Mondaña, Yachana Lodge & FUNEDESIN

      
        Napo River

June 14, 2002
  By Guy Klein

When I told a friend of mine that I would be traveling to Ecuador and would get to see the Amazon he asked me to enjoy a breath of the Amazonian air on his behalf.  I think I took about 5 breaths with him in mind, however, he was shortsighted not to have asked for much more.

 
We had to cross the Pano River to get to the Shaman/Medicine Man's house

  We had arrived at Yachana Lodge, a beautiful eco-tourism resort in the Ecuadorian Amazon, via canoes on the Napo River the night before.   I awoke underneath my mosquito nets with expectations for natural wonders like I had never seen.  After all, we were now in the heart of the Amazon, in an exotic locale run by indigenous people whose primary language was not Spanish, but Quichua, an ancient language dating back before the time of the Incas.  My great expectations were not to go unfulfilled.  After delighting in a breakfast that was more fitting of a fine restaurant in the capital than a lodge in the middle of the Amazon, we set out upon a forest walk.  For me, it was one of the most special and memorable parts of a wonderful two weeks.  Two guides, an Austrian woman fluent in languages and ecology, and an indigenous man who had grown up in the Amazon led us down the paths.  As we walked down the trail it was apparent that this man was able to read the trees and the sounds in the forest like we are able to read the signs on a city street.  At a fork in the trail, we stopped unsure about whether we should take the difficult looking route or not.  A bird called out above and our indigenous guide helped translate; our winged friend was suggesting that we take the tougher route.  As we walked up and down the chosen path, I felt humbled and privileged to have this new world opened up to me. 
Juan, one of our guides in the forest, explains the medicinal use of a giant termite nest.

There was a story behind every innocuous object.  A wasps' nest could be used in a fire as an insect repellent. When our indigenous guide made a cut in a white barked tree a red liquid ran down its trunk like blood.  I was told that this was “Sangre del Drago,” or “blood of the drago.”  As our guide rubbed the drago’s blood together in his hands it was transformed into a thick, white liquid, which I was told is one of the jungle’s best medicines.

Cacao processing plant, which is part of the FUNEDESIN's sustainable development program. Amazon Chocolate can be ordered at Yachana's web site

  I was still marveling about the drago’s blood when Dr. Mario Grijalva, our group leader, imparted a bit of his wisdom upon us.  “One of the great joys of the jungle is to be alone and take in all the sights and sounds.”  After this teaching, we separated from each other and spent a few minutes alone, allowing the magic and beauty of the forest to sink into us.  I was filled with wonder and humility as I stood there, looking and listening to a mysterious world.  When we had first started to spread out from each other along the trail, I had the ambitious plan to take a few steps off of it into the jungle (against Mario’s advice).  However, as my friends disappeared from view around the curve and the sounds of the forest life started to fill my ears, I was overwhelmed.  Standing still in the middle of the trail, I was engulfed by the life around me.  Like a meditative moment when you are no longer thinking but only observing, I was filled with the joy of a curious young child. I could have stayed there for hours.  However, after 15 minutes my companions rejoined me and we set out for the lodge and a much needed lunch.

We visited a house in a nearby community and chatted with their inhabitants.

  Recharged from our meal, we climbed into the canoes to set out upon our next adventure.  Our destination was a small indigenous community upstream.  When we arrived at the community we found many of the people inside the schoolhouse where they were watching a video presentation on malaria prevention. We shuffled into the back of the schoolhouse trying not to distract the locals from the presentation.  However, our efforts were in vain. The people were looking back at us in the same way we were looking at them: with a lot of curiosity.  After welcoming us to the community, the president of the community decided that a soccer game would be a good way to get to know us a little better.  Wow, I was really excited about that!  A big passion of mine is playing soccer and it sounded fantastic to be playing soccer with Ecuadorians in the middle of the Amazon alongside the Napo River.  We lined up a for a soccer game: a bunch of goofy gringos in knees high boots and safari hats against a group of young men from the community who were smiling at their silly opponents.  What can I say?  I don’t think Pele would have been impressed by our efforts but we sure did have a good time.  Eventually, we succumbed to the talents of the locals by a score of 2 to 1, but we can be proud of a spirited effort.  As we walked off the field, happy but exhausted, our victorious hosts teased us with offerings of “¿Revancha?” (Do we want to play again?).  The thought of running any more underneath the Ecuadorian sun sounded like torture. 

At the Shaman's hoouse, his wife, a Medicine Woman treated Dr. Laws for  broken-bone injured two weeks prior in Afganistan.  

  After the game, the locals treated us to a tour of the community, including a health post and one of their homes.  The community members continued to impress us with their generosity and kindness.  However, there is no doubt that it was the beauty and warmth of the children that touched us most deeply

The Shaman is performing a traditional "Cleansing" ceremony on some participants.

  Reflecting that evening at the lodge, my head and heart were full of conflicts.  I had been seduced by the magic of the forest, yet I knew that the Amazon is being destroyed rapidly.  I was also thinking about how a group of American students had traveled to a third world country with the idea of teaching, but instead had been the privileged recipients of lessons in warmth, kindness, and generosity.  However large my hopes for the day had been when I awoke, my experiences had greatly overshadowed them.