California Couple Completes Expedition to Remote Amazon Reserve

Feb. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- ATTN: EDUCATION REPORTERS AND EDITORS

February 5, 2013          

On January 28, 2012, two Trekking the Planet travelers embarked on a 424-day expedition to explore the cities, peoples, history, economics, topography, nature and customs of 50 plus countries on six continents.  The mission of the Trekking the Planet expedition is to get students excited about geography by exposing them to interactive and highly-visual educational materials. To date, they have traveled to 47 countries with another 6 or so to go before they return to the United Sates.  Eight hundred fifty classrooms in 20 countries, representing 55,000 students, are following their journey over the Internet.

The Trekking the Planet team traveled 1,215 miles (or 1,955 kilometers) from the mouth of the Amazon to a remote reserve located in the heart of the Amazon in order to photograph wildlife and also to learn about conservation efforts underway there.  En route, they visited the towns of Santarem and Parintins on the Pacific Princess before boarding the public ferry Comte Natal VI in Manaus.  After traveling all night and most of the next day, they reached the outpost of Moura where they transferred to a small boat and journeyed another four and a half hours up the Jauaperi River, a tributary of the Rio Negro.  They arrived in Xixuau, a small community of about 17 families located in the Riserva Xixuau-Xiparina, just as the sun was setting.  While there, Darren and Sandy saw giant otters, dolphins, monkeys and a host of exotic birds.  They also learned how the local community is working to preserve the environment for generations to come.  Interested parties can watch their two-part documentary series entitled "The Amazon: An Unexpected Journey".  It is located here: http://vimeo.com/57707562.



Teachers have access to a growing library of four-page education modules available as supplements to existing classroom materials. In addition, Trekking the Planet provides articles, weekly quizzes and videos all free of charge to educators.  Students continue to formulate and post questions on Twitter and Facebook or by email and are answered by the travelers in near real-time, making this an unprecedented interactive venture.  Educators can enroll on the Educators page.  Armchair travelers can also receive the couple’s updates by subscribing on the Friends page.  

Studies show that American knowledge of geography is one of the worst in the world.  In one study, US young adults finished eighth out of nine countries, and, in another study, 29% could not locate the Pacific Ocean on a map.  Trekking the Planet hopes to help educators change these statistics for future generations.

More information is available on the website: http://TrekkingthePlanet.net