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Arriving in the magical Valley of Oyacachi

Greetings from Muyuna, a beautiful little town just outside of Tena, the largest city that lies in the Ecuadorian jungle. Because of the nature of our expedition and our limited means of communication, our weekly updater, Savannah (affectionately known as Savannita, or Papita) was not able to create another one of her detailed stories about our adventures. While she and the rest of the crew set up camp and prepare for tomorrow’s departure, I come out into civilization to give news of our journeys. In the morning we will set off on a three-day trip on the Kataraft down the Jatun Yacu river as we make our way to the Shiwacocha community.

Native teachers Patricio and Alejandro put the semester students to work

At the time of our last report we had just come down the majestic glaciers and valleys of Cayambe. Exhausted and tired, we embarked on a pickup truck over to the beautiful valley of Oyacachi, also a Kichwa community. This place is known as the bridge between the highlands and the lowlands, between the cold Paramos and the soaking wet Amazon. The people there are known for their work on Aliso wood, and for their healing thermal baths. We immersed ourselves in three days of intensive cold and hot baths along with spending long hours working with the local craftsman making traditional bateas (oval shaped bowls) and spoons. These recovery days allowed us to breathe and to process as well as to prepare for the trekking that was to come.

Alejandro and Dylan

The trek from Oyacachi to Chaco is one of the oldest and wildest walks. It unites two very different worlds, peoples and landscapes. The first day one starts off in highland weather, low clouds, cold fronts and small leaves. As you descend down serpent-like passages and muddy cliffs, the clouds rise, the Oyacachi River takes over the soundtrack and the leaves seem to take on the role of giants. It is a truly awe-inspiring transition. And then there is the water, spouting from every pore of the earth, from the trees and from the sky. In this landscape, water embraces everything to the point of complete surrender.

As we set up homes next to rivers, we came to venerate a stack of dry wood for cooking more than anything. We arrived at our last camp after another ten hour trek and found refuge in an abandoned fisherman’s house. The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we started our trip over to Tena. After a night of rest, river bathing and monkey watching we are now ready for the upcoming adventure. This week awaits us with many river tales and spending time with Samuel and Nadino’s family. We will be making traditional baskets and sharing our lives amongst the yucca, the plantain and the chicha.

So, as much as I’d love to go into more detail, I must run and enter the next exciting phase of this epic expedition. The tribe is stronger than ever and facing up to every daily challenge. We hope you are all well and soaring high with your own journeys.
All the best and til next week,

Marcela
Ecuador Semester Teacher 2008
Kroka Expeditions

Drying up as we drop into the rainforest seems unreal