A visit with Quichua in Misahualli'

Our new friends Robert and Rhonda took us to Misahualli (mee-sou-wah-gee), one of the major access points to explore the Amazon by boat. Getting there requires a river crossing via this very narrow one lane bridge.

One of the first things you notice on arrival to Misahualli is the monkeys. These mischievous Capuchin Monkeys like to steal food and belongings from unsuspecting tourists in the main plaza. Restaurants, being open-air, often issue a squirt bottle of vinegar water to deter any persistent monkeys approaching your table.

Another thing you may notice is a wriggly bowl of finger-sized grubs in a bowl at the entrance to restaurants. Chontacuro is a typical food that is eaten in the jungle. Here you can pick out your grubs and the restaurant will grill them for you. Asher is the only one of us who ate one. He did not ask for seconds.

From the port, we hired a guy with a motorized canoe to take us to a couple villages along the river. The river was so high, a beach that is usually covered with sunbathers was completely underwater and the waves were strong. It did make us a bit nervous, but our captain was confident he could make it back upriver.

We noticed this contraption tied up downriver. It's for gold panning and quite a clever build.

At our first stop, we were greeted by a shaman from the Quichua village. He walked us thru the jungle pointing out various trees and plants and explaining their uses- from ones that heal to ones that kill. At the end of our tour, there were balms and liquids for sale made from the plants. We ended up buying some Guayusa tea leaves, my favorite Ecuadorian drink, that is only found in the Oriente (in and around the jungle).

Next he showed us some traditional items they use for trapping and hunting.

He showed us pottery they use for daily living as well as this pot that would be used to bury a child that has died.

We saw creatures like this agouti and birds such as the nunbird and scarlet macaw.

The shaman and I realized we both shared a similar love for birds and he offered to go back to the port with us to show me some of his favorite birding spots. But first, we had one more village to visit.

The indigenous people in the other Quichua village performed some of their traditional dances.

We watched one woman make chicha, a fermented drink made with yuca. Traditionally this is made by multiple women chewing up the yuca and spitting it into one bowl. For the tourists, they use a stick to mash and grind it instead of their teeth. It's then fermented for 1-7 days. They passed around a bowl for all of us to drink from, both friends and strangers. It was a lot for this germ-cautious mom to handle, but we do all the things!

Back at the port, the shaman led us across the bridge and up the road to Laguna Paikawe, where a man took us for a canoe ride thru the lagoon looking for birds. I was impressed with the birding skills and knowledge of both men.

The shaman used red achiote seeds to paint our faces before the canoe ride.

From the boat we spotted two more species of monkeys. Here's one hanging upside down.

This Lettered Aracari (above) was a fantastic find along the road to Laguna Paikawe. There were a few species in Ecuador that I have also found in the US. This gorgeous Purple Gallinule (below) is one of them.

After a fantastic day in Misahualli, it was time to head back home to Shell.