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Published: November 10th 2007
Catherine and Catherine
...en route in the jungleWeek 3
There were also plenty of bird species in the jungle (anhinga, black vultures, parakeets (pacific parrotlet and cobalt-winged), scarlet macaws (three foot, bright red with yellow patches on upper wings) and toucans (white throated, black billed mountain toucan), butterflies (memelaus morpho - male is bright blue), spiders... In fact, our host brought in a tarantula one evening - they apparently lay their eggs on the undersides of banana leaves which then stick together. The next day, we went on a jungle walk to discover the medicinal properties of plants in the area. I discovered that the loud cacaphonous calling that woke me each morning belonged to chacalacas´... that the red flower hanging on plants similar to banana tress were heliconias...the pink blossom like flowers I´d noticed lining the river are yutzos and act as stabilisers preventing soil erosion. Other snippets of information:
* termite mounds make good fire starters
* there are two types of cacao...and how to make chocolate
* there are running and clumping varieties of giant bamboo which grows to 30 cm in circumference and gives out three times more CO2 than natural forest. Bamboo is extremely versatile and can be used for housing, flooring,
fuel and even the shoots are edible - it has been called the tree of the future as it also grows phenomenally quickly
* the jungle is so rich in flora, there can be over 300 species of tree in one hectare
* there are three types of vultures (black headed, yellow and turkey) in this area.
However, what fascinated me most was learning about leaf cutter ants - a creature we are told to learn from in Proverbs 6 v 6-8. In fact, I picked up a book called´the earth dwellers´which gave a full account of their lives. The roof of a colony nest can be 20-30 ft across and some are over 2700 sq ft. There can be over 2000 rooms in a matue nest with over 300 of them occupied by gardens. A single queen, the size of a baby mouse lays 27 eggs per hour, one every 2 minutes and would be supported by 3-7 million workers. There are 7 divisions of leaf cutter ant performing 29 different tasks and pheromones are the key form of communication between these creatures. Worldwide an estimated 10% of the animal biomass is ants! The queen ant lays royals -
virgin queens and males at a certain point in the year and whether an egg turns out to be a soldier, tiny worker or virgin queen depends on the food the queen ant eats. Anyway, I started to understand why the life of a myrmecologist could be so interesting - though I´m not planning a career change.
The afternoon was spend relaxing in a hammock overlooking the river and awaiting the local shaman who had been invited to come and talk about his healing and spiritual powers. These apparently come from the anacondia snake that metaphorically coils itself around the shaman and all but strangles him. He spoke about the spirits of the forest and how he harnesses their energy to achieve healings. The shaman performed some form of cleansing/healing ceremony on the group (which I opted out of) - and some of the group also asked for personal healings.
The next day, an early breakfast and off in the truck to Tenos where those of us who were interested signed up for white water rafting on a grade 3/4 river. It was exciting despite the sand flies eating me alive. We paddled, spun, rode up rocks, almost overturned
and generally gained confidence on the water - to the point that I might even try a grade 5 (one of the most difficult rafting options) before the end of the trip. Returning from the rafting, I discovered I had my room upgraded earned by my spell in a tent in the jungle where most of the rest of the group were housed in wooden chalets. We partied that night, celebrating the birthday of one of the guys on the trip. I had far too many cocktails (at 1 UKP a shot, its hard not to - ciprihinia being the favourite) and ended up dancing salsa with the group and various locals.
Only 4 hours sleep and again on the road to Baños - a pretty town surrounded by lush green mountains offering hiking and mountain biking. It is overshadowed by Volcano Tungurahua which began erupting again in October 1999. I decided to put my washing in on a two hour return, then off to the local covered market for chicken soup and a main dish with chorillo sausage. More Internet and then back to collect my washing only to find it missing and the owners denying responsibility. I was
Giant bamboo
...the clumping variety quite concerned to notice that they also sell unclaimed and other clothing and wondered if my clothes has been purloined. However, some persistence by the leader of our group who speaks fluent spanish and we eventually found my belongings in one of their washing machines installed on their roof top in hardly the most hygienic and organised laundry service. Replete with wet washing, we set off to our campsite for the next few days. This site is run by an ex overlander guide Richard who is your archtypal friendly host organising various excursions, activites etc. and keeping everyone supplied with beer and wine. After a BBQ, most of us retired early to bed.
