We woke up on Sunday bright and early, around 5:30am so that we could grab a quick breakfast before starting our long travel day. After breakfast we hopped on the bus and got started on our 2 hour bus ride to the river. I will say it was quite a bumpy ride, as all the “roads” were just rocks, but we made it to a quick stop at a gas station for any last minute snacks and bathroom breaks before we got on the canoes. We split into our groups after arriving at the river and got all of our things packed into the canoes, which were pretty tight so we got real close for the next 7 hours!! Honestly, the ride didn’t feel like it was that long, as we kept ourselves pretty busy with music, scenery, playing games (like imposter), and I was even able to read a bit on the ride. We took a short break around the halfway mark to stand up, go to the restroom, and have a lunch of tuna sandwiches and fruit! It was the perfect break for our long ride. We spent the second half of the trip playing imposter, and it was super exciting when we finally arrived at the lodge. We were able to see some people standing outside and got all of our stuff unloaded. We took in the scenery of the jungle and took a short walk in the trees before dinner, which was absolutely amazing! The women there were such good cooks every time! Now having no internet was definitely a change and we were all so exhausted, so we each took our showers (with not much water), and headed to bed pretty early around 8:30pm.
After a nice restful night at the lodge, we woke up and headed down to breakfast and then headed out on the canoes again to go see these very large trees in the jungle. The trees were the biggest I have ever seen and we even got to swing from the vines on them as they were super sturdy! We got to hear an amazing story from the monarch of their family about what they do with the trees and the role they play in their culture. I found it most interesting that they would plant other types of fruit trees within the roots of these giant trees in order to make the fruits grow large and juicy due to getting the good nutrients from the roots. This was a really inspiring story to hear.
Then we got back on the canoes and each stopped at different spots to try and do some fishing! My boat was super lucky as we caught probably over 20 fish (even though I only got 2 lol). The fish looked like a kind of catfish and we even had a woman that was gutting the fish right there on our boat which was awesome to see. My boat also had the two young kids and they were super active and made the experience so energizing and refreshing. Chloe, the little girl, had so much energy and was really fascinated with Ben’s camera and was taking totally awesome pictures at the ripe age of 4! After a tiring bit in the sun fishing, we stopped back at the lodge to get some lunch and refresh before going out to see the tribe.
When we first got to the tribe we got to have a naming ceremony, where the family gave us each a different name with a special meaning behind it, which was super interesting and something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. We received markings with achote (a fruit) which stains the skin red, which was super cool! Then we headed out to the field to try some spear throwing and played a few games of soccer. The soccer games were super fun as it was a bit rainy and the field got quite slippery, so we were slipping around and having a good time all together. My team ended up winning all three games (even though I barely touched the ball shhhhh). To end off our time we went down to the river and swam for a while, playing different games and enjoying our time before we headed back for dinner.
After dinner we headed back to the tribe ground to share in some dancing and last moments together before we head back on our journey. They shared with us a special indigenous dance that the men did and the guys even joined in! It was super cool to see a piece of their culture that they hold close and special to their hearts. Then we showed them a few songs and dances that we know and they were super excited to learn from us and learn more about our culture and ways of life. We also were able to buy some handmade things from the monarch and the little boy who also makes different woven things to sell. I bought a nice basket that was tan and purple and also a pair of earring that are brown. They are very well created and all of the colors are naturally dyed on. Then we headed back to our lodge for the night before leaving early again in the morning.
On Tuesday we woke up early again and had breakfast of eggs and rolls and then got started on our canoe ride back to Iyarina. It was sprinkling just a little bit, which was perfect for our long ride back. We were definitely all tired and everyone on my boat took naps for a little bit as well, but I was able to read a lot of my books on the ride while everyone slept! When we awoke and I started a new book Project Hail Mary, we arrived back at the dock and boarded the bus to get back to the lodge. Once again, a bumpy bus ride and a stop at the gas station later, we got back to the lodge and were all pretty tired. We all showered and then had dinner of beef and mashed potatoes and rice which was super yummy! Then I caught up with all of my family and called them after my awesome trip before heading to bed pretty early again after a long travel day!
