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away from those razor sharp teeth as it flops around in the bottom of the boat. It's both exciting and silly, as I think the only use for the fish is to stuff it and sell it to tourists. I'm sure it's not edible, but I could be wrong.
The amazing part is while we were catching piranhas there were Brazilian kids swimming in the river about 30 yards from us.
Then it got dark and we went looking for crocodiles. This consisted of motoring near the shore and shining a flashlight. If there were crocodiles, the light would reflect off their eyes and the guy told us if the eyes were wide apart it was time to make a run for it.
It was a great tour until it came time to go back to the ship and he couldn't get the outboard motor started. This was serious stuff, because if we missed the ship it could cost us our jobs. He kept pulling on the starter rope, all the while pushing the choke button in and out. It was then we looked over and saw the choke button wasn't attached to anything. We also saw that instead of the sparkplug having a cap on it with a wire leading out, he had just stripped the insulation and wrapped the wire around the top of the plug. I'm no mechanic but I don't think that's a really good connection. We all fiddled with the engine and eventually got it started. That's how Paul and I didn't end up living on the Amazon selling piranhas to tourists.
Once on a Seabourn cruise we sailed further up the Amazon and stopped at a deserted island. The cooks and crew prepared a barbecue for the guests and we all motored over in tenders for a big party on the island. In time, some native kids swam over and hesitantly approached a bunch of us entertainers and dancers. Wow, we thought, we are interacting with people who have never seen civilization. This is a special moment. Then someone put on music and the kids lit up and said, "Michael Jackson!"
That's when I knew the true meaning of stardom. If you're famous in the jungle a thousand miles up the Amazon, you've hit the big time.