I'm in El Oriente, the Ecuadorian side of the Amazon Rainforest.
Wow.
On Monday morning, I got picked up at 6AM and rode the bus down to Shell. That sucked. In Shell, we split up into three small planes for the 50 minute flight into the rainforest. Basically, we followed the Pastaza river almost to Peru, over giant swaths of green, onto a dirt and mud runway in the middle of the jungle.
From there, we took a canoe ride of about an hour up the Pastaza to the Capahuara River, where the Kapawi Lodge is located. There are wooden boardwalks everywhere, and our rooms are individual huts on stilts that jut out overlooking a peaceful a lagoon. The boardwalk is wet and slick, and there's no way I'd touch the railings because some bug or another is hiding in every nook and cranny. Heck, some aren't even bothering to hide... This is not the place for the bug-phobic.
We started with lunch in the main dining hall, then a rest for the afternoon - a good thing, because I was so tired and still feeling a bit woozy from my ears. I feel asleep on my porch. It's quite warm here, even when it rains, and especially when its sunny. Plus, it's super humid (which always makes me drowsy).
The rooms are dark and made of palm, with screen windows with no glass so there are plenty of bugs in the rooms. At least there is a mosquito net, so sleeping is comfortable. No hot water though - we get a solar camp shower every day (but the temperature depends on if there is sun) and it is delivered around 5PM so if you want warm water you have to shower right away.
We met at 7 to break into our groups - mine is Joey, Sarah, and Dave, a nice family from Pennsylvania who talk a LOT - and a Turkish couple. There is also a Canadian mom and daughter, and two German couples, but they are in the other group. After dinner we went on a night boat ride - trying to find caimans, but we only glimpsed one before it slipped into the water. But we did see a night bird, and for a while they turned off all the lights and motors and we just listened to the sounds of the jungle - very cool.
In the morning, wakeup is at 6AM - someone comes to knock on our door. Had some tea, then at 6:30 we had a birdwatching boat ride. Saw a yellow headed vulture, many banded toucans, and several macaws, parrots, and parakeets. Also saw some pink dolphins!
Breakfast was a 7:30, with the first hike at 9:30. We went on the Capahuara Pastaza Trail - took the canoe up the Capahuara and hiked 2.5 hours to the Pastaza. Learned about medicinal plants, which was interesting - 90% of whats in the jungle is toxic, but they figured out the things that were medicinal. Things like Devil Finger fungus, which cures earaches, a tree whose bark is an anaesthetic, etc.
There he is!
Having a professional guide is absolutely critical - I'm constantly amazed by what they can find in the jungle!!
Hiking in the jungle is interesting - our warning at the start was: Don't touch ANYTHING because lots of things can sting you, bite you, or hurt you! So its kind of nervewracking, since the jungle is pretty dense and leaves brush against you all the time.
We have two guides, Jose (an Achuar guide who only speaks Spanish), and Carlos. Jose leads, carrying a machete and hacking down vines and leaves as he goes.
Jose showed us a 'false bullet ant' - a huge, almost 2 inch long ant that resembles the bullet ant, which gives one of the most painful bites in the insect world (Carlos says it hurts for 3 days).
Also saw a monkey stair vine, a cool twisty vine whose legend we'll hear tomorrow.
Back to the lodge for lunch and a rest (again, I was exhausted so I fell asleep) and in the afternoon the activity was kayaking. We went in a canoe up the Pastaza and floated back down to the lodge. It was nice and we saw a woodpecker, but I was with Sarah and they wouldn't stop talking.
It started raining when we got back - I had a shower and rested until the dinner horn at 7:30, and since it was raining they cancelled the night insect hike. Nice to get a little extra rest, though.
This morning I got up at 6 and sadly there were a bunch of moths in my bathroom because I left the light on. Not making that mistake again! Had some tea and then went on the birdwatching boat ride again. This time, I saw more variety - owls, kingfishers, turkeys, etc. And more pink dolphins, which was cool.
After breakfast, we went by canoe for the next hike, the Lobo Trail, from up the Capahuara back to camp. On all hikes we have to wear big rubber boots because of the mud - hot, but helpful.
