Describing the beginning of the trip as bad would be a horrific understatement. We took a van to the spot where we were getting picked up for our longer trip. We had too many people, so I needed to face backwards. This was not good for my system or my soul. I stepped out of the van 20 minutes later ready to return my breakfast to the Earth from where it came. Unfortunately, this was going to be the best part of the morning.
We got in the next bus, and I was already feeling pretty queasy. I have already spoken briefly about the lack of straight roads, but this was the absolute worst. The first hour was uncomfortable. One hour deep, I had to close my eyes and fight the nausea. 90 minutes in, I was the opposite of happy. There was no bathroom, and I had no bag, so I was in for a rough go. After another hour of extreme discomfort, negative cognition, and select inappropriate words/phrases for our merciless driver, Greg passed me a bag. At that point it was just a matter of time. In the presence of my friends, my teachers, and unlucky youths standing in the crowded aisle adjacent to my seat, I spewed. Not once, not twice, but three times. I felt temporary relief, but we still had an hour to go.
I have been in some pretty awful car rides. This was not the first time my stomach rejected its contents in the face of transportation. However, in all of my life, in all of my journeys, this was the WORST travel experience I have ever had. I stepped off the bus ready to crawl into an Ecuadorian hole and die. Thankfully, we had an hour to take a break, walk around, and eat. This time I spent thinking of ways that I could avoid the bus ride back. Hitchhiking, walking, or crawling were all preferable alternatives. As my motion sickness subsided, my outlook began to improve.
From Tena, we hopped in the back of pickup trucks (don't worry, we weren't hitchhiking) that took us into the jungle. Sitting in the bed of that pickup truck was maybe the happiest I have been in Ecuador. No buses, fresh air. Things were looking up, even if I was clinging to the bed of the truck for dear life as we cruised through streets, across broken bridges, and dirt paths.
We pulled into a 'parking lot' that was really just an opening on the side of the road where we hopped out. We threw on our packs and walked into the jungle. After about a 10 minute walk, we arrived at the camp, which was about 8 small cabins, an open area with tables to eat, and a couple of houses for the families that lived there. We threw down our stuff and set off on a hike through the jungle to see some of the local flora and fauna.
A few interesting notes from this journey: 1) there is a medicinal cure for EVERYTHING. It was amazing to hear all of the different uses for the plants that we encountered. 1a) Some of these uses were a bit of a stretch. Bark to treat fever, okay. Leaves used for a tea to combat malaria, makes sense. Piece of branch that is used to 'cure' tubuculosis? Hmm...little bit of a stretch.
2) There are some intense bugs out there. There is a massive ant called the Congo that bites you, causes significant numbness, severe pain and nausea, and vomiting for at least four hours. Thankfully, we only looked at these guys.
3) Edward, our guide, was seriously tough. He walked around barefoot with a kitchen knife cutting plants and clearing a path for us. Serious dude.
After the jungle, we hiked down to the river, ate lemon we picked from trees, and then returned for dinner.
Aislinn and I were asked to pose for the '365 Days of Amazon' Calendar. Can't wait for February 2012!
Because there was not electricity at the first place we were staying, we ate dinner by candlelight, then played cards until everyone went to bed. We played Cuarenta, a sweet Ecuadorian card game, and Cuchara (Spoons). They play spoons with 'penitencias' (punishments), which was awesome. These included KO doing an interpretive dance, Aislinn climbing to the rooftops to proclaim her love in full heart and voice to the jungle night. Eamon and I serenaded Mercedes with a the Top Gun song. Great times.
The next day was the highlight of the trip. We hiked out to a jungle stream. At the base of it, we painted our faces using traditional plants.
I gave Francisco whiskers, he painted a lightning bolt on my face. He is a better person.
We hiked up this stream, and I literally felt like I was in a Disney Ride. It was gorgeous. We had these amazing super boots, so getting wet was no problem. On this hike, there were three decent-sized waterfalls. The first was the largest, and we had to hike around it. The second, however, was about 15-20 feet tall and came down into a small lagoon that was about 10 feet deep. To get up this waterfall, you had to jump in the lagoon, grab a rope, and literally pull yourself up through the middle of the waterfall as you were being pounded by H2O. It was amazing. Exhilarating. This day alone made the bus ride worthwhile. We kept hiking, climbed up a couple of smaller falls, then hiked back to the camp.
So we literally climbed that waterfall. With a rope. Maybe the coolest thing I have ever done. Other than almost playing for an Ecuadorian professional basketball team. Okay, the waterfall was definitely cooler.
The next day, we hiked to an awesome lagoon and swam. There was a rock that you could jump off of and also a natural waterslide. Such a blast. We hiked back, had dinner, got packed up, and got ready to move on to the next site.
If this is not a precious moment, I am not sure what is. Ann Geddes, eat your heart out.
The next site was gorgeous. We had power, hot water, and incredible views of the forest from our rooms. There were obviously hammocks in front of every room and an enormous patio filled with 15 more hammocks for good measure. We still had classes during our time in the jungle, so the first four hours of each day we would spend in our classes out in the jungle, and then we would eat lunch, then go on an adventure.
Here is a picture of a tropical bird literally attacking our teacher, Mercedes. Only in the jungle.
The next day we went on another hike in which we got to climb rock canyons. It was pretty nuts. We were scaling walls as bats flew around our heads. Definitely another highlight. The last day we tubed down the river to an indigenous community. We got to try 'chicha' which is a beverage made by chewing and spitting out yuca, then mixing it with some other stuff and letting it ferment. Mercifully, they didn't tell us how it was prepared until after we drank it. Bitter, but not too bad.
This is me swinging on a jungle vine. I am not kidding. We got to Tarzan it in the jungle. Ever heard of it?
One of the coolest parts of the jungle experience was the night. Enormous creatures come out to play. We saw a tarantula, gigantic spiders, five inch cockroaches, and other massive monsters. The creepiest by far was a grasshopper that was as big as my face. I have seen smaller cats. This thing was unlike any insect I have ever experienced. It honestly tried to steal KO's shirt as they were catching it. It had a mustache, and I am pretty sure I heard it shout 'Ouch' as they threw it back into the jungle night. Insect highlight of the trip: the first night, as Francisco and I were getting ready to bunk up, he took the bigger bed. There was a double bed and then two bunk beds for us in our cabin. He paid for his decision. When we came in at night, I shined my headlamp on the net over his bed, and there was an enormous spider and a humungous beetle hanging out in the net. After some shouting, jumping around, and flailing shoes, we think we killed the spider. However, Cisco decided to abandon the bed to these creatures. Apparently those gym memberships are really paying off.
The words for beautiful and incredible in Spanish are bonito and increible. But pictures can say much more than words.
Thankfully, the bus ride back was much better than the one out. I took some pills that knocked me out. All in all, this week was one that I will never forget. The memories keep mounting. Tomorrow, we are off to Columbia. Don't worry, we are growing mustaches to fit in. Safety first when it comes to travel.
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