Blogs from El Coca, East, Ecuador, South America - page 3

Hi everyone here is the Amazon jungle blog. Make the most of them there are only two more to go!!! I´d been wanting to visit the Amazon since landing in Latin American having heard so much about it. The jungle and Banos were the last two visits in Ecuador and it would have meant having seen everything on the list and spending two months in the country!! Previously the most time I´d spent in one country was Oz and that was five weeks. After putting back my flights to Rio by 2 weeks I set about trying to pick a lodge that looked good. It was a minefield in Quito there are so many travel agents and the cost is quite high so its important to shop around. The Rough guide book also listed all the ... read more

For me, this was the part of our visit to South America that I was looking forward to most. I have always been intrigued by the Amazon rainforest. I had also been eager to visit Coca since I read Joe Kane's book "Savages" (a fascinating read if you can get your hands on it(. Not because Coca is a particularly beautiful place, in fact it is far from it, but to see for myself both sides of Ecuador's Oriente - on the one hand, the most biodiverse region in the world, and conversely the devastating impact of the oil industry on both the forest and it´s indigenous people. Coca became the heart of the oil industry in Ecuador when the oil companies arrived on the Rio Napo in 1987. With them came the Capuchin missionaries, uncontrolled ... read more

Hallo, We zijn gisteren teruggekeerd van een driedaagse ontdekkingstocht van de jungle van Equador. Eerst met het vliegtuig van Quito naar Coca voor een halfuurtje, dan de speedcano op voor twee uur en een half via de rivier Napo, een belangrijke toeleverancier voor de Amazone, om dan aan te meren in the middle of nowhere. Kwartiertje stappen tot een lagune tussen de muggen en andere beestjes, in een tropische regenbui ( vergelijkbaar met een stevige douche ) een gewone cano op, naar een lodge La Selva genaamd. Onze groep ( Marijke en Luc ) werden begeleid door de tourleidster Paula, een sympathieke natuurkenster Amanda en de locale junglespecialist Ephrain. Kennis gemaakt met een vlinderkwekerij, met gedeteilleerde uitleg van eitje over rups en cocon tot volwaardige en mooie vlinders. Met gekregen laarzen via verschillende tochten de jungle ... read more

Ok so since everyone will be asking why we are back before our 4 weeks are complete this is why... Our placement was meant to be teaching children english from a nearby community and helping rehabilitate animals that have been rescued by poachers! The place we went was a tourist lodge which was very resort like so you didnt even feel like you were in the jungle, there were 3 animals in total kept at the lodge that werent sick and the children from the community were on holidays so we couldnt teach english. Our activities included an hour in the mornings starting at 6:30am to clean and feed the 3 animals, then after that we raked leaves all around the lodge and cut the grass with a machette which one would call a fantastic character ... read more

So up early to head off into the wilderness and the unknown on Saturday, on one hideously uncomfortable 10hr bus journey on what can only be described as mud tracks...argh.....Hannah also took the window seat cos she gets travel sick, which meant whereas usually I can lean against the window and sleep the entire way, I was rather uncomfortable on our bumpy bumpy bus...Nevermind, I had my music! Had copius supplies of ritz biscuits, oreo wannabees and juice....not exactly the healthiest diet, but its all the corner shops seem to offer when it comes to travel food...no M&S sandwiches here... Into Coca finally at 5pm and to our hostel. Coca, however, is not the friendliest of places and we felt very out of place....it´s an industrial oil town, which has very much the air of ... read more