I almost forgot to mention one of the best group excursions – the trip to the Amazon. We took a bus into the jungle in eastern Ecuador, to an area called Amazonas. The region constitutes a large part of the country geographically, but contains only 5% or so of the Ecuadorian population. We stayed at a large, scenic hotel located next to a river in the middle of the jungle. To reach it we had to leave the bus and canoe across the river. I was skeptical at first, thinking it would be some run-down, decrepit place, but it turned out to be probably the nicest hotel I stayed at in Ecuador.
 |
Regions of Ecuador, with the green representing
the lowland tropical jungle, or Amazonia |
 |
| Casa del Suizo pool, part of our awesome hotel |
 |
| View from our hotel balcony |
 |
We had to take a canoe to the hotel - there were
no bridges over the river! |
We were at the hotel for three nights, and during the day did lots of hiking, canoeing, and rafting. We also visited a nature preserve nearby that housed several species of monkeys, snakes, parrots, and many other jungle animals. On the first night we stayed at the hotel, but on the second we decided to venture out into the adjacent village and see if there were any local bars or clubs.
 |
| Out at a local bar with a few random locals |
We befriended some Ecuadorian guys about our age, and they told they could take us to a good place for dancing. We followed them to the outskirts of the town – at this point it was already completely dark – and all I could think was, please don’t rob or kidnap us! (We were in a group of about a dozen students, so I guess it wasn’t that bad). We arrived at a large, circular structure with a straw roof that I would’ve guessed was some sort of town hall. But inside there was a bar and dance floor, complete with patio tables and a disco ball. When we got there nobody else was inside, and I felt really out of place just hanging out with some gringos and our two local guides in an empty indigenous club.
But within 15 minutes a group of Ecuadorians showed up and started dancing, and pretty soon we were on the dance floor too. I danced with one of the locals for awhile, and she helped me learn a few moves so that I didn’t look like a complete idiot. Her brother was also there – it sounds kind of awkward, I know – but he was real cool and easy to talk to. I ended up going to the river bank with a group of their friends where we built a fire and listened to music (one guy brought a stereo - it wasn’t that primitive!).
 |
Since the terrain is rough locals rarely bother
with roads and instead rely on the rivers for transport |
Eventually we started to fall asleep until I saw a glimpse of dawn approaching. When I realized what time it was I got up to leave, and the girls brother showed me the way back to the hotel. By the time I got back I had a good two or three hours to sleep before the morning group activity…that wasn’t exactly the most fun hike of the trip!
 |
| Getting my face painted the next day in the jungle |
 |
| Well the next day wasn't all that bad! |
Comments