"Where are we
going?" You're heading into unspoiled marshes near the country's tropical coast. If you're hot and sticky, don't worry. See those clouds ahead? It's December, the start of the rainy season, and each afternoon usually ends with a downpour. It's a great time of year to meet with the giant Amazonian leech. Its kind is just emerging from the bottom muck, where they dug themselves in to wait out the three-month dry season. They'll be vigorously searching for their favorite meal: fresh mammal blood. Grazing cattle usually provide the juice, but you'll do. The leeches aren't too discriminating, and they're hungry. Real hungry.
