Jungle Finale

The impact of my immediate environment on my thoughts and state of mind always astounds me. I'm now back in the States, visiting dear friends and eating delicious Texan BBQ. Only a few days removed from Ecuador, the bland food, Spanish speaking, being heads taller than everyone, and most brutally, the cheaper prices, all feel like a dream.

Though they already seem like long ago, the last five days of my trip were spent in the Amazon rainforest - some of the most fascinating hours in all my time in Ecuador. We took a long bus ride to Lago Agrio, a town close to the Colombian border and full of oil money. Winding our way through lush and stomach churning hills, the vast majority of the trip had us riding parallel to a huge oil pipeline. An extreme and thought provoking juxtaposition. From Lago Agrio we drove another 3-4 hours, the last hour on a dirt road. There we made the transition from land to water, hoping in a motorized canoe that would be our primary means of transportation for the coming days.

We arrived at the lodge/bunk huts in the late afternoon, after two hours on the river. For me it was a ride full of stiffness from the tiny benches, awe at the endless depth and density of the rainforest, and meditative monotony from the noise of the motor and pace of the boat. The rhythm of our journey was abruptly interrupted when the driver spotted a water snake, about 4 ft long, skimming across the top of the water. He put us on a collision course for the poor guy, and neither party flinched. Until of course, the snake actually ran into the boat, right where I was sitting. I screamed and the snake launched into the rear of the canoe. To my surprise, the driver seemed to have a healthy fear of the snake, kicking his rubber boots frantically at the squirming and jumping snake, launching the reptile back into the water after a solid 5 second dance.

The camp was made up of hammocks, thatched roofs, and cheerful staff members. There was a long-term German volunteer and I could definitely get behind spending a couples months in that idyllic jungle locale. We spent four days doing an array of exploratory walks and boat rides at various hours of the day and night. We were treated to tropical birds of all varieties and sizes, including macaws, toucans, parrots and woodpeckers. Of the flightless variety we caught glimpses of crocodiles, pink river dolphins (actually kinda creepy looking), tarantulas and sloths.

Yum

Even more fascinating than animal spotting were the plethora of plants and insects we got up close and personal with, thanks to our guide Ramon. A local 26 year old whose grandfather was a shaman and taught him much about the resources of the jungle, he provided a truly unique window to the jungle. He introduced us to a water vine with fresh and plentiful water hiding in its core. He had us snort garlic bark - clearing our sinuses and burning enough that we were all convinced it was a close relative of crushed fresh garlic. We ate ants that tasted like lemon and larvae the flavor of coconut. We got to see first hand the ayahuasca vine, an incredibly important and powerful hallucinogen that is the center of much natural medicine and tradition in the area. For every health problem faced in the jungle, there is a plant to cure the malady, and Ramon knew them all, adding a new and special element of depth and richness to the already impressive Amazon.

It was a great ending to an incredible trip. I'm so thankful to all the generous and welcoming Ecuadorians and fellow travelers I met, and to everyone at home for keeping in touch and providing me with incredible amounts of both support and entertainment.