ecuadorian amazon day 2

kichwa girl

We started the day off with a half-hour motorized canoe ride down the Napo river to check out the Yasuni parrot clay lick.  The parrots apparently lick the clay from the cliffs to reduce the toxicity of some of the seeds that they eat.

parrots fleeing the parrot lick

The parrots (mostly green amazon parrots, with some yell0w-headed and blue-headed parrots as well) were clustered around the licks and hanging out in the trees until something scared them all away

 

the culprit - a short-eared zorroThe culprit – I think this is the short-eared dog (atelocynus microtis) aka the short-eared zorro or short-eared fox looking for a meal.  Apparently it is an elusive canid – many of the other pictures online were triggered by camera traps.

 

kichwa women dancing

Our next stop was to la comunidad anangu kichwa (also Quechua or Quichua in spanish) in the Yasuni National Park.  Our visit started with watching women perform a dance for tourists.  Interesting side note – there is a small movement among Kichwa speakers to change the spelling from Quechua to Kichwa as a political statement against the Spanish language, which was forced upon their ancestors.  Another interesting aside: there is a lot of untapped oil sitting under the reserve.  The Ecuadorian government is seeking some sort of international agreement to be compensated for not drilling in the national park to make up for lost income from the sale of oil.

 

kichwa girlKichwa child watching the ceremony.  We watched demonstrations of trapping and hunting methods and then a short traditional cooking demonstration.  We also tried some Chicha, a drink made of fermented yucca.  We tried some – it tasted slightly sour, not very alcoholic and a little milky, starchy and gritty.

 

pointing out birds from the tower

We returned to Sacha Lodge and climbed the metal canopy tower in the afternoon and looked at birds and monkeys.

 

canopy walk

The bridge between towers

canopy walk

 

sunset above the canopyand the view was amazing

 

into la amazonia – ecuador’s amazon basin

canoe ride

We flew from Quito to Coca (aka Puerto Francisco de Orellana), a small city that serves as a hub for oil companies and tourism activities.  Coca is a 27 minute flight from Quito, and for a while I wondered “Why even fly if it’s such a short trip?”  I learned later that although the distance between the two cities is only about 120 miles as the crow flies, it’s about 180 miles by driving.  The elevation drops from 9350ft to 834ft above sea level and it’s apparently a windy (as in following a curving or twisting course rather than marked by or exposed to strong winds) trip that takes 11 hours by bus.  Our guide also told us that it’s a scary trip.

clouds and water spray over the napo riverClouds.  Our lodge was about a 1.5 hour ride east by motorized canoe on the Napo River, a tributary to the Amazon River.

 

oil trucks on a barge on the napo river

We were never far from oil company influences.  There were many barges with trucks, tankers, and equipment as well as a number of gas flares that we saw along the way.  Apparently the flares (example here) are for burning off the natural gas that comes out of the oil well.  They haven’t built the infrastructure to capture the natural gas, so it is burnt off as waste.  It’s estimated that this type of flaring accounts for 1.2% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.  Our guide said that locals do not like the practice as it also attracts and kills native insects and birds that are attracted to the lights.  sadface.

 

hammock at sacha lodge

Our lodge had a back patio with a hammock and chairs.  how nice!

 

mariposario at sacha lodge

blue morpho butterfly chrysalises (chrysalides?)  in the marioposario

 

platform at sacha lodge

The sun deck at sacha lodge

canoe ride

Heading out for an evening canoe ride

 

stars and the milky way

The night was so free of ambient light and the first night so clear that we could see the milky way.

 

tarantula

Tarantula hanging out by the shower window