On the way up the river, we saw some red howler monkeys from a distance, plus some smaller dusky titi monkeys up close. And many other birds plus some river turtles.
This hike was supposed to be about palm trees - the different uses and types. It started raining early into the hike, but it wasn't too bad. Jose showed us how to weave palm fronds to make the roofs, how to get the fiber for string, and how to set traps.
Saw a bullet ant nest, plus part of a dead snake - very red with black stripes. Also saw a monkey from afar, toucans (Many Banded Aracari and White Throated Toucan), and a very colorful grasshopper. So much biodiversity out here - it's truly amazing!
To finish the day, we went on a night hike - mainly to see insects. All I can say is... wow. Saw the most amazing prehistoric scorpion spider - Carlos called it a whip spider - with grabbing claws in the front and a stinging tail. So freaky! It had rained all during dinner so it was pretty wet, and the bugs were everywhere. Saw a centipede - poisonous! - the difference is that millipedes have two sets of legs on each body segment, and centipedes have one.
There were tons of crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, moths, and stick bugs. I liked the happyface spider - with a yellow body and black markings that really do look like a happy face. Saw a huge bullfrog - the size of a baseball mitt as well as a smaller toad-looking frog. All of us turned off our flashlights for a little while and it is SO dark in the jungle!! We all decided if you got lost out there with no flashlight, that's it. Totally DEAD, no question about it.
Today was another cool day - in the AM, birdwatching was at the Kapawi High School, which was interesting to see. We got there a little late so there weren't too many birds, but we did see a horned screamer, which are not that common.
The high school was for most of the Achuar community - they come from afar to attend, and can come even into their 20s to learn English. There are fairly basic facilities - raised classrooms with no windows. They try to get volunteers in to teach English.
After birdwatching, we went back to the lodge for breakfast, then went on Pitzacocha lagoon for the final hike. Jose talked about the spirit of the forest, as well as hallucinogens that the Achuar use to get in touch with the spirits. At the beginning of the hike we saw a tayra - a black monkey-like animal that Carlos says is related to an otter.
Saw a huge tree with buttress roots, and at the lagoon saw turtles and horned screamer, hoatzin, and herons. There were a couple log bridges to cross, which was a bit scary in the rubber boots because it was hard to get any traction.
At the end of the hike we had lunch at some tables in the forest and a canoe met us - it was really good for a picnic! - rice and a beef stew (kind of stroganoff) and salad, and even dessert of canned peaches.
From there we went to the Wachirpas Village, near the airstrip, where Jose lives. There were no photos allowed, because it was their home. The village seems pretty rundown - there is garbage on the ground and chickens running around. Houses are open huts with raised platforms that serv as beds. Clothes are hung on a string - that's their closet. Houses are divided into 2 parts - masculine, where guests can go, and feminine, which is the kitchen/sleeping area that is for family only. We visited a shaman's house - first we went in and said hello - "wi nìa jai". Sat and the chief of house's wife served us chicha in small bowls. Chicha is fermented manioc (yucca). Women chew it up and spit it back into the pot - they made it while we were there and it was kind of disturbing listening to them spit (fairly loudly and with very full mouths.) Three women were doing it, all into the same pot. The enzymes from their saliva is breaks down the starch into simple sugars, and it ferments to flavor the drink. Each batch of chicha tastes slightly different, depending on who made it. We talked to the Shaman for a while (1.5 hours or so, with Jose translating Spanish to Achuar). Then we looked at and bought their handicrafts. I bought 3 bowls, 3 necklaces, and a bracelet.
Study Break (ie, break to study)
Achuar vocabulary
Hello: Winiajai (we-NYA-hai)
Thank you: Maketai (mah-KET-tay)
Goodbye: Weajai (we-YA-hi)
Back to Kapawi for the goodbye dinner - traditional food - soup with chicken and yucca, plus manna - food wrapped in leaves and put in the fire - we had piranha with heart of palm. That night there was storytelling by the fire - interesting, but a lot was in Spanish which I didn't understand. The two main stories were how man got fire - a hummingbird was saved by the family that owned fire, and it was warming up and it's tail caught on fire, and when the man opened the door to check on the fire the bird flew out with it - and that's how fire got out. It's also why the Achuar respect hummingbirds.
