Pastaza, Ecuador (The Amazon) - Day 2
Friday, January 28
Good morning from the Amazon Rainforest! I’m surprised to say, we all slept great last night. The jungle cooled off nicely in the evening and the bug nets around our bed kept us safe from any pests. Resident roosters were the biggest annoyance — they started cock-a-doodle-do’ing around 4:30am. Otherwise, it was quiet and peaceful.
Breakfast was being served in the kitchen at 8:30am, so the four of us laid in bed and read books until it was time to get moving. Henry’s mother made us a big spread for our first meal of the day — scrambled eggs, fruit, toast, boloñes (which are fried green plantains stuffed with cheese - a popular dish in Ecuador), hot tea, fresh-squeezed juice and hot chocolate. Her meals are simple, but very delicious. Though, much more food than we typically eat! I worry she thinks we don’t like her food because we’re never able to finish it all. The plates just keep on coming …
After breakfast, Henry took us on a waterfall hike. We crossed the Puyo River in the family’s wooden canoe, then followed the foot path through the jungle to the main road. From there, we walked about a mile to the entrance of Hola Vida Cascada. The trail to the waterfall was a steady incline which got our hearts racing, but the surroundings were beautiful — lush and tropical — exactly what you’d imagine in the Amazon Rainforest.
About 1 1/2 miles into our hike, we came to a breathtaking waterfall. Not to brag, but our family has seen a lot of waterfalls in our travels. This waterfall was pretty spectacular though. It cascaded down the mountain into a perfectly circular pool of water below and projected the slightest hint of a rainbow around it. Andi and Aden undressed and jumped right into the water, but Tory and I weren’t so sure about getting wet. Instead, we followed a path around the pool of water that led to the back of the waterfall. That way, we still got the sensation of standing behind the falls. The four of us played around the waterfall for a while before the sky started to cloud over and it looked like it was going to rain. Henry suggested we start to make our way back home.
On our walk back, we came across two hikers who said they saw a sloth on the trail. Henry wanted to turn around and go find it, so we followed. The five of us were all looking in the trees for the sloth when Tory shouted, “There!” We saw a dead sloth laying on the ground right at Andi’s feet. Somehow he didn’t even notice it. Henry pulled a vine off a nearby tree and tied the sloth’s hands and feet together. Then, he slung the sloth over his back and carried it out of the jungle without a word. The four us us looked at each other, like “what just happened?”
It was shocking to us in the moment, but Andi and I commented later that it would be no different than finding a dead deer in our woods back home in Wisconsin. We would do the same — wonder how it died; perhaps drag it off the road or out of the way. Henry did the same. He brought the sloth to the main entrance of Hola Vida Cascada and had a long conversation with the people who worked there about the sloth. I’m not sure what they were saying exactly (they were speaking in Spanish), but they checked over the dead animal and seemed to be discussing how it might’ve died.
While we waited for Henry to finish talking, the four of us went into the cafe there to get a drink and a snack. Andi bought two frozen chocolate bananas for he and Tory & Aden wanted a bag of Doritos. “I’ve always wondered what Ecuadorian Doritos taste like,” he said. I just wanted bottled water — since we can’t drink water from the tap in Ecuador, I have a constant fear of running out of drinking water and like to stock up wherever I can. This usually means I’m hoarding water bottles in my backpack.
Together, the five of us walked a mile back to Henry’s family property. Lunch was already being prepared when we arrived, and we were glad for it — we worked up an appetite walking this morning! Fresh tilapia wrapped in banana leaves were being steamed over the open fire. The kitchen table was set with a gigantic banana leaf laid over the tabletop. For lunch, we ate soup, pantacones (fried plantain slices), steamed yucca, white rice, limes and a tomato/red onion salsa with the fish. A new flavor of hot tea and juice is served with every meal as well — this afternoon it was cinnamon-flavored water and apple juice.
After lunch, we thanked Henry’s mother for the delicious feast and then retired to our cabin for an hour to ourselves. Tory and I played several rounds of King’s Corner while Andi read his book and lounged in one of the hammocks on the cabin’s wrap-around deck and Aden laid in bed and watched a show on his phone.
Around 3:00pm, Henry invited us to go to a nearby cacao farm. We walked to the other side of their property, and then took a canoe across the Puyo River from there. It was another mile walk to the local cacao farm.
The afternoon air was hot & humid with no breeze. I thought Tory was going to pass out right then & there as her cheeks were rosy red by the time we arrived at the farm. She’s not a big fan of the heat or walking in general, so the fact that we have to walk to every activity here is not her favorite pastime.
We visited El Paraiso Cacao Farm. The owner kindly showed us to their small cacao plantation and then cut open one of the large cacao pods to reveal seeds inside. The cacao seeds are coated in a milky, white substance that tastes sweet but the seeds themselves are bitter. You suck the milky, white substance off the seeds and discard, or dry the seeds in the sun for two weeks.
Once the beans are sun-dried, the owner roasts them over an open fire for about 15 minutes. Then, the cacao shells are removed from the seeds by simply smashing and rolling them in your hards. The outer part of the shell is seeped in hot water to make cacao-flavored tea.
Next, the seeds (husks removed) are placed in a grinder and processed into a fine cacao powder. When pressed, it takes on the consistency of paste — thick and sticky. It is then pressed onto a banana leaf and frozen for about 10 minutes.
After the paste is frozen, it is peeled off the banana leaf and is ready to eat. The final product is a thick piece of 100% pure cacao chocolate.
After we finished pressing the cacao onto the banana leaf, the owner brought a piece of chocolate to the table that had previously been frozen. We sampled the chocolate, as well as chocolate-flavored tea made from the husks, hot chocolate made from cacao powder and yucca tortillas filled with cheese. It was all really delicious.
After the cacao farm, we walked back to Henry’s home. The air was hot & sticky, and our bellies were so full from a big lunch and now a chocolate tasting and yucca tortillas. Oof! Walking was a challenge! The kids were practically melting, so they dipped their hair into a pond and splashed water all over their arms and legs.
When we returned to the other side of the Puyo River, Aden asked if we could swing on the rope swing again. Henry, Andi and I sat on a log while we watched Tory and Aden take turns swinging for a half-hour or so. Of all the experiences these kids have, what they love most is a simple rope swing.
The sun was going down around 6:00pm, casting a beautiful evening glow over the river.
Dinner was served around 7:00pm. Henry’s mother made soup again, as well as spaghetti and meat sauce. Tory and Aden were really glad to have a simple plate of spaghetti — one of their favorite foods.
While we ate, Henry’s nephew named Jack played around our table in the kitchen. He is the sweetest little boy with big, brown eyes. I’m guessing he’s around age 5. His mom tells him in Spanish to leave us be (at least, that’s what I think she’s saying) but we don’t mind him being around. While we ate, Jack colored us pictures and wrote numbers on them and then passed one out to each of us counting, “uno, dos, tres…”
We thanked Henry’s mother for dinner and returned to our cabin for the night. The bugs aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they’d be here in the Amazon. There are more bugs in our cabin at night, but mostly ants and beetles. The bug nets seem to do a good job of keeping insects away from us while we sleep.
Tonight, we all laid in our respective beds and read books on our phones until bedtime. It’s a peaceful way to begin and end each day with only the sounds of the jungle.
