Its been about 5 weeks that I have been in the jungle and its going farely well. A few weeks ago I spent some time at a different community called Irsham. This community is the most isolated that I have been to, the only way of accessing this village is a 3 hour hike deep into the jungle. I made the trek with a couple other volunteers from the Arutam station and a guide and it was going pretty well except for the fact that an hour into the hike it started to rain terrentially. All of our clothes were just completely soaked head to toe as we were cought in this fierce storm and there was no way to go back because we have already gone so far. Not to mention we had our huuge backpacks on at the time also. Nevertheless we made it to Irsham and settled in, met the tribe which we were greeted with huuge smiles, ate dinner and slept. Irsham is a really cool place because its pretty much just a chief and his family of about 6 daughters and one 18 year old son and wife, and they are pretty much almost completely self sufficient from the land they live on it was a really cool experience to be there. As for the work the next few days it was extremely tough and rigorous but this station definetly was in need of volunteers the most and i was more than happy to help. Later on in the week we were taken on a trek even deeper into the Amazon for about 3 hours, found a nice spot, and set up a camp to sleep in the middle of the jungle for the night. We collected wood and leaves and made a shelter for us to sleep in for the night. Building a shelter and collecting food and sleeping in a random spot in the middle of the jungle was definetly an experience I will never forget. For 3 straight meals all we had to eat out there were snails and plantains and water. During this camping excursion the 18 year old son went out hunting and cought a monkey which we later brought back to the hut and cooked up and ate for breakfast.
After spending some time in Irsham I returned back to Arutam for a week just to relax and take it easy for a bit because Arutam is the most comfortable of the stations with facilities like showers and toilets and a little better food. Then I headed back to the Chinimp tuna community to spend another week there. It was cool to see all the villagers there again and they were really happy to see me again. I did some pretty cool stuff there like hunting for ants, where we go out at 4 in the morning with these huuge torches and light them next to these ant hills and then all these giant queen and king ants with wings fly out towards the fire and we collect them for food later. It was going pretty well but then i felt myself getting bit all over and looked down, only to see that i was completly covered with ants head to toe getting bit all over, in my shirt, my pants, everywhere. But i delt with it and we got plenty of ants. Ants were then served with almost every single meal that week, and i learned to like them. Or at least deal with it.
Upon departure i was given a bunch of gifts from the family like some pretty cool bracelets, a necklace, a sachel bag, and some pottery. As for the 2 and a half weeks I have left I think I might just stay at the Arutam station but we will see. Thank you for reading and ill try and post more soon.
- Justen
Friday, September 26, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Chinimp Tuna
This past week I have been volunteering in a different community in the Amazon called chinimp tuna. This tribe is a little deeper into the Amazon than the last community i was at and the scenery is alot more beautiful. It is surrounded by different rivers and streams that we can bathe and go swimming in. I feel alot more invlovled with the people here and they included us in all the events that are happening and invite us to eat their traditional food with them such as larvae and ants. Although most of the time they feed us quite nice with chicken, pork, fish or rice.
The first day we arrived was a bit of a chaotic one because we happened to arrive on the sae day that a huge part was going on, and almost every single person there was completley hammered out of their minds. ome of them have been drunk since the morning the day before. Every 5 minutes I had to deal with these people coming up to me and asking me the same questions like a hundred times. They also bring this traditional drink around called Chicha which is made from the women of the tribe who chew this plant and spit it back into a bucket and this drink is essentially their spit in a cup that you drink. I have tried it a few times and cannot deal with it anymore. Every time is comes my way i always get up and walk away before it reaches me or I make up an excuse so that I wouldnt have to drink it.
Later on in the week we all had the opportunity to participate in the daily activities that they do such as collecting fruits and plaintains from the jungle or go spear fishing with them in a nearby river where I acually caught 2 fish which we later had for dinner. We were also taken on a pretty sweet hike deep into the jungle to explore a waterfall in which the community is named after. For the weekend we were taken to a pretty big party deep in the jungle at a locals house where there was a huge celebration involving member of the government to celebrate a new bridge that had been built there to help connect nearby villages. Before the bridge they had to swim or take a small raft across. In honour of the bridge being built that killed a pig and cooked it for dinner.
All in all this week has been very enjoyable for me and I feel alot more appreciated and welcomed here than at the community before. They even made us all gifts like bracelets and necklaces made from seeds from the jungle as a token of appreciation. As for this next week I am going even deeper into the Amazon to stay a week in a community. This community will be the most remote village I will be staying with on this trip. I have heard people telling me that most of the people there have not even seen a car in their life. After that I think I will be returning to this community I was just at for a little while longer. Thank you for reading and I will post again next weekend when I go back into town.
