I’m trying to find the perfect word to describe Cartagena Columbia. It is sweet and romantic, with its cobblestone alleys and balconies overflowing with Bougainvillea. But it is also hot and sassy, sexy and loud, with music blaring from every corner, even people walking down the street rapping.
I am staying in the walled-in old town, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. This area is teeming with peopl – it seems both day and night. I can see why people don’t wear a lot of clothing here. It is so darn hot! And humidity like we don’t even see in Charlotte.
It was early evening when I arrived and got settled into my apartment. The first thing I needed to do was get a map and go to the grocery store. After that, all I did all night was walk along the alley ways in the city. I must have looked like a complete dork because every time I turned a corner in the city my mouth dropped open and I uttered the word “wow”. There are horse-drawn carriages. And local selling their wares. And honeymooners out for a stroll. And teenagers getting drunk in the streets. It just seems like the city has so many personalities. And each one of them is pretty freaking cool! I bought a cervesa on the street and just walked around drinking beer. Every once in a while I’d pop into a boutique or check out some crafts or sit on a curb. The people watching here is amazing! I can see how people fall in love with the city and never leave.
I don’t usually take pictures of my food but…this is Filete Marinero – fish fillet with shrimp, octopus, and scallops. Served with guacamole and a banana with hot sauce on it!
Tomorrow morning I’ll take a tour and get my bearings. Then I’m off for a private salsa lesson which I can hopefully use tomorrow night and one of the many clubs
Finally…this was to be the day that I’d get pampered before returning to the real world. But first, a little splurge on typical Colombian coffee. Where else would you go but Juan Valdez, right? Anyway, I returned to my apartment to pick up some things before my massage appointment and while I was there the power went out. Apparently this happens often in the Old Town. I didn’t think too much about it – just left to get rubbed!
Las Bovedas – former dungeons that now house local vendors
I went to the old Santa Clara Hotel in Old Town which is now a Sofitel property and absolutely stunning! Here if you had a spa service you got access to the facility for the day so I planned to spend my day getting touched and pretty and then spending some time by their incredible pool.
Upon entering the ladies lounge, I made a new friend in Jess – a woman from Manhattan who was in Cartagena for an event planning conference. She’d been wined and dined all week long. She also let me know that Martha Stewart was at the hotel and I’d just missed her in the spa by 20 minutes. So I was in the company of Martha…kind of…it was going to be a great day.
I had the BEST massage I’ve ever had in my life here – and I’ve had quite a few. You know the kind? When the pressure feels so good that your eyes sort of roll back in your head and you can’t do anything but concentrate on the luscious feeling? It was one of those…oh so good. It was followed by a mini-facial and a pedicure that was long overdue. On returning to the ladies lounge, I realized that —– I did not have my credit card AND I did not have enough cash to pay for the service AND my credit card (and license and passport) where in the safe in my apartment whose power was out. It being an electronic safe, I was pretty much screwed. Oh my goodness, was I embarrassed! I immediately got in touch with both the property manager and the building manager to see if they could loan me money. And then did what I always do when I’m freaking out. I called my Mom! It was an agonizing 30 minutes or so but the property manager, Barbara, made a trip from her apartment to downtown to let me borrow enough money to pay my bill. I really needed a drink at that point! But – you can’t buy a drink with no money. It was seriously a comedy of errors all around. And I overreacted, of course, but was just so embarrassed about the whole thing. It was a little chink in the armor of what was supposed to be a picture perfect day.
The incredible pool at the Santa Clara Hotel
I do think things happen for a reason, however, because after the whole debacle, Barbara and I went to have a bite to eat and a much-needed glass of wine. We had such a nice time! She and I are very similar and it’s refreshing to see that there are other slightly crazy yet pretty cool women out there in the world. I’m very grateful I got a chance to get to know her.
