* Monkey photo credit to Matt*
Nora see, Nora tried.
On a more serious note, the last 3 days have been an absolute whirlwind. Sunday morning, we got up early and had to have our bags packed so we could drop them off on the way to breakfast. Our backpacks and provided boots were all we could bring on our trek deeper into the Amazon to visit the Waorani.
They told us we would get dirty, they told us we would stink. They did not lie. I want to burn the clothes I wore over the last few days, but that’s what a washing machine is for.
After eating breakfast, we grabbed our backpacks, put them in garbage bags, loaded them on the bus and started a 2 hour bus ride. The bus ride too and from was the closest I have ever come to being carsick and I can understand why people do. Imagine minimal ac, unpaved narrow roads, and a bus that’s loves to brake randomly. The ride was not for the faint of heart. However, the canoe ride which I was dreading was actually quite pleasant.
Our bus ride took us into Woarani territory, where once we entered, all cell service was lost, and we were a short ride from the river. We split into groups of 5, each with our backpacks, boots, and life vest’s and got into 4 separate canoes. Emily, Leah, Malini, Skip and I all pilled into one, which happened to driven by the president of the Woarani – he was super chill.
The ride took us 72 miles down two separate rivers, one of which was downstream and the other upstream. I was unable to sleep during the ride, too in awe of my surroundings and all the new sights. About halfway through the ride, we stopped at a sand bank and took a lunch break with the other canoes. While walking around, Skip pointed out animal tracks that belonged to capybara. He explained that they are typically out early mornings and at dusk and during these times they come down to the river which is why we were able to see their tracks left over – one was clear enough that you could see the indentations from their claws. After lunch, we continues down the river and Skip pointed out different kinds of birds to us – which was honestly one of my favorite parts of the ride. it was also fun because we were in a an unspoken race with the other canoes to see who would get to the final destination first, when one would stop to refill on gas, the others would pass and then the newly refueled canoe would eventually pass the others – our canoe arrived first.
When we got to the site where we were staying it was starting to get dark so we decided to walk around a little bit. First we ventured onto one of the trails as a full group and then came back after we interrupted a few peoples bath time at a watering hole. After, a smaller group of us took another trail that went a different way into the forest, we made it back just as the sun was starting to set. We had dinner and then headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Emily, Leah, Malani and I all shared a room and I think it was the earliest any of us went to bed the entire trip – exhausted was putting it lightly.
The next morning we woke up and had a full day with the Waorani ahead of us. I went down a little bit sooner than the majority of the group. When I went down I met the sweetest little girl named Chloe, who was 5 and the granddaughter of the Matriarch of the Guypere Waorani, we played hide and seek and then I held her for a bit while we got formally introduced to the Waorani. To start things off, we boarded the canoes again and headed a bit upstream to see some really important and special trees to the Waorani. Funny enough the trees that are special to them were the same trees that I noted as my favorite on the canoe ride, known as the Cebia or Kapok tree. They are absolutely massive with roots that stretch well above our heights – they reminded me of the trees in Disneys Tarzan. When visiting trees, we got the opportunity to swing from vines and climb some vines as well. We learned that often times when hunting things like monkeys, the Waorani would have to climb high into the trees to retrieve them. We also learned that hunters would use the roots of the Kapok tree to shield themselves at night or during storms when hunting. It was very hot that day and one of the younger boys from the Waorani weaved fans for us from nearby giant leaves.
After leaving the trees, we headed back to the canoes and all went fishing the way that the Waorani traditionally do. Our group caught one small catfish that had a really pretty silver/blue hue to it. Other groups were more successful and caught over 10. We used string and a small piece of peccary as bait – I suspect that may have contributed to used to our poor luck as the other groups used worms. They explained to us that during certain times of the year, massive catfish were much more common and they would use the small catfish as bait for the larger ones instead of using something like worms or peccary.
Once we finished fishing, we went back and had lunch and rested for a bit. Around 3pm, we got back on the canoes and took a short ride across the river to visit the Waorani’s home. There, they showed us around, we got to see their two pet monkeys, and learn more about their cuture. They used pigment from a plant that grows locally to paint our faces and gave us all names in their language based on what they observed about us. I received the name Dawä, which is the name of the woman who was the sister of Dayuma. When missionaries first arrived, Dayuma went with them and travelled all around while her sister Dawä stayed and helped to unite/gather different Waorani Tribes. She was the first Waorani woman to convert to Christianity and was known for being a key figure in helping transition her tribe from intertribal violence to widespread peace.
