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Published: November 2nd 2006
Jungle trip
Waterfalls outside of BanosLast week we decided to do a jungle trip to the Ecuadorian amazon outside the city of Puyo. We hunted around Banos looking for the best deal in an all inclusive package, and found the right scenario with a company with the help us a good friend named Xavier. We started our trip at 9am, and met with our new group that we shared good times with for the next 3 days. We were lucky enough to be put in a small group of 4 with Denise and Franchesca from Switzerland and our Ecuadorian guide named Marietza. It was a perfect small group, and everything that we could have wished for.
After getting in a van, we drove out towards the jungle, and stopped at a couple of waterfalls along the way. The first one was located on the edge of the river that flows into the town of Banos. A small cable car took us from one end of the river to the other, going over the waterfall that dropped into a pool. Very nice indeed.
We continued driving for about 2 hours until we passed the city of Puyo and then kept on driving through dirt and
Jungle trip
scenery outside of Banos rocks until we arrived at our first jungle base. From where the van dropped us off we had to walk for a couple of minutes with all our bags and supplies until we arrived at our very nice bungalows. Our guide Marietza fixed up some lunch while the four of us lounged on hammocks and got to know each other a bit better, all while soaking in the environment and the beautiful landscape. A little monkey hung out with us, along with a couple of parrots and a few dogs that lived in the area.
After a hearty lunch consisting of soup made from vegetable grown locally in the jungle, some chicken, rice, and salad, we put on our swim shorts and gumboots and trekked for a couple of hours through the thick jungle. Our guide Marietza showed us different plants and trees that the local indigenous people use regularly, for medicine, food, shelter, paint, and tools. She also pulled some seeds from a tree that she used to paint designs on our faces, and we also applied clay masks. We trekked through deep bush, lots of mud (good thing that gumboots were provided) and even got to swing
Jungle trip
on the cable car crossing the river on vines Tarzan-style. Eventually we arrived at another waterfall, this time we all jumped in and swam in the small pool that the waterfall cascaded into. It was a nice relief to jump into to nice fresh water after trekking throughout the hot and sweaty jungle. Afterwards we trekked back to our bungalows, had dinner and relaxed around our small campfire and hammocks. Back at our base Marietza shared stories of past experiences of taking groups to the jungle, most interestingly about meeting with the shamans of the surrounding areas.
The following day we woke up to a nice breakfast courtesy of our fine cook Marietza (all her meals were so good, hearty and nourishing, we were truly blessed to have her as our guide). Then onto another trek to another waterfall…..this time the trek was much longer through the hot and sticky jungle but much more rewarding. To get to this waterfall, we had to leave our clothing and items about 50 meters away as we had to swim through a small river to get to it. Once we got there it blew our minds of how beautiful this hidden waterfall was. It was about 10 meters high
Jungle trip
view of the river outside of banos and had small caves behind the cascading waterfall were we could relax. The sun shined brightly over us as we shared a pleasant sense of bliss for that moment in time. I had Moby’s song Porcelain in my head as we chilled by the rocks around the waterfall.
When we got back to camp we had another hearty lunch and crossed the nearby river by a dugout canoe. We trekked into an indigenous community were we got to learn more about how the local people in the jungle survive by its natural resources. We got to see how they made pottery using the clay found in the ground, and got to paint a pot with red paint from the seeds of a special type of berry. Next we all got temporary tattoos once again made with the berries grown in the area. I got a cool indigenous band painted around my wrist, while Nolan had an anaconda painted on his upper arm. Afterwards we got to have target practice on a wooden bird using a blowgun. I guess I had beginners luck as my first shot hit the wooden bird right in the heart…I was crowned as the community
Jungle trip
view of the river outside of banos provider after this exercise. Afterwards we made our way back into the canoe for a voyage down the river to our next community were the local shaman lives. We had another nice meal before we went for a night trip to go alligator watching. We only got to see one alligator as his eyes glowed red we shined a flashlight on him. As we were walking back we saw a couple of fireflies that glowed green and orange. One hung out in my hand for a moment, its eyes glowing green. As soon as its belly shined orange it flew away into the moonlight. Then we made our way to a big hut, were we hung out with another group who were also staying at the same community. We played a wild and animated card game called Chanchito, which brought instant flashbacks of what my family used to call me as a small boy. Of course I was the first one knocked out of the game, so they made me and Nolan sing the Canadian national anthem. We belted it out with pride and finished it with a loud round of applause and cheering that woke up all the wildlife
Jungle trip
waterfall outside of banos in the nearby jungle. Then came the music and we danced until our legs wouldn’t move anymore, and crashed back our hostel. That night we had a thundershower that thundered the skies with lighting and really loud rumbling.
The last day we went on another trek, this time to a viewpoint that overlooked the surrounding area. Marietza and one of the local guys from the community made string from a tree, and made us all necklaces using the string made from the tree and seeds which she carved our first initial on. One of the guides asked if anyone had a sinus problem, I was the only one to put my hand up so I got to experience how the locals deal with colds. He grabbed some roots from a nearby plant, rubbed it inside a leaf with some water and made me snort the rooted water up my nose. It burned like hell and made me cry a bit, but after 10 minutes I was breathing better than I had been in weeks. After soaking in the nice view for a while, we trekked back to our bungalows when things got ugly. We hit a nest full of
Jungle trip
road to the jungle massive jungle bees, and unfortunately got the best of our guide Marietza. They swarmed all of us, but attacked Marietza the hardest and she got about 20 stings all over her head and body. We had to cover her in mud to get the bees away from her, and carried her back to our base where one of the guides ran to get the shaman. The shaman pulled out a clear flask of pure rubbing alcohol full of roots which was made locally. He put it in his mouth and sprayed it all over Marietza along with some ice cubes to keep the swelling down. He also made her breath in a handful of this alcohol to clear out the inside too. Both Nolan and I also got stung in a couple of places, so the shaman repeated the same ritual to treat our bites. After about an hour our bites both disappeared, but Marietza was not so lucky. Her face was swollen and she was still in lots of pain so after lunch we packed up and drove her to the hospital that was an hour away. We had to wait for her for about an hour so we
decided to take a walk in the nearby village and got some pizza. Marietza soon came out slowly but in much better shape and we returned back to Banos and said our goodbyes.
It was overall a great experience, it really made me appreciate the wildlife more, and most importantly how great a nice hot shower is! We finally got back to our hostel and had half hour showers and slipped back into our nice soft beds. We slept like babies that night, and dreamt about our great time in the jungle. Congratulations if you have read this far, your eyes must be sore so I’ll sign off for now. Much love to everyone who writes comments on this blog, it feels good to see that people actually read my boring blogs! Hasta luego!
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andrea
non-member comment
i am so glad you got to meet and get worked on by a shaman! and what is this? did you say you DANCED!!??@Q its about time you did!!! all it took was being in the jungle for you to get your groove on.