I had planned on going to the Havana Club to dance with Henry, my building manager, who is a local and would show me the ropes. Unfortunately, in all the events of the day, I drank some water at the spa that definitely wasn’t agreeing with this gringo L So instead of dancing ‘til dawn, I was in bed at 10! I was also reasoning that going to bed early would be better for my day at the beach on Friday.
I woke on Friday to another HOT, HOT, HOT day and was leisurely sipping my coffee and slowly waking up when I checked my email to find that my flight was delayed. How strange – how do they know it’s delayed when it isn’t departing until tomorrow? I honestly didn’t think twice about it but thought I’d just look at my Expedia app to see what I was in for the next day. It said, very clearly, “Your flight departs in 2 hours and 36 minutes”. WHAT?!?!?! Yes, I’m a natural blonde! I had seriously thought for months that I was returning on Saturday, not Friday. Well, here we go. I put some clothes on and literally sprinted down the streets of Cartagena to an ATM because of course I didn’t have any money for a taxi! I can only imagine what people were thinking by the looks they gave me. It was absolutely hysterical. But by 7:30 I was out of the apartment and shuffling down the streets with 2 suitcases in search of a taxi. When I found one, all I had to say was “mas rapido”!!!
All is well that ends well, right? I’m hoping to be in Charlotte by day’s end. Everyone needs a little jolt of excitement on their last day of vacation, right? Just don’t hold it against me…
OK, the city is just cool! But not literally cool – it’s hotter than the Amazon here!
I woke up nice and early and had a coffee in my apartment while the rest of the world got up. This town definitely sleeps in.
Have I mentioned how hot it is here yet??? I left early for my tour and sweat was literally dripping from my chin within 5 minutes I had to return to my apartment and get what I’m calling toalla del sudor – the sweat towel
Welcome to Cartagena
The free walking tour started at 10 AM from the old Naval Museum in the walled in part of town. I really love the free walking tours! This tour lasted a little over two hours and our tour guide had been doing tours in Cartagena for 26 years. He didn’t have the richest of personalities but he sure did know his facts. I always learn so much about a place when I do these tours. I also get a chance to figure out where I’d like to go and spend more time. And I get to do it all for the cost of a tip which – in this case was only 5 dollars. Nice!
I’m not much of a historian but some of the history of Cartagena is absolutely fascinating. For example, the Inquisition of Cartagena. People deemed as heretics against the catholic religion were tortured and then executed in one of the city’s squares.
The Inquisition Museum and the square where the torture would ensue.
Also, the history is reflected in the architecture of the old town. It is a mix of colonial and republican architecture. The balconies of the colonial style housing have sharp pointed corners, allegedly to scare the witches away. Cartagena is 50 to 75% Catholic, and you can see that evidence in the multitude of churches within the city. Also, the doors of the houses give an indication of the wealth of its owners. They are massive – big enough for a horse to pass through – and have brass knobs on them. Legend has it that the more brass knobs, the wealthier you were.
I am much more interested, however, in the modern day secrets of the city. Like where I should go to eat! And drink! And dance! And shop! I learned that there are a few types of cuisine here. The one that I really needed to look for is called la comida corriente. This is typically what the locals eat. It is a set meal of rice, a meat, and a salad for next to nothing!
I also learned that there is a local market called Las Bovedas. It is a colonial structure that was built into the walls and used to be dungeons. It’s now a shopping destination with multiple vendors selling everything from art to magnets. I’d have to make it there.
A beautiful view of the towerThe famous fat lady sculpture in Plaza Santo DomingoOne of the wealthiest families in the city lives hereA great sign: un cafe ( a coffee) $10,000, un cafe por favor (a coffee please) $7000, buenas un cafe por favor (good morning, a coffee please) $4000
After a great tour I took the guide’s advice on a restaurant and had la comida corriente for lunch. A full dish of local food – including a plantain with hot sauce on it (GENIUS) and a local Club Colonial beer – for the dollar equivalent of $6. Awesome!
Beer!
