EC Amazon & Galapagos Day 4

Day 04 - Saturday, December 6, 2008 - Optional Morning Bird Watching- Quichua Community School Visit--- Quichua Family Visit--Guided Afternoon and Nocturnal Hike

Even with the rain falling on our thatched roof and the thunder rumbling along the river bank, we slept well. Several times during the night we woke up to lightning but the skies cleared so we could see the stars over the equator.

We woke up to the chattering of the bird watchers who had gone to the lodge at 6 AM. We got up and were ready for breakfast at 6:45.

The other OAT group was leaving today and we wished them well as they are going on their flight to the Galapagos tomorrow. We changed into our jungle gear and were ready to get back on the river at 8.

The skies were overcast so it was cooler today at 75º and 84% humidity. The river that was so low yesterday when we arrived was almost to the top of the bank today.

As we motored along the Napo River we saw several hawks and flocks of parrots. Many of our group are serious bird watchers so they are able to help us spot many Amazonian species.

After about 30 minutes on the river, we docked along a steep bank next to a village school. Because it was Saturday the children were not present so Eddie gave us a little information about the 1600 Quichuan Indians who live in this region.

We left the school site and went with the flow of the river, southeast, for about another 15 minutes and then got out of our big canoe and walked into the jungle.

Marcelo showed us even more medicinal plants along the path. We came to a small thatched hut where we stopped to visit a Quichuan family.

Eddie got word that there were children waiting for us at another school just down the river. We walked about 30 minutes over a muddy and rutted path where we were greeted by Pedro, a native gentleman. He had agreed to open the school and gather the village children for special guests.

We introduced ourselves and the children showed us their books and talked to us about their lessons. Gennie and Judy taught the children songs and then we all went outside.

The children lined up for a cacao seed spitting contest. We also tried our luck and Marilyn and Don won. All of us said goodbye to the children and walked back to greet Fabrizio and Christina, their daughter Ruby and grandmother Anita.

Inside their Quichua bamboo home it was cool and shady. Fabrizio and Christina talked about their life and the satisfaction of farming their small plot of land. They are totally self-sufficient here in the Amazon rain forest.

Fabrizio, who is 24, told us how he had inherited this land from his father who received a land grant in the early 1970’s from the government. No one paid any attention to land ownership or to these Indians until oil was discovered here and now the petroleum companies are controlling the area.

The highlight of our morning was a wedding ceremony with Winnie and Al as the bride and groom with Judy and John as their attendants. While Marcelo played the drums, the happy couple was married in the Quichuan tradition.

The final challenge of the morning was an Indian hunting lesson with a 8 foot long blow-pipe. Gonzalo put a papaya fruit on a stick about 10 yards away and we each had two tries to blow a “poison tipped” dart into the target. This was much harder than it looked with only a few of us hitting the papaya.

At noon we said goodbye to Fabrizio and Christina and reboarded our motorized canoe. As we rode back on the Napo River we could see how much sediment and logs there are on the river.

We enjoyed our lunch and then went back to our cabin. There was a very heavy rainstorm but we could listen to wild birds all around us. This is definitely the rain forest!

Off to another adventure – at 4:00, Eddie gathered us in the lodge and we rode in the long flat boat though the mangroves and tropical jungle to a large lagoon that is owned by the lodge.

This 4 hectare preserve is the second tier in the animal rehabilitation. Once the wounded animals are healed enough to be out on their own, they are taken here to be monitored before being turned out in the jungle.

A juvenile tapir met us at the gate, expecting food, but we had none. As we trekked through the jungle on the path around the lagoon, he followed us like a little puppy.

Antonio, Gennie and I were at the rear of the line this afternoon, and the tapir let Antonio feed him a piece of a leaf. He was even able to pet him! I tried as well and we had a friend for life! Probably not a smart thing to do to a wild animal.

Gennie named him OATie and he followed our group all around the lagoon letting several of us get close-up photos of him. What an opportunity!

When we got to the lookout tower, half of us climbed to the top to observe the whole area, and then the rest of us had our turn to watch the sunset on the Amazon River Basin.

As it got darker, we boarded 4 small canoes and began our next adventure – a quest for the elusive caymans. With flashlights in hand, we searched the banks of the lagoons for the two red eyes that would tell us we had found the cousin to our American alligator and Brazilian crocodile.

We spotted several in our hour canoe ride. The largest and the easiest to see was a large white cayman, which Eddie thought might be at least 3 meters (9’) long from the size of his head.

Dinner was waiting for us when we returned to the lounge at 7:30. We finished our meal and then went right back to the room to take shower and finish the journal and get a good night sleep after another full day of experiences.

Accommodations: Yarina Amazon Lodge - - - Meal: B, L, D

If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

I love the videos! Keep them coming!

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Previous Next

Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.

Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...

Continue Reading Day 13