This Naked Wednesday we began, as we often do, gathered in the camp. What started as a quiet moment together soon turned into spontaneous dancing, as the rhythm caught us and feet began to move almost on their own.

Villagers unclothed form a circle around a fire in the jungle campUnclothed native woman extends her arms by the communal fire in the jungle campUnclothed native woman leans back as a shirtless villager holds her in the jungle campUnclothed villagers dance around a campfire in the jungle camp

After a while we made our way to the water, where the Shaman offered a short prayer before we stepped in. Batu, taking a well deserved break from his Carnival contest duties, then hosted an Amazon quiz in the river. Sunisa claimed a clear victory, scoring 22 apples while we bathed.

Native women topless bathe in a lotus-filled pool at the jungle campUnclothed native woman raises a staff with a bird at the jungle riverbank as villagers gather for a ritualNative woman unclothed is embraced by a shirtless man in a shallow river with villagers bathingUnclothed villagers wade and kneel in a shallow river at the jungle camp during a dusk ritualOrange jungle cat lies on the sandy riverbank near torches and mossy steps

With minds tested and spirits high, we returned to the fire. There, in the warmth of the flames, we danced ourselves dry in the circle, skin glowing in the firelight and movements settling into the steady rhythm of the evening.

Unclothed villagers dance around a fire in the jungle camp