Finally, finally, finally, should we get to know the last climatic region of Ecuador.
had for two weeks trip along the coast and numerous trips to indigenous markets and major cities in the Sierra, we set ourselves for the Easter holiday a trip to the Ecuadorian jungle.
went with a travel agency from a very remote town, which had us on a visit there already made a good offer for a five-day jungle tour So it Wednesday night on the bus to the east.
In the East, where should we expect the green Oriente with its giant trees and meandering rivers and jungle near the Colombian border, the FARC has its drug plantations. Where exploit unscrupulous oil companies from around the world, the Ecuadorian oil fields, leaving nothing but destruction and heavy oil, natural ponds.
In one of the richest areas in the world, one of the richest areas in Ecuador's soldiers, one of the areas with the most human rights violations in that country.
After two seemingly endless hours waiting on the icy "terminal terrestre, the largest bus station in Quito, it was finally able to go and after a continually warming up of the bus the next morning we rose in the humid and warm Lago Agrio from the bus. We almost started to sweat right and swung forward to a pick-up taxi to the arranged meeting place "Hotel de Mario", where our guide was waiting for us already. After a brief breakfast in the intermediate Panadería (bakery) and long delays in the Buseta that we should be to bring in the nature reserve itself, the journey started by the Oriente. On a wide class roads, which seems to be kept better maintained than the Panamericana we went always accompanied by the street lining the pipeline deeper and deeper into the Oriente. Population was barely make out even if the road of wide arable land has been hemmed. No trace of primary forest, occasionally in the distance some patches of secondary forest were observed, but more to the forest reminded of the Ecuadorian coast, as in the Amazon jungle.
Finally, after three hours, we had reached the Cuyabeno reserve.
We stopped at a bridge over a wide brackigbraunen river, the pipeline disappeared on the other side of the dense forest that towered at length before us. The government officials here waiting, a civilian scribbler and two marines left us after a lengthy discussion of our leader is actually with Censo to prices in the Ecuadorian National Park. So we ate in a wood-timbered restaurant a quick lunch before we umsattelten in the next transport: The motorized dugout canoe was waiting for a full load on us when we wanted to compete with a full stomach to continue your journey.
equipped with life jackets and the newly acquired admission ticket armed, we set five of us still a little skeptical in the narrow, rickety boat and were greeted by our driver, who was to accompany us for the time day and night. Then went off the jungle adventure. With roaring engine, we drove down the river, replaced the pipeline of large lianas, which dangled up the trees and exotic red flowers that crowned the reeds on the bank edge. Again and again rose to swarms of tropical birds, the bright yellow tails shone in the sunshine. Gigantic, with thin lianas, as beards, decorated like giant trees guard the left and right raised the river, the deep green jungle between their tribes did not look round. We were quite absorbed in watching the parasitic orchids that bloomed on the trunks of the trees inclined over the river, when suddenly the engine died and we slide across the water stops were. Our drivers are meant to be quiet and pointed up the trees, where we first were able to see anything. Then suddenly came
movement and a horde of monkeys swung around in the treetops, the Guaba fruit break and eating. We watched the capuchins in their feast, which they thanked us so to throw the seeds, after the canoe. Laughing, we went back on the road, passed some other jungle lodges and eventually reached after three hours boat ride our own accommodation.
We were welcomed by the family of the tour organizer, could we quartered in a large wooden pavilion, built on the bottom bed tents were large mosquito net, which were covered with mattresses and to be surprisingly easy should prove. After the insurance of the guides that a bath would be in the river is completely safe, we plunged into the cool water to the subsequent question of whether there because this would be no piranhas, only an uncomprehending "Of course there's the" harvest. As the guide explained to us, but they attack only immovable or bleeding goals and Anakondarisiko now would be quite low. Somewhat shocked, we observed the astonishingly rich evening meal to break up after the first jungle tour. In the pitch black jungle with torches on the road we hiked in rubber boots on the surprisingly dry path, climbed over decaying logs and numerous insects were seen. From
pretty butterflies on the branches of the same border locusts up to palm-sized spiders we have seen a lot and could also try our dessert: lemon ants, which made its name and had a süßlichsauren taste.
came after the presentation of the first jungle herbs we returned to camp, we picked another Naranjilla to dinner and put us to bed, to be strengthened for the next day.