Beer + vacation = nap in my world and after that I was off to my first private salsa lesson. It was at a local dance school called Crazy Salsa and I’d booked this lesson weeks ago. My first realization was how different it was from my lesson in Quito. There, all we really did was dance. Here, I learned the names of the moves and ways to perfect my form and footwork. My teacher was a local who grew up about 2 hours from the city – Mauricio. Perhaps the better experience had something to do with speaking the same language? Who knows; either way I learned so much and totally loved it!
I had previously asked the building manager to recommend a place where I could go for just a glass of wine – no food. I looked last night for something and had a hard time of it. He suggested Cafe del Mar, which is located on the city wall where tourists go to watch the sunset. Hated it! The view was nice but it was 20-something people and techno and neon lights…seriously not my thing.
I began to wander and found myself chatting with the manager of a spa I was inquiring about. He suggested a restaurant called La Vitrola for dinner and wine. Loved it!! It’s a Cuban restaurant with live music and an even more lively atmosphere. From the moment I stepped in I felt good. From the older gentleman hitting on me at the bar to the young waiter who said, “come with me, I’ll take care of you”. It was just what I wanted. I didn’t even look at the menu – I went on recommendations alone and enjoyed a beautiful fish, yummy white wine, sweet music and people-watching. Another great day in an amazing city 😊
Super cool doorway at La Vitrola. See the little door within the bigger door??Live Cuban music at La Vitrola
Day five of our tour took us on our last jungle hike – about a 2 mile walk to the jungle to a waterfall. It was a beautiful and very hot and sweaty trip but it was so worth it. The waterfall was like out of a movie. It was huge and stunning and it fell into a small pool surrounded by gorgeous vegetation. Wow, amazing! We’d all decided we’d use the waterfall as a shower so we stripped down to our skivvies and went for it. The water was cold and clear and refreshing. Roberto said that going under the waterfall itself would “get rid of the bad stuff”. I’ll translate that to “cleansing your soul” and I was all for it. Consider me cleansed – literally and figuratively. We giggled like school children, threw the soap around and took way too many pictures. In short, it was perfect.
A stunning waterfall in the middle of a jungle
We had to say goodbye to some of the staff at that point and we got into the dugout canoe for our last cruise down the river. This time we were going in the direction of the road. We got to see the end of the Huaorani land, which is very clearly marked. After leaving were on the land, we enter land belonging to the Shuar tribe. This tribe is known for shrunken heads!
The crew at our campsite before we left
We ended our cruise at the bridge that begins what is called Zona Intangible. This area was set aside to guarantee the subsistence of people in voluntary isolation. This is where the Tagaeri tribe and the Taromenane tribe reside. These two tribes want no outside influence and maintain their culture and traditions from centuries ago. These traditions include hunting with only spears and blowguns and, basically, killing anyone outside their tribe when they infringe on their land. From the stories we’ve heard from the Huaorani, they don’t discriminate. They’ll kill members of other tribes as well as oil company workers and illegal lockers.
This was where we had to say goodbye to Uweme, Eloy, Edison and Marco. Since these were the staff we got to know the most, this was difficult. All I could do was sincerely thank them and hope they know how much their brief presence in my life meant.
We got into our taxi that would take us to the city of Coca for our flight to Quito. Right away Roberto called this the Toxic Tour and you could immediately see why. It’s disgusting! The stark difference between the lush, alive, green jungle that we spent five days in and what we now saw was so extreme. There were oil rigs everywhere you looked it seemed. Literally I saw two within 1 mile of each other. Anything tall had been knocked down and there were pipes following the whole road. Terribly sad… I don’t know much about drilling for oil but apparently what is drilled contains a waste product that cannot be used. So to get rid of this, near most rigs is at least one huge fire. The fires I saw were over 6 feet tall and they burn all the time. So not only are the oil companies polluting the land, they’re polluting the air as well. It’s just awful!
It was a quick and smelly flight back to Quito where Jen, Roberto and I said goodbye to Louise and Shane. The three of us then (finally!) indulged in a local beer called Club. I couldn’t leave Ecuador without tasting the yummy local beer!
