Today was crazy. We were told that we were going on a river hike, but I thought that we would be walking through a little stream. I was very wrong. We got to the starting point, and I could already tell that this hike was going to be amazing. Before the hike, we were given boots that almost went up to our knees. We walked through the water in the boots, but as we got farther in, the river got deeper, and water started getting into our boots. After walking for a little bit, we got to a small waterfall and climbed up into it. At the top of the waterfall, there was a deep pool of water and another waterfall falling into it. Almost everyone had a chance to climb up into the waterfall. After the waterfall, we continued to walk up the river. We continued farther up the river and eventually came across a deep water hole where we could jump off a rock into it.

Next, we had to take off our boots because the river became too deep to walk through, so we had to swim. This is when we discovered clay along the shore. We used the clay to draw lines on our faces and bodies. Some people were completely covered in red, brown, and gray clay. During the hike, I was hoping to see a snake, but we only saw insects like spiders and crickets. We finally made it to the end of the hike, which ended up being about two miles through the river. It was a great experience that I was not expecting to have today. When we got back, we had a great lunch and then later in the day had another chocolate tasting. After the tasting, we had some time to relax before dinner. Once we finished dinner, I ended my day by packing my bag for the Waorani. I’ll see you in three days when we get back.