Today(5/16), we went on a water hike through the river. Rick and Skip told us that we would get pretty wet, whatever that meant. It all started with a ride down to the trail where we got off, took a short hike through the muddy terrain, and we made it to the river. At first, I was apprehensive to get very wet, but as the water level got higher, it just turned into me actually enjoying the river a lot. We swam, fell, and jumped into the river off of a ledge. We saw some mini waterfalls and coves. We really got to see a lot more than I expected, which is why it was so great. After a needed shower, we had a chocolate tasting. I definitely enjoyed the chocolate with the nuts and almonds in it the most. I am a really big texture person when eating, so the crunch from the nuts was a nice addition. We then ended our day off with a nice dinner of steak and potatoes to end the day.

Today(5/17), we spent around 5-6 hours on these canoes that took us deep into the Waorani territory. It was very interesting to see all of the unique terrain along the way. By the end, the sun was getting to me a little bit, so I put sunscreen on and slept the rest of the way. When we got to the place, we were greeted by some of the nicest ladies I have ever met. They were so welcoming and kind to us throughout the whole trip. We then went for a mini hike down some of the various trails on the compound before ending the day with dinner.

Today(5/18) was a packed day. We started off by taking some of the canoes to view 2 of the largest trees I have ever seen. Some of us got to swing on a branch from one of the trees, and we got to climb a mini tree that was just a bit behind the massive tree. Ellie then told us a little information about the trees and how they were used to plant crops such as plantains and yuca. We then went fishing with some of the guys, where we caught these little fish to have later for dinner. We then had a little lunch before going to the naming ceremony and the soccer game. The rain started to really come down at this point. My name was Moipa, who was a respected warrior who apparently had 30 wives, which was pretty interesting to say the least. The soccer game was the best part of the day because it was nice to see everyone bonding together and having fun at the same time. After the soccer game, we went down to the river to have a swim. We played tag and had chicken fights and just had a great overall time. We had dinner, and then we went back to the tribe where they did their traditional dances. In return, we taught them some of the culture/songs from the States to end the night on a high note.