It was time to say goodbye to Roberto and Jen. It’s always so hard for me to do this. I know that I don’t really know these people all that well but when you share this kind of experience with them, it feels as if you do. And to think that I might not see them again makes me very sad. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without Jen opening up her cabin to me. Just having someone in the room with me eased my fears so much and I could never thank her enough! So who knows, maybe our paths will cross again one day. I sure hope so! At the very least I’ve made friends and so many memories. We’ll always share those…
Tomorrow I’m off to Cartagena where I’m going to indulge in some good old-fashioned pampering. Wine, dancing, food, shopping, exploring… And more great stories please…
Today we had a lazy day while our guides worked their butts off. We spent three hours poling down the river – well, Eloy and Edison poled while the rest of us searched for wildlife around the banks of the river. It was an absolutely perfect day to canoe down the Shiripuno river. Overcast with small bits of sun and rain. During the trip we spotted so many beautiful birds like the Toucan and the Macaw and different types of Heron. We also managed to see another type of monkey – the Duskitiki money. It was far away but so cool to see it running in the trees. Also at one point we heard a fairly loud howl or roar. First Uweme thought it was a howler monkey but then realized it was a jaguar! A jaguar was growling so close to us! Just the thought of that gives me goosebumps. Of course we couldn’t see it through the forest but knew it was right there.
You are here
After stopping at our campsite where we’d spend our last night, we continued downriver to another Huaorani community called Nenquepare. Here we got to meet the head of that community as well as 2 of the teachers and a bunch of children. The tribe had had a party at this community just 2 days ago. Members of the Huaorani from hours away by canoe came to the 2-day party! Apparently it was quite an affair. So we learned about the community and then Uweme and Edison and Roberto took to the hard work of making a fire the traditional way – with a stick, a piece of wood and a piece of cotton from one of the trees in the forest. This was another one of those times where everyone worked hard while we stood around and watched. I can’t imagine having to do that to get fire! Edison, who is 16 and will soon marry, was getting picked on. Apparently you cannot find a wife until you can make fire this way.
Uweme and Edison making fire
We spent some time hearing about how the government and oil companies had built them a new school and were even providing computers. It’s fascinating the mix of old and new here and it will be so interesting and perhaps scary to see how the Huaorani evolve with this mix of tradition and modernity. A new school with bright lights and solar panels sticks out like a sore thumb there and just doesn’t seem to fit nor to sit right with me. It feels like the tribe is being bribed for their land and aren’t getting close to a fair trade for it. It’s kind of sad…
We spent a lot of time listening to the stories of the community leader and his father. Tales of brutality with illegal loggers and folklore about how a father past away and came back as a jaguar. The tribe has such profound respect for the jaguar and you could see the pride in the face of a son as he spoke of his father.
It was pitch black when we returned to our campsite. We had dinner by the light of a headlamp and fell asleep in our tents to the sounds of insects and frogs and monkeys.
Thank goodness for new friends and good drugs; I was finally able to sleep last night! And I was a good bit less afraid. Trying to push rationality through fears is a difficult task for me but I was able to do it a little.
Our morning consisted of another hike through the rain forest. It was absolutely pouring outside! But for the Huaorani, that’s a good thing. They haven’t gotten much rain this season so the river is very low. And I’ve found that in the Amazon, you are NEVER dry. So don’t expect to be and you’re bettered off.
The hike was so cool! The rain forest canopy shielded a lot of the rain so we weren’t pounded on and, again, everything is just so lush and alive that it takes your breath away.
This name of this tree translates to the “devil’s penis”. Can you see why??
