The journey to Shuar Tawasap

May 14, 17

I spent my first night in the jungle and I slept very well.

My goal yesterday was to have a bed at the end of the journey where I could sleep. I wasn't sure if I would actually make it to this designated bed, but yes, everything went smoothly.

The journey from Quito to here: wake up at 5:30 in the morning. 5 minutes before, lie in bed and consciously wait for the alarm. Get dressed, pack the last things, take the heavy suitcase down, check everything, put the keys on the dresser, and go downstairs with all the stuff. I packed the blue bag (waterproof) with all the essentials, including emergency clothes and toiletries. I still don't know if I should buy two seats on the bus.

The taxi arrives slightly late, I pack everything and the journey to Quitumbe begins. I chat with the driver. Among other things, I ask him if there are also taxis in Palora. He says "yes, of course." That confirms my decision to go to Palora by bus.

Quitumbe bus station is busy, despite the early morning hour. It takes a while to find the right counter for the company "Centinela del Oriente." The bus companies are in competition and if you ask at the wrong counter, they don't know the other one, even though they work right next to each other. Then it's time to board the bus, where another bus is waiting. Time for breakfast.

By the way, I only bought one ticket and I would have regretted it if I had taken my suitcase on the bus. Because everything went smoothly and I would have been the ultimate foreigner on the bus.

After a five-hour journey, I arrive in Puyo. By the way, there are two movies running on the bus. Movies of the more violent kind with bloodshed and everything. I don't know why, but suddenly I decide to take a taxi to Palora. I ask two policemen, and they think it's a good idea, I believe. Then I hail a taxi. He is not at all interested and tries to convince me to take the bus. Well, that's what I actually wanted, so it happens. At the counter, I buy the ticket for $3, as announced. Seat number 19. The journey takes two hours and as expected, the route goes towards Macas first. In Palora, I get off at the terminus, but it would have been better to get off in the center. In any case, I have to go back a bit until I can get the attention of a yellow vehicle with a taxi sign. It's a pickup truck. I ask the driver, Carlos by the way, if he knows the Shuar Tawasap community. Yes, yes, no problem, he will take me there. My god, I would have suffered if I had to carry the suitcase from the August 16th bus stop to the village! Carlos gives me a business card so that I can call him for the return journey and goodbye. I am on the village square of the Shuar community.

I am even more relieved when I see the man I know from the internet. He asks me to come to the large covered porch of his house and talks to me. He expresses his joy that I am here, I talk about myself, he introduces me to his work, etc. He tells his wife Maria to bring something to eat. She comes with a plate of small yellow fruits that need to be peeled, and we eat a few. After that, he takes me around the village. Among other things, he shows me the garden and the pool where I see some children bathing. Once again, Tzaa warmly welcomes me.

At around 4:30, he tells me that he will now leave me with his son Akim to guide me to my room in the house on the hill. And that was the hardest part of the journey, damn it. The house was about eight hundred meters away. At the end, there was an incline that had to be tackled on a path that corresponds to a steep hiking trail. At the beginning, I carried the 23kg suitcase on my head, on the stairs I dragged it in my hand, stopping to catch my breath every 10 meters. In the end, I made it and I'm sweating like crazy.

My room is in a house on a hill, on the upper floor. Beautiful view of the rainforest. I settle in and soon doze off on the bed with a mosquito net around me. I lie there, naked except for my underwear, and enjoy it. Finally, I fall asleep.

At some point, a certain Gorge comes and asks if I want Ayahuasca, I say no, another time. He also asks if he can have my flashlight for his way. I give it to him, curious if I will get it back. Two days later, the first time he sees me again, I have it back.