Yesterday morning (actually Wednesday – I’m a little behind) we awoke to realize how lucky we were with the lovely weather the day before as it is pouring rain this morning for our departure from the jungle lodge back into relative civilization. This makes the whole boat transfer of people and luggage very challenging. So we tried waiting it out, but finally had to go in order to stay on schedule.
So we all donned our rain attire, put our back pack rain covers on, added an extra layer of disposable ponchos on over our life jackets and back packs and headed out. The rain had started to subside somewhat but continued the whole way from the lodge to the bus and in the process almost everything got soaked. Victor, our trusty driver, had to put on the air conditioning to get the moisture out of the air on the bus so he could see out of the windows. Luckily we had only one stop planned for today enroute to Banos, and the rain stopped before we arrived at that stop.
While enroute, Maria Sol talked a little more about the indigenous people. There are a couple of groups deep in the Amazon jungle who have not had a lot of communication with the outside world nor do they want it. One tribe has threatened to kill anyone coming on to their lands and not too long ago, some journalists were killed when they entered their territory uninvited and unwanted. For the most part though the 10 other indigenous groups have kept their way of life while integrating new realities into that life.
After a while we arrived at a small town where we would be having lunch and also visiting the Omaere Ethnobotanical Park. Ethnobotanism is the study of the relationship between cultures and the plants around them. It was a bit of a weird visit. The guide for our tour was a former Californian who married an Indigenous woman and together they started this amazing jungle forest full of special plants important for their medicinal and healing properties. He was a little hard to take, with his holier-than-thou attitude and I have to admit this was not my favourite activity. While I agreed with much that he said about the environment and waste, it was the way he said it that had my back up. And after condemning modern society for its use of everything other than natural materials, he hauled out his cell phone when it rang to let him know another group was at the gate. Guess he wasn’t aware as to what went in to it. OK, sorry, rant over.
It had stopped raining but was still really wet and the pathways in the jungle were lined with smooth stones. Can’t imagine who would think that was a good idea. So we slipped, and slided away up and down the pathways being told about all the great uses for the plants planted in this area. It is pretty amazing the work they have done, since it started out as a plot of land being used for agriculture just under 20 years ago, but now looks almost like a native jungle. It is also pretty amazing how the plants have historically been used by the indigenous peoples and how many present day medicines have come from the Amazon jungle environment.
This is one of the most interesting plants that was first pointed out to us at the jungle lodge and was thriving in this place as well. It’s called a “Walking Tree” because it sends out new roots in the direction of the sun and as the new roots form, the old ones die and the whole tree moves closer to the sun. These trees can “walk” up to 2 metres in their life time.
The orange sap coming out of this tree can be used to make dyes. 
The vine growing on this trunk is the vanilla orchid from which we get vanilla.
After our walk through the Park we walked down the river walk just a short distance to a lovely patio of a restaurant for lunch. Our lunches have often been pre-ordered by Maria Sol so that we could be in and out quickly. At lots of places we would go with the local soup, either potato or chicken but at this one she recommended the shrimp and most of us ordered either grilled shrimp or shrimp in garlic and other herbs. It was absolutely fabulous. She hasn’t steered us wrong yet.
Then after the short walk back to the bus we headed on to the adrenaline capital of Ecuador, Banos. The drive was absolutely gorgeous. Banos is located in the foothills of a 13,000 foot high active volcano but it’s been quiet for some time. There have been some rumblings when the townspeople are required to evacuate but nothing has come of it. Unfortunately the townspeople’s property was not well protected during one evacuation and they came back to some ransacking so now even when there are concerns about potential eruptions they won’t leave their property.
We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon, still in a bit of a drizzle. The hotel is ideally located across the street from the famous hot springs and there us a waterfall just outside the front door. Many of the buildings in town, including one of the walls of my room are made of volcanic rock. 
After checking in, and a short rest, Maria Sol took us on an orientation walking tour of the town, including a stop for us to drop off any laundry for cleaning.
Like is so many of the towns we went through, there is a lovely town square with a Catholic Church on the square. In Ecuador, 95% of the population is Roman Catholic so you can imagine how many churches there are like the one in Banos. Beautiful.
Further on in our tour, Maria Sol took us to this shop where we saw a unique craftsman at work. He uses the seeds of one of the palm trees which hardens like rock and then using a lathe and other tools to form all sorts of ornaments like the ones he is holding the picture below. These pieces will be coming home with me.
We finished the walk at a really nice restaurant with typical local food. We have two nights here in Banos, and there is so much to do it’s a little overwhelming. More on all that with tomorrow’s post.
Lois' Adventures 