Out of Ecuador

Ready for our first jungle walk around the Pimpilala homestay
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After our relaxing night's stay at Termas De Papallacta, it was time to head out into the jungle. From Papallacta we headed onto Tena (some 4 hours away), from where we took a "truck" into the jungle - to our homestay in Pimpilala. Our hosts, Delfin & Estela were extremely welcoming, & almost as soon as we arrived provided us with a local feast fit for a king. It was great having the opportunity to try some proper local food, as opposed to the Western stuff I'd been opting for in Quito :o)

In the local school
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After dinner it was time for introductions with the family/friends of the family staying at the home. Following that we had a few games of cards with one of the kids (Jelson) who turned out to be a very cunning cheat indeed! We were later informed that he's a very bright kid who excels at everything he does - from school work, to sport (& playing cards, so it would seem!). I think that much was obvious.

The following morning we were taken on a guided tour of the jungle by Delfin. Before we left we each had our faces painted with symbols - supposedly to warn off spirits/protect us whilst in the jungle. It was a fantastic walk in which we were taught about various medicinal plants within the jungle, how to climb a tree using a piece of twine (although I couldn't actually master this!), how to set a trap & how to pan for gold, amongst other stuff. It was quite a hot day, however, so us girls were quite relieved to get back to the home in time for a quick swim before lunch. We had our own nearby private freshwater pool which was beautiful, & the water wasn't as cold as we'd been led to believe which was pleasing :o)

The River Napo as seen from Shangrila jungle lodge
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After lunch (another sumptious meal) some of us went "canyoning" through nearby waterfalls - something I first tried when I was backpacking through New Zealand 3 years ago. This involved going from the bottom of a river to the top via waterfalls etc. - so lots of clambering & climbing upwards using trees & ropes, then lots of abseiling & slipping back down using ropes & bottoms!! It started to rain whilst we were half way back, but considering we were already soaked to the skin it didn't really matter!

At Santa Monica village school
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That evening we had dinner followed by a presentation/show from the family. First of all there was music & dancing, then a re-enactment of a wedding ceremony (thanks to Ali & Adrian), then a talk from Delfin on local culture & the work of shamen (the spirit doctors who people go to see if they don't believe in conventional doctors, or if nothing can be done to cure the ill). He has been training to become a shamen for 5 years already, but apparently it takes something like 10 years in total before he will be truly considered a shamen. After that, it was time to collapse into bed (wooden base with little mattress surrounded by much needed mossie/bug net).

Natural 'second skin' found in the jungle
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The next morning we were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to go to the local school - to disrupt lessons for an hour or so :o)  It's the school that the kids from the family attend, about a half hour walk away from the home. We spent about an hour in the class teaching some basic English, performing a haka (well, this was actually down to the kiwis & not the rest of us!) & then playing a game of soccer on the pitch outside. I joined in for a while but had no idea whose team I was on, nor who was on my team, but it was a good laugh nonetheless. All too soon it was time to leave, ready to catch a truck back to Tena & then onto our next jungle adventure - this time in Shangrila Lodge, overlooking the River Napo (which eventually joins with another river to form the Amazon).

Pimpilala jungle homestay
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We got to the lodge late in the afternoon so only had time for a quick swim in the river before dinner. We had to be canoed across the river & back due to the strong currents. Whilst waiting to take the canoe back we were wandering along the sandy bank when I very almost stood upon a very poisonous snake (called something like X). Yikes! It was only a baby, but capable of killing me within 3 hours so I was told. Oops! The guys killed it then & there so that it wouldn't be in a position to kill any other unsuspecting tourists. Ah well, it would seem as though lady luck was on my side for a change :o)

Bugs
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The next day we went for another walk through the jungle to visit the community of Santa Monica. We got to try some of the local alcohol made from yuka (can't remember what it's called) which was disgusting (at least I thought so), before heading outside to play with another whole bunch of kids. I ended up taking 100s of photos of them, as they kept asking "Otra vez, otra vez" (i.e. "Again, again") & then running over to me to check out the photos on my digital camera. That's the real beauty of digital photography i.e. everyone gets to benefit from the photos being taken. I'm afraid to say that I deleted most of them upon returning to the lodge, but did keep the best!

Jungle river
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After lunch back at the lodge we had a couple of hours to chill out in the hammocks, overlooking the river (ooooo, it's a hard life!). Then it was time for tubing down the river. We had to carry our tubes all the way down to the river - some 300 steps below - which was quite a feat in itself since the steps were small & narrow, & the tubes HUGE. We made it eventually & then the tubes were all roped together, so that we could drift along in one big happy group!!! There were a couple of rapids en route, but mostly it was a relaxing bimble down the river - so much so that at times I got off the tube for a swim (which was faster than sitting in the tube). After that it was a relaxing evening followed by another sumptious meal.

Panning for gold
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The next morning it was time to leave the jungle, this time headed for Banos, some way down South...