Uweme brought his blow gun and spear with him today. He was going to show us how the tribe uses them to hunt and we’d get to try it! He brought his personal bow gun which his grandfather used to hunt with. This blow gun is about 11 feet tall but they do make them in different sizes and are used according to what they’ll be hunting. For example, a longer blow gun will be more accurate and can shoot longer distances – to over 100 feet. Uweme showed us how it’s done and after his instruction, every single one of hit the target! It was heavy but once you got your aim right, extremely accurate. They put poison on the darts used in the blow gun. Of course the poison is made by the tribe with plants from the jungle. So a relatively small dart (approximately 1 foot) can easily kill a monkey. With a larger animal, it will at least slow them down enough to “finish them”.
Uweme showing us how to use a blowgun
We also learned how the tribe uses spears to hunt. Typically the blow gun is used for smaller prey and the spear for larger prey. The spear was about 9 foot long and sharpened on both sides so that if they have to break off part of the spear they still have the other side to hunt. Usually, they’re thrown while running through the jungle. Uweme created a target for us and off we went. This was definitely more difficult than shooting the blow gun but also more rewarding when you got it right – which I did not 😊.
My attempt to throw a Huaorani spear
Back before the missionaries made contact with the Huaorani they obviously only used blow guns and spears to hunt. Now a few of them have guns and the younger members of the tribe sometimes use them for larger prey. But they do like to maintain traditions and some of the older tribe members know only blow guns and spears.
On our way back to the canoe, Uweme wanted to stop by a tree that typically served as a “monkey house”. And there they were! We saw owl monkeys which are very small and the Huaorani wouldn’t hunt but would instead keep them as pets. They were so cute! We think there were 4 of them. There was a baby monkey among them. Oh, baby monkeys are to-die-for!!! Jen wanted to bring one home with her.
4 Owl monkeys!!!! They are almost right in the middle of the picture. 4 sweet little head looking out from the tree.
We spent the afternoon at the lodge just hanging out and it was wonderful! They have a main gathering area here where you are sheltered from the weather and you can just look out into the jungle and listen to its amazing sounds. I was sitting alone reading and Uweme came to sit next to me. We communicated with my limited Spanish and hand-gesturing. He asked to see pictures of my mom and dad, we talked about his family and where I would travel to next. I was actually honored that he would take time out to spend one-on-one time with me. Especially when my Spanish sucks!
Uweme and I
After a short while the others joined us and Uweme showed us how to make traditional Huaorani crowns – which are of course made from strips pulled from specific trees in the jungle. While we worked, he told us more legends from the tribe. Soon, more of the Huaorani joined him – our canoe poler and the patriarch of the home we visited yesterday, Eloy, as well as his mother Veronica and the manager of the hotel, Gallo. With Roberto serving as a translator, we sat and talked for over 2 hours – us learning about them AND them learning about us. It was such an incredible experience and honestly one of the very best parts of this trip! For example, we learned how upset they are that they’ve opened their land to the oil companies and feel they’ve gotten nothing from it. And that Eloy would love for his children to grow up and go to university but also to continue to maintain Huaorani traditions. It made me realize that even though people are so radically different, we can all find common ground – in this case the desire to give our children more than we had.
It was another absolutely amazing, life-changing, eye-opening day in so many ways. I’m so deeply grateful for this experience. Even with the creepy crawlers (which I’m now talking to instead of stomping on), the fact that I haven’t been dry in 3 days and the afro on my head, I would not change one moment!!
After breakfast we began a three hour hike to the first Huaorani community. We still didn’t see any mammals but lots of birds and insects and really amazing foliage. I will say that the jungle is much less scary in the daylight, thank goodness. During our hike, Uweme would explain the Huaorani use of plants and trees and insects. One of the trees in the jungle is called a lemon aunt tree. It has a symbiotic relationship with ants. And apparently they’re full of protein and taste like lemon. So why not try them right? So I did. And they do taste like lemon!
A pod from the lemon ant tree. Yummy.
Uweme would also stop to share legends of their community. For example they have a legend about how the Amazon river and its tributaries were created. Roberto would translate while he told the story of his land. Uweme and other elders in the tribe are very important for maintaining their history because they have their own language and the stories are not written down, just passed from generation to generation. I’m developing a profound respect for the people here. They are kind and strong and hard-working and generous and absolutely fearless! Amazing!
