On Sunday, we woke up nice and early for breakfast at 6:00am, followed by a two-hour bus ride to the canoes that would take us to Geyepare. The canoe ride was six hours; however, it was pretty enjoyable. I liked feeling the cool breeze and mist from the water kicking back up on my face, as I admired the lush trees and beaches that surrounded us. Every twist and turn looked exactly the same. If you didn’t know what you were doing, it would be easy to go insane out there. We stopped on a beach for lunch, after taking a nap on the canoe of course, and then finished up our voyage and got to the field house in the evening at some point (I had no sense of time because I left my phone back at the lodge). We went on a hike down some trails that became overgrown, and Skip told us what to do if we ever got lost in a situation like this. We saw some pretty flowers and plants, and heard some calls from different birds. After the hike we ended up eating and going to sleep early, as the lack of phones and the newly found pitch black gave us an easy entrance to early bed.
On Monday, we woke up and got to spend our full day with the Waorani people. We met the president and the matriarch, as well as their family. They brought us in their canoes to a hiking spot up the river, with the biggest tree I have ever seen in my life. The one little boy grabbed the vines and swung like Tarzan, so we followed. They built steps into the roots of the tree to give us a boosted launch. After that the little boy climbed another set of vines about 30 feet into the air, and we learned that they climb all the way up to the top sometimes to hunt. We tried it out next and it was easier than expected. We headed to another even bigger tree and learned the story of how they used to chop the trees down to plant plantains and other plants in the roots because of the nutrients there. The men would show up at 6:00am and work until they finished at 2:00pm, which is crazy to think they got the whole thing done in one day with just a chiseled rock each. The women would then plant after this, and they would throw a party to celebrate. We also learned that after the men finished cutting down the tree, they would go home and punish their kids and transfer the energy of the life they had to take (the tree).
We left the big trees and headed out on the canoes to fish. Our boat had a long line with a small stick attached, and a small hook where they used worms as bait. We caught five fish on our boat, but Gawe caught all of them because we failed when we tried. Our motor also broke down so Gawe had to fix that as well. Once we got back for lunch, we had some time to relax before we headed to Geyepare. Skip taught me, Leah, and Rick how to fly his drone, and get cinematic videos.
Once we got to Geyepare, it was like entering a new world. It was much smaller than I expected, as there was not even 10 of them there. The others were out or at school, which some of them leave and go to this time of year. There was a triangular common ground building when you first entered, a soccer field to your right with wooden goal posts, and four huts/homes. There was a satellite dish which surprised me. I didn’t see technology, but they did have phones, as well as electricity with a generator. They had two monkeys (one named Nemo) and two dogs. We passed around the soccer ball while we waited for everyone and then headed into the triangular building for the naming ceremony. My name given to me was Minkaye, who was a warrior who speared and fought missionaries. The name directly translates to wasp. They also painted on our faces with red paint from a fruit they picked.
After the naming ceremony, we tried throwing their spear at a banana stalk but didn’t get to try the blow dart gun. They were in a rush to play soccer. This was an amazing experience. Everyone was so into it. The field was super slippery, and I ate it a few times running around and trying to cut. After soccer, it was pouring rain, and we got into the river in which the strong current was hard to go against if you swam out at all. We played tag, made a three-layered tower, and did chicken fights. This was probably my favorite part of the day. Once we finished up playing in the water, it was getting dark, so we headed back for a break with dinner and came back to finish up the day with a ceremony in which the Waorani men did a dance for us, and we did one in return. They dressed in their traditional clothes, which was scarce, and had important things to their culture like a blow dart holder and woven bags around their necks. We performed “Party in the USA” for them and taught them how to ‘frat flick’. We also did the classic “Sweet Caroline” and taught them the “Let’s Go Pitt!” part.
The next day we woke up extra early and headed out on the canoes. It was sad saying goodbye to our new friends, although we had just met a day prior. The canoe ride was longer today than before, because we went upstream most of the time, and then we bussed the rest of the way home. It felt great to be back at Iyarina, where we didn’t have to deal with the troubles of being deep in the rainforest. The warm water felt amazing, the light in the bathroom working and the toilet flushing felt like a privilege, and the lack of cockroaches in the bathroom was another positive. We were all exhausted after the long day of traveling, so we relaxed the rest of the night.
What an experience.