This post is quite after the fact, given that I have been out of the Amazon for more than a month, but nonetheless I will stride forth with the blog, and the next part of my beyond-the-guidebook series "Hot Tips for Ecuador"; up now, the Amazon!
1.) The shoes make the outfit.
In the Amazon, proper footwear is of the utmost importance. I have seen several people come through with brand spankin' new $200 hiking boots, only to completely trash them in the quicksand like mud that pervades the Amazon. The fact of the matter is that there are only two pairs of shoes you need in the Amazon, and if you think you can stray from this course because strappy, slip on, water-proof, Eco-friendly, zero carbon, vegan Keen's are the just the "best shoes ever", you are wrong. The first thing you need is a cheap $2 pair of flip flops for walking around your living area, and for times you will not be venturing into the jungle. The second is a $5 pair of thick, tall, rubber boots. These are literally the best thing you can own in the jungle; they protect against sharp rocks, roots, thorns, tarantulas, and whatever other dangers might be lurking on the forest floor. And most importantly, you can go sloshing through calf deep mud--a common occurrence in the Amazon--without a second thought. It's pretty obvious that rubber boots are the way to go once you enter the jungle region and see 99.99% of the population wearing these all day long... I've even seen people wear their rubber boots to dance parties.
2.) Beware of spiders.
Of course the first thing everyone thinks when coming to the Amazon is "I hope I don't run into a tarantula!" Well, having already spent a few days in the Amazon before coming to Sacha Yacu, I was rather desensitized to this fear. You see, in the four day tour to Cuyabeno reserve that I did in September there was a large tarantula that liked to hang out with us while we ate. It was here that I got the idea that spiders are generally not something to be afraid of. While it is true that spiders are generally not aggressive towards humans, I ended up being the one guy who actually gets bitten by one. At the center we often go to collect bananas for the animals. This involves cutting down banana trees, and carrying the bananas about a mile back to the house. One good thing to know before doing this activity is that bananas are the number one place to find tarantulas in the Amazon (they like to hide in the "clusters" or whatever you call the vine thing that bananas grow on). So one day we were bringing back bananas, and I volunteered to carry all of the big clusters of bananas (this is kind of what it looks like when you carry bananas http://www.rainforests.net/Men%20carrying%20bananas.jpg). So I slung the bananas over my back, carried them two by two in to the fruit shed, and hung them up to ripen. A few days later, I was picking bananas off these same clusters while preparing food for the animals, when ho! I recoiled my hand and leaped back, having noticed, crouched, hiding way in the back of the bananas, a tarantula. It was an immature tarantula, but still larger than any other spider I had seen in the wild... Big, harry, and with pink toes that looked like they had been painted with neon nail polish. By this point I had developed a big bump with a rash that was painful and itchy on the exact spot on my back on which I had carried the bananas. I'm not 100% sure that it was a tarantula bite, but the symptoms were strikingly similar to what I red on the web (yes I know, the "web" is pretty unreliable, but still). And as I write this, which is almost two months after this incident, I still have that bump/rash, and it still itches, although it is somewhat better than two months ago. The lesson here... in the Amazon, always check bananas before slinging them over your shoulder.
3.) Don't drink the Chicha (if you can avoid it).
One thing the Amazon is famous for is an alcoholic beverage they've been making for centuries, called Chicha. The only ingredients are Yuca and... something else. It's a fermented beverage, usually served at ceremonies, parties, or any other special occasion. Nowadays, Chicha is often made by simply mashing yuca with a big stick and leaving it to ferment in a pot for several weeks. However, in the more isolated areas of the Amazon, it's still made the traditional way, which is for the elder women in the tribe to chew the Yuca until it is paste like, then spit it into a big pot and let it ferment... then you, the lucky guest gets to slurp down a bunch of old woman spit mixed with some yuca and lots of alcohol. I happened to attend a party at one of these very traditional isolated communities, and there was plenty of Chicha to go around. The women spend the entire night, making circles around the party with buckets of Chicha and bowls. They come up to you, fill the bowl with Chicha, shove it in your mouth, and tilt away. You do not have a choice in drinking the beverage; for one thing it's an insult to their culture not to, but more importantly, they will tip the bowl up whether you swallow or not, so it's either have Chicha in your mouth, or all over your shirt. The taste is difficult to describe... the Chicha I drank was very fermented, about 30% alcohol. I would say it tastes like vinegar mixed with moldy cheese and sour milk. It is, in all honesty, the worst thing I have ever tasted. And the knowledge that you're drinking other people's saliva does not help to get it down. I came very very close to throwing up from it... a friend of mine actually did throw up. My advice to spare of this rancid beverage is to keep a watchful eye on the Chicha ladies, and go hide when they're coming around to your area. Although even when I tried that, they always managed to find me... oh the woes of being a tall blond kid in Ecuador.
Well, there's probably more interesting anecdotes about the Amazon that I'm forgetting, but if I think of them that will just be one more excuse to write a new blog. For now, I'll steal from Loony Toons (which I have been watching a lot of in Spanish), and just leave you with.... That's all folks!
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