A massive ficus tree
We arrived to the first community. Here we met a few more Huaorani women and children. Every one that we’ve met is related to everyone else. It does make sense as they rarely marry into another tried and there are only so many of them. We were able to visit one family’s house – Bacha and Eloy. They have four children and they are both under the age of 25. They live in a one room house near the river. Some of them have beds and some sleep and hammocks. They have a separate room without walls that serves as a kitchen. They did have a generator for electricity but apparently that is unusual. They have a very simple life filled with family and hard work. No electronics or in some cases even light. But they look so happy! And welcomed us with open arms. They had some other family visiting as well. One of the girls was 15 and already married. And that’s the norm for them. They typically get married as soon as they’re able to bear children. So different from the way we live.
The house of the current leader of the Huaorani tribe
We helped Bacha plant some yucca and learn how to braid fibers that came from the trees and were used to make jewelry. And we tried chicha, which is their alcoholic drink. Yes even the simplest ways of life include a strong drink! This drink is made from the yucca plant and is fermented with the use of saliva. In order to make the chicha, they will cook the yucca, then chew it, then spit it out and wait for it to ferment. Yeah, it wasn’t my thing! But at least I tried it.
Bacha and her sister-in-law Angelica, weaving a bracelet
We spent a couple of hours just hanging out with his family. It was awesome! It seems like the people know and appreciate the important things in life. Although they’re slowly adopting some modern practices. They still believe in and want to retain their way of life.
I’m absolutely whipped! And I’m loving this and I’m also very afraid at the same time. I’m just hoping I can relax enough to sleep tonight…
This seems to be the month of my life for bringing all of my irrational fears to the surface. The night hike completely fell in line with that. We started out at dusk but almost as soon as we went into the jungle, the fading light mixed with the canopy put us in darkness. And of course I know this, but this land is ALIVE. There are different sounds in every direction. Different movements from all directions. It is wicked and unknown and scary. But on I went. We were looking for nocturnal animals but also insects and monkeys and bats. Well, what you see more than anything else in the jungle are insects. Of course that’s true but I guess I didn’t realize just how true it was! And insects you see the most of our spiders. And I’m not talking about the little baby spiders I find in my house in North Carolina, I’m talking about massive, hairy spiders with spikes! I’m talking about scorpions and tarantulas. They were incredibly cool but seriously got me riled up. My heart rate definitely went way up and I felt claustrophobic.
This is actually a cricket!!And of course, a scorpionOh Lord!
We spent a couple of hours in the jungle before returning for a nice dinner and bed. As I went to wash up for dinner, I was greeted with a giant cockroach as well as a giant spider in my room. It’s official now, I’m like a little girl around these huge bugs! I managed to kill the spider but left for dinner with the roach in my room. After returning from dinner, he’d brought friends in the form of large ants. Now, I’m embarrassed about this but I have to tell it. I ran for my cabin to Roberto’s to see if this was normal. I swear I sounded like a small whiny child. He acted like it was nothing but I knew I couldn’t sleep like that. So I asked my new friend Jen to bunk in her cabin. Yes, I was too afraid of the dark to sleep alone. And although embarrassed, I think I’m going to crash in her cabin for the rest of the week. Completely irrational, but there it is. I’ve vowed to try to reduce this fear a bit this week. Honestly I don’t think I have a choice. Needless to say, when I actually got to sleep around 3 AM, I dreamed of creepy crawlers! We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
I am in absolute awe! Everywhere I look there’s something new and fascinating. Let me back up. I was picked up bright and early by our naturalist guide Roberto and was quickly joined by the rest of our group. There are only 4 of us! There’s another solo woman traveler named Jen from San Diego and a sweet couple front the UK called Louise and Shane. So far we’re all getting along and as usual, these people are so similar to me – a bit crazy with a lot of great stories to tell.
