Dangerous Quito and volunteering in the Amazon

Too late

Traveling from Otovalo back to Quito didn't go quite as planned, as I slightly misjudged the length of the journey. I mean, I took a hell of a turn and arrived in Quito in the dark, which is not very good. And the bus is going to a completely different station, amazing! All shaken up, I ask the lady sitting next to me where the bus is going and the best way to get to the hostel. I quickly learned a new Spanish word PELIGROSO = dangerous. But the lady was so nice, or rather she saw me whining helplessly next to her, that she then led me to the right bus.

I finally get off at the right stop, the hostel is only a 5 minute walk away. However, the security guard at the bus stop repeats PELIGROSO, PELIGROSO again and calls me a taxi even for such a short journey. The driver in the taxi also keeps asking what the hell I'm doing, that I'm in a dangerous area. I mean, it's the historic center of the city and it's not even 8pm. It is later explained to me at the hostel that once it gets dark (which is around 6), I definitely shouldn't be out alone. I'm getting off to a nice start here.

I have to admit though that Quito is beautiful during the day. But I'm only staying for 2 days, during which time, in addition to sightseeing, I'm planning a trip to the Amazon!

On my way to Amazonia

There is a direct bus from the capital Quito to the city of Tena, which is the capital of Napo province and one of the gateway cities to the Amazon rainforest, where I will now be volunteering for a while.

The first stop in the Amazon is a nature reserve and yoga centre near Llanganates National Park, which, in addition to yoga and meditation, focuses on conservation in the Amazon. They recruit volunteers year-round to help with native plants, harvesting fruits in the tropical garden, or assisting with morning meditations.

Ellie vs. tarantulas

The sounds of the Amazonian wildlife completely captivated me on arrival, however, on the first evening I realised that something was making those sounds, I don't know what that something is and it's probably not far from me.

As a not-so-fan of insects and all sorts of bugs, I wasn't entirely crazy about the outdoor showers and the room which has a de facto open roof.

I wasn't too happy to learn that we had a giant tarantula living in the house with us. They even show me pictures. Hmmm, what a lovely beast. The owner explains that it's not dangerous at all, however his son gives me a smirk telling me that he is not telling the truth. But he says I won't see it during the day because it's holed up in the nest, and at night when it's running around all over the place, I shouldn't worry because I'll be asleep. Sweet dreams to me. At this point, we can bet how long I'll actually last in that glorious Amazon.

Memorizing the word PELIGROSO paid off a lot. Every time something suspicious jumped out at me, as soon as I stopped screaming, I was able to ask if it was even dangerous.

Within a few days, in addition to learning about new fruits and plants, I got to try my hand at making sugar cane juice in the Amazon. Important information: it doesn't matter how much repellent you spray on yourself, because once you crush the cane, half of the sugared juice will end up on you. I became a lollipop for the mosquitoes at that point.

Ruku Samay

From the Llangantes National Park I continue to the territory of the Kichua Indian communities, located in the Napo River basin.

The settlement of Ruku Samay is an indigenous family-run

eco-centre and healing centre with roots in a sacred shamanic lineage that stretches back generations. Ruku Samay is also closely linked to the Czech-Ecuadorian project Život postaru, which aims to help indigenous Indians in their efforts to preserve their home and culture.

What I loved most of all about the whole stay was the morning cup of Wayusa and the paths to the surrounding waterfalls and sacred trees. What absolutely drove me crazy, on the other hand, was the rooster waking me up at 3am.

If anyone is wondering what to wear in the Amazon now, for me it's a week of uncombed hair, sweaty clothes and rubber boots that will make your feet sweat in 5 minutes because of the Amazonian heat. So I'm sweating nonstop, sticky with sun cream and half smothered in repellent, making my way through the Amazon.