jungle trip vs. 2

So, last week it was jungle time again. Making sure the Shuar people living in these remote areas received an invitation to the most important event of the year, the Memorial.

This journey took us much much farther than the one of last year. We traveled by foot about 30 hours (if not more) over 4 days. I really lost track. We had rain, torrential downpour, muddy trails even more difficult to traverse than the previous time, thick forest with overhanging vines, open spaces with tall grass and fruit trees.

It was kind of an accident prone trip, nothing too serious but I kept grabbing all the wrong plants to keep my balance and had to stop several times to pull thorns out of my hands and bandage a slashed finger. Another night I was getting all cozy by the fire and a piece of charcoal exploded INTO my mouth, a bit of a surprise... on the rest of the trek I was concentrating so hard on where to put my feet that I walked into numerous large branches and leaning trees... on the last day receiving quite a blow to the head. (next time a helmet might be a good idea?) And soooooooooo many bug bites! (still scratching desperately... augh!)
Although I still think the best one goes to one of the sisters who entertained us with her spectacular falls. One over a large tree trunk, head first, feet in the air... thankfully came up laughing and not injured. Tons to laugh about over a plate of chinese food when we got back to Macas.

We were greeted once again with the beautiful hospitality of the people in each village, who warned us of the dangers (to avoid visiting a neighbouring town where everyone was still pretty drunk from a fiesta) and made sure that we had a place to stay for the night. They gave us pots to cook with, access to water (sometimes from a river, sometimes from a tap), and happily accepted the memorial invitation. There were times where we could really see Jehovah's love for these people. A family with a sick daughter who was waiting for a doctor, receiving some comfort from the Bible about sickness and our wonderful hope for the future, and a beautiful reading of the daily text one morning with a family on how to have a happy marriage. They have so much respect for their creator. A really great lesson for those of us who are used to a culture where God is an almost shameful concept.

Another highlight was catching a glimpse of life in the village. About three times we arrived just in time for a community meeting, organizing their activities for the day - medical care, the local school, making a trail, maintaining the open patch of earth in the centre with machetes. We greeted everyone and handed out invitations. They gave us chicha as a sign of welcome, and invited us to rest and talk a little while. I loved the relaxed atmosphere, people enjoying being together in this open space. The life there is so.... different. Very surreal when you've lived anywhere else really. Women walking down the long dirt centre of the town, baby's strapped to their backs, getting water for the day... or with a machete going to their patch of land to collect yuca, plantain, fruit. Houses with thatched roofs and wood walls, hard dirt floors, a piece of wood set on stones for furniture, wood bench for preparing food. Small hand grinders to make chicken feed. And then a solar panel and satellite dish for internet or some kind of communication. Not a car or crowd or store in sight.

It truly is another world, filled with highly intelligent, thoughtful, educated people. Very worth getting to know.

Aside from that, it was amazing to sit out a couple nights and see stars completely fill the sky, or to watch the sun rise over the mist and the trees.

It was the most physically gruelling experience I have had, pushing feet and legs and will to their last strength. Up steep hills, wobbling on logs thrown down into the swamp, tripping on tree roots, rocks, splashing through rivers. For hours at a stretch. And then arriving just in time to a village where we would spend the night. The basic food we cooked never tasted so good. After the first night, even a hard wood floor made for a pretty great bed. And riding home to Macas after in a taxi? Pure luxury.

I'm happy to be back in my little comfortable apartment again, with clothes that don't smell like smoke and sweat and dirt, but wow. Completely worth the effort ('vale la pena' as they say here) and I'm so happy I got to share it with a few members of my spiritual family. Another unforgettable experience.