On Sunday (Day 9), we woke up bright and early as we had a very long travel day ahead of us. We were about to take an electric canoe 72 miles into the Amazon Rainforest to stay next to the Waorani Nation, an indigenous community still not integrated into modern society, to learn more about…
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No Wi-Fi, All Waorani
Day 8 of our trip started with us leaving on a bus ride to the canoe stop after a nice hearty breakfast. The bus ride was 2 hours long, and it went from nice paved roads to rocky dirt roads, all with stunning views. After around 1 and a half hours, we entered Waorani territory,…
Walking with the Waorani
These last couple days have been a doozy, as on May 18, we woke up at 5:30 am to go get ready for our long day ahead. We had breakfast and then took a 2 hourish bus ride to our boat spot. It got to a point in the ride where we went completely into…
Off the Grid, but Still on the Grind
Over the next couple of days we took an adventure deep into the jungle to the Waorani Nation. We started by waking up at 5:30 on Sunday May 18th. We got some breakfast and prepared for our 2-hour bus ride to the boat. Then, we would have a 6-hour boat ride into the forest. After…
Day 11: Painting Pots, Hair Cutting, and Monkeys
¡Hola! Today was a much-needed rest day after our long travel day yesterday. I woke up for breakfast at 8am to oatmeal, fruit, coffee, and a doughy bread that almost resembled a homemade donut without all the sugar. After eating, we went straight into our pottery painting to finish up our creations. So far, my…
See u later, alligator!
This past week has been an entirely new and raw experience for me. We started our journey at Iyarina Lodge, where we made clay pots—I crafted a heart-shaped mug—and painted them using brushes made from our own hair, which was wild and fun. Next, we visited a cacao farm and got to taste fresh cacao…
A Canoe down the River, and the journey of a lifetime
We began the first day of the journey with a light breakfast at the lodge before loading all of our dry-bagged gear onto a bus and taking the two hour ride to our jumping off point. It was pouring rain while we left, and we spent the better part of the morning on a road…
River Hikes and Good Times
On the day before we travelled to visit the Waorani nation, our group ventured out to the Canuayacu river with two local guides to go on an awesome river hike. We got to wade through waist deep waters, swim through one of the deepest parts, and then have diving competitions at the end in a…
Into the Waorani Nation
Hola! These last three days have been an absolute blast! Let me get you up to speed. Our trip to the Waorani Nation started bright and early on Sunday morning. We ate breakfast at the lodge and got on our bus for a two hour ride to the riverside. We met up with some of…
Day 8/9: The Ways of the Waorani
Rise and shine! Today we woke up at 6am and had breakfast at 7 before heading on our 2 hour bus ride to the boats. It was a slow day as we got onto our boats that we would be staying in for the next 6 hours. The boat ride to lunch was calm and…
I Fear I’m Crispier than the Pizza
I’m going to merge Days 11 and 12 for this one because, quite honestly, I’ve been trying to play catch up with these blogs for a few hours now and Day 11 was full of our 8 hour canoe ride! We all piled into our canoes for our full-day ride right after breakfast. My canoe…
From Wi-Fi to the Waorani: Disconnecting in the Jungle
Hey friends! It has been a while but I’m back! The last 4 days have been absolutely amazing. Saturday we started our day with breakfast at the lodge before getting ready to head out for a river hike in the Canuayacu! It was very hot out in the sun but the water was so refreshing…
Sweet from the Source
Day 6We started the morning with breakfast followed by a presentation from Todd Swanson, the owner of the lodge. He shared the history of the land and talked about the Waorani tribe, who we’ll be staying with later this week. Next, we joined two local women who showed us how to make pots from clay….
Day 8, 9, & 10: Inside the Jungle with Waorani
Today was the day we get to visit the Waorani Nation! We woke up early and ate breakfast around 6:30. We then packed our bags, which we could only have one backpack, before heading to the bus. We had a two hour drive to the river where we picked up some snacks at a convenience…
Taking the Scenic Route
The morning started like most others, with eggs and bread (there’s definitely a pattern forming, lol). After breakfast, we boarded the bus and began our long travel day to the Iyarina Lodge. While most of the day was spent driving, we made several stops along the way to break it up. Our first stop was…
Day 7: Chocolate and Forest Connections!
Wow, this is flying by! I am already halfway through my Ecuador trip and have really gotten close with all my new friends, and I cannot wait to see where this week will go! Today was a packed day filled with chocolate and walking through the river! Breakfast today had a twist, and instead of…
You Can Call Me “Weba”
This morning began with an intro from Ellie who is a wonderful person. Todd, the creator of the two lodges was introduced to Ecuador as a missionary kid who eventually married a Quichua woman and had Ellie. She spoke about how her and her three other siblings grew up back and forth between Arizona and…
Sabor y Aventura: Our First Days at Iyarina
Our trek to the Iyarina Lodge was nothing short of a good time! Our last morning in Otevalo started the same with bread, coffee, juice, and eggs for breakfast. We said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and began our long day of travel on the bus. The first stop of the day was at the…
All Aboard!!!
We awoke to a thunderstorm today. Usually, I would soak in the thunder and lay in this lovely lodge with screen walls, but…we had an early morning and a 6 hour canoe ride ahead of us today. Yikes. Everyone was frantically finding trash bags to wrap around our singular backpacks of luggage and changing into…
From the Jungle path to the Cocoa Aftermath.
Hello! It has been an active last couple of days in the Jungle. On Friday May 16th we got our boots on and took a truck down to the Jungle to search for some cacao. We stopped on the side of the read and just started to climb into the forest. We immediately spotted some…