Open sores cover his body.
Worms have embedded themselves in his pus-filled flesh.
His feet are covered in blisters.
On the verge of death, Yossi Ghinsberg knows he must stimulate his body to continue pushing
forward.
He spots a nest of fire ants in the leaves of a tree, and moving underneath it, begins
to shake it violently.
The furious ants rain down on him, angrily biting and chewing at his flesh.
It's torture- but the bites also release bursts of steroids from his body's reserves, energizing
him to continue moving... to not lay down and die.
Things will soon get worse.
The son of Holocaust survivors, Yossi Ghinsberg enlisted with the Israeli Navy at the age
of 19 to fulfill his mandatory military service in his home country of Israel.
An adventurer at heart, Ghinsberg dreamed of sailing the seven seas, but it wouldn't
be until he completed his service in 1981 that he'd be free to travel past Israel's
immediate territorial waters.
Ghinsberg was inspired by Papillon, written by Henri Charriere.
In this autobiographical work, the novel details a purported escape from the French penal colony
of Bagne de Cayenne, a brutal prison off the coast of French Guiana also known as Devil's
Island.
Charrier details his escape from this deadly prison and the subsequent adventures abroad
that ensued, setting fire to Ghinsberg's imagination.
He too wanted dangerous adventures and the opportunity to visit uncontacted indigenous
tribes in the deepest jungles of the world.
Ghinsberg made up his mind to save up enough money to embark on a legendary adventure to
find Charrier himself, as well as the many uncontacted tribes he had detailed in his
book.
This would take him into the deepest, darkest parts of the Amazon, but this only heightened
Ghinsberg's anticipation.
He worked every job that he could, saving every shekel he earned in anticipation of
his grand adventure.
His first job was working construction in Norway, after which he flew to Alaska to join
the dangerous fishing fleets of the legendary Bering Sea.
After saving up a good chunk of money, Ghinsberg drove from Alaska to the lower 48, stopping
to visit the city of sin itself, Las Vegas.
In just one very ill-advised night of gambling, Ghinsberg lost almost everything he had earned,
putting his dreams of amazon travel in serious jeopardy.
Ghinsberg got turned onto a job in New York however, working for a friend's uncle.
From New York, he traveled to Africa for his new job, shipping old music records to be
re-sold in African markets.
While in Africa, Ghinsberg slept inside of the container trucks he drove in order to
save money and rebuild his savings.
Unfortunately, Ghinsberg discovered that just as he had saved enough money to embark on
his adventure, Charrier had already died.
Further dampening his spirits was the realization that the tribes he had longed to travel to
and live amongst had all already been officially contacted and brought into the fold of the
modern world.
Ghinsberg's mind was made up though.
If his icon was dead and the tribes he longed to meet were already contacted, then he'd
just have to travel deeper into the green inferno and discover new tribes.
Ghinsberg soon arrived in Venezuela, but was initially discouraged by the discovery that
government efforts across South America had brought previous uncontacted tribes into contact
with the modern world.
His disillusion growing by the day, he hitchhiked his way down to Columbia, where he boarded
a ferry ride that would change his life forever.
The captain of Ghinsberg's ferry decided to abruptly turn around after being told that
a passenger had just arrived and missed the boat.
Had that ferry captain not turned around to pick up this straggler, Ghinsberg's life may
have perhaps been more peaceful than it would become.
It certainly would have saved him a trip into the heart of hell itself.
On the dock was a Swiss school teacher, Marcus Stamm.
As the two chatted on their boat ride, they quickly struck up a friendship.
Stamm was like Ghinsberg, also an adventurous spirit, and enjoying the final few weeks of
his year-long break from his job teaching in Switzerland.
With no real destination in mind, Ghinsberg was easily talked into crossing over to Bolivia,
and the duo headed up to La Paz, the capital.
There, the two new friends were approached by an Austrian traveler, Karl Ruprechter.
At first, Ghinsberg and Stamm were suspicious of this character, but then Rupechter began
weaving together a story they couldn't resist.
He explained that he was a geologist in search of a secret gold hot spot deep in the amazon.
The location was completely uncharted and had been revealed to him by sources familiar
with the still uncontacted indigenous tribe who lived there- the Taramonas people.
