Sunday we left Riobamba, but we had to make a lot of stops including the doctor. A lot of people forgot to bring sunglasses to the mountain so they needed their eyes checked afterward. Yoan’s eyes were the worst, and I feel bad that his first snow experience included a few days of snow blindness. (On this trip all of the guys got really sick at one point, and my stomach hated me after a big burger from a street vendor in Riobamba.) We drove east to Shell, which served as our base for the rest of the trip. We had a wooden hostel that was really cool looking, but it was frustrating when our bathroom light broke and we ran out of water.
Left: Eating Jungle Ants. Right: Yoan and I.
---More pictures can be found here.
We had no idea what our schedule would be like in the jungle because everything was planned around our flights into the Amazon. Monday the weather prevented us from flying, but it was really nice in Shell. Instead we rented a nature guide and headed into the jungle by car. We started off at an Arapaima fish hatchery, then we went trekking into the jungle. We headed out along a river and did cool stuff like tribal face painting, eat ants off of leaves, and make clay masks from river mud. Along the way we say a lot of cool plants and wildlife, including giant spiders). Finally we reached a tall waterfall at the end that we could swim under. Afterward we floated down another river in handmade wooden canoes, and visited an indigenous tribe that gave us some chicha (the fermented corn drink). Then we went to a monkey refuge and got to see a bunch of monkeys. This was scary at first because some were demonic looking, but I eventually gave in and played with them.
Left: Holding. Right: Petting.
---More pictures can be found here.
Tuesday was our day to fly into the jungle and after being weighed and sorted into two groups, we were set to head out first. We got in the Cessna and went through the preflight check with the pilot, but after he started the engine we weren’t cleared for take off. The weather was too cloudy out where we were headed. We were disappointed but headed into Puyo, a nearby town for shopping. There were a lot of tourist stores there, but we were able to kill some time. Our next attempt took us through the whole process again, but right before we were cleared to take off, one of the gauges in the plane wasn’t working. So instead of two planes flying out into the Amazon together for a few hours, we had to resort to one plane flying each group out for just a few minutes.
This was still really fun though, and we got to visit a Waorani village that wasn’t too far away. Our Cessna flight took us just over thirty minutes each way and all we could see were green trees and scattered villages. Our group was the second to go, and when we landed a bunch of villagers came out to greet us. They painted our faces and put grass crowns on our heads, and we met their leader, Dyuwi (pronounced ‘Dewey’). Dyuwi was one of the original men from the spearing party in 1956, during Operation Auca. This was the first attempt for outsiders to reach the isolated tribe, who were known for brutal violence. It’s a really touching story and was also made into a movie: The End of the Spear.
Left: Waorani Villagers. Right: The Children.
---More pictures can be found here.
Wednesday was a more adventure filled day and we started out river rafting nearby on the Pastaza. The Rio Pastaza is a river that runs through Ecuador and Peru and is a large tributary to the Amazon. There were some pretty sweet rapids, including one called ‘King Kong’s Hand’. I was put in a group with Jenna, Kelsey, and Amy and we had a crazy guide. During one of the small rapids he called his mom on his cell phone and at one point he just jumped out of the boat for the heck of it. He let us tip the raft too which was really fun.
Left: Getting Ready. Right: Padding Downstream.
---More pictures can be found here.
Afterward we visited the Paillon del Diablo (the devil’s cauldron), a huge waterfall we hiked down to. We were also able to crawl up to the top in a small cave, where we got soaked! Then we rode a terabita (gondola) across a valley to another waterfall. (I forgot my camera on this trip.) We also had some free time in Baños so Thad and I walked over to the famous thermal baths. But we were bummed out when we found out they were closed. (The only hour they close each day was the hour we were there!) So we just walked around town and visited the big cathedral.
Well, that’s the gist of what we did. We left early this morning and got back in time for a Thanksgiving meal with some of the other missionaries. That was really cool, and better than the food we ate in the jungle. Tomorrow is graduation (and Yoan’s birthday) so we’re just going to hang out here in Quito. Apparently we are going to have a feast too (hence the live sheep tied up outside of my dorm room). Saturday morning we fly out to Guayaquil (a coastal city) and then we head for the Galapagos on Sunday. I am really excited for that. It’s so crazy that I’m already flying home in nine days. Well, hasta luego!
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