Oh my, what a day!! After waking up really early and still in Tena,
just after 6am, I went downstairs again to see if there was an internet
connection. I could already start feeling the withdrawal symptoms with
the connection free week ahead. Yup - I managed to catch up on emails,
and send the last Tena email too. Now I felt that I could head into the
new week with a clear start.
Lucia found that taking a taxi to Mishashuwelli (spelling?) was just a
little bit more than taking the bus and SO much less hassle with all the
bags I needed to drag there. Sinchi Warmi is about 5 minutes outside of
Mishashuwelli and the taxi would bring us all the way here. And so it
was, at breakneck speed. Are all these taxi drivers super mucho insane
racing drivers? No wonder it takes so little time to get from Tena to
here! My bags got slung around at the very first corner and I asked that
he stop and lay them down in a way that would not do any more damage -
all the donations, including two laptops were in there!
I am sure that we made that trip in record time! It did not take long
for the town of Tena to fade into the rear view mirror, for the side of
the road to become all grown up with jungle green again and what I think
of as Tiger Grass.......... it looks just like in the movies when you
just know a tiger is going to come slinking out of those tall long tails
of grass.
We went over a long noisy bridge that could take only one car - with
literally inches to spare on each side - this also at a speed that
almost made me want to close my eyes, except that there was a river
below and Gypsy was singing and dancing at the idea of taking photos of
yet another ribbon of water. And so we did, take the pics, I mean.
Driving through Mishashuwelli, the driver slowed down to almost a crawl
to let me take photos of the monkeys all over the square! They were
being shooed away from the shops, one man nearly lost his water bottle
to one of them and they generally looked cute with their babies and all,
but it was obvious that they were not very welcome around town. They
did not care at all!
As I said in my other email, I left all expectations of Sinchi Warmi and
my week behind. Well, I thought I did. The taxi screamed on down the
road, with the driver every now and again putting his seatbelt on and
becoming even more of a leadfoot. A short while after he stopped to ask
for directions to Sinchi Warmi there sat, held tightly by a good many
different plants, a sign that said Sinchi Warmi. Breaks got applied at
the same speed as the accelerator and we turned into a tiny, I mean t i
n y little road. There was a big pond with the most gorgeous reflections
of jungle thatch roofed buildings. Oh my. I had seen the photos online
but this was much more beautiful. Its so lush and green around here -
the plants almost dripping with humidity creating a perfect backdrop to
three of the most interesting buildings I had seen in a long time. Two
were at least double story, one with a much higher view point. I am
having difficulty even thinking of how to describe this place.
Ok - the main building that houses the office, dining area, and two
rooms with a view upstairs...... This is the building were our rooms
are. The dining area is so much more than a dining room in a normal
hotel........ well, more of that later. The buildings are entirely made
of wood and its so homely and so totally unlike any hotel or motel or
place I have ever stayed in. Its beautiful. Kate you would love love
love it here! Its got character, warmth and there is not a single
window in sight. Everything is open air with butterflies and birds
flitting and chirping, frogs doing their thing and drops dripping from
the greenery. The pictures will have to tell the story. And now the
Art Center or Museum...... This is a huge A-frame building - also no
windows but plenty of air space. It has got many things like traps, and
model canoes and models of the different types of boats the Kichwa Tribe
used, and I will have to revisit it because each of the women make their
own jewelry and have it on display for sale here.
This community is mainly of the Kichwa tribe that is directly linked to
the Inca's, I believe. Many people speak a mixture of Spanish and
Kichwa, but here they try to keep it pure. The Kichwa language is
beautiful - the words sound round and full.
The third main structure is not really a building but a long thatched
walkway over water to the fish ponds. They have netting over a large
number of ponds to keep the birds from catching all the fish. This long
building has hammocks in it for a perfectly lazy day that I see coming
:) There was also a beautiful and very much needed breeze blowing right
there. We did not want to leave that spot. There are about 5 houses
dotted around this main building - well, 5 that I could see - all jungle
thatch and very small but cute in a way.
It was so hot that I could feel the sweat running down my back, and it
only cooled of around 9pm tonight. And in the middle of all this heat,
after about an hour of Spanish lessons, we were taken to the butterfly
place about 20 minutes away. Again in a taxi and again driven by
someone who drives way too aggressively, but safely, it seems. As we
were dropped off on the side of the road, I looked up and saw the
entrance. There were to huge gates and a narrow pebbled road that led
up into the forest. A memory that I could not quite grab a hold of hit
me so hard right then. It had something to do with those gates and me
being a kid. Still cant get it, but I can remember the feeling of
wonder and big-ness of those gates. Anyway..... we walked and walked and
I was convinced that someone had decided not to end the road and that it
would keep climbing forever. It became almost funny that it just kept
going with only another corner around the last one. When we, as kids,
would ask that typical question "are we there yet?" my dad would
answer, "its just around the next corner". I thought of this, and you,
dad, all the way up that road. We were all pouring sweat by then but
knew that if we stopped, that would be the end, and we really were not
there yet. Finally we got to the top, to find a beautiful lodge,
sparkling swimming pool surrounded by lush jungle foliage and the big
muddy Napo river was in the background snaking its way through the
trees. The furniture was very interesting and everything seemed open
but no one was in sight. We chatted to another couple who were also
waiting to get in to see the butterflies, while we waited and waited.
Nothing.
So down we went again, this time accompanied by two big dogs who seemed
to think we needed leading down that road. We found a 'building' - it
was just a frame covered in netting, and peered through it -
butterflies! But it was locked. Melissa,who is from Sinchi Warmi
called a number we found and finally someone arrived and we got to spend
time looking at a good many butterflies - most of them that irridescent
blue`- the Blue Morpho butterfly - or Mariposa, as its known here.
Back to more lessons but I could tell that Lucia was heat tired. She
went for a short nap while I did some homework and took a walk around.
There is a path with a sign that says Tarantulas...... really! We are
going to see them tomorrow.
And here is the best part of the day!
Supper, a delicious one, was served, with candle and all. Oh, the
Sinchi women had made some gorgeous displays of jungle flowers for us -
I got many photos - they are such bright, big flowers with incredible
contrast and backed by deep green fronds of all sorts of palm trees.
After supper, the whole community - about 15, and one volunteer guy, all
got dressed up and came to dance for us. This was their welcoming dance
and it seemed as if it were not perfectly performed as there was much
laughter and fun had by all. They all wore traditional outfits with
multiple strands of beads made from seeds of the jungle that all had
their own sounds. Together with drums and other instruments and the
laughter and fun, it was the most perfect dance ;) And then we were
asked to join in. What a hoot! Yes, I kicked off my shoes and danced
along with them, being shown pretty much what to do all along the way.
There was one little girl about 6 years old who took great pleasure in
my missteps and I fooled around a bit more than needed just to hear her
laugh - it twinkled its way out of her mouth.
And then I had to present the goodies that I brought to them. I had not
even thought of a speech, let alone one that had to be translated. But
obviously what I said went down ok. They were all totally intrigued at
the two big suitcases and thanked me profusely. I asked whether they
were not going to open them and about 8 people almost fell over each
other to get there. Oh the looks on their faces! They had such fun
with everything, the paintbrushes were a total hit and the pencils were
held on to with very big smiles. I loved how they shared everything out
amongst each other. There was no bickering or anything, the stuff just
got passed out and everyone was happy. Two of the younger guys grabbed
the laptops and quickly got playing around on them - I was just glad
they had survived the trip across here!. It really was wonderful to
watch them all go through the clothing and the toys and the books and
.......... well, everything - there was not a thing they could not use.
I loved how the older boys held onto the action figures and
airplanes. After all was said and done, just a small pile of plastic
bags was left to throw away, the rest had all been taken to their new homes.
A total and utter success - THANK YOU to all of you that helped make
this happen for these families.... everything was so needed and very
appreciated. You have all changed the lives of these people - you have
really made a difference!
These women are really something else. They are so open and friendly,
so quick to help me understand what they say and love having photographs
taken.
And then it was time for bed. What an incredible day. SO much more
than any expectations could have reached, so much more. When we first
arrived, I must admit to a small, very small thought of 'oh, a whole
week here?" By mid afternoon I was already starting to feel my heart
strings tug at the thought of leaving! Well, apart from the stinking
heat! But hey. Anyway, time for bed. First I needed a shower - badly,
so off to the showers I go. Yup, they are outside around the corner
with only a half door and cool water. Thankfully not cold, but I would
have happily taken that tonight. And then back up to my room which is
upstairs from the dining area. This dining area also serves as a common
gathering place where kids do their homework, the young guys sit and
chat and someone was playing guitar. Its a very friendly place. The
stairs leading upstairs are about a half a foot too short in length with
makes for some serious concentration when going up or down - with no
railing either. The rooms are big enough for two single beds, a table
and a small mirror hung squifly on one of the roof beams. These beams
are all round trees, and not planks, and the jungle thatch is uncovered.
A coat hanger serves as my closet and I even have my own personal
little porch, not big enough for a chair. No windows - just a beautiful
full room size open space out into the jungle night! WOW! The railing
of the porch is also made of small whole trees, crooked parts and all.
All this is varnished very lightly. The bed has a mosquito net on it
and I totally understand why.
Lucia, in the next room, got up a minute ago and the whole place moves!
Oh boy. The young volunteer here says there are tarantulas in the
thatch occasionally, and right now I hear a freaking rooster crowing
nearby! Its 10pm!
The night sounds are so peaceful and I hope they stay that way! Froglets
and crickets and things I dont want to think about.
SImply put, its fantastic here! Oh - when we were coming back from the
butterfly place, there along the side of the road were two little girls
- I mean around 4 years old.. The taxi driver slowed for them, moving
into the middle of the road - but these little girls were on a mission!
They held out their hands to stop the taxi for a ride home! It was
just plain hilarious! One just had a pair of shorts on but both of them
wore smiles that are hard to forget and a laughter in their eyes.
Everyone just laughed when they said they were tired of walking so far
and just wanted a ride.. Yup, here kids can walk around even at their
age, totally safely.
There is so much more - so many small and big things to remember, but
for right now, I need some sleep. I itch like heck, but have no
complaints. I cannot think of anywhere else in the world I would rather
be right now that my a-framed room with a whole open wall for a window
and frog music.
Love and light and ............aaaah - so much more!
Annie
www.amazontravels.blogspot.com
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