A secret treasure?
Uncharted territory?
Uncontacted indigenous people?
Ghinsberg was sold, hook line and sinker, begging Ruprechter to allow him and Stamm
to join his expedition.
Ruprechter quickly agreed.
The two could not have known that Ruprecther was not in fact a geologist, but rather a
wanted criminal and con man fleeing from the Austrian authorities.
The group made the acquaintance of an American, Kevin Gale, who was traveling through South
Africa on a quest to document the people and animals.
An avid photographer, it didn't take much convincing for Ruprechter to talk Gale into
joining them.
Once more the promise of grand adventure and sights no white man had seen before proved
too powerful a lure to resist.
The four traveled to the Tuichi River and then followed the river until arriving at
a tribal village at the very edge of the known Amazon.
There they stocked up on supplies and spoke to the locals about their trip.
The villagers were quick to dissuade the foursome from pushing further into the jungle, citing
the many dangers- including the Taramonas people themselves.
Nothing would stop the group's quest for riches and adventure though, and the four plunged
forth into the thick Amazon jungle.
It would be a trip they would quickly regret.
The towering trees quickly grow so thickly together that they block out enough sun to
leave the jungle below in a state of perpetual twilight.
Vines and undergrowth choke the group's progress, forcing them to hack their way forward with
machetes.
Thick clouds of insects and poisonous snakes dog their every step.
The treacherous jungle has seriously slowed their progress, and the supplies they'd brought
with them begin to run dangerously low.
Within days, they run out completely.
The group resorts to eating whatever they can forage.
In the heart of the amazon however, there's surprisingly little readily available food-
unless you have the skill and knowledge to find it.
The four don't, but they do get lucky and encounter monkeys occasionally.
Ruprecht decides that they'll eat meat that day, and raises his shotgun to his shoulder,
drawing a bead on a monkey.
Stamm objects, not wishing to kill any animals unless they absolutely have to.
The group quickly turns on him- this is what they must do for survival.
Undaunted, Ruprecht once more raises the shotgun and squeezes the trigger.
The monkey falls, fatally injured and bleeding profusely.
Stamm rushes to the monkey, and to the shock of everyone, pulls out his first aid kit in
an attempt to save the monkey's life.
Ruprecht violently shoves him aside, scolding him for wasting their medical supplies on
their dinner.
He then takes the monkey and throws it on Ghinsberg's back, tying the hands around his
neck.
The group pushes forward, moving until nightfall, as Ghinsberg's shirt becomes covered in the
monkey's blood.
At camp that night, Ruprecht lights a fire and then roasts the monkey, burning off the
fur.
Next is the meat, which he cuts up into equal parts so the group can share.
Stamm however refuses to eat the monkey, and the group turn on him, calling him weak and
useless.
Eventually, Stamm accepts the meat and tries to eat it, but ends up vomiting it back up.
Later, Ghinsberg would come to regret his treatment of Stamm.
The Swiss man was one of the most kindhearted he had ever met.
While traveling together, they boarded a bus and watched as a thief stole the expensive
camera a birdwatching tourist was carrying.
The tourist, having come all the way to South America to photograph the continent's exotic
birds, broke down into tears.
Stamm approached the stranger and offered him his own camera, free of charge, so that
he may complete his journey.
Stamm should have never come here, Ghinsberg thinks.
The group begins to alienate Stamm as they push further and further into the jungle.
Though he would later regret his treatment of him, now Ghinsberg begins to greatly resent
the soft-hearted Swiss man, and the resentment spreads amongst Ruprecht and Gale.
As the four push deeper and deeper into the jungle, Stamm grows weaker, refusing to eat
the monkeys that the other three occasionally hunt and kill.
By now though, the group is starting to have serious suspicions about Ruprecht.
As they travel, they ask Ruprecht about his life, training, and the location of the gold
that they are seeking.
Ruprecht's stories begin to contradict each other, and the three's suspicions grow by
the day.
With mistrust growing within the foursome, and resentment towards both Ruprecht and Stamm,
the group stops to take stock of their situation.
Their supplies are almost completely out, and they've been largely subsiding on the
occasional fruits and other things they can hunt or scavenge.
