Our first adventure in Ecuador (not counting the worst traveling experience we’ve ever had just getting to South America) was exploring the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin along the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon River. We launched from Coca, and between ship and motorized boat, made it to the Yasuni River and back again. Fun fact: Only 2% of the Amazon Basin is within Ecuador, but it still takes up a chunk of this country.
Do you know the point of the rainforest jungle? It conceals predictors and prey alike. So, yes, we were surrounded by some of the most amazing species in the world. We even saw a few of them. Want a good approximation? Watch the Disney’s The Jungle Cruise and take out every single speck of CGI (Computer Animated Images).
Thanks to our guides we spotted some animals, or at least dark smudges that we were assured were fauna. My favorites are when the guide used a scope to spot something, then used my camera’s zoom to take a photo of a bird I “saw”. I dare you to find the toucan in the final picture of this collage:
Of course, there was plenty of wildlife if you know where to look!
Dwayne, who until age 11, lived in a few cleared-out acres in the jungle outside of Porto Velho, Brazil, felt a homecoming with the sounds, smells, and even the weight of the humidity. It was also the first cruise (even if we made up almost half of the twelve guests) for the kids, and it was exciting! Right away, Wes found the jacuzzi on the sundeck and the kids happily unpacked their own special fugue into their cabins. I love the very taste of adventure—and of cruising cuisine.
The Amazon and its tributaries are wild—lows, highs, at any time dangerous with swift currents, slow currents, debris, and deadly animals. At this time of year, our ship was limited by shallow waters outside of Coca and the similarly shallow spots near the Peru border. It meant that we took powered canoes for hours for our daily excursions. This was fine for the first two 3-hour rides, but on the third one, I gave up being fascinated by the dense flora and never left the Manatee without slipping the kindle in my daypack. Here is a glimpse of what going down the river was like; the longer version is more realistic.
A lifetime family highlight was swimming in the Amazon together. Piper, who had firmly insisted she would never swim in a river where piranhas swim, was second only to Wes in jumping in. We were in a shallow area with a strong current—and allegedly far, far away from the anaconda resting marshes we had explored the day before.
Our adventures took us on a night hike where the insects feasted upon us, and Kyla and Dwayne held a cute little snake while the guide put a scorpion spider on his face. On Yasuni River, we saw deep swaths tunneled through by (invisible to us) anacondas and the rumps and tails of curious pink dolphins and giant river otters. We fished for piranha, which is also known just as feeding time for the piranah. We hiked to and around a giant kapok tree, which would not have been ashamed in a redwood forest. The guides have relationships with indigenous families who take turns hosting tours, so we were able to meet a family, see their home and farm, and explore more jungle. Dwayne, Kyla, and I transformed into a rare featherless, flightless parrot. Kyla ate ants, which was really cool (the grub stump was out–we checked). We also saw where the parrots licked clay…last month. We were able to hear them fly to their new favorite clay spot not accessible to us. The macaws didn’t show up for their designated tea time at the mineral pool either, even when we waited for two hours. By then, I took my kindle everywhere so I was not too annoyed. Luckily, Wes chose sleep over that expedition.
One of my highlights was our last afternoon, despite of a boa constrictor’s appearance. The kids all elected to stay behind, and the adults hiked through the forest and up a hill a bit to get to a climbing tower that rivaled the height of the tree it was built next to. Two hundred twelve steps up, and the guides uncorked the champagne as we got to survey the expansive jungle below. Almost no birds or animals celebrated with us; however, we did get to enjoy this sunset and excellent company.
Goodbye, Amazon! We’ll remember you fondly next time Piper gets so bitten by mosquitos that we end up in a hospital many, many hours from closest electic grid.
Needopedia 