What You Run Into With The Huao: Typical Encounters With Jungle Life

A quite soccer field on a sunny day.

Eloy, keeper of the lodge, and his pet...can´t remember what the Spanish or

 English name is but this little critter is called ¨kuba¨ in Hauorani. 

Peculiar little creature, no?

This is just a baby kuba but apparently they get to be about twice the size.

Lady and her little jungle pet. 

Johel warming up to the camera.....

Sibling love. Amor de hermanos. Lo máximo- the best. :)

Playin´ in the grass. 

All sorts of smiley. :)

All warmed up to the camera. :)

Precious little Hauo babe. 

Attentive. 

Eloy, Beatriz, Lady, and mysterious jungle

 pet headed back to the lodge. 

Good camouflage, eh? 

A jungle toad that cleverly mimics a viper for protection. 

Jose, the snake charmer. :)

Luckily we had my ¨Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon¨ field guide 

and were able to identify this pretty little fella. 

Snake terrarium. 

Reptile balancing act. Baby caiman in each hand

 and a baby boa between the toes. 

They make the cutest little chirping sound!

Charming baby boa.

This shot makes the snake appear much larger than it really was....

My favorite kind of diamonds. 

Just a little guy compared to Jose.

Snakes are awesome when they cooperate. :) 

Indigenous kids have the coolest pets! Me with a baby monkey, 

 one of four species of tamarin, genus Leontopithecus.

Based on the color pattern and other characteristics I have narrowed down this little 

guy to a Saddleback Tamarin, Saguinus fusicollis.

Known for their spastic and squirley behavior....but see for yourself! 

I would like to add that all of the animals were handled under the supervision of professional guides and natives, which needless to say, includes a great deal of care, respect, and understanding for the animal and it´s habitat.

Hope ya´ll enjoyed the post and pics! Mucho amor and namaste! :)

Rainforest Wanderings: Big Trees, Tropical Plants, and Pure Forest Goodness

Last night for dinner we were served peccary, or wild boar. I looked to Jose and with a smile I said, ¨That kind of meat I´ll eat!¨ And he knew what I meant. For us meat-reduccionists, if you will, and conscientious consumers....you can´t get much more natural than this. Straight from roaming the forest- perhaps under 

and through this very tree- to the fire pit, to my plate. Free from plastic and styrofoam packaging. 

All-nat-ur-al. And with love and respect for the forest and the cycles in which we are a part.

 But not a bad tree to roam around, ehh? 

¨And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet.¨

- Kahil Gibran-

¨The field has eyes, the wood has ears. I will look, be silent, and listen.¨

-Hieronymus Bosch and Yama... :)

 (Letty Wallenfang, my amazing grandma)

¨No man finds it difficult to return to nature except the man who has deserted nature.¨

-Seneca (4 BC- AD 65) Roman statesman and philosopher

¨We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessitites.¨

-Oscar Wilde-

I wanted to do a tree meditation where you bury yourself up to your knees and simply stand silently while breathing deeply, down from the heavens and up through the earth.
 The human equivalent to photosynthesizing.



However, I decided to keep my boots on with all the fire and bullet ants constantly roaming about and not to mention my history with bug bites (dengue fever and leshmanaisis- although none having occured in the jungle). None the less, it´s good to get to know ¨the Things Trees Know.¨

¨He who would travel happy must travel light.¨

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery-

-mmm macro-

-Smooth and perfect patterns.- 

-Photosynthesizing underneath it all.-

-leaf skeleton-

¨Edible: good to eat and wholesome to digest, as worm to a toad, a toad to a snake,

 a snake to a pig, a pig  to a man, and a man to a worm.¨

-Ambrose Pierce- 

-A tree, fallen and decaying. Smells so good.- 

¨Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.¨

-Mark Twain-

¨Nothing is perfect but primitiveness.¨

-John James Audubon (1785-1851)-

-rainforest mushroom with a ring of light-

Lagartija -lizard

A rare feat...to capture a lizard photo in the jungle....

Hormigas de limón- Lemon ants

....that really taste like lemons! ¡Delicioso! 

Lookin´ up the lemon tree.

Indigenous fact: the Huao use this vine to wash their hair. 

I posted a quote earlier- about not being tiny enough to make all moments holy.....

Well, it seems that naturally all moments become holy around and under trees. 

<3

After my mid-morning hike where I took the pictures above (quotes from, ¨Spirit of the Huaorani¨), I came back to the lodge for some yoga/Celestial Sparrow amazingness which was followed by lunch and a movie. 

Now I know you must be thinking, ¨A MOVIE!?!¨ Well it turns out it gets so hot during the afternoon that everyone retreats to shaded shelter and activities that require little activty (energy conservation). So, Jose brought up ¨Into the Wild¨ on his laptop which we watched with the Huao lodge-keepers; Eloy, Beatriz, their little babes, Lady and Johel. Camped out in the screened in porch/library/dining area with some popcorn and delicious, tangy, tropical juice. So simple yet so good. 

At least the movie seemed appropriate for the circumstances. Not to mention the fact that countless friends and acquaintances have recommened the movie to me- so at least I was accomplishing something on my list of things to become familiar with. :)

And I do suppose I see why people have thought to tell me about the movie. I see how it would invoke inspiration...motivation. But, golly, I do believe I am already inspired! :)

It was one of the last lines that really caught me though. ¨Happiness is only real when it is shared.¨ And that right there was enough to choke me up a bit- thinking about how and with whom I share these experiences of mine. Because I surely couldn´t do it without the love and support from some extraordinary human beings I am so blessed to have in my life. And it would all be for nothing if I couldn´t share it...this....with the ones I love most in this world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! :)))

Naturally, Jose felt inspired to go on a nature hike after the movie....and oh what a place for a nature hike! 

There seemed to be a hustle under Jose´s step and finally I asked where excatly were we headed. 

¨Un mirador,¨ he said. A lookout or clearing. 

So we scurried along the trail so as to reach the clearing before night fell. And oh, what a view it was.... 

Trying to keep up with Jose on the way to the place with the view....feelin the jungle heat. 

The View. 

Amazonian canopy in all it´s glorious shades of green. 

If only you could truly sense how grand the greeness was. 

Dusk in the jungle. 

Now I don´t claim to be a videographer in the slightest and this clip doesn´t nearly do the place justice....but I figured I would post this clip anyway. So turn up the volume and try and put yourself in my boots- feeling the heat, listening to the sounds of bugs and the pitter patter of rain. Feeling your roots sink down and your branches stretch up and out. 

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the hike through the jungle! Namaste! :)

-Lindsie