Welcome to the jungle

---

Hi everyone, and happy Thanksgiving...

I’m back after a few weeks of traveling around Ecuador. It really is quite a country… so much variety in a pretty small place, and there is still more to see. I’ll post my most recent photos first, since I have a lot of them... These are from the Cuyabeno Reserve, from where I returned this morning. It's a stretch of jungle on a tributary of the Amazon near the Colombian border. It was everything I could have expected and more... We saw a baby caiman (something like an alligator), a piranha (which someone had fished), monkeys (but from a distance), a sloth, tarantulas, and the anaconda pictured here, which actually seemed pretty unfazed by the group of people gawking at it. We fished, swam, hiked, canoed (or, for the most part, were paddled around by our guide) and played cards, since there wasn't much else to do after dark without electricity. The crew at the lodge really helped make the trip -- our guide, Vinicio, knew a ton about the wildlife and the good spots to take us, and the cook, Vincent, whipped up varied and really fantastic meals every day. Falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of the forest and seeing a skyful of stars at night was really special, and other than the bugs, I already miss it…

---

Photos

hello...
This anaconda was hanging out in a tree on the river. In spite of its flicking its tongue at us, it seemed unfazed by people staring at it...

on the river
This is a prehistoric bird called a hoatzin. Not a great photo, but these birds look kind of funny, like they have mohawks...

on the river
This is a flycatcher, a pretty little bird which there were a lot of on the river...

on the river
A sloth, up in the tree and sort of looking like a blob. As the name implies, they spend a lot of time doing not very much... I think this one had 3 toes (said our guide). The number of toes (2,3, or 4?) determines how fast it can move...

yuca
Vinicio, our guide, uprooting yuca for bread. He is a really interesting guy, a world-class triathlete who speaks 6 languages and has lived all over the place (one of those people...)

yuca
Vinicio, Julia (another friend from the Spanish school) and me grating yuca for the bread

cozinero
Vincent, our cook

jungle food...
not so exotic, but really damn good.

river crossing...
It rained so much over the days I was in the jungle that a lift (I don't know the real name for it) was needed to get the bus across the river...

Comments

[Tracy]

Happy Thanksgiving, girl!
Hey Zeekie! Great blogs and fabulous photos. It's comforting to know you're having an exciting adventure out there, and spending time with newfound friends. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, and hoping you're having a good Thansgiving Day in Ecuador (which I assume does nto celebrate it as a holiday). Anyway...have fun during the rest of your stay and I can't wait to see you back home! Love, Tracy

[Slothful]

Ahhh, the jungle
Ami, come home quickly. you're having too much fun and I miss you. XOXOX -- Chhavirina