- Justen
The first day we arrived was a bit of a chaotic one because we happened to arrive on the sae day that a huge part was going on, and almost every single person there was completley hammered out of their minds. ome of them have been drunk since the morning the day before. Every 5 minutes I had to deal with these people coming up to me and asking me the same questions like a hundred times. They also bring this traditional drink around called Chicha which is made from the women of the tribe who chew this plant and spit it back into a bucket and this drink is essentially their spit in a cup that you drink. I have tried it a few times and cannot deal with it anymore. Every time is comes my way i always get up and walk away before it reaches me or I make up an excuse so that I wouldnt have to drink it.
Later on in the week we all had the opportunity to participate in the daily activities that they do such as collecting fruits and plaintains from the jungle or go spear fishing with them in a nearby river where I acually caught 2 fish which we later had for dinner. We were also taken on a pretty sweet hike deep into the jungle to explore a waterfall in which the community is named after. For the weekend we were taken to a pretty big party deep in the jungle at a locals house where there was a huge celebration involving member of the government to celebrate a new bridge that had been built there to help connect nearby villages. Before the bridge they had to swim or take a small raft across. In honour of the bridge being built that killed a pig and cooked it for dinner.
All in all this week has been very enjoyable for me and I feel alot more appreciated and welcomed here than at the community before. They even made us all gifts like bracelets and necklaces made from seeds from the jungle as a token of appreciation. As for this next week I am going even deeper into the Amazon to stay a week in a community. This community will be the most remote village I will be staying with on this trip. I have heard people telling me that most of the people there have not even seen a car in their life. After that I think I will be returning to this community I was just at for a little while longer. Thank you for reading and I will post again next weekend when I go back into town.
- Justen
Friday, August 29, 2008
Life in the Amazon
My experience in the Amazon so far has been filled with mixed feelings that I dont know how to describe. It isn´t what i expected but that doesn´t mean a bad thing, only different. There is a weid and awkward barrier between the volunteers and the villagers that I am trying my best to break. I am going to talk more to them and maybe even see if they would take me out to explore deeper into the amazon and possibly even out into a canoe on a river. I have done some exploring on my own and with a couple others to some amazing lookout points which have some indescribable views over a cliff into as far as you can possibly see into the Amazon rainforest. There is a natural labyrinth nearby that I have heard talks about and can´t wait to find and explore.
The living conditions are far better from what I expected. Two other girls and myself share our own house which is situated high up on a hill nearby the village which overlooks the amazon. I have my own bedroom complete with a huge bed and balcony with views of an amazing volcanoe that sits right in the middle of the rainforest. In our house we have our own oven, fridge, toilet, shower and even a tv and dvd player, although none of the dvds are in english. Our house belongs to a guy by the name of Soren who lives here with his wife who is the doughter of the chief here. From what I hear they are away until possibly december. So for now we get to stay in his house. But next week I am planning on heading to a different community that is alot more remote and deeper into the Amazon with alot less facilities. The shower is a nearby river and the bathroom is a hole in the ground from what I hear.
This entry is being written in different sections and it has been almost a week since I have written the above comments on a piece of paper in my room.
The barrier between us and the villagers is becoming faded less and less. I have been hanging out and talking with them more and more and it is passed that weird awkward stage. They call myself Jiru which means machine in Shuar, because I explained to them That I am actually a robot that doesn´t require sleep or food. Thus, Jiru is my new Shuar name. We have been on some cool hikes and explored a nearby river for swimming which is beautiful. On another note, there has been some shady events going on in the village and a girl got all of her money stolen from her and I have gotten my ipod stolen. We are all gonna talk with the chief soon and see if we can get to the bottom of this. When I first arrived i was seriously questioning my decision to stay here for 8 weeks, and up until today I felt really confident in my decision to be here for 2 months, but if shit like this keeps going on unnoticed I think I am going to have to leave early and find somehwere else to stay for 2 months before I leave for Peru. I will keep this updated soon and thanks alot for reading.