Stamm has been injured and is physically lagging behind the group on their daily pushes into
the jungle.
They decide that it's best to turn around and head back to the village they had departed
from.
It would be a long, difficult journey, but better than continuing with nearly no supplies
and an injured Stamm.
Once back in the village, the group recuperates their strength and restocks their provisions.
Seeking to salvage the expedition, Ruprecht pitches the group on a new plan- instead of
trudging through the thick jungle again, they could simply ride rafts down the river to
a small gold quarry that Ruprecht knew about.
From there, they could once more simply raft down to Rurrenabaque, a small town where they
could then get transportation back to La Paz.
The idea of rafting, instead of walking, into the Amazon is very appealing to the group.
Ruprecht told them he was a river guide and Gale was an expert rafter, so their confidence
was high.
With the help of villagers, they built their raft and pushed off, floating once more into
the heart of the green inferno.
Soon the group arrived at the confluence of two rivers, and Ruprecht suddenly called for
them to pull the raft over to shore.
He warned the group of the San Pedro Canyon, a series of very dangerous rapids, boulders,
and waterfalls that would be extremely hazardous to try and cross by raft.
Also, he told the group that he couldn't swim- and refused to continue down the river.
They had to continue on foot, he said.
The group now was furious with Ruprecht.
His contradictory stories, and this new betrayal, was too much for the group to bear.
Also, as the group continued deeper and deeper into the jungle on their raft, Ruprecht had
grown increasingly more authoritarian, taking leadership of the group.
This was too much, and the group decided to officially split.
Gale and Ghinsberg decided that they would take their chances on the river, confident
of Gale's rafting expertise allowing them to navigate the treacherous waters ahead.
It would also make their journey to Rurrenabaque much quicker than to try and continue on foot.
Ruprecht, furious at the expedition's cancellation, decided he would simply hike back upriver
and return to civilization.
It was best, in everyone's opinion, that Stamm go with him, and with a tearful hug, the Swiss
man bid Gale and Ghinsberg goodbye.
The group vowed to meet again just before Christmas in La Paz.
Stamm and Ruprecht however, would never be seen again, even after an extensive search
and rescue effort.
Whether they were killed by jungle animals, or hostile natives, or simply succumbed to
disease and infection, nobody knows.
To this day, nobody also knows what Ruprecht's real objectives were- and why he lied to the
group about the dangerous rapids and his inability to swim.
Clearly, Rupecht had an alternative goal in mind, and one he hoped to rope the other three
into once they were in a position to no longer refuse.
What the wanted con man's goals may have been will forever remain a mystery.
Gale and Ghinsberg quickly meet with the dangerous rapids that they had been warned about.
Gale expertly leads the two over the turbulent waters, but then, suddenly, their raft smashes
into a large boulder, throwing Gale off and plunging him into the tempestuous waters.
Ghinsberg frantically screams for his friend, but soon he has his own problems as the raft
is pushed over the boulder and violently ripped downstream.
Clinging on for dear life, Ghinsberg stays with the raft as it suddenly plunges out over
a waterfall.
The raft smashes into pieces on the rocks below, but miraculously Ghinsberg has avoided
those same rocks and plunged into a deep pool.
He's lost everything though- his supplies, camping gear, and even his compass.
Desperate to find Gale, he tries to climb the cliff back upriver, spending the entire
night doing so.
The effort however is futile, and Ghinsberg is forced to turn back.
Now his only hope is to follow the river and continue with the original plan to reach civilization.
This time however he'll have to do it through the thick Amazon jungle, and he'll have to
do it with only the shirt on his back.
Ghinsberg has to travel over a hundred miles to reach safety, and every inch of it through
jungle infested with jaguars, wild boars, snakes, and venomous insects.
With no camping gear, Ghinsberg has to find what comfort he can on the jungle floor, which
is crawling with giant cockroaches and other insects with painful bites and stings.
Sleep rarely comes for more than a few minutes at a time, and when the sun rises the temperature
soars to nearly 100 degrees.
In the thick, humid jungle, breathing feels almost like drowning, and Ghinsberg is essentially
traveling through a sauna.
The constant humidity and heat wreaks havoc on Ghinsberg's body.
