Libro de La Selva

Waiting for us at the Puyo bus terminal is our first lady taxi driver, who Bellandia (the eco-lodge we picked from the alluring reviews on TripAdvisor) has sent to fetch us.  She’s a great driver, and is giving her husband a break from his 10 hour/6 day a week job driving.  Bellandia is 20 minutes off the main road, along a very rocky road, winding through farms carved out of the jungle.  They grow a lot of potatoes.

Bellandia offers 2 eco-cabañas made of rammed earth and with their own private terraces and astounding views over the river valley and the layers of mountains into the distance.

Our cabaña has unique round windows and is really comfy.

It’s a paradise of green!  The mountains get cloaked in clouds, then reappear.  The temperature is cool, not what we expected.

This crazy looking bug is just one strange sight in this exotic world.

Ben will return to this hammock many times over the next three days.

When we check in, We meet Angel and Alexander, neither of whom speak English.  They are sweet young guys!  It turns out that Ben and I are the only guests this week.

First we just have to wander around and take in all the tropical green.

We have this bad habit of just setting off without thinking things through.  Ben is wearing flip flops and I have on sandals.  After we kick through leaf litter along the dense jungle trail, i start remembering how in Costa Rica John A. hired a young guide to ward off snakes ahead of us.  I stop in my tracks and tell Ben we are idiots.  We turn around and cautiously return.  I find Angel and ask him if we should be wearing hiking boots.  He says, “No - botas!” and leads us to try on knee high rubber jungle boots.  

Now with proper footwear, Angel offers to take us to the first waterfall on Bellandia’s property. 

Along the way, Angel points out tiny orchids we never would have noticed. 

He finds a tiny black frog, the size of a tack head, and the smallest frog in the Amazon.

It’s time for wading now.

We hear the waterfall ahead.

Angel tells me I must get the waterfall  massage, it will be so good for me!  I venture under it and the pounding about takes off my shirt.

Ben comes out to try it too and gets a beating.

When we circle around and return back on the bridge Ben and I had discovered earlier, Angel is surprised to learn we had ventured out that far alone.  Crazy gringos, he might be thinking.

We are fascinated by the millions of leaf cutter ants everywhere, including into our room sometimes.  

A trail of thousands of them each carrying a leaf many times larger than they are creates a  startling sight, resembling a snake.

Next day, Angel has a bigger outing planned - a trek to Bellandia’s large waterfall and pool for a swim.

We get lots of lessons about the indigenous Kichwa people and their medicinal uses of jungle flora and fauna.

Angel plunges his hand into this termite nest and waits til his hand is crawling with termites.

Then he rubs the termites into his hands and arms and has us take a whiff of the smell.  It smells like wood sap and is a strong natural insect repellent Angel says will last 3 days.

Then he slices into this tree which oozes “sangre” or “blood” sap.   

When Angel spreads the sap on my wrist it dries to look like Calomine lotion and is effective for bites and healing cuts.

Now he has us tasting these tiny ants, which taste lemony.

This exotic orchid is captivating,

along with so many new and strange plants, many of which have medicinal properties.  Angel often tells us a plant has cancer curing abilities.

The second waterfall is just huge! I get closer and it creates its own wind, forcing me backwards. No way am I going to attempt a “massage” under this!

Angel adjusts the water flow into the “pool” by adjusting a gate, and settles down to watch us splash around.  The water is chilly, but fun.

Drenched, we head out a back way to connect with the road for a steep walk back to Bellandia.  A truck comes along and the driver stops to chat and offers us a ride.  We squeeze in the back with this sweet couple who warmly welcome us.  They are all happy to pose for a picture before waving “hasta luego” at Bellandia.

Alexander and Angel get busy making us dinner.  It feels a little odd to be waited on by the two of them, but we enjoy the generous pours of red wine and waiting to discover what we are going to eat.  At dark we walk carefully along the lighted path back to our cabaña, with only the sounds of tropical birds.  We are smitten with the fireflies that dart around lazily and settle into the jungle night.

Vamos!

We reach the half way point in our 3 month stay in Ecuador and we decide to branch out, a little more Spanish under our belts, to see some of the places we have heard about.  My teacher emphatically tells me we should go to “la selva,” the jungle.  Her favorite place is Puyo.  Edwin, our occasional driver, seconds that motion.  My only self imposed limitation is no 8 hour bus rides.

I wish I could share photos of the jaw-dropping views along the way to Sucúa, our first stop.  There was no way to get them through the rain spattered bus window and I could barely look down without getting queasy as we went round and round the mountain roads.  Water everywhere - gushing, roiling red water pouring down the mountains, our bus dodging rockfalls and slides.  At one point the driver came to a stop and we figured a landslide had finally blocked the road completely.  He then backed us down the mountain about a 100 yards and took an inky black tunnel that was at least a third of a mile long.  I prayed no one would be coming through it in the other direction because it was only wide enough for us. 

We get dropped off by the side of the road just outside Sucúa and the bus assistant points towards el centro.  With our day packs stuffed tight with our belongings for the week, we head to the sound of loudspeakers.

The plaza is closed to cars because a 5K community run is in progress.  Families fill some grandstands and it’s time to cheer all the runners. Next up is the 100 meter run for the abuelos (grandparents).

It takes a while to get them lined up properly.  A couple of abuelas keep stepping over the starting line.  Then they’re off!  A second contingent strolls along behind just setting a sedate pace.  Their “meet” is followed by little kids in various age groups, all getting lots of cheers and support.

