Lex Fridman

Although to push back on something you just said, having known you long enough, let's be honest.

You're saying I wouldn't be insane enough to do it.

I think you would be.

I mean, there's...

There's a line of insanity, and you, my friend, walked that line masterfully so far.

I think when you're able to sense the animal, whether it's crocodiles, caiman, or anacondas, and maybe radiate a sense of calm,

I've seen you be able to go into some dangerous, from my perspective, situations, and make it seem like it's not dangerous at all.

And maybe when you become one with the ecosystem, maybe you're not a threat to it, and maybe that's why you can survive.

I have to ask you about the floating forest, and you write about Santiago, once again, beautifully in the book, of the time when he told you the stories, and when your mind and eyes were still fresh and maybe skeptical and more leaning towards the Western world point of view versus the jungle point of view.

Santiago's eyes were glowing in the darkness.

He watched the orange embers spark upward to join the celestial river of stars that arched across the night sky, as if the memories were written there.

He squinted, his face as wrinkled and weathered as an old map of the world, vast experience whispered in the firelight, as ephemeral as the breath that spoke the words, but powerful enough to latch on and sink down into some deep part of me.

This is Pico saying, Papa, tell me about the anaconda on the Blackwater Stream.

And he tells a story of that.

He talks about it big and having horns, and you write once again masterfully about you at that time having doubts.

It sounds like bullshit, but now more and more of the things you've seen of the jungle and the things you sense you have not seen yet, all of those stories seem to be true.

The one he was referring to may be 36 feet long.

This big, he shows it.

He says that the floating forest is the place you need to go, Gringo, if you want to be liberated of your doubts and skepticism.

So tell me about the anacondas you've encountered in the floating forest.