It was nothing but as soon as had Motorista Guia and Victor also einquatriert under the thatched roof. Shortly after we had gone to bed we lit the already Indicator light around were blown out the candles and the cook of the camp brought into the tent, after which the pavilion was made clear to wobble ...
The next day began at reasonable clock 7 in the morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and a swim in the river before we left the boat to start our next jungle hike. sold a whole lot from the camp we were about fighting through the jungle looking for a way back, of course, always accompanied by guide and boat driver Victor. Also on this hike, there was again a bunch of bugs and spiders to see Victor also showed us some tricks to survive in the jungle, we built an animal trap and we opened the cocoon of some edible larvae. Also in the mystery of the "jungle phone" in the form of a particular giant trees with particularly strong roots, like walls were raised around the trunk and by the natives as "casa del duende," House of the jungle of God are often dedicated we are.
middle of the hike was the rain forest at last to its name and was from one moment to the other dark it began around us and a huge rainfall. Fortunately, we were just under one of the giant so that Victor us abruptly from some of the broad leaves shelter the roots built and we were surprisingly dry. Of course I had with my time among all the tempting dangling lianas nothing better to do than me to test my Tarzan qualities, a few times jerked at the thickest Liane and began with the words of Victor in the ear "The holding, I do hold you firmly ... "the rise. I had the ground not two feet allowed under me than with a creak and a bang the thick rope pulled Liane and was rewarded with my Tarzan adventures take Jane with a black eye and a broken pair of glasses.
least I had the mood of the entire group and not significantly brightened when the rain stopped after half an hour, had we started very well without the forgotten rain ponchos back on the track, to escape the mosquito swarms, which were attacked by an improvised roof over us.
We crossed a narrow arm of the Cuyabenoflusses with the help of some fallen tree trunks, Victor observed in a spectacular Machetenrettungsaktion because they had fallen into the river and finally arrived back at camp successfully. After lunch and rest break, we sat back in the dugout and visited an indigenous community.
We were already expected and after the Tourizahlung of $ 2, we were privy to the production of 'pan de yuca (bread made of Yucawurzel), which reminded me a little taste of Swedish crackers and jam with quite outstanding tasted.
back in camp we sat together at the dinner table to eat then be literally in the falling darkness of the herumschwirrenden mosquitoes. Just one of my ankles came to more than 70 stitches, which immediately swelled and began to itch like hell. After dinner, the itching was unbearable and everything I asked Victor to a herbal remedy for the bites.
a moment thought he brought me and then - a nettle.
disbelief I stared at him, but now since I was all right, only to get rid of this infernal bites tap I had all my stitches with the vicious-looking nettle. And indeed: After the initial burning of the acid is gone nothing remained but a slight feeling of warmth, itching should not return for the next two days. Encouraged by my examples could be the other with the nettle "treat", so few that the wooden hut in the jungle for a quarter of an hour the touch of an exotic S & M clubs.
At the end of the day we lit our cigarettes in the jungle collected, dried branches of a certain tree, which tasted surprisingly good, but as we had previously insured Victor, had no intoxicating effect. After we had discovered a sleeping butterfly, it is We made the pavilion comfortable and had a wingspan had my hands placed together, we all fell into bed tired. have not only a rail under the umbrella of the day exhausted ...
The next day should include a full day trip and look forward to the lagoon, where there should be dolphins and anacondas we sat in the boat, this time not only accompanied by Victor but also one of the locals that we should show as indigenous leader more . As our boat cut through the water of the light shining in the sunlight lagoon lies there, we all admired the large trees, which are directly made invisible from the water up and the overgrown banks of the lagoon. sweating from the intense sun Amazonas we swam some laps in the cool water lagoon before we made our Anakondasuche. Unfortunately, this was not successful and a little disappointed we put on a jungle path and headed for another round trip. This provided us with the locals before a lot of different medicinal plants to help including a tree whose bark against malaria. They also wove a backpack from a large fan-shaped leaf, and we turned Paul with a leaf bag, flower behind the ear, crown and leaves in a skirt-and-bred Indian bride for lunch before we returned back to the canoe.
After viewing some Toucans and a gigantic, highly poisonous spider we should provide for today's dinner, we made our piranha fishing.
very first place we had to get paddling, as motors are prohibited in this area because of the Seekuhvorkommen, we began a short time after the first two piranhas, which looked surprisingly benign. Only when its ubiquitous Victor diameter as food in the mouth of the fish were pushed, see the huge teeth, with which he tears apart its prey. From then on, we left our fishing luck, until we had changed the place several times and finally found a place where I also took my two piranhas in the water and Paul with a whole swarm of catfish auftrumpfte.
