Took a few days to stop feeling like we were still rocking away on the boat, so we spent a few days in Quito until we would be ready to head off on a jungle adventure.
The only thing worthy of note was a visit to an equator line visitor centre, where we undertook various experiments that can be undertaken there.
The only thing worthy of note was a visit to an equator line visitor centre, where we undertook various experiments that can be undertaken there.
A night bus, 2 hours in a jeep and 2 in a motorised dug out canoe and we arrived at our jungle hide out in the Cuyabena National Park found along the Aguarico river, where the local tribes have been known to shrink a head or two
.
After a snooze went out to a lake to watch the sunset, which was followed by a night walk.
In the evening we spent our time fending a domesticated monkey, Poncha , off our dinner and drank beer guarded by a tarantula with some Aussies, that we met in Quito, Brad, Damo and Dan.
Day 2 we headed out to the local indigenous community of the Sionas and learnt about their ways of life, which included me (
) having a go at making Yuca bread (similar to a corn tortilla). The girl showing us how it was done probably could have knocked me out flat without trying...
On our way to the local Shaman we come across a group (or a venue?) of vultures, including a king vulture, which we later found out had been feeding on a Dolphin which had had its head and tail cut off
. Sadly this may have been done by the locals as apparently the teeth are used as an aphrodisiac? The shaman wasn´t much better, covered in birds feathers with a string of Jaguars teeth round his neck, but interesting nonetheless. 
Another walk found us holusenagenic vines, walking trees and a posin arrow frog.
Day 3 decided to chill out, snooze (
) and canoe whilst doing a spot of piranha fishing, with Brad and Damo. We only managed to catch a few, two being Catfish one of which stabbed me in the thumb with a painful and mildly poisonous spine and the other being Hannah´s first ever catch 
! Although I think we were more in danger from the butterflies which had surrounded us.In the evening we did some more piranha fishing, on our way we saw amazonian grey dolphins, and this time catching a good size red belly (piranha
) which you unfortunately cannot eat. Followed by swimming in the lake under another sunsetting sky.
Day 4 was spend paddling round the lake in a dug out canoe and checking out the wildlife. In the evening we went on another night walk with more weird and wonderful bugs spotted.
On the morning of our final day we got up at 6am for a spot of bird watching (Boat-billed Heron
), lots were seen but the Bat Falcon 
was the highlight (for me at least).
On the way back to civilisation I blinked when everyone else saw a 2.5m anaconda, but at least I can say I was within 3m of one in the wild?
After the night bus to Quito we got straight back onto another one heading for Otovalo, famous its massive indigenous market and I´m sure Del Boy would be proud of my haggling efforts...not sure how its all gonna fit into the bags though. One evening we got blockaded by a carnival, its amazing how many they have, any excuse for a party
.
Tx
1 comment:
We enjoyed the Mitad also, and i managed to balance that egg on the nail. We have also been witness to the locals uneducated or misguided attitude to their beautiful surroundings. Throwing rubbish into the Amazon river is a current and aweful memory. We could be worse and we can not use education or ignorance as an excuse. x
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