The next day, I signed up for canyoning - a first for me. Equipped with wet suit, plimsolls, life jacket and climbing gear, we drove 23 km to a suitable canyon. The next few hours were spend sliding, falling, diving, somersaulting and abseiling down rocks - a pastime known as canyoning! Bruises were inevitable but we all got down safely and decided the experience was enjoyable. In the afternoon, a few of us decided to take several cable cars (tarabitha)- bucket like chair lifts across the
valley for a short walk- it was clear that health and safely are not high on the Ecuadorian list of priorities but we arrived intact and enjoyed a short walk past trout farms where you can fish for your supper and have it cooked on the spot. Later that same day, we went on another walk to the Devil´s Falls - a magnificent high waterfall over volcanic extruded rock. The bridge across the bottom featured various rotten boards and a sign stating that only five people should be on the bridge at any point in time - a warning that was not heeded by the locals. On the final day in Baños, some of us climbed south of the town to try and get a better view of the volcano but it remained shrouded in low cloud. This active volcano erupted last in 2004 and the current President is in the process of building some new homes for locals whose homes are at risk. During the last eruption, the lava was found up to 50 miles away and due to its unpredictable condition, climbing the volcano is not permitted. The climb was good practice for Machu Picchu and my first
real exercise for some time. Returning from the walk, we found lunch in an expensive Mexican restaurant and then explored a church - the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Rosaria de Agua Santa. The church attracts thousands of pilgrims each day who come to worship a supposedly miraculous icon credited with rescuing Baños and its citizens from countless calamities over the years. The senora´s processional wardrobe is housed in a strange museum upstairs along with a bizarre collection of objects including a shrunken head form the Oriente, picked snakes in jars and some stuffed Ecuadorian wildlife. Several hours of Internet later and my first official blog published, we returned to our campsite, just getting caught in an equatorial downpour.
Leaving Baños the following day at lunchtime, we set off southwards towards Peru and had our first ´free camp´(i.e. pitching tents wherever along the route without any specific facilities). The usual spot had since been requisitioned for a volleyball court so we opted for some flat land alongside a mountain path. That night, I was very cold for the first time and with the altitude and lack of oxygen, it was extremely difficult to initially light the fire and then
to get any warmth from the flames.
I was glad to get into my four season sleeping bag and the next day to continue our long drive to the Peruvian border where I managed to get both an entry and exit stamp on my immigration form! We finally arrived at our destination - the beaches of Peru at 6.30pm that evening - and enjoyed a meal prepared by the campsite owners (fried fish and chicken in a rice dish - delicious!).
It was great to have two days at the campsite near Mancora - ca 30km from the Ecuadorian border. Spread out as a linear village along the Pan-American highway, Mancora boasts a beautiful sandy beach which hosts surfing competitions. Being on the cooking duty that day meant a lot of preparing, chopping, cooking and clearing away breakfast, lunch and dinner for 24 people. We were given cash (Peruvian sous) to go to the market and buy sufficient for everyone - a good opportunity to use my Spanish that has been sadly neglected over the past couple of weeks. That evening the crew made a mega punch with at least 3/4 a bottle of spirits per person. It
certainly had its desired effect... The morning after was a slow start for most and I enjoyed a day lazing on the beach improving my suntan. As I write this journal, a spit with 6 chickens marinaded in a tasty sauce is cooking on the beach - and the resulting meal replete with fresh beans/peas and a rice salad was one of the best meals of the trip so far. Only problem today was getting too sunburnt.
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catherine taylor
non-member comment
good to hear from you
Catherine, Looks like you are having a brilliant time - think of us slaving away! XX C