Flying Out of the Rainforest

We had a nice, clear day for flying.

Banana tree

Bananas

Small plane arriving at Wachirpas,

dropping off a group and picking us up.

(Notice the yellow plants used as markers 

along the edge of the runway rather than paint.)

Looking down at the river (and the plane wheel)

The twisting path of the river

(Our window was not as clear as the sky--

the runway was wet and the windows get splattered with mud.)

Signs that we are heading back to the reaches of the modern world.

(roads, clearings, buildings)

Cities

It is amazing to know that even as this modern world exists,

there are still people living as the Achuar do,

at this very moment,

their culture and environment still intact.

Being back home it is hard to believe that their reality exists right now,

just on the other side of the equator.

Sharing in Achuar Traditions: Chicha, Dream Sharing Ceremony, Food, Face Painting, Blowguns

Traditional Achuar clay bowl (hand-made & hand-painted)

Hammock house, 

where 4am wayusa dream-sharing ceremonies are held by the fire.

Hammock's are commonly used by the Achuar,

as are the turtle-shaped chairs, as seen in this photo.

Also typical is the fire with three logs pointed inwards; 

as the ends burn they are pushed in toward the flame. 

Our final meal with our Achuar guide

Traditional Achuar foods; a bowl of manioc, plantain, hearts of palm, and soup,

all served on a palm leaf.

Compostable food packaging :)

Wrapped up vegetables and hearts of palm

Traditional face painting with our Achuar guide

Our other guide was trying to get us to look at the camera

and trying to get us to smile

Face paintings from the side

Next face painting... whiskers?

almost done...

Learning about the Achuar's hunting tools:

a blow gun and darts tipped with poison from rainforest plants.

Aiming for the target--she hit the bull's-eye!

Friends' face paintings

Being silly

Our Little Tribe :)

Floating on the River at Sunset

We canoed down the river and stopped at this spot. It was supposed to be good for fishing.

I felt compassion for the fish and prayed they would not be caught.

Our Achuar guide expressed frustration when no one was catching anything...

A palm tree

Another photo of the canal

Silhouette of Cecropia tree

Dark silhouettes against bright sky

Low clouds and river reflection

Rapidly changing sky and reflections at sunset

created beautiful scenes all around.

Birds flying through evening sky

Capirona - a tree that sheds its outer bark to expose its smooth inner bark.  

The smooth surface prevents other plants from climbing up it's trunk.

 

Coatis (relatives of racoons)

This was really neat to see--a rare spotting--
we only saw the coatis this one time.

We also saw a couple of other rare sightings while we were on the river.
A pink river dolphin surfaced while we were kayaking.
We also saw the hoaxin, a ancient-looking bird, thought to be a relative of dinosaurs.

Evening sounds at Kapawi

So many voices...

When we protect the forest,
we protect their home;
the rainforest is infinitely more than just wood or land or oil,
it is a whole world--
a highly complex, irreplicable community of creatures.

Hike to Achuar Village

"The trail"...

A canoe took us to the trial.
We hiked for about two hours.  

Thank goodness our guide knew the way,
because without him we surely would have been lost.

Our guide pointed out jaguar and tapir tracks... fresh in the mud.  

(I put my boot next to them for size comparison.)  

Glad we didn't come face to face with them on the trail...

Looking up a tall tree trunk

Base of tree

Sunlight shining through palm leaves

during our 30-minute meditation

We each sat alone in the forest for a half-hour.

Our guide cut a palm leaf for each of us to sit on.

At first I was hesitant to sit, 

but then I did sit down.

At first it was nice to take a break from walking
and be still--

and just observe the surrounding forest.

Sitting there, motionless,

I began to notice the forest was not as still

as it had appeared when we were moving.

I started to notice many insects moving around me.

I saw
an ant

a mosquito

a really large ant.

The mosquitoes started to come for me
so I covered my head and neck with a scarf.

Not long after, I felt a pinch come from underneath me.

I quickly stood up and found a tick on my palm leaf.

Later, when I got back, I found tiny red chigger bumps all around my waistline.

From this experience it occurred to me that 

I AM FOOD too.

I am not in the habit of thinking this way.

In the modern world we are taught to think of ourselves as consumers,

but rarely take into consideration what it means to be consumed,

and we have generally lost a sense of respect and appreciation

for the things we consume.

This experience gave me a new perspective

and a greater appreciation for the things I consume--

the things that help me stay alive.

We are all living--all with lives of our own.

Observing a beautiful world

Back on the trail,

the only way across...

her look says it all.

Again, thank goodness for our brave guide

who helped us each across, one by one.

Fruit from tree - (not for human consumption)

Sky

Getting settled at tents at Wachirpas,
an Achuar village we stayed at overnight.

Our pretty blue tent

The other tents, (also nice looking)

Achuar house and school houses in the background.

I was a bit surprised to see what large clearings the Achuar had at their villages;
I didn't anticipate seeing such clearings and
had imagined they would live even more intimately with the surrounding forest life;

I was told they liked soccer and played in the clearings.

 The sky that night was amazing--

so many stars, 

and constellations we do not see up north,

such as the Southern Cross.