First morning, waiting at the hut for guide...
***
Antonio arrived with a local (indigenous) guide and two new additions to our group—Hector, an Ecuadorian, and Grietje, his Swiss girlfriend.
“How do you pronounce your name?” Joe asked.
The amber-haired woman and Hector exchanged a glance, as if they heard this question often. The girl answered. “Greet-jeh. It’s Dutch. Of course you know the fairytale, Hansel and Grettle, yes?”
With her blond braids, she did resemble the fairytale child.
Before anyone could reply, Antonio clapped his hands. “Buénos Días, todos. ¿Listo, Calisto?”
“That’s the Spanish equivalent to ‘Ready, Freddy,’” I informed our group
Joe shouted with gusto, “¡Listo, Calisto!”
The day’s journey began on the banks of the enormous chocolate-colored Napo River. After a quick canoe ride, Antonio pulled it ashore and we headed into the jungle.
I reached out to steady myself along the way, a wet plant here, a smooth tree trunk there, a slippery vine, a slimy rock, several times to keep my balance.
Antonio warned, “No touch nothing. Every tree, every rock, every leaf, has alive.” In his broken English, he explained why. “Danger. Many spider, poison insect, creature only here in jungle. No touch. There is one ant kind, if she bite, woe to you. This ant, she killer-ant. She call to all the friend and attack you. We must careful.”
I shuddered and dropped my hold on the plant. Antonio broke into Spanish to ensure I understood the dangers of jungle life. “Tell to the others,” he ordered.
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| This is why I had to be careful what I touched in the jungle. |
“Listen up.” I translated warnings about tarantulas, poison brambles, bees and creepy-crawlies. By the time I finished, the hairs on my arms felt super-itchy and hyper-sensitive. I brushed off imaginary bugs, and kept my eyes peeled for unfamiliar critters that blended and lurked in the fertile plant life.
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| one of the jungle critters! |
Trekking through the deep terrain made it difficult not to touch anything. But with concentration, I refrained from toppling into the leafy vegetation. Plants suddenly appeared in my path. I’d catch myself just in time. We all had to be so careful. It’s pretty tricky in this unfamiliar terrain.
Antonio noticed my difficulty and extended his hand. “Amy, you stay near to me. Take my arm. I no trust you safe.”
"Gracias, Antonio." I took hold of his arm and he helped me over the uneven passages.
But even with the dangers, the jungle fascinated me. Every few steps, Antonio pointed out something new.
“Look this bird.” He pointed toward a thick canopy of branches. I squinted but couldn’t see any feathered creature.
Joe picked up on it right away. “Wow. Cool. What is that…a toucan?”
“Where?” I peered into the darkness.
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| The toucan looked something like this to me, even with the binoculars. |
“That grainy thing?” Or was that just leaves? “Do you have any binoculars?”
Antonio fished them out of a worn bag he carried.
The darkness swallowed up the details. Is that light spot its beak? I pressed the binoculars into my face and squinted. Maybe I still wasn’t focused on the right area.
Marie squealed when she saw it.
Mark practically grabbed the binoculars off my face. “Come on, come on, give ‘em up.” When he got it in focus, he whistled. “Look at the markings on that bird.”
One minute the sun blinds me, the next, the jungle shadows get in the way.
Antonio pressed, “Amy, you see now?”
I badly wanted to see it and I sort of did catch a glimpse. But Antonio went to such great lengths to ensure no one missed it that I couldn't let him down. "How colorful! Imagine seeing this every day of your life!"
Finally satisfied, Antonio agreed, "Si, que vista!" and moved us forward in the jungle.
