The Jungle (Part 2)

Not bad for a front yard...

After a week of working at the main Jatun Sacha station, Kurt and I volunteered to trek over to the other side of the reserve where we stayed in the Cabaña Arajuno. This cabaña was built in 2007 in order to have a place for Guardebosques (forest guards) to live so that they may more effectively patrol and maintain the area. The other side of the reserve is bordered by the Rio Arajuno and there are several indigenous Quichua communities nearby. Before the cabaña was built, there was a large problem with people from these communities coming in and cutting down trees in the reserve to sell for money. Now, the Guardebosques walk through the forest daily in order to monitor any cutting that may occur and maintain the trails. They also talk to people in the communities, explaining the Jatun Sacha reserve and why it is important that it exists. Since at least one of the Guardebosques speaks Quichua and they are respected in the local communities, this has been largely effective (though as more and more forest is cleared around the reserve, it is under ever-increaing pressure).

Anyway, volunteers from Jatun Sacha often accompany the Guardebosques for week long stays at Arajuno. It sounded like a great opportunity to see another part of the reserve and learn about the forest, so early Monday morning we met up with the two Guardebosques, Don Gabriel and Gato. We packed up our bags with the food and clothes we´d need for the week and set off deep into the jungle. It took us about 4 hours to reach the other side of the reserve, including a couple of rests near tranquil streams that were thankfully somewhat cooler. Finally, we reached the cabaña, a two story structure in a clearing surrounded by a garden with some bananas, aji, pineapples, tabacco, yucca, and a watermelon-like plant which I think was called Bateda. The second story of the cabaña had bunk beds for around 12 people. On the first floor was the kitchen and a hammock area. There was an outhouse and the shower was either the river or a hose. No electricity- dinners by candlelight every night! But, the cabaña had everything you need for a very simple, tranquil existence.

For the rest of Monday, we relaxed- reading books, playing Uno, and enjoying the delicious food that Gato cooked for us. And the next day, Tuesday, it rained hard all day long, so we didn´t get a chance to walk through the forest. We more than made up for this on Wednesday and Thursday however. On Wednesday morning we left the cabaña around 830. We brought lunch with us- an egg and vegetable scramble with rice wrapped up in banana leaves and secured with palm fibers. We walked through the forest in the morning. I should mention that these forest walks were a great learning experience. Both of the Guardebosques have an immense knowledge of the jungle. Don Gabriel in particular knows just about everything about medicinal plants. He´s an impressive person- in his sixties, he would lead our hikes with a machete in one hand and a stick in the other to knock spider webs out of the way (and Gato would head up the rear, machete-ing anything that Gabriel missed). Gabriel would point out plants that had important medicinal or cultural uses. When he´d come across an orchid or bromeliad that had fallen from it´s treetop home, he would stop and gently place it on another tree so that it could grow once again- I found this very touching.

As the day went on we wound up visiting some of the neighboring communities. Kurt and I mostly stood around while Gabriel and Gato talked to them- the mix of Spanish and Quichua was nearly impossible to follow. Still I could tell that this was probably the most important aspect of the job. After a well-timed canoe ride, we ate our delicious lunch and started to loop around back home. But, before we did, we decided to stop at a store to buy something for dinner- a live chicken. Actually we bought the chicken and then sat around chatting with people at the store for around 45 minutes, all the while I was watching our dinner peck at the dirt and fend off bigger chickens. Then we carried the chicken through the jungle for the two hours it took us to get home. This task fell to Gato, who expertly wrapped it up in a palm leaf.

When we reached the cabin, Gabriel killed the chicken with one quick chop of the machete. We watched as Gato plucked it, cleaned it, and broke it down into edible and not-so-edible parts (there were very few of the latter). Gato made a delicious chicken noodle soup and everything went into it- feet, neck, and all. I have to say that the chicken had a very chicken-y flavor (due to it´s varied diet of jungle insects). We called this whole experience ¨proyecto chicken¨.

After more than 6 hours of jungle hiking on Wednesday, we did it all again on Thursday. Before we knew it, it was Friday and we hiked back to the main Jatun Sacha station. The whole week felt really worthwhile to both of us- not only for the education about the jungle ecology and the conservation issues facing this area of the world, but also for the warm hospitality of the Guardebosques, who were really wonderful, wise people.


On Friday night, we headed to the Laboratorio, which is pretty much the coolest bar I´ve ever been to. It´s just up the road from Jatun Sacha, and the volunteers are usually its only customers. It´s a giant thatched-roof hut with a disco ball that sells the local beer, Pilsener, by the case. On Saturday we headed back into Tena with some friends for a day of canyoning (climbing up waterfalls), hiking, and swimming in the rivers. We went with the same tour company that we rafted with the weekend before, and they were really excellent. River People Rafting- if you are ever in the neighborhood. Here are some pictures from the day...

So that´s it for today. Stay tuned for The Jungle Part 3- Food, Insects, and Anthrax!!