There is probably no greater contrast for someone who has lived most of their life in the dry desert to live in a jungle. Likewise, for those who have lived in the jungle, deserts seem completely alien. I could walk through a cactus forest in the desert and avoid every thorn and needle. But when confronted with a solid wall of vegetation, all I could do is stare and try to figure out how to avoid getting bitten or poked a dozen different ways. I always reflect on my days in the real jungle when I see a movie where the main characters, wielding machetes, are hacking their way through the jungle. This is the top of the jungle, the real jungle is relatively clear except in areas where a giant tree has fallen or the trees have been cut down. Movies are movies and jungles are usually not depicted as jungles.