We were to drive from Quito to another Ecuadorian tourist town called Banos and then from there to another town called Shell where our Cessna would be waiting to take us into the jungle. We were on the Pan American highway and would go through an area first called the avenue of the volcanoes. After that it would be referred to as the avenue of the waterfalls.
Roberto is awesome! From the get-go he told us history and news about the country and also about our tour. As I said in an earlier post, there’s an active volcano called Cotopaxi that sits outside Quito. Apparently when and if it erupts it won’t affect Quito but will displace 250k people from its surrounding towns. Well, currently this volcano is spitting ashes… and we got to see that! I’ve never seen a volcano in any stage of eruption so that was a pretty amazing way to start the trip. We were told, however, that we really don’t want it to get more active because of the devastating effect it would have on thaw people and ecosystem. The last eruption of Cotopaxi was in 1905 and simply covered the towns below. Apparently there’s an area where you can see the original top of a tower of a church from that long ago.
The Cotopaxi volcano spitting ashes
On we went for a brief stop in Saucedo which is a town known for its ice cream. So I had ice cream for breakfast. Why not, right? Then we were onto Banos where we’d stop for the last time before the jungle. Banos is known as an adventure seekers paradise. Right up my alley! It’s situated in the cloud forest so there are points where it looks like the clouds are on the same level as the people. People go there to mountain bike, hike, rock climb, raft, zip line… you name it. And it was a sweet, charming little town.
A waterfall seen from the town of Banos
On we went through the mountains onto the town called Shell which was named that because of all of the oil money used to develop the town.
It’s here where we encountered the tiny little 4-seater Cessna that would fly us into the jungle. This was so freakin’ cool! Loud and hot and slightly scary. Off we went through the clouds. My stomach jumped just a few times but I wasn’t too afraid. Our pilot seemed to know how to fly through the clouds that I couldn’t see past. As we flew the terrain got greener and thicker and even more lush. Finally – just as it started raining – we landed so softly(!) on a strip of grass in the middle of the jungle. The Huaorani were there to greet us! There were mostly teenagers there and a few of them carrying children of their own. They seemed shy and didn’t say much and didn’t seem to want to make eye contact but Roberto says that’s just because they’re shy.
This was my first impression of the jungle. It’s wet and humid and oh so green. We went for a short walk to the Shiripuno river where we got into the dugout canoe that would take us to the lodge. A dugout canoe is made entirely from one very large tree. The Huaorani’s use natural power to navigate the rivers – for the most part. They would be “polling” us down the river. That’s exactly what you think it would be. Young, strong Huaorani men sticking lone poles made of bamboo into the soil beneath the river to get leverage to propel us forward. This is a physical, hard-working, strong tribe!
You’re immediately struck by the peacefulness of this place. It’s so quiet except for the sounds of birds and insects that our tribal guide, Uweme, knows inside and out.
We arrived to the lodge to a lovely lunch served to us by a local Huaorani teenager named Angelica. We chatted some more and were shown our cabins for a siesta. I have my own cabin! It is 4 walls, one of which is covered only by a screen. There’s a sweet little porch with a hammock that looks over trees and the river. I couldn’t be happier. Although I do now see why the documents reminded you not to be afraid to get dirty and smelly. I’m already there!
Huaorani Ecolodge
My cabin!
Throughout our trip Roberto has slowly been telling us about the tribe we’ll live with for 5 days. They were and are known as the savages of the jungle. They’re hunters and were very resistant to any outside influence into their way of life. In fact, in the 1950’s a group of 5 missionaries tried to come to their land in peace to help. They were all killed by spears on the spot. Then 2 doctors tried to make contact. The female doctor had over 50 spear wounds and the male had over 60 when they found their bodies. The tribe, we’re told, will fiercely protect what they love at all costs. But they’ve realized the benefits of their Eco lodge in the jungle and have come to rely on it. Roberto says they’re also the friendliest people you ever meet if you don’t disrupt their way of life.
