Well, here it is 10-7 already. A lot has happened. Chip came to Quito on 9-27 and we stayed in a beautiful hotel in Quito for 2 days. Off to the Amazon on 9-29 for a 5-day, 4 night, unbelievable trip. Then a 4 day stay in Quito, which I will ¨blog¨separately.
THE LODGE, owned by the Achuar Indians and run by Ecuadorians, with the Indians taking over in 2012: The Lodge´s pristine and isolated location in the Amazon Basin can only be accessed by air. It would take 2 weeks to walk to the nearest village. It is located in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, on the Pastaza River near the southern Ecuadorian border with Peru. We flew in a 5-passenger chartered plane. The plane had been built in 1974 and was somewhat rickety. The lodge accommodates up to 50 guests, although there were only 5 of us in the Lodge, and was built in accordance with the Achuar Indians´concept of architecture. There were 20 double and triple rooms with private bathrooms, sun heated showers and electricity provided by a solar panel system. Every room has a wide terrace and balcony. The cabins had thatched roofs and were located on top of the lagoon. We awoke every morning to all the sounds of the birds, frogs, animals, etc. and went to sleep with the night sounds of the same. The setting was something to behold!
OUR TYPICAL DAYS: Our days started at 6:30, with a short hike in the forest or an early morning canoe trip for bird watching on the banks of the Capahuari river or to visit the parrots salt lick. Sometimes we exchanged the bird watching for sleep. Back for breakfast at 8:00, then at 9:30
we went for a walk through the jungle, with 2 naturalist guides (one Achuar and one Ecuadorian). We learned about medicinal plants, how the Achuars build their huts, the culture of the Achuars, i.e. how they hunt and make their hunting tools. Back at 1:00 for lunch or one day we took lunch for a picnic in the jungle on the way to visiting an Achuar´s family. Back to the lodge around 5:00. Dinner was served around 7:30. At 9:45, we sometimes did a night activity such as a night hike, a canoe trip to spot night creatures and animals, i.e. caiman or we received a lecture about the rainforest or the Achuar life.
The food was excellent and the trips very well organized. We really learned alot. Although we had a lot of activities, we had a very tranquil time....lots of time to read my book...Chip fished with an indian friend he made...we joined a class with an English teacher from Texas (and Chile), who was voluntarily teaching English as a 2nd language to the Achuar indians in the Lodge. Chip´s indian friend gave him his Achuar headband, which his wife had made for him.
ACHUAR INDIANS: We visited an Achuar home, and were given their local drink, as a welcome. We were told to accept the drink even if we did not drink it. Luckily, we had been told what was in the drink before we got there. Several people drank it, including Chip, but I did not. The local drink is made from Yucca, with some help from the wife´s spit, which supposedly starts the fermentation process. The men indians drink this from morning to night and do not eat a lot of food. The men start their day by drinking a concoction of water mixed with some type of plant, which makes them throw up. This supposedly cleans the toxins from their systems. They then meet with the family and drink the Yucca drink. The wife is chosen, partly based on how well she makes the drink. She then passes the method on to the daughters. The men hunt, mostly with a blow gun, for all the food. It is an important part of the culture for the man to pass to his sons the best method for hunting and building a home. A man may not get married until he is able to build his wife a house. It is mandatory for the men to join their wife´s tribe when they get married. The wife also raises vegetables in a garden. Their house was a thatched roof with 6 piecs of lumber to hold it up. There was no floor, only dirt, and the house had a small separation between the front and back. The back portion had bamboo beds (no coverings) on which the family slept. The back portion is the informal portion of the house (although one can see everything that is being done throughout the ¨home¨since there are no walls, etc). There were lots of chickens, dogs, etc. running around through the house, while we sat on wooden stools. No one wore shoes and their clothes were very dirty. The piece of land was gorgeous, as it stood on the top of a cliff overlooking the river. It was a very large piece of land, with coconut trees, large garden, etc.
Chip gave the head of household (he was Vice President of tribe and the top Shaman -medicine man-for the tribe) his water canteen and several other things. In return, he gave Chip his Achuar headband. It was a wonderful experience and demonstrated the bridge of humanity! The indians in the Lodge spoke Spanish, but the Achuar indians have their own language. One of the Achuar guides, speaking Achuarian to the family, served as the head liaison between the group and the head of household. He then translated into Spanish what had been said. An Ecuadorian guide then translated into English.
SUMMARY: It was a once in a lifetime experience! It was greater than I expected. I was disappointed that we did not see more animals, but the Amazon is so large, there is plenty of room for them to get away from people. Since the Achuars eat monkeys and some of the other animals, they have learned to stay away. Waking in the morning and going to bed at night to the sounds of the Amazon has to be one of the highlights of Chip´s and my life!
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