After their meets (and many were running hard!) some kids splash into the plaza fountain to cool off.  We’ve never seen kids actually get into a fountain in Ecuador, though we’ve seen many lean over the edge to touch the water with their hands, but it has seemed there’s a rule against climbing in.  Not today, but only for about 10 minutes.  Then they are all shooed out of the water and decorum is restored.

We spend an uneventful night in Sucúa except our sleep is punctuated by a hundred roosters crowing, who then wake up a bunch of barking dogs.  We get a taxi to the bus terminal and buy a $2 breakfast, which we are surprised to learn includes baloney and a white cheese on an odd tasting roll.  With only minutes left to board our bus for Puyo, I gulp down the cafe con leche (a cup of hot milk into which I pour some coffee concentrate) and 2 scrambled eggs and hide the fact I’m going to toss the baloney sandwich.

Later on the bus, a lady jumps on at a stop to sell some freshly fried empanadas.  Ben and I look at each other and decide to take the plunge for food of unknown origins.  At least it’s hot :) And actually kind of tasty, with a typical filling of chicken and veggies.

Taking pictures from the bus is no bueno, but at least this one shows one of the mighty rivers that crisscross the rainforest, or jungle, or la selva.

All the way to Puyo the bus stops for anyone along the way waiting for a ride. As we get closer to Puyo, he pauses for an extra minute to chat with these friends building a house by the road.

From the road, the rainforest is astounding for its lushness, dripping water and incredible diversity.  It is also alarming because large areas have been deforested with only unhealthy trees left behind like forlorn sentries.  Farming, development, and harvesting are just a fact.  Not unlike at home, however this biodiversity is unique and under threat.

But we are about to enter another world in the rainforest.  A special eco-hotel with its own waterfalls and dense forestation.  And Ben and I will be it’s only guests for 3 magical nights.

Toquillas Para Todos

Since Noah is quite the hat lover and Ecuador is the home of the Panama hat, we have to go shopping.

First, forget Panama. The hat probably acquired that name because it was imported to Panama and adopted there, then made famous during the construction of the Canal.  But it is pure Ecuadorian.  At the Homer Ortega museum and shop, that is made abundantly clear.  The English speaking guide is off today, so I am an intent listener to the story in Spanish.  First the straw.

It is separated by hand into narrow fibers.  The finer the strands, the finer the hat. Panama hats, or toquillas, can take 2 days or 4 months to make per hat, depending on how fine the fiber and the skill of the weaver.  The fibers are dyed using natural colors.

There’s a sea of raw hats bleaching in the sun.

This cheerful gentleman has the job of softening and shaping the hats with a soap solution.

When he’s done he tosses them into a pile.

Here’s a much earlier step - dying the straw black (in this case) in a big vat, requiring constant stirring.

There’s a lot of sharp future hats in this pot!

Just a few feet away, this gentleman is molding the hat shape using a mold, steam and pressure.  It only takes 45 seconds.

The mold selected determines what shape the hat will take and there are many molds to choose from for the many styles produced by Homer Ortega.

Remember those rough hats drying in the sun?  They are transforming before our eyes.

I join the wall of famous people wearing Ortega hats.  People like Johnny Depp and Julia Roberts.

Noah picks out a great hat but it’s not quite big enough. “Uno momento,” says our very persuasive sales lady.  She finds the same model in the right size, though it is not quite finished.  The sewing ladies stop to finish it for Noah, here applying the band.

This senorita sews in the inner sweat band.

It’s a sea of Panama hats and we are all going to own one soon.

Noah takes this arty photo so of course I have to include it.  He’s always upstaging our iPhones with his android phone.

Noelle models this lavish feminine model.  Would definitely not be good for walking the streets of Cuenca.  She would knock people off the sidewalk in front of buses screaming along or not see a taxi coming as she crosses the street!  But if invited to a royal wedding, this would be a great choice.

Ben (with a lot of encouragement from that persuasive sales lady) splurges on an extra-fino hat in classic white.  It’s an investment hat. But we will find he is reluctant to wear it because it is so nice!

We also take Noah and Noelle to one of our favorite shops - All Things Alpaca - to see Patricia’s beautiful hand knit and hand woven items from her very own herd of 650 alpacas.  Noah can’t resist this hand knit sweater from wool and alpaca.  It sure is sharp with the new hat :)

Patricia is happy to pose with Noah and Noelle (who is wearing her own special Panama hat in a very cute check).

One more detour.  On their first day, we took N&N on the double decker tour bus to see the best of Cuenca.  It delivered us to the opposite side of the city, way up a mountain for a great view, some cheesy tourist shops, and the SWING that, for $4 will swing one out over a precipice for quite a scare and a thrill!  We all did it except Ben, who finds heights “no bueno.”  Noah went first, so click this link to see it!  Noah on the Cuenca swing :)

I screamed a lot and had a death grip on the swing.  Noelle hesitated but decided to go for it.  We had others there to cheer us on.  Fun, in a terrifying way.

A last photo op before Noah and Noelle head to North Carolina:(Cuenca 🚐 Guayaquil ✈️ Fort Lauderdale ✈️ Atlanta 🚘 Asheville). Hat crazy!

Their nine day visit sped by and we were so glad they decided to spend half of their vacation (10,000+ miles of travel) with “los padres” (the parents)!