Jungle Jane
The jungle region of Ecuador is a truly unique, amazing travel experience. I have been to Tena twice. Tena is a small city on the threshold of the Amazon. While I was there I had the opportunity to hike through the jungle with an expert guide provided by the Hauskila lodge. The experience was not only incredible, but highly informative. I saw three different types of rainforest: pristine untouched, developed and re-grown, and developed and abandoned (in the process of rejuvenation). The guide that was with our group had ties to the local community and shared many stories with us from his indigenous culture. He pointed out ancient traces of his ancestors carved in tree trunks and explained many of the medicinal properties of the plants and insects. We hiked through dense foliage, crossed a river, and eventually made our way to a breathtaking waterfall. It is hard to describe the awesomeness of this experience in a short piece of writing. I will say that I was completely overwhelmed by the power and variety of Mother Nature and found myself choking back tears brought on by the aesthetic beauty of the natural world.
While I was in Tena I had the chance to white water raft down the Napo River, which is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River. In general, I do not like water, but this experience was an exception. I took a five hour tour down the river with world-traveled, expert white water rafting guides, whom were not only incredibly knowledgeable and professional but good natured and fun. The experience was marked by intense moments of team work as our little raft braved the raging rapids and serene stretches of time while we lazily floated down the river taking in the beautiful surroundings. Our boat was comprised of locals and travelers from various places all over the world, and despite our differences in language and culture we all formed a connection created by the camaraderie that comes with working and laughing together. At the end of the experience, I was exhausted, drained, and disappointed that our journey was over. As I said good-bye to my new friends, whom I knew I would never see again, I was satisfied knowing that we had all shared a memorable moment in time that would be looked back on with fondness.
HEther, October 2009
While I was in Tena I had the chance to white water raft down the Napo River, which is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River. In general, I do not like water, but this experience was an exception. I took a five hour tour down the river with world-traveled, expert white water rafting guides, whom were not only incredibly knowledgeable and professional but good natured and fun. The experience was marked by intense moments of team work as our little raft braved the raging rapids and serene stretches of time while we lazily floated down the river taking in the beautiful surroundings. Our boat was comprised of locals and travelers from various places all over the world, and despite our differences in language and culture we all formed a connection created by the camaraderie that comes with working and laughing together. At the end of the experience, I was exhausted, drained, and disappointed that our journey was over. As I said good-bye to my new friends, whom I knew I would never see again, I was satisfied knowing that we had all shared a memorable moment in time that would be looked back on with fondness.
HEther, October 2009
posted by EDM at
3:39 AM
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