I decided that if I went to the jungle I wanted to stay with someone who lived there and experience how they survive, even if was just for a few days. I didn't want to find a hostel and join some tour where we all sheepishly follow an English speaking man in a safari suit with binoculars while we stare at birds from afar and snap photos of indigenous individuals as if they are a part of the landscape. Nu huh. After scrapping my brainbone trying to figure out how in the hell I was going to find someone who has never left the Amazon I decided to turn to my dear old friend— www.couchsurfing.com and came across Wlady, a guy who happened to have a hut in-between Puyo & Macas. I was completely shocked to find out that someone that far away knew about couchsurfing.com & had the internet! After a few corresponding emails trying to figure out when to go and what bus could take me there we finally came up with a plan. Wlady told me that even though he wouldn't be there to show me around he would get his friend, Marco, to take me to the hut. What Wlady didn't tell me was that Marco is a Quechua (Ecuador's largest indigenous population) and.... a Shawman!
I was supposed to meet Marco at the Terreste bus terminal in Puyo @ 1:00pm. Once I got there I realized one very important thing that I forgot to ask Wlady..What does Marco look like? For about forty-five minutes I sat at the bus stop hoping that Marco could pick me out. I didn't think it would be too difficult since it was just 7 drunk Ecuadorian men and a woman selling pig heads and Powerade. He found me right away.
We attempted to conversate for the first 10 minutes of the 40 minute bus ride to the hut. I would say that I'm about 30% to 40% fluent, however, talking to Marco was freaking difficult because he spoke a blend of Quechua & Spanish, and I speak fragmented Spanish mixed with English curse words. We soon became experts at charades:)
When we got to the tiny, tiny town he introduced me to his family... which was the town. I met his 7 children, wife, brother, sisters, their husbands, sisters, etc... They were some of the friendliest people I've met, and oddly enough I met them all while they were in church. It was 6:00pm on a Tuesday in a shack that they also use as a school for the kids. The teacher (they don't use the terminology preacher) was this lady who was the only one who could read out of the 10 people in that room- all adults. Literacy for all is a something I feel strongly about so it was really disheartening to see firsthand people whose own language is a foreign entity to them when written. I won't get off on a tangent now, but if you don't read- please do! Read anything because it really is one of the greatest privileges, and plus, sometimes you find some good stuff in 'em books:)
Okay. Back to the Amazon.. The following day was when Marco & his wife led me through the Amazon. WOW. First, the mud is outrageous. There were a few times when I was walking and then all of a sudden I'd find myself knee-deep in a thick mud-slush that was struggle to get out. We encountered banana spiders, who knows what kind of insects, Marco showed me plants used for Shawminsitic rituals, and even introduced me to a baby anaconda he found. I made a terrible joke about when the snake gets bigger it will probably eat his dog. He laughed and said that he would probably eat him since this type of anaconda can grow up to 6 meters! I quickly gave the little tyke back to Marco and realized why he carries 2 machetes.
After 5 hours of hiking I was relieved when we made it to this waterfall. With no reservation I stripped down to the bare basics and cannonballed into the coldest water in my life. It was amazing. I swam around a bit while Marco caught tiny fish with his hands. His wife even caught a couple like that too. They caught about 10 total which was what we ate for dinner that night. Tiny fried fish and white rice. I can't say it was filling, but the entire experience was definitely rewarding. It is fascinating to me to see the varying ways people live and the means they have to go through in order to make it to another day.
below is what I saw
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The anaconda Marco had was actually a little bigger and whole lot prettier, but you get the idea..
This is a banana spider. These guys are highly dangerous from my understanding. I held the anaconda, but I wasn't about to hold this guy.
I'm so jealous! I'm making a promise to myself right now to go to South America, let the serendipity find me, and catch a fish with my bare hands.
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