a temporary raft. However, soon Ghinsberg and Gale encounter a new problem. As they were traveling on the raft along the river, they approach a waterfall. The flow of the river gradually increases, causing the speed of their raft to also increase. This makes it difficult for them to control the raft, and it starts moving uncontrollably faster ahead. Somehow, Gale manages to bring himself to the riverbank successfully, but Ghinsberg is still in the river struggling to keep his head above water. He later recounts, "I was carried by the fast flow of water in the river for almost half an hour. I was struggling to keep my head above water as I was hitting rocks and fallen trees in the river. It was very painful for me to endure how much pain I was in."
Now, Ghinsberg managed to get himself to the riverbank somehow, and luckily, his bag also ended up there. Unfortunately, there was neither any food left in that bag nor any supplies that could help him. He travelled upstream for four days searching for help and eventually realized that he was lost in the jungle alone, with no hope of finding anyone. Ghinsberg was about to face many problems that would challenge his survival instincts. Once, he encountered a Jaguar, which posed a clear life threat, but Ghinsberg managed to scare it away with a lighter and mosquito repellent, a trick he learned from a James Bond movie. Another time, he almost drowned in a flood in the jungle. Later, he survived sinking into quicksand, about which he told, "I thought I was going to die there, and while sinking in the quicksand, I even thought about killing myself."
During his journey, Ghinsberg meets a woman who joins him on his adventure. He recalls, "She appeared to me at my worst moment when I had given up on life. I tried talking to her many times, but she never replied to anything I said. I even made a camp for both of us and made a place for her to sleep." But all of this was just a hallucination for Ghinsberg. When the woman suddenly disappeared, Ghinsberg realized and became worried that he might have lost his mental strength. By then, Ghinsberg had become quite weak, surviving only by eating berries and eggs he found in the nests there. On the other hand, since the flood situation, fungus had started growing on his feet, and worms had started appearing on his forehead.
However, Ghinsberg's hope started to shatter even more when a plane flew right above him, ignoring his loud shouts and screams. As more and more bugs bit into his feet, Ghinsberg was losing hope of staying alive. But then, he attempted to cut himself free from a swarm of ants by climbing a tree, thinking that doing so would give him some strength and help him move forward. Ghinsberg recounts, "I really went for it and shook a tree, knocking down the nest of those ants because my feet couldn't carry me anymore, and I needed to stand up and keep walking. I washed myself off from the swarm of ants and, despite feeling a lot of pain, managed to get up and move forward successfully."
Luckily, Ghinsberg eventually heard the noise of an engine. It turned out to be Gale, who had been searching for him with the help of locals for a long time. Just as Gale was about to give up, he stumbled upon Ghinsberg. Ghinsberg was brought back and underwent treatment for three months. People in the jungle were amazed that Ghinsberg had managed to survive on his own for so long; they thought it was almost magical. The whereabouts of the other two members of the group, Karl and Marcus, remained a mystery. Later, it was revealed that Karl was wanted by the authorities.
Yossi Ghinsberg's survival story teaches us two important lessons. First, even when lost in the jungle and alone, Yossi didn't give up and faced all challenges with strong determination. His flexible thinking and determination helped him survive difficult and adverse situations in the jungle. This is an important lesson for us all – by being determined, we can face any challenges in our lives.
Second, Yossi's story emphasizes the importance of a proactive approach. He had the necessary skills and knowledge to keep himself alive in the jungle beforehand, which allowed him to survive. This serves as a reminder that unexpected situations can arise in our lives anytime and anywhere, and we should always be prepared for them. By being proactive and preparing ourselves ahead of time, we can increase our chances of survival even in the toughest situations. Think about what you need to prepare for most at this time.
A movie based on this real survival story of Yossi Ginsberg was also released in 2017 named JUNGLE.
If you found this story insightful and inspiring, please consider liking, commenting, and sharing it with others who might benefit from Yossi's extraordinary tale. Together, let's spread the message of courage and perseverance. Thank you for joining us on this incredible adventure!