- Jiru
The living conditions are far better from what I expected. Two other girls and myself share our own house which is situated high up on a hill nearby the village which overlooks the amazon. I have my own bedroom complete with a huge bed and balcony with views of an amazing volcanoe that sits right in the middle of the rainforest. In our house we have our own oven, fridge, toilet, shower and even a tv and dvd player, although none of the dvds are in english. Our house belongs to a guy by the name of Soren who lives here with his wife who is the doughter of the chief here. From what I hear they are away until possibly december. So for now we get to stay in his house. But next week I am planning on heading to a different community that is alot more remote and deeper into the Amazon with alot less facilities. The shower is a nearby river and the bathroom is a hole in the ground from what I hear.
This entry is being written in different sections and it has been almost a week since I have written the above comments on a piece of paper in my room.
The barrier between us and the villagers is becoming faded less and less. I have been hanging out and talking with them more and more and it is passed that weird awkward stage. They call myself Jiru which means machine in Shuar, because I explained to them That I am actually a robot that doesn´t require sleep or food. Thus, Jiru is my new Shuar name. We have been on some cool hikes and explored a nearby river for swimming which is beautiful. On another note, there has been some shady events going on in the village and a girl got all of her money stolen from her and I have gotten my ipod stolen. We are all gonna talk with the chief soon and see if we can get to the bottom of this. When I first arrived i was seriously questioning my decision to stay here for 8 weeks, and up until today I felt really confident in my decision to be here for 2 months, but if shit like this keeps going on unnoticed I think I am going to have to leave early and find somehwere else to stay for 2 months before I leave for Peru. I will keep this updated soon and thanks alot for reading.
- Jiru
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Quito, Ecuador
After I arrived into Quito Ecuadori made my way to the hostel which is in this part of town thats called the old town and is pretty wild with cobblestone streets and old colonial buildings. Oncw i got to the hostel i met a lot of cool people and it turns out that a girl from Australia named Amanda is doing the exact same volunteer thing in the Amazon and is heading there the same time as me so we chatted and quickly became friends. The next morning i forgot to tell the hostel that i was going to be staying another night and it turned out that they were completely booked and i was forced to leave and find another hostel. This exact same situation also faced Amanda and another pretty cool girl from England named Laura. Fortunatley we found a hostel only down the street and checked into there, this hostel we checked into in my opinion is actually really nice we have a private room with our own bathroom and shower and even a tv, and were paying a whopping $5 a night each. The only catch is that it is like completely deserted but we just hang out at the other hostel where all our other friends are and eat the food there and then sleep down the street in a nice quiet private dorm, it´s a pretty nice situation.
Amanda, Laura and myself spent the day in the new part of town which is like their downtown area and did some shopping and got some food, Amada and I made the decision to travel towards the Amazon on friday instead of thursday because it turns out that there is a misfits concert thursday night in Quito so we´re pretty stoked about that. After spending the day wandering around we made our way back to not our hostel but the original hostel we were at because thats where everyone hangs out to chill, we met up with a bunch of other people at the hostel and headed out for a night of clubbing in downtown Quito. We went to this club which had this event which was called girls night in which all girls get in for free and have free drinks before 10pm. It was kinda weird because we got there at about 930 and the club was just packed fully with girls and they did not let guys in until 10. So me and another guy i met from the states wondered around this strip in downtown Quito which was just jam packed with club after club, we found this cool little club that was in the basement of a building and was mostly packed with locals, so we hung there for a bit before making our way back to the original club we were planning on going to. At first it was kinda slow but by the time a few hours have passed the entire club was sooooo jam packed with people you could barely move and it was just a huge party. Altogether it was a pretty fun night.
As for today theres tons of stuff i have planned like visiting this super old cathedral which towers over Quito. Now I´m not the kinda cathedral or museam fan but the cool thing about this one is that you are allowed to climb to the very top on these gothic towers and up through all the clocks and bells and gizzards just like Quazzy modo. Once you reach the top which is hundreds of feet high you can go outside and stand on the edge of the building where there are no guard rails or anything, and you are faced with stunning views over Quito. After i check that out, me and a bunch of people from the hostel are gonna check out that misfits concert downtown, and then tommorow me and Amanda head for the Amazon.
