Ljubica Climbing into the Matapalo

Blow Darts

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June 29th 2006
Our next trail today we came up the matapalo. It is a strangler fig. Its vines wrap around another tree and ‘strangles’ it until it kills it. Then the vines surround the tree. The tree finally decomposes and the vines become a new tree. We got to go inside the matapalo. Later in the day a few of us asked Ima to show us some of the things the Huaorani use in the jungle. He took us out in the ju ... read more

South America » Ecuador

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The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A b... ... read more