Traditional Huaorani men
I’m off for a quick siesta before we go on our first night hike. Our only warning, “ciudad” snakes 😊
Today was another exhilarating and fascinating and exhausting day in Quito. I’ve done free walking tours in other countries and the one in Quito gets rave reviews so I decided to give it a shot. These tours – in my opinion – are really good because they’re given by a local who talks about his country because he loves his country. They’re typically very passionate about the country and are invested in its future. And – all they work for are tips. So if they suck, they’ve worked for 3 hours for nothing 🙂
This one started in an area of Quito I’d yet to explore. There were a lot of hostels in this area so a lot of English speaking people and also a lot of locals. I do get quite a few looks as I walk down the street here. Is it because I’m so darned white or is it the hair. Who knows, I enjoy it and can usually elicit a smile.
Oddly, I was the only American on the tour. There were travelers from Europe, South America, Australia and even Russia. That alone was pretty cool.
This tour would take me to a lot of places I’d already seen but I was hoping to learn more about each place and its significance to the people of Quito. Our first stop was El Mercado Central – the central market. This is a traditional international market if anyone has been to one. Many kiosks inside selling everything from entire chickens to beautiful fresh fruit to lush flowers and beer. Here you could get a traditional Ecuadorian breakfast of tortillas and coffee for $1. That’s not a typo – just $1. Very nice. Along with the fresh fruit were juices made from these fruit. I tried Moro juice. Moro is a blood orange and indigenous to the area. It is sweeter than an orange and has a bit of raspberry to it. We also learned about Morocho – which is a sweet drink made of corn pudding and spices. It reminds me of the porridge I had in Africa.
Getting Moro Juice at El Mercado Central
The rest of the tour – as I said – went to places I’d already been. But I learned so much history from our local guides. For example, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have very similar flags for a good reason. They are/were all part of Gran Colombia which is a republic of some of the countries of Northern South America set up during their struggle between a centralized and a de-centralized form of government.
Me with one of the guards at the Presidential Palac
We also got to go inside part of the presidential palace and learned that the president no longer lives there. Apparently he said that he is not a king and the palace should belong to its people. So they opened it up to tourists but there is still lot of work that gets done on the premises. We also learned that although the current president has been in power for 8 years, prior to his presidency, the country was mired in corruption and went through many presidents. Some of them were literally chased out of the country, some were murdered in the city and one served for just one day. It was during this time that the currency was changed to the U.S. dollar. The hope was to bring about economic stability.
In addition to history, we got to see some history in the making. Today, on September 16, a rally and protest was planned in Old Town to march against government policies. Because of that, there were literally hundreds of police in the Old Town. It was quite a site to see. I should have stayed for the protest itself – in the name of history of course – but had been on my feet for so long by then that I just wanted a nap.
The end of the tour brought us to another place I had yet to visit – the La Ronda neighborhood. The neighborhood consists of Calle La Ronda and is a beautifully restored street in the historic area of the city. It has a bohemian, hippy vibe with lots of cafes and many local artisans – just my kind of place. Apparently on the weekends this is the place to be as it is pedestrian only and boasts live music from in front of its many cafes and bars. Unfortunately, Wednesday the place is dead 🙂 But that was ok – I was really just there for the art. So I wandered and finally found just what I was looking for. It is a pirograbado sobre madera – which literally translates to pyrography on wood. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood with burn marks resulting from the application of a heated poker. It’s so unique and lovely. I can’t wait to hang it in my home and share its story.
Calle La RondaI finally got a decent shot of the statue of the winged Madonna towering over the city.
I have one last night in Quito and then I’m back off the grid. I’m going to wander close to my hotel and try to find a wonderful glass of wine and maybe a Canelazo. I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to write tomorrow but if not, I’ll be storing it all up for when I return. I can’t even put into words how excited I am for this jungle trip. It’s going to be scary and eye-opening and dirty and exhausting and CRAZY! I’m ready!
Stories from a newly married, adventure seeking woman looking to see the world.
