Jungle Fever

Finally out of the jungle and back to civilization (read: internet).

Our last morning in Banos, I got a bit sick and was sort of ill for the first day in the jungle. But I did not let that stop me from participating in all the available activities, even in the sweltering heat.

From Banos, we drove to Tena, which is a small town in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We took a dugout canoe down the Napo River, an Amazon tributary, to a small lodge. The lodge was fantastic, very "Swiss Family Robinson". All of the rooms were in these raised cabins, like treehouses, and the dining area was on an open porch over the river. Finally, the lodge has its own pet monkey, Mona. She is amazing. She plays and jumps all over people and steals things...just wonderful. She was rescued after her mother was shot by a hunter and when she's a bit older, she'll be sent to a nearby animal reintroduction centre. The owner of the lodge, Tom, was a very interesting man from Nebraska. He was sent to Ecuador with the Peace Corps 20 years ago and never left. He also used to work as the head environmentalist at the Charles Darwin Research Station, which I thought was very cool.

On our first day, we visited Amazoonicas, the animal reintroduction/rehabilitation centre. We did a tour and saw a variety of monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, tucans...lots of stuff. Most of the animals are brought in by people who had kept them illegally and then got sick of them or couldn't handle them anymore, for whatever reason. They are kept in the centre forever or until they can be released back into the wild. Unfortunately, that's an unusual scenario because most wouldn't be able to handle living on their own. I learnt that, in Ecuador, the illegal animal trade ranks just behind the drug trade in terms of illegal markets. The centre is funded entirely by donations and volunteers and I thought it was really amazing.

In the afternoon, we floated down the river on inner tubes, which was fantastic because of the absolutely insane heat and humidity in the jungle. In the evening, we just relaxed, ate, played cards, and laughed at Mona.

The next day, we did a walk through the jungle. We talked a lot about medicinal plants and various types of insects and I ate a lemon ant. It tasted like lemon. The guide also explained a great deal about indigenous Amazonian cultures and practices, which I also found very interesting, particularly with regards to medicine. Indigenous tribes in the area rely mainly on a Shaman for medical care. A Shaman is kind of a spiritual doctor figure and he or she mixes traditional spiritual practices with medicinal plants from the jungle in order to treat people. A local Shaman came to visit the lodge while we were there and talked to us about what he does, how he treats people, how he became a Shaman, etc. Interestingly, even though he believes completely in his power, he said that for severe snake and insect bites, he will only stabilize people before sending them to a hospital. I really enjoyed learning about how traditional practices were fused with more modern ideas, without losing the important aspects of indigenous culture.

On our last day in the jungle, we began the drive to Cuenca. Since it's too far to do in one day, we had our first "bushcamp" on the way. This means stopping at the side of the road and putting up tents wherever you can find a flat patch of grass. Since we were at such a high altitude, it was aboslutely freezing. Even so, I found the whole experience hilarious.

The next morning, we drove to Cuenca, where I am now. We went to the Panama Hat factory in the morning, which was nice and somewhat interesting because I most definitely did not know much about Panama hats before arriving, and then walked around town for the rest of the day. Cuenca is a beautiful, colonial city and even though it's quite big, it's much safer and friendlier than Quito. Today was my last day in Ecuador, as tomorrow we drive to Punta Sal, Peru. Having a fantastic time, but definitely missing home!

Lots of love,

Sarah