The second story was about a man and woman - the woman ate all the vegetables, so to be punished, he went up and climbed a monkey ladder to get away from her and turned into the moon. And she became a bird that cries only during the full moon.
This morning, we got up at 6 for birdwatching - saw some dusky titi monkeys in a tree in the lagoon. After breakfast, Jose showed us first where the red dye for facepainting comes from - a fruit off a tree in camp, with weird seeds that have a red coating. 
Then he showed us how to use a blow gun - they are quite long and made with palm tree. Dart tips are cut into barbs with piranha teeth and tipped with curare, which paralyzes/poisons the monkey or bird. We tried blowing the blow gun but it's really really hard!
We were late leaving camp because the plane was delayed (of course! As usual, as Carlos says) but we made it about an hour or so late - not too bad. At the airstrip there were several kids playing. Some boys were playing marbles right on the runway. Made it back to Quito around 6:30 - and back to civilization.
I can honestly say I was completely blown away by my time in the Amazon. Perhaps more so than the Galapagos - the biodiversity found in the rainforest is astounding, and there was so much to see and learn everywhere you look. It's easy to see why this area is thought of as the lungs of the earth, and it's also easy to feel a connection and desire to keep it safe.
Wow.
On Monday morning, I got picked up at 6AM and rode the bus down to Shell. That sucked. In Shell, we split up into three small planes for the 50 minute flight into the rainforest. Basically, we followed the Pastaza river almost to Peru, over giant swaths of green, onto a dirt and mud runway in the middle of the jungle. |
| Welcome to Kapawi! |
From there, we took a canoe ride of about an hour up the Pastaza to the Capahuara River, where the Kapawi Lodge is located. There are wooden boardwalks everywhere, and our rooms are individual huts on stilts that jut out overlooking a peaceful a lagoon. The boardwalk is wet and slick, and there's no way I'd touch the railings because some bug or another is hiding in every nook and cranny. Heck, some aren't even bothering to hide... This is not the place for the bug-phobic. |
| The view from my porch |
The rooms are dark and made of palm, with screen windows with no glass so there are plenty of bugs in the rooms. At least there is a mosquito net, so sleeping is comfortable. No hot water though - we get a solar camp shower every day (but the temperature depends on if there is sun) and it is delivered around 5PM so if you want warm water you have to shower right away.
We met at 7 to break into our groups - mine is Joey, Sarah, and Dave, a nice family from Pennsylvania who talk a LOT - and a Turkish couple. There is also a Canadian mom and daughter, and two German couples, but they are in the other group. After dinner we went on a night boat ride - trying to find caimans, but we only glimpsed one before it slipped into the water. But we did see a night bird, and for a while they turned off all the lights and motors and we just listened to the sounds of the jungle - very cool.
In the morning, wakeup is at 6AM - someone comes to knock on our door. Had some tea, then at 6:30 we had a birdwatching boat ride. Saw a yellow headed vulture, many banded toucans, and several macaws, parrots, and parakeets. Also saw some pink dolphins!
Breakfast was a 7:30, with the first hike at 9:30. We went on the Capahuara Pastaza Trail - took the canoe up the Capahuara and hiked 2.5 hours to the Pastaza. Learned about medicinal plants, which was interesting - 90% of whats in the jungle is toxic, but they figured out the things that were medicinal. Things like Devil Finger fungus, which cures earaches, a tree whose bark is an anaesthetic, etc.
 |
| Can you spot the dusky titi monkey? |
There he is!
Having a professional guide is absolutely critical - I'm constantly amazed by what they can find in the jungle!!
 |
| DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!! |
Hiking in the jungle is interesting - our warning at the start was: Don't touch ANYTHING because lots of things can sting you, bite you, or hurt you! So its kind of nervewracking, since the jungle is pretty dense and leaves brush against you all the time.