Amanda, Laura and myself spent the day in the new part of town which is like their downtown area and did some shopping and got some food, Amada and I made the decision to travel towards the Amazon on friday instead of thursday because it turns out that there is a misfits concert thursday night in Quito so we´re pretty stoked about that. After spending the day wandering around we made our way back to not our hostel but the original hostel we were at because thats where everyone hangs out to chill, we met up with a bunch of other people at the hostel and headed out for a night of clubbing in downtown Quito. We went to this club which had this event which was called girls night in which all girls get in for free and have free drinks before 10pm. It was kinda weird because we got there at about 930 and the club was just packed fully with girls and they did not let guys in until 10. So me and another guy i met from the states wondered around this strip in downtown Quito which was just jam packed with club after club, we found this cool little club that was in the basement of a building and was mostly packed with locals, so we hung there for a bit before making our way back to the original club we were planning on going to. At first it was kinda slow but by the time a few hours have passed the entire club was sooooo jam packed with people you could barely move and it was just a huge party. Altogether it was a pretty fun night.
As for today theres tons of stuff i have planned like visiting this super old cathedral which towers over Quito. Now I´m not the kinda cathedral or museam fan but the cool thing about this one is that you are allowed to climb to the very top on these gothic towers and up through all the clocks and bells and gizzards just like Quazzy modo. Once you reach the top which is hundreds of feet high you can go outside and stand on the edge of the building where there are no guard rails or anything, and you are faced with stunning views over Quito. After i check that out, me and a bunch of people from the hostel are gonna check out that misfits concert downtown, and then tommorow me and Amanda head for the Amazon.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Countdown to The Beginning
In about a week and a half I will be beginning my trip of travelling around South America for almost 4 months. Originally planning on being 3 months, my funds are more than I calculated they would be when I was planning this trip. Thus, I have decided to extend my stay down there, and give myself an opportunity to see and do more things. My trip includes 2 months in Ecuador, and 7 weeks travelling around Peru and Bolivia.
To begin my trip I am going to be living and working with an indigenous tribe located in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador for 2 months. The tribe is called the Shuar, and at one point in time were the most feared and warlike tribe in the entire Amazon for their much feared practice of shrinking the heads of their foes which they call tzantzas. I have spent most of my time towards learning Spanish relentlessly and I feel completly confidant in my fluency. The Shuar tribe all speak fluent spanish but it is their second language. Their first language is Shuar. Although a lot has changed up until these recent years, they are faced with increasing pressure from logging companies to come in and destroy their land. the whole idea for them is to help them to develope their community and create a source of income without having to resort to selling their land and timber. this includes initiatives such as creating tourism, making crafts for which they can sell in the markets, or raising cattle or fish for which they can substitute their diet. Some of the activities that I will be doing are building trails with machetes in the Amazon, teaching English in their village school, farming, or building structures. It is also a cultural exchange for which I will be living and eating with them in the Amazon and participating in their activities such as hunting with a blowgun or spear, and going on camping trips with them into the jungle.
These past few weeks have crept up on me very quickly and although I have dedicated most of my time towards researching and mapping out my entire trip. It is only today that it has finally dawned on me of what I am actually going to be doing. Something I have been picturing in my head and imagining for so long is finally going to become a reality. I am overwhelmed with feelings of anticipation, and I truly feel that I am ready for this. Being by myself and getting away from everyone and everything is something I think I need to experience and will be beneficial to me. I will try to update this as much as I will be able to, thank you for reading
-Justen
To begin my trip I am going to be living and working with an indigenous tribe located in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador for 2 months. The tribe is called the Shuar, and at one point in time were the most feared and warlike tribe in the entire Amazon for their much feared practice of shrinking the heads of their foes which they call tzantzas. I have spent most of my time towards learning Spanish relentlessly and I feel completly confidant in my fluency. The Shuar tribe all speak fluent spanish but it is their second language. Their first language is Shuar. Although a lot has changed up until these recent years, they are faced with increasing pressure from logging companies to come in and destroy their land. the whole idea for them is to help them to develope their community and create a source of income without having to resort to selling their land and timber. this includes initiatives such as creating tourism, making crafts for which they can sell in the markets, or raising cattle or fish for which they can substitute their diet. Some of the activities that I will be doing are building trails with machetes in the Amazon, teaching English in their village school, farming, or building structures. It is also a cultural exchange for which I will be living and eating with them in the Amazon and participating in their activities such as hunting with a blowgun or spear, and going on camping trips with them into the jungle.
These past few weeks have crept up on me very quickly and although I have dedicated most of my time towards researching and mapping out my entire trip. It is only today that it has finally dawned on me of what I am actually going to be doing. Something I have been picturing in my head and imagining for so long is finally going to become a reality. I am overwhelmed with feelings of anticipation, and I truly feel that I am ready for this. Being by myself and getting away from everyone and everything is something I think I need to experience and will be beneficial to me. I will try to update this as much as I will be able to, thank you for reading
-Justen
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