Fungus and other infections quickly take hold.
Every scratch, cut, and scrape, is quick to become infected.
Open blisters form on his battered feet, as he struggles to push through the thick jungle
and closer to civilization.
The blisters leak pus, and at night the worms feed on him.
Ghinsberg has lost thirty pounds in two weeks.
He's covered in insect bites and delirious from lack of food.
However, Ghinsberg is not alone.
A young native woman has been his traveling companion for days now.
She's unaffected by the tortures of the thick jungle, and doesn't speak any english.
Like him, she appears to be lost, and even though she never says a word to him, Ghinsberg
feels that he must protect her and ensure she gets to safety.
This feeds his resolve, keeping him from giving up even as his body is failing him and beginning
to break down.
If he can't save himself, then he must save this young girl.
On day 17 of being lost in the jungle, Ghinsberg suddenly hears the sound of an airplane.
He crashes through the jungle, desperately searching for an opening in the canopy, somewhere
that he can signal for help.
Finding an open spot near the river, Ghinsberg begins to jump up and down and wave his arms,
screaming until his voice completely fails him.
The plane doesn't spot him however, and quickly disappears into a cloud bank.
The crushing disappointment nearly snuffs out the last bit of will to live in Ghinsberg-
but then he thinks of his companion.
The mute native girl is still there, by his side, and she, like him, still needs rescuing.
If he gives up, neither of them will ever make it out alive.
Ghinsberg plunges back into the jungle.
He wills his battered and beaten body to continue forward.
At one point he fends off a curious jaguar, lured in by the smell of Ghinsberg's rotting
flesh.
The cat backs off, but Ghinsberg can hear it occasionally in the nearby jungle.
The cat knows the same thing Ghinsberg does- death is near.
All the jaguar has to do is wait.
On the 19th day, Ghinsberg can no longer stand on his feet.
He hasn't eaten anything substantial in over two weeks.
Despite the overwhelming abundance of life around him, the jungle is incredibly barren
unless you know exactly where to look- and Ghinsberg lacks the training.
He's ready to give up, but then spots a massive colony of fire ants on a tree nearby.
He knows his body needs a jolt of energy, something to get him back on his feet again.
Even if it's for the last time, he needs to push himself just a little bit further in
hopes of rescue- his mute traveling companion is depending on him.
He moves up to the tree and begins to shake it, causing the fire ants to rain down on
him from above.
The furious insects immediately attack Ghinsberg's flesh, delivering dozens of painful stings.
Waves of pain course over Ghinsberg's body, but the pain also releases steroids into his
bloodstream, giving his body a desperately needed jolt of energy.
Ghinsberg pushes back into the jungle once more, breaking through the thick cover and
finally spotting a small opening by the river.
This is it, he can't take one more step, and he collapses.
Tears in his eyes, he apologizes to his mute traveling companion, the native girl watching
him with kind eyes.
While his own body is covered in pus-oozing sores and infected wounds, she is still completely
untouched by the horrors of their ordeal.
Ghinsberg closes his eyes, blacking out.
An entire day passes with Ghinsberg on that riverbank, when he's suddenly awakened by
the sound of a motor boat and shouting.
Blinking against the brutal sun, Ghinsberg barely has the strength to crane his neck
and look in the direction of the sound.
To his amazement he spots a canoe, and most incredible of all, Gale is at the bow, frantically
encouraging the natives he is riding with to move the boat faster.
Ghinsberg would go on to be saved by Gale, who after getting thrown off the raft was
swept to the riverbank.
There he stayed, looking for Ghinsberg before being rescued by two native hunters.
Once back in their village, he organized the rest of the villagers to launch a search and
rescue effort lasting almost three weeks.
Incredibly, the group would find Ghinsberg and bring him back into civilization where
he'd spend three months in recovery.
As far as Ghinsberg's companion, the mute indigenous woman he traveled with, there would
be no evidence of her ever discovered.
Ghinsberg himself however refutes that she was merely a hallucination brought on by starvation,
illness, and stress.
Who- or what- she may have been still remains a mystery.
Now go watch Man shot in spine and left for dead in Amazon jungle, or click this other
video instead!
Two plus two equals four!