(So much for my vow of more regular writing. This one had so many pictures that it deterred me from spending the time it takes to upload them all..... but, here it is)
Each part of my trip in Ecuador was uniquely wonderful. However, the days I spent in the rainforest were especially fantastic both because of the unique look I had into the life and culture of the rainforest, but also because I spent this portion of my journey with some close friends from Atlanta. While we were together over Thanksgiving, it came out that we'd both booked tickets to Ecuador for almost the exact same dates. We were floored by this coincidence and immediately began to plan which portion of our journeys we could spend together. They were generous enough to take me along to this tourist oasis in the middle of the rainforest. What a great adventure!
After spending more than six hours getting to know the other guests on the trip and snacking in the VIP lounge at the Quito airport (due to weather delays) we took a short flight to Coca, Ecuador. From there, we boarded a motorized canoe and traveled for about two hours (sixty miles) down the Napo River,
walked for about half a mile on a boardwalk of bamboo slats, boarded paddle canoes for another 20 minute ride across Lake Garzacocha (Heron Lake). Here on Lake Garzacocha, we arrived at
La Selva Jungle Lodge.
The lodge consisted of about 20 individual cabins connected by bamboo-slat raised walkways. Beware - bamboo can be quite slippery when wet! Each guest was provided with tall rubber boots to wear on our excursions into the Amazon Basin Rainforest that surrounded the lodge grounds. Our group of five also had two guides of our own. Jorge was a bilingual naturalist guide from Quito and he was accompanied by another guide (bilingual in Spanish and the native tribal language) who was indigenous of that part of the rainforest and could offer information about the jungle beyond even what Jorge knew.
Our first morning, we awoke with the generator around 6am and prepared ourselves for some jungle exploration. Our first stop was a huge Kapok tree.
Built around this tree was a huge tree house - probably eight stories high - that reached to the canopy of the rainforest. We spent several hours in the tree house bird watching and enjoying the sights and sounds of the rainforest.
In the tree house
After appreciating and learning about some of the rain forest creatures of the air, it was time to see what we could find on the ground. Jorge had a great eye and we were able to see, learn about and even hold some really neat little critters. Here are a few:
Tree Frog
You have to hold this little guy really tight or he'll get away!
some adorable mushrooms reach skyward
baby tarantulas are to be seen, but not held
these are my favorite type of ants
there were lines of them all over the forest floor
This little guy looks vicious, but actually is the only type of non-poisonous ant Jorge knew of in the jungle. His pinchers didn't even hurt!
Again, looking rather lethal, this millipede was ok to hold.
Centipedes are poisonous, but not millipedes.
(But don't hold millipedes too close to your eyes because they emit cyanide)
How do you know the difference you ask?
Millipedes had four legs per body section and centipedes have only two.
Unfortunately, you have to pick them up to figure this out.
Thank goodness we had Jorge!
And of course, no jungle tour is complete without some vine swinging. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:
Jane of the Jungle
Starring: Emily
What fun! We all had a turn on the vine.
After lunch on our first day, it was time for a swim. We took out canoes, kayaks and had a nice swim in the lake around the lodge. When we were "swum out" it was fishing time.
There were not poles, but rather sticks with line. The bait: Red meat (hmmm... what are we fishing for???)
Janet caught a couple fish. (I did not.)
And it turned out, we were fishing for.....
piranhas!!!!!!
Yes, we had just swum in the exact place where we then went fishing for piranhas. Yikes! I'm glad I still have all my toes. I guess those Amazon movies exaggerate some!
However, it gets worse...
As many of you know, I am deathly afraid of snakes. As it turns out, this lake where our lodge was located an in which we'd just boated and swam is also the home of a.... 15 foot....
anaconda!!!!!!
Remind me why I went to the rainforest??? :) (Just kidding...sort of)
We canoed across the lake after learning that the resident 15-foot anaconda had been spotted that day. There is was- sunning itself on some sticks at the side of the lake. I guess we can officially say that we swam with piranhas and anacondas. Although, I must admit that I didn't really swim...boated and put my feet in...my intuition must have known this all along. After learning about the residents of the lake, I was glad that I made it back with all the members of the group that I'd started with! Yikes.
After these lethal creature spottings, I was happy to canoe to the other side of the lake and enjoy some peaceful monkey spotting for a while. Now, these guys are cute!
And the day ended with a delicious meal in the dining room. All the guests of the lodge eat at several long tables to share stories of their day. We'd made friends with several other guests and so had a great time over dinner. Jorge even joined us and added some excitement to the meal.
The next day, our adventures took us to visit the house of an indigenous family. We retraced our steps across the lake, the bamboo walkway and about 10 minutes down the river in the motorized canoe until we came to the house of one of the community leaders.
In the canoe with Jorge, Janet and Pat
the house we visited
traditional rainforest style (bamboo and palm leaf)
hand-made dug out canoe belonging to the family
We learned about some of the vegetation around us and both dietary and medicinal uses.
an unripened cocoa bean and cocoa bean pod
(opened with machete, don't try this at home....unless you live in the jungle and have been trained with the machete since age 4!)
Trying some of the manioc alcohol - the traditional drink
It is made by chewing up the manioc, then spitting it out, allowing the deposited saliva to ferment the manioc paste. Essentially, it tasted like liquid sour bread dough. Not my favorite.
And of course, no trip into the Rainforest would be complete without a lesson on blow gun hunting. First, we painted our face - hunting style.
Happy gets her face painted using the traditional fruit as paint.
This pod fruit is also used for dying clothes and beads. (But it washes off skin!)
Emily, Jorge and Janet - ready for the hunt!
Pat captures the blow gun lessons on video.
The smallest daughter of the family is intrigued and not at all shy to watch how it works.
She shoots!
She scores!
(Ok, this was my tenth try....but those blow guns are LONG and hard to aim!)
The family we visited was so hospitable and friendly. We had a great time and bought some of their hand-made jewelry before leaving. (You can see the necklace and earrings in the picture above)
Later that day, Jorge gave us a tour of the butterfly farm run by the lodge. It is a thriving business and they ship butterflies internationally. We were able to see and hold both the caterpillars and the actual butterflies. Apparently, it is a wives tale that if you touch butterfly wings they will fall apart. With gentle handling, no harm is done.
my favorite sticky-footed caterpillar on Jorge's finger
a beautiful butterfly
This part of the trip was truly spectacular. I hope to do it again sometime!
Dancing in the New Year
Quite a lot of fog! Be careful around those turns!!!
all kinds of paper 
some are generic and some are famous people/cartoon characters
the gang at 
hammocks and dancing