We were constantly fighting off insects like leeches, termites, and mosquitoes. Leaches were trying to get under my defenses all of the time during the rainy season. When they beat you, I would feel a bite under my shirt, just over the top of my pants. Then I would have to rip the bugger off my skin. Termites would bite a hole through your air-mattress if you didn't spray for them properly and leave you lying directly on the jungle floor. Mosquitoes were a constant annoyance.
There was no place to take a shower out in the jungle. The only practical thing we could do with the amount of water we carried was brush your teeth and wash your face. So after five days you noticed how bad you smelled. The good news was after ten days the smell was no longer noticeable for some reason.
The food we ate out there in the jungle was no Sunday afternoon picnic. We ate C-Rations for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast might consist of a can of fruit cocktail and hot cocoa made in a canteen cup. Lunch might be a cold can of beans & franks or ham slices. A snack might be a can of crackers with cheese spread. Supper was always a freeze-dried food packet that hot water revived into something edible.
I could always take a break from the life out there however by simply looking up. The view was amazing. There was the deep green from the foliage found in the jungle. Between the greenery, you could see the blue sky above. Sometimes the sky would be dappled with clouds. Sometimes the sun would peak through.
It was peaceful looking up. It took your mind off things like how weary I was or the anxiety I felt. Looking up was a way to get a bit of my sanity back.
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