Today was the day we get to visit the Waorani Nation! We woke up early and ate breakfast around 6:30. We then packed our bags, which we could only have one backpack, before heading to the bus. We had a two hour drive to the river where we picked up some snacks at a convenience store on the way. Once we got there, we loaded our stuff, the food, gasoline, and other supplies into the boats. We had a long 6 our canoe ride ahead of us. We got the canoe stuck two or three times because of fallen trees and low water so had to get out and helped get the boat through. At about the halfway point, we stopped on a little beach for lunch. We got a tuna salad sandwiches with tomato and lettuce which I surprisingly liked since I don’t normally like tuna fish. We also had sprite to drink and oranges and apples. We then continued going until our propeller broke but luckily they had an extra and quickly fixed it. We passed a couple different tribes of the Waorani nation on the way. When we passed Geyepare, who we would be visiting the next day, an elder lady and a small kid waved from the side of the water. We were only staying a small way down the river from Geyepare. They had dinner ready for us when we arrived. We had a big plate of rice , beans, plantains, and salad. Some of the boys also helped to prepare some catfish for us. We then all hung out on the porch that night. 

The next day, we woke up to the rain of the rainforest. For breakfast, we had scrambled plantains, fried eggs, bread, and cantaloupe. We decided today would be a screen-less day with no phones. There is no connection or service out there anyway, so really all 3 days were phones free. That morning, we were introduced to Eli, Todd’s daughter. Eli told us about her childhood and what she is currently doing for education and work. She then introduced the president of the Geyepare nation who was only 18 years old as well as some of the other members. We headed onto the boats for about a 20 minute ride. One the other canoe, a fish jumped in. One of the uncles in the tribe said it was a gift from the jungle as a welcome to us all. When we got to our destination, we were shown the sounds for a monkey call which they hunt. They also showed how they climb the trees in order to hunt. It was crazy how high the guy went. I couldn’t even see him because he was up so high. They warned us that with hunting monkeys you must be careful because the monkeys will sometimes trick you and you can get lost in the jungle. We then had time to climb up the tree vine and swing from them. I felt like Tarzan. After we went back on the boat to see the Ceiba tree. It was massive and so cool. We learned that the women of the tribe planted their gardens near these trees because of good gardening conditions; however, they would not bring their kids to garden because jaguars used to sleep in the nooks of the trees. They also told us a story about jaguar vision. This was believed to be when grandparents fell asleep and their mouths dropped open, they can see through the jaguars but it would attract jaguars to come. The president told a couple more stories and then it began to rain so we headed back.

For lunch, we had this delicious pasta with beef, vegtables, and a salad. While some of our group rested, a couple of us went out fishing. It was raining the whole time but it made it fun. Maddie, Maggie, and I had bait duty where we had to search for crickets. We only fished for a little bit before heading over to the Geyepare tribe. We met the family who were all so kind. There was only a small number there as some went to the city for university and other younger kids were at schools. We also saw their two pet parrots and two monkeys. There was one very small monkey and a little bigger one. We each got a few tries at throwing the spears they used for hunting. I did not make it in the target so I don’t think I would be too good at hunting. We then split into teams of two to play soccer. The president was on our team. It was a really close game the whole time but unfortunately we lost. After playing, we met the tapyear they have as a pet. This was the coolest animal because I have never seen one of these even in a zoo. It was a mix between a pig, anteater, and a dog. Since we were all muddy from soccer, we swam in the river after to rinse off. We had chicken fights and all had such a great time together in the water. We then got back on our canoes to head back for dinner. We had one of my favorite soups yet and a salad with chicken. We hung around for a bit practicing our performance then headed back over to the tribe. When we got there, they gave us each a tribe name and used a fruit to draw on our heads. My name was Waikki which is the person who has great work ethic but also throws the parties. It was cool to see how many names aligned with their actual personalities. They then did a traditional dance for us where we joined in in a line, stomping and make the sounds that they did. Then the women performed as well. After it was our turn to show a part of our culture. We had quickly prepared a mash up of the cup song, macarena, and cotton eye joe. Afterwards we taught some of the kids our age the cotton eye joe. Then maggie got married to one of the tribe men. He later gave her a handmade necklace. They had some crafts we could buy so I bought a few things before it was time to head back to the lodge. We loaded back onto the canoes. It was pitch black out and our canoe suddenly ran out of gas . We were stuck in the middle of the river until the other boat dropped off the other kids. We saw something moving along the edge and when I shined the flash light on it, I could see it was an alligator. I was terrified but at the same time it was so cool. The other boat finally came back and was able to give us gas. When we got back, it was late and we all were so tired from our busy day. 

The next day, our time visiting the Waorani nation came to an end. This was such an impactful experience and I was sad to leave. We woke up at 6:30 to eat breakfast before heading into the boats to ride back. About an hour into the ride, one of the engines of the canoes stopped working. All the other boats stopped to help. We loaded 3 more kids into our boat and were a little crammed since we now had 10 people plus the driver in the canoe. It definitely slowed us down with that many people, but we made it worked. The other boat turned around with only the driver to go back and fix the motor. We stopped for lunch at about half way and had tuna sandwiches with tomato and cucumber, watermelon, oranges, and coke. We then wanted to wait for the other boat to come back so we decided to swim in our free time. When the other boat came, we all loaded back onto our original canoe to continue down the river until we made it back.