Week Seven – Wao, Wow!

Author: Masha

Photographers: All the students on the trip.

Week Seven – Wao, Wow!

July 2019

On Saturday, we arrived in a Wao community on the border of Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. We arrived sweaty and wet from the long canoe ride.  The community was comprised of a small group of thatched structures that formed a large circle around several trees and a volleyball court…

“I think you’ll all feel better after you bathe, there’s a creek down there. The women can go first and then the men.” The program director informed us. After we dropped our backpacks off in the somewhat constructed cabin, we grabbed our toiletries and made our way down to the creek. The hardest part of the bathing was getting out of the water without getting muddy again. The Wao community was, as my friend put it, “a little muddy;” which really means it was quite muddy. Eventually, after a few slips, everyone was dry-ish, and relatively mud free. Then, there was a blow gun shooting contest, I simply watched, but it looked really difficult! Soon we ate dinner and went to bed, the cabin illuminated by candle light.

…

On Sunday, we spent the middle of the day going on a hike to a waterfall. It was a slow hike to the waterfall. It was slow for a few reasons. Firstly, there was no path, so the Wao guide chopped down the path and dug footholes as we went. Secondly, it was raining, so everything was slippery. Lastly, it was very, very steep. Thus, we meandered, slowly, trying to hold our footing, up and down the steep banks until we reached the waterfall 90 minutes later. It was a beautiful hike, we were in primary forest in the Amazon. Everything was dense and lush and green. During the hike, one of our Wao guides explained the uses of various types of plants as we passed them.

Most of our group swam once we reached the waterfall, and after some time we began the hike back. On the hike back we split into two groups. One group continued in a different direction to see the area where a Waorani community used to be. The other group, the one I was in, headed back via a “short-cut.” It was shorter, and significantly steeper. It was a touch hike back. My roommate, who often goes long backpacking trips in the Pacific Northwest, said at the end of our hike back, “that was the hardest hike I’ve ever done in my life, harder than any backpacking trip I’ve done.” It was amazing, it was grueling, but it was a lot of fun.

On Monday, we went on two additional hikes. On the morning hike we walked to a nearby chagra (garden), and learned about the significance of Yuca. In the afternoon, we took the canoe downriver, got off ,and went for a short hike. That evening, the community performed a traditional dance. During the dance, a pet macaw, was furiously screeching at the dancers from the sidelines.

The whole trip was such an opportunity. The hikes were great, but it was fascinating to talk to the people in the Wao community. The woman I spent the most time talking to the daughter of the woman who made contact  in the late 1960s’. It was an unbelievable experience to be able to talk to her about what life was like before then, how it has changed, and what it is life now. I don’t feel comfortable sharing more of our conversation because I did not get her consent to share it; but, it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

On Tuesday morning, we left the community to head back to the field school. We had no breakdowns on the boat ride back. However, the river was so low that we had to get out and wade while the boat was pushed for a couple of minutes. Then we got back on the bus for the two hour ride, and eventually, made it back.

The rest of the week was smooth, we had class, studied, went swimming, and wrapped up the week well.