Rainy Forest

By Tuesday, I was kind of over the rain forest.  Monday was a beautiful and sunny (but not too hot) the entire day.  Tuesday, it rained the entire day and doing all sorts of hiking and whatever was starting to take its toll on me, plus as much as I tried to be over the bugs, they were everywhere... and soooo gross. 

I went on a hike with Jerdson's dad (whose name I can't remember).  We went on a motorized canoe about 40 minutes down the Rio Napo and ended up in the primary rainforest reserve.  We hiked through lots of mud and dirt and grime --- but itsince it rains all the time, everything is very lush and pretty.  I saw lots of crazy insects and lizards and a snake and some monkeys high up in the trees and then he showed me the giant 2 inch long ants that can eat you alive!  That was frightening.  Right after that, there was a torrential downpour for about an hour and completely soaking wet, we made our way back to the boat.  Yuck! On the way back to town, we stopped on the same beach where I had seen the monkeys the day before and I got out to take pics, but they had moved inland to a little park.  They were everywhere and it was kind of like a minature version of planet of the apes.  I was standing there and this one little monkey grabbed hold of my life jacket and started trying to play (I think) with it.  I took a pic, which I will load later, of this which is pretty funny. 

That afternoon, I went to an indigenous community and met some of the women there, who showed me how they make the traditional yuca soupy-drink thing.  I tasted it and wasn't a fan, but pretended to love it.  Like six of the village girls gathered around me and wouldn't leave me alone... I don't think they had ever seen blue eyes before. Then, we went to Jerdson's dad's house and he told me what it was like being a shaman and how controversial it was for him when he married his wife (he is mestizo and his wife is indigenous) and how scared he is of the Kichwa (indigenous) language dying out because none of their 8 kids speak it.  Then he cleanses me of the bad spirits and said I was a little tired maybe but otherwise in good health.  Which was true. :)

Back at the hotel, I rested until dinner and then hung out and drank some wine with Jerdson, who told me he was in love with a girl from France, but he couldn't get a visa to go to France to be with her. So, I had a good time in the jungle, but I was really happy to leave on Wednesday morning.  Next stop, Baños of Ambato.