On Thursday the 13th of December, I stayed at
home for the afternoon to pack my suitcase full of clothing and bug repellent.
I left at 11:30pm to wait at a gas station to catch a bus at midnight—though,
it came around 1. With pillow in hand, I fell asleep and woke up a number of
times until I woke up at 4:30, at which point, I was unable to sleep more.
We got to the airport in Quito around 7, ate breakfast, got
our tickets, worried about our names being spelled wrong, and waited. Emma
Yearger passed through security and got on a plane around 11.
We got off the plane around 20 minutes later in El Coca, the
capital of Orellanas, and hopped on a bus. In less than 5 minutes, we got to a
place where we stopped to eat lunch, change clothes, and pack on the bug repellent.
After that, we crossed the street and got in a boat, where we went about 90km
east on the Napo River, finally arriving at Sacha Lodge around 4pm.
Day 1
We were told the basic rules, given snacks, chose groups,
received rain boots, and sat down for a relaxing few minutes before dinner. We
sat in groups, and found out our names; we were called Mono, or Monkey. I was
grateful the Monos had a grave desire to speak Spanish as much as English, so I
knew my Spanish was not going to suffer when I returned. However, when we got
our rooms, there was an odd number of men and women, so I asked to share a room
with 2 other girls, rather than be left alone. They offered me a room all by
myself, but I’d rather share when I have the ability to spend time with other
exchange students.
That night, we went on a night walk at 8, and saw bugs and
plants, and tarantulas. So many tarantulas. At the exact moment we made it back
to our rooms, it began to rain. At least we had good timing!
Day 2
We woke up at 5:30am and trudged our way down to breakfast
at 6. I was overjoyed when I served myself a plate of pancakes, something my
family has probably never heard of.
At 6:30, we were heade off on our second adventure: the
canopy. I don’t fear animals, blood, or getting burned by the Ecuadorian sun,
however, I have a deathly fear of heights. We were probably around 15 stories
above the ground on metal towers that were connected by a skinny, shacky,
suspension bridge. It was gorgeous, but I would not be likely to do that again
(or so I thought…kind of…).
After we walked back, a bunch of us jumped into the black
water lagoon. A few of the animals that live in it are sardines, piranhas, and
caiman. I fished after climbing out, but had no luck catching anything. I heard
that people who catch a piranha get to eat it for their next meal. I wasn’t in
the mood for fish, so I guess I was in luck. After, I went to shower, eat
lunch, take a nap, and prepare for our next adventure.
We went in a boat for a little while, saw millions of monos,
and then got to semi-dry land. We went on a walk where we were supposed to see
snakes. I was very disappointed we didn’t. We went back to camp and were denied
our request to jump in the lagoon and swim to shore. By 4, when we left, the
caiman begin to come out. Apparently, if the piranhas don’t nibble at your
toes, the caiman will!
While the other
groups went on night excursions after dinner, I was left completely alone in
our cabin. I listened to the jungle until I calmly fell asleep.
Day 3
Once again, we started our day before the sun rose, and were
in a boat heading to the Napo River by 6:30. Just as we got to our first
destination, it began to rain. The parrots we were supposed to see were trying
to keep dry, so I am sad to say, I didn’t see any! After that, we went to a
native village where native women live. They showed us two dances, explained
type of house they live in, and how they trapped animals. We were allowed to
try one trap, which traditionally is a man in a tree with a long hollow stick
shooting poison darts at birds. We were allowed to try the non-traditional
method on the ground with non-poisoned darts and a fake bird. I was the first
to go, and I hit the bird! I believe if the dart wasn’t poisoned, I would have
only wounded it.
We got back in time to change before lunch. After eating, I
decided to go down to the dock again and began videotaping people jumping into
the lagoon. A native guide caught some piranhas, so I was able to realize what
I was in the lagoon with. I am just glad they like carne de res more than carne
de mi cuerpo! I wasn’t expecting to get in, until I had no time to change, so I
jumped into the lake with my clothing. I asked someone to take pictures, and I
nearly ran to my room so I wouldn’t be late for our next adventure.
As we crossed the lagoon again, I saw a caiman about 10 feet
away from where I had just been swimming, and was glad I got out when I did! We
found ourselves at the base of a gigantic tree with a staircase built around it
leading almost to the top. We climbed it, and what a view it was. There were
some guys who told me it took about 5 seconds for spit to reach the bottom. If
that doesn’t tell you how high we were, I would say we were around 10-12
stories above ground. It was beautiful, but the fogged glory had to end as we
climbed down. We walked for a few minutes to a zip line. It was no more than a
wooden swing and less than a 30 foot wire, and no more than 30 feet above the
ground, but nonetheless, being on it for the mere few seconds was a blast. We
then went back to the boat and headed back to the hotel.
Once again, our offer to “lighten the load” was refused, but
I still got in a shower when we got back. After dinner, we went on a night
adventure in the lagoon. We were looking for caiman. The French exchange
student next to me grabbed my burned back in fear a number of times, and had no
fear shouting “EYES” at every turn. Eventually, the native guide found one, and
I was second to spot it. It was the only one we saw that night, but it was
amazing to see.
Day 4
We got to sleep in until 6:15, where I took a hot shower and
braided my hair, ready to be in a boat, a plane, and on a bus until 9:30 that
night. We ate our last meal together as a group, departed to the lagoon, and
had one last picture together as a group. I felt it ended too soon as we went
back the way we came.