We have two guides, Jose (an Achuar guide who only speaks Spanish), and Carlos. Jose leads, carrying a machete and hacking down vines and leaves as he goes.
Jose showed us a 'false bullet ant' - a huge, almost 2 inch long ant that resembles the bullet ant, which gives one of the most painful bites in the insect world (Carlos says it hurts for 3 days).
Also saw a monkey stair vine, a cool twisty vine whose legend we'll hear tomorrow.Back to the lodge for lunch and a rest (again, I was exhausted so I fell asleep) and in the afternoon the activity was kayaking. We went in a canoe up the Pastaza and floated back down to the lodge. It was nice and we saw a woodpecker, but I was with Sarah and they wouldn't stop talking.
 |
| We went fishing, and the only person who caught anything was, of course, Jose. But he caught a piranha! |
 |
| Mornings on the Amazon are beautiful! |
 |
| Wake up, little owl! |
 |
| Pink dolphins always look sunburned... |
After breakfast, we went by canoe for the next hike, the Lobo Trail, from up the Capahuara back to camp. On all hikes we have to wear big rubber boots because of the mud - hot, but helpful.
On the way up the river, we saw some red howler monkeys from a distance, plus some smaller dusky titi monkeys up close. And many other birds plus some river turtles.
 |
| Fresh jaguar tracks |
 |
| The acme spring trap... |
This hike was supposed to be about palm trees - the different uses and types. It started raining early into the hike, but it wasn't too bad. Jose showed us how to weave palm fronds to make the roofs, how to get the fiber for string, and how to set traps.
Saw a bullet ant nest, plus part of a dead snake - very red with black stripes. Also saw a monkey from afar, toucans (Many Banded Aracari and White Throated Toucan), and a very colorful grasshopper. So much biodiversity out here - it's truly amazing!
 |
| Gorgeous patterns on this guy |
 |
| Masked crimson tanager |
To finish the day, we went on a night hike - mainly to see insects. All I can say is... wow. Saw the most amazing prehistoric scorpion spider - Carlos called it a whip spider - with grabbing claws in the front and a stinging tail. So freaky! It had rained all during dinner so it was pretty wet, and the bugs were everywhere. Saw a centipede - poisonous! - the difference is that millipedes have two sets of legs on each body segment, and centipedes have one.
 |
| I would NOT want this crawling on me... |
 |
| He was humongous! |
There were tons of crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, moths, and stick bugs. I liked the happyface spider - with a yellow body and black markings that really do look like a happy face. Saw a huge bullfrog - the size of a baseball mitt as well as a smaller toad-looking frog. All of us turned off our flashlights for a little while and it is SO dark in the jungle!! We all decided if you got lost out there with no flashlight, that's it. Totally DEAD, no question about it.
 |
| it... was... HUGE... |
 |
| Leafcutter ants |
Today was another cool day - in the AM, birdwatching was at the Kapawi High School, which was interesting to see. We got there a little late so there weren't too many birds, but we did see a horned screamer, which are not that common.
The high school was for most of the Achuar community - they come from afar to attend, and can come even into their 20s to learn English. There are fairly basic facilities - raised classrooms with no windows. They try to get volunteers in to teach English.
 |
| The classroom |
 |
| Sunning in the Pitzacocha Lagoon |
Saw a huge tree with buttress roots, and at the lagoon saw turtles and horned screamer, hoatzin, and herons. There were a couple log bridges to cross, which was a bit scary in the rubber boots because it was hard to get any traction. |
| Hoatzin |
 |
| Tasting lemon ants - yes, they did taste like lemons! |
At the end of the hike we had lunch at some tables in the forest and a canoe met us - it was really good for a picnic! - rice and a beef stew (kind of stroganoff) and salad, and even dessert of canned peaches.