After the naming, we got to practice throwing spears – it reminded me so much of throwing javelin and was similar in weight and size. Then we played a few soccer games with them and it was super fun. I was really impressed by how good they were at soccer. Following the soccer games, everyone headed down to the river to swim. It was starting to get dark and raining heavily so I chose to sit on one of the canoes instead and take pictures of everyone. The guys in our group and Waorani males engaged in a chicken fight and it was really entertaining to watch, that them trying to see how long they could swim against the current. While I was on the canoe they offered me some small bananas and they were delicious. Once it had gotten dark and the rain picked up, they loaded us all on canoes to take us back. For me, this was probably the scariest part of the trip, I don’t like small boats and the darkness and rain did not help either. It was absolutely pouring and we were all drenched to the bone, we even ended up having to turn around to get more people because one of the other canoes motors stopped working. Despite the semi-scary boat ride, it was fun and we made it back just in time for dinner. Once again, we had some time to relax for a bit and we waited for the rain to calm down a bit, side note – my clothes were still soaked hours later.
Once more, we got on the boats and headed to the Waornai’s home where they had a presentation of sorts awaiting us. They performed a traditional dance and had the boys join in after watching for a bit. We then showed them the songs “Party in the USA” and how to frat flick, then we sang them Pitt’s version of Sweet Caroline and had them join in. As much fun as this was, I was getting eaten alive by the bugs, thankfully not bitten but had them crawling all over which definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. After we were presented with the items that they handmade and I decided to buy 3 woven bracelets, one of which I am gifting to my grandmother. the jewelry was made out of a fiber naturally found in the rainforest, dyed with different plants and adorned with different things like seeds and occasionally animal teeth.
We then said our goodbyes for the evening, headed onto the canoes, changed clothes, and went to bed. The clothing lines were full of wet clothes that would never fully dry. The next morning we woke up bright and early for breakfast and then started packing our bags as we would be departing. Leah and I were having upstairs when we noticed that thad gotten really quiet, she joked that everyone must have left – she wasn’t wrong. Next minute we know, Skip comes ups to us to tell us that everyone was waiting on the canoes for us to leave – oops. We grabbed our bags, boots, and life vest and started to head down to the canoes. I was in the very back of the path when I felt something hit my head. At first, I thought that perhaps one of my braids had gotten stuck under by shirt so I started shaking my head to loosen it, I still felt like something was on the back of my head. I dropped my boots and went to touch the back of my head, it was at this point I went something massive and spiky on my head and lost it. I think I was screaming bloody murder and like 3 different waorani men came running with machetes very concerned – I think they thought I had ran into a snake or something.. but no, it was just a massive bug. I apologized profusely for freaking them out and we laughed, I then proceeded to canoes where everyone looked at me as the culprit of the bloodcurdling screams.. in my defense I don’t like bugs, especially not on me.
We got on the canoes in the same groups we came in and started to make the trek back to where the bus would be waiting for us. Thankfully, it was cloudy so we weren’t getting beat down on my the sun. Given that it was earlier in the day, we saw a lot more birds than we had the way there, including a couple of toucans and a bunch of parrots and vultures. We constant saw blue and white sparrows and at one point, a beautiful white egret. I was super grateful to Skip, who lended me his binoculars and bird guide so that I could keep myself entertained on the ride. I had planned on reading but my book got absolutely drenched on the way there two days prior. Once again we topped for lunch and noticed how much higher the river was from all the rain the day prior and upstream. Even during our short lunch break, the sandbank was getting noticeably smaller.
During this ride, I was able to get a nap or two in which definitely helped it go by quicker. The ride was supposed to be a bit longer than the first but actually ended up being about the same and shorter than anticipated, likely due to the higher water levels. We got back and waited for a little bit for the bus. While waiting I saw two smaller lizards which Skip explained were called Skanks.
Finally, the bus arrived and I was sooo thankful for a cushioned seat and some air conditioning. The ride wasn’t as bumpy as the first time and we stopped for snack at a local rest/convenience store. We eventually got back to Iyarina lodge and I was so ready to take a shower. Leah took a shower first and I took the time to call my mom and catch up. It was the best shower of the entire trip and I was so happy to put less smelly clothes on.
We had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening.