In mid-December, Liese, John, and Finn came down for a tour of some of the "best of" places in Ecuador Quito to the city of Coca , motor boating down the Napo River , one of the main tributaries of the Amazon, then paddling in a canoe for an hour into a lodge in Asuni National Park
The jungle in this area is old-growth forest, so some of the trees are gigantic and the diversity of the plants and animals is stunning. On this climb onto a treehouse platform in the upper forest canopy (about 200 ft. off the ground), looking off into the vast distance of the Amazon jungle, I felt like we were entering into a sacred religious shrine. From the platform, we saw sloths and monkeys in treetops, scarlet macaws flying at eye level, and the amazing sounds of all sorts of birds and animals calling out to one another.
These parrots come from afar to feed on exposed areas of clay which contains a mineral that helps them digest certain foods. They arrive in huge flocks--and make an equally huge racket as they are dining!
On the contrary, these slumbering bats are enjoying the peace and quiet--and move around to the shady side of their perch when the sun comes up.
Hans and our guide are spying on a small deer that is trying to hide in the underbrush.
These caiman hang out along the shore of the lagoon where the lodge is located. We were all a bit reluctant to swim in the lagoon at first, but were assured that these guys only come out to feed at night, so we made sure we finished our swimming before the sun set!!
The indigenous people in this part of the Amazon are the Quichua, a group of people who migrated into the Amazon from the Andes, bringing with them a version of the language of the Incas (Quechua).
One of their principle hunting weapon is the blow dart! The darts are small, so they travel at high speed, and bring down their prey only because the tip of the dart has a paralytic agent, curare, on the tip.
This man is a local healer who gave a demonstration of a healing ritual. He used Liese as a volunteer in the ritual and her head shrunk to the size of walnut before we pleaded with him to return her as close as possible to her previous condition!