From there we went to the Wachirpas Village, near the airstrip, where Jose lives. There were no photos allowed, because it was their home. The village seems pretty rundown - there is garbage on the ground and chickens running around. Houses are open huts with raised platforms that serv as beds. Clothes are hung on a string - that's their closet. Houses are divided into 2 parts - masculine, where guests can go, and feminine, which is the kitchen/sleeping area that is for family only. We visited a shaman's house - first we went in and said hello - "wi nìa jai". Sat and the chief of house's wife served us chicha in small bowls. Chicha is fermented manioc (yucca). Women chew it up and spit it back into the pot - they made it while we were there and it was kind of disturbing listening to them spit (fairly loudly and with very full mouths.) Three women were doing it, all into the same pot. The enzymes from their saliva is breaks down the starch into simple sugars, and it ferments to flavor the drink. Each batch of chicha tastes slightly different, depending on who made it. We talked to the Shaman for a while (1.5 hours or so, with Jose translating Spanish to Achuar). Then we looked at and bought their handicrafts. I bought 3 bowls, 3 necklaces, and a bracelet.
Study Break (ie, break to study)
Achuar vocabulary
Hello: Winiajai (we-NYA-hai)
Thank you: Maketai (mah-KET-tay)
Goodbye: Weajai (we-YA-hi)
Back to Kapawi for the goodbye dinner - traditional food - soup with chicken and yucca, plus manna - food wrapped in leaves and put in the fire - we had piranha with heart of palm. That night there was storytelling by the fire - interesting, but a lot was in Spanish which I didn't understand. The two main stories were how man got fire - a hummingbird was saved by the family that owned fire, and it was warming up and it's tail caught on fire, and when the man opened the door to check on the fire the bird flew out with it - and that's how fire got out. It's also why the Achuar respect hummingbirds.The second story was about a man and woman - the woman ate all the vegetables, so to be punished, he went up and climbed a monkey ladder to get away from her and turned into the moon. And she became a bird that cries only during the full moon.
This morning, we got up at 6 for birdwatching - saw some dusky titi monkeys in a tree in the lagoon. After breakfast, Jose showed us first where the red dye for facepainting comes from - a fruit off a tree in camp, with weird seeds that have a red coating. 
Then he showed us how to use a blow gun - they are quite long and made with palm tree. Dart tips are cut into barbs with piranha teeth and tipped with curare, which paralyzes/poisons the monkey or bird. We tried blowing the blow gun but it's really really hard!We were late leaving camp because the plane was delayed (of course! As usual, as Carlos says) but we made it about an hour or so late - not too bad. At the airstrip there were several kids playing. Some boys were playing marbles right on the runway. Made it back to Quito around 6:30 - and back to civilization.
I can honestly say I was completely blown away by my time in the Amazon. Perhaps more so than the Galapagos - the biodiversity found in the rainforest is astounding, and there was so much to see and learn everywhere you look. It's easy to see why this area is thought of as the lungs of the earth, and it's also easy to feel a connection and desire to keep it safe.
 |
| Bye, Amazon! You are amazing! |
Partial list of animals we spotted
Many banded Aracari (toucan)
White throated toucan
Amazon kingfisher
Speckled Chachalaca (turkey-looking thing)
Yellow headed vulture
Plumbeous kite
Chestnut fronted macaw
White eyed parakeet
Dusky headed parakeet
Yellow crowned amazon (parrot)
Social flycatcher
Oropendola
Hoatzin
Black caracara
Horned screamer
Laughing falcon
Yellow rumped cacique
Spix's guan
Tropical kingbird
Ring kingfisher
Magpie tanager
Night Jar
Striated heron
Amazon river dolphin
Caiman
Red Howler monkey
Dusky titi monkey
Tayra
Many banded Aracari (toucan)
White throated toucan
Amazon kingfisher
Speckled Chachalaca (turkey-looking thing)
Yellow headed vulture
Plumbeous kite
Chestnut fronted macaw
White eyed parakeet
Dusky headed parakeet
Yellow crowned amazon (parrot)
Social flycatcher
Oropendola
Hoatzin
Black caracara
Horned screamer
Laughing falcon
Yellow rumped cacique
Spix's guan
Tropical kingbird
Ring kingfisher
Magpie tanager
Night Jar
Striated heron
Amazon river dolphin
Caiman
Red Howler monkey
Dusky titi monkey
Tayra
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