In the jungle

In Tena, I was picked up at the bus station by a local Indio family. The family runs a small tourist company and owns a few cabins here in the jungle. After collecting food and candles from their home in Tena for the next days, we first continued by car for half an hour (first on a normal road, later on a dirt road) to the house of their parents, and from there another 15 minutes by foot into the jungle to the cabins close to a big river. (The rubber boots I was given fory time here in the jungle were very useful for the track to the cabins.)

The 'jungle lodge' was very simple. No electricity, no telephone, no internet. Light came from candles (or torches) and a big fire was lit for cooking (or the gas stove was used). No shops anywhere close to buy food (or souvenirs). A standard toilet existed, however no proper shower. Everthing was built with plain wood, and was basically open, just covered by a roof against the rain.

Shortly after arrival, I went for a walk through the jungle with my guide for the next days, Enrique, also part of the familiy. He showed me lost of different plants in the jungle, and what they are used for, especially all the natural medicine the Indios have used in this area for a very long time, as well as plants used by the shamans, causing hallucinations (including detailed explanations how I would need to plepate them). We ate some fresh fruits directly from the tree (e.g. cacao), but I also got to try what he called the jungle peanuts: large ants (a bit smaller than peanuts). (For my taste not really bad, but also nothing special I need to have again.)

Otherwise, the food here in the jungle was a bit different to what I had experienced at the farm. For the first time here in Ecuador, I didn't get rice forvevery meal (rice doesn't really grow in this area), but lots of yucca, which can be found everywhere in this region. Otherwise it was not so different, bananas where also growing everywhere, and chicken were running around. In the nights and mornings, Enrique also went out to the river to fish. However, as he only caught very little, I didn't get to try them.

Unfortunately, the next day it rained all day. We still started to go for a walk (rain in the jungle is not really unexpected). However, it had rained so much that the rivers had risen quite a lot, and the path to visit some waterfalls was no longer usable. At least, because if all the rain, I did get so see a small frog on the way. (I decided to better leave it where it was, as the skin is quite poisonous.)

The next day, the weather had cleared up, and so we went for another walk, this time to a natural pool for a swimm. A smaller river had formed a few small ponds before joining the big river through a few smaller waterfalls. The area of the ponds was in a 'tourist center' with generall cost an entrance fee. As we arrived, however, the whole thing was closed. (We found out later that there was an accident just two weeks ago, where a kid of a politician got caught in the strong current and got into the waterfall and unfortunately died. That's why it was closed to tourists for a month.) We, however, as all the other local people, just went around the gate to get in. In one of the ponds, a school class was being tought kayaking, and lots if smaller kids and mums watched. We then went for a swimm in one if the other pools. It being a really warm and sunny day, the clear water felt really nice and refreshing.

In the afternoons, I had my Spanish lessons, but also had time to look around a bit, at all the birds, insects and butterflies around (not so much interested in the large cockroaches or spiders) and to take photos.

After dinner, in the candle light, I got to learn a card game typically for Ecuador, Cuarenta (Forty), and enjoying the sounds of the jungle.