With the certainty that night also something on the table, we returned at dusk back to the lagoon and expected floating and shooting photos of the sunset. Paul impressed everyone with his floating (to admire my Picasaalben) from the water the photos and finally enveloped the sun appeared in a red veil into the sea green of the jungle.
In the almost perfect darkness of the night jungle, the water surface only in the light of the moon and the magical bright stars shining we returned to the camp, said Victor proved driving incredible cat's eyes and suspect almost every obstacle in the water ahead of sent to change course. For dinner it was
we actually even caught the Piranhas, the teeth flashed out the same amount of dangerous from the grilled meat, as it was before the boat was the case. seasoned with garlic and sprinkled a little lemon - like the one in Ecuador so would give any court - the carnivorous beasts tasted really good and surprisingly little of fish.
After the evening meal to the nettle-flagellation after we laid heated but itch free in our mosquito net tents and slept soon deep, accompanied by the shaking of the pavilion floor every evening ...
The next and final full day of our Jungle Tour was another jungle walk and visit a shaman dedicated. With the boat stopped a bit away, we reached the large, comfortable house of the shaman for a half-hour hike with the locals and their son through the wilderness. The highlight of this hike was three Ceibo trees (the previously described large trees with huge roots) and an established panel, which described the occurrence of giant otters in the national park, not the animals but we got to face.
The shaman had to offer anything better. After bagging the usual $ 2 Tourigebühr we got in a five-minute presentation on incomprehensible English, tells how many American doctors have already asked for his help, I was released with songs and Blattgewedel of all evil spirits and then it was already back.
the way we stopped in another municipality, where we could look at for two hours a football game, the only knowledge was, however, that football is actually probably a universal game.
After returning in late afternoon after all, Victor promised us yet, join us in the night to search for and the Cayman Islands early next week to start a bird watching tour.
to this initiative at first no one really believed, if only because it had to be kept on the first wobbles of us. In addition, Victor disappeared immediately after returning to his tent, where he soon followed his cook ...
We volunteers were satisfied at the dinner table but with the dissemination of German culture and brought in the Swiss Frank Skat, chatted, and tore a bunch of bad jokes ("What has 4 legs and one arm?" - "A pit bull on the playground." ) before it was finally dinner and we, oh wonder, in the boat armed with flashlights went to Cayman search.
again showed Victor an uncanny sixth sense and we cruised up the lazy Rio Cuyabeno, while buzzed around us millions of moths and mosquitoes, pursued by quickly slamming bats. With the lights out for the shore ableuchtend all looked for the light beam Cayman flashing eyes.
And actually, not five minutes after departure from the shore thicket flashed us a pair of glowing red eyes. With minimum power, we cautiously approached the Cayman Islands, the fotoaparát hand to hand until all our lamps illuminates ... and the Cayman Islands turned out to be sleeping bird, whose eyes glowed red, but just as vicious.
Disappointed, we went full throttle into it further up the river and finally into a quiet side arm, which according to Victor offered the most opportunities for the Cayman sighting. We were also in the dubious pleasure of a natural river course in the Amazon. Constantly had fallen logs in the water can be easily avoided or run over, dangling giant spiders are avoided and after we had a successful run at right angles to the river lying tree, turned out to be the creek finally dead end.
Some trees had fallen long ago, completely blocking the lake road.
disappointed to have seen a caiman, but satisfied at least something done and seen a jungle river adventures to have, so we went the same route back to camp. Again managed to Victor, the outboard motor, despite driving under the surface strains without damage to home to bring it and went to bed excited chattering.
self Victor gave up the nightly Pavilion stability testing and we fell asleep quickly, set out early the next morning bird watching hike will be awakened to.
But what did not happen. Although I woke up in the dawn to the gentle patter of the Amazon rain, but was quite happy that Victor was not in front of my tent and I was able to crawl rather than the cold jungle mud to sleep yet.
was the way our last morning in the jungle only of breakfast, pack and delivery of constructive criticism, Victor abforderte us before we look at the three-hour boat ride back to the reserve entrance made and from there again soon on the bus were sitting home ...
