Dschungelblog!

Our first trip into “real jungle” is over and we are already planning the next one. The rainforest did its name justice and welcomed us with … yes, RAIN!!! But no normal rain, we had downpours every night that are impossible to describe. Amazing! What wasn´t so amazing is arriving at 5.30 a.m. in some little jungle town with the night bus, it pours down and you have no place to go except from some roof in front of a closed shop to wait for the canoe to your final destination… But we could see the town wake up and were eyed by every single inhabitant managing to stroll by the one road looking at those tourists with their backpacks and white skin. We stared back and waited for our contact person to emerge from one of the shabby huts along the road which actually happened later to our big surprise!! So off we went with Max, the american guy we had met in Quito, for 4 hours in a canoe up the river to San Miguel the nearest community to the Cotocachi Cayapas Nature Reserve with something like a hostel. Travelling up the river (which is the only way of transportation and until a few years ago the people didn´t even have motorboats!!) we catched a glimpse of indo-life in the jungle. Simple wooden cabins with an old granny in front sorting out cocoa beans or some other produce, children bathing in the river, women washing clothes, whole families in one dugout canoe (6 people whith dog!)…

Luckily the major part of the days it stayed dry and very sunny and so we managed to go and see something of the reserve. Our guides couldn´t be convinced of our idea to stay over night in the jungle in that weather - they refused even though we said that we don´t mind getting wet in the tents. Apparently they did!! Well, that´s Ecuador ;-) But the hours we spent walking through that thick green vegetation were just great. Saw loads of strange plants (and learned about medicinal uses) and HUGE trees that alone form a whole eco system with other plants and animals living on them. Couldn´t believe that for a tree that is over 150 years old loggers only get 100 Dollars!!! Incredible and outrageous if you think about that and also about the hundreds of plants and animals that are killed when cutting this one tree!! And logging occurs everywhere, even within the boundaries of the nature reserves because the people do not have other opportunities to earn money… They try with eco tourism but that cannot provide for all of them…

Living in this little afro-ecuadorian community for three days was a great opportunity to talk to people and find out about how they live. There was this 24 years old woman with 4 children and no good tooth in her mouth - couldn´t believe she was my age!! And also the football game between ours and another community where Max and I learned to cheer in Spanish for “our” team! Then we also went to visit another community with only indigenous people living there, talked to them a bit and had a look at their village. The children wouldn´t let me go - really liked my jewellery and were competing about who was allowed to hold my hands. Because we wanted to give something to the community for showing us arround we agreed to buy them some food in a store down the river. I went there with their chief (to prevent him from buying alcohol) and was totally surprised when he bought dried fish!!! You might think they have enough of that along the river - but I didn´t want to argue with him … We also went to a woman weaving baskets out of palm leaves and also ate some strange fruits our guides organised from trees along the river. Everybody was very friendly and helpful and life there was soo relaxed that I would go crazy after a while ;-) The only thing you can do at nights is playing cards and drinking sugar cane schnapps - which we three did and had good fun with as you can see on the picture! The looser of the game had to go under the table and crow like a rooster (anyone who´s interested, I can teach you). Unfortunately Max didn´t take the schnapps that well and the next morning when we left the village at 3 a.m.(!!!) he was puking into the river from the canoe… Those americans ;-)) All in all a really exciting and great experience!

Another striking but not so nice experience was travelling along a very bumpy jungle road at night and suddenly seeing huge lights in the distance. First we thought of fire but discovered later that this were the chimneys of the largest oil refinery in Ecuador. The whole area smelled of oil and had this grey and somewhat depressing look. The nearby towns all developed because of the industry there and are full with men … and whores! Also some people were we were sure that they´re after some crime every second of their life. Not a very nice experience but part of getting to know a country in total.

After all this vegetation and jungle thing we thought it was time for a little bit of relaxing and beach and decided to accompany Max to Mompiche, a tiny fishing town with good waves for surfing. We rented a board and off we went on the waves - well, we didn´t surf but we tried ;-) Good fun and the wish to have some more practice before we leave!! Our time there was extended by the fact that in whole Ecuador bus drivers were on strike against the high petrol prices… so no bus for us to leave. Not that we were very sad!! A few days later everything was back to normal and petrol is still more expensive than it used to be here… Not very much the people can do against their corrupt government… But also bus drivers should learn to turn of the motor if they wait in the bus stations for hours!!! Apparently it doesn´t occur to them that they could save some petrol with that.

On a day trip from Quito yesterday we went to the thermal springs of Papallacta on 3300 meters in the Andes!! What a great relaxing feeling sitting in hot water coming right out of the mountain and watching the cloud covered mountain scenery around you!!! Outside it was really cold so there was steam from the hot water everywhere - strange!! On the way back again great Andean views but also some tricky situations with the mad bus driver overtaking trucks when he couldn´t see. Those are the moments where the Ecuadorians always say an “Ave Maria”.

Today we´re off to the jungle again, this time in the oriente east of the Andes. Fingers crossed that there is not soo much rain and we can sleep in the forest to see some animals!!

Romy & Heiko