Blogs from Puyo, Centre, Ecuador, South America

The previous day I had scheduled a one day tour into the amazon for 30$. We met at this little tour guide in Banos at 830 am and headed towards the jungle. The road to Puyo (the closest city to the jungle from Banos) was beautiful. Slowly decending out of the cloud forest down towards the jungle. The road literally sits on the edge of a cliff, so when you look out the window you are looking straight down towards the river far below. We arrived in Puyos and stopped at a gas station to get fuel and snacks for those who wanted some. Then we headed off to a monkey rehabilitation center. Their goal was to get these monkeys back into the wild. We walked around the reserve and interacted with monkeys and turtles. I ... read more

After an amazing stay in Banos, we headed deeper south into the Amazon basin to a fairly big city, Puyo. While Puyo, didn’t have quite the charm of Banos, it was a decent place to stay so that we could enjoy an Amazon experience. After the bus dropped us off into town, we attempted to find a cab to our hotel (El Jardin). I asked several police officers at the bus station, and they were totally convinced El Jardin was about a two-hour ride up the road in a town called Tena. In fact, the cops were so convinced, for a brief moment, they convinced me. I had thought I royally messed up with my logistics and took us to the wrong city. Thankfully, there was an internet café across the street. I was able to ... read more

The more I teach, speak and learn to love the children in this small part of Ecuador the more bothered I become. They do not seem to grasp that a whole other world is at their fingertips. You ask them in what other countries they speak Spanish and they name Puyo, Ambato, and Quito…all cities in their country. Some of these children are so bright and could aspire to much more, but the mindset of the parents and sometimes even the directors does not encourage doing something extraordinary. Education here in the Pastaza region is much different than that of the Western world. The children learn about agriculture, poisonous plants and tactics for crossing the street safely. They learn about life’s practicalities while the developed world teaches their children classic literature, technology and the arts. This ... read more

I'm back and writing from the jungle! It is strange how quickly the vibe in the house can change. I left when there were 10 people in the house, most of whom had been there for a number of months and I returned to just Racehl and myself! We have had a few volunteers in and out and the outlook is good :) I feel as though I have hardly had any time to breathe since my return. The house always seems to need so much attention, nevermind the lesson plans, teaching and entertaining the volunteers. Oh yes, and I got the flu! Thankfully it passed after only 2 weeks but I learned that the pharmasists do not ask any pertinent questions- they just hand out pills...the first of which I was allergic to! Secondly, the ... read more

Went to a native indian meeting with the brother (Alex)were stayin with in tana. The language is shuar. Small friendly group. Then monday we went to a getto zoo where many animals would escape daily. The video is of 1 of 3 cats that escaped. They were chasin them with branches and machetes to corral them in there pen. Not very successful though. After that we went to a little water park and hiked through some caves.... read more