Day 6 in Ecuador- Humidity vs Altitude

It is a final canoe ride on the Napo River while waving goodbye to the Amazonian river basin. I have loved learning and discovering new experiences, but I will not miss the heat and humidity…nor the palm larvae!

My face has been in a permanent case of white shine during my visit…white from the zinc oxide sunblock I used and shine from sweat. My hair has been in a banana clip under a safari hat which makes it sit high on my head. Overall, this has not created a good look!

Add in my Goodwill and other thrift shop clothing which can be 1-2 sizes too large. We were requested to bring “earth tones” - beige and greens to blend into the landscape, no white nor bright colors to scare the animals, and no blue jeans in the Amazon because they will never dry. At least we can wear dark colors here which we couldn’t in Africa due to teesee flies being attracted to them.

Since my wardrobe palette more closely resembles an Easter egg, these suggestions severely limit my style. Thus, the thrift shop wardrobe!

As the plane flies over the rain forest, there is a misty haze covering the trees from the humidity. Soon we pass through fluffy clouds, and after a while I start to see small plots of agriculture. There is every shade of green on the palette below except for neon, and I am wearing that! Animals beware!

Quito is located at over 9,000 so I’m trading Amazonian heat and humidity for altitude. I’m taking high altitude medication twice a day which has given me some tingling in my fingers. However, the worst side effect is that it can change the taste of carbonated drinks! Diet Coke tastes like cough syrup, and there is not a Diet Mt. Dew in sight which is probably a good thing. It could ruin my drug of choice for life!

Even with medication, I am short of breath often. The high altitude medication increases the oxygen absorption in red blood cells. Since I am often short on those…or rather the iron needed to absorb oxygen…perhaps this is affecting me.

Our guide, Juan, has one of the most interesting personal histories of any person I’ve ever met. Born to an indigenous family in a small local insular community, he was one of twelve children in a country where the average is 6.8 children/family. He grew up in the jungle, hunting with a blow gun and fishing in the numerous rivers and streams.

He learned the names of plants and their useful purposes, insects, animals, birds and their calls. He attended a local school much like the one we visited. When he went through his manhood ceremony, his grandfather told him one day he would be a leader.

His older brother worked in the oil industry and told Juan he had to attend university to get his education to provide a better life for a future family. He had never flown before, he had never even worn shoes before, but his brother loaned him his own shoes, bought him a plane ticket, and sent Juan off to the university in Puya which means city in the clouds.

Juan studied tourism, but he knew he needed to continue to widen his horizon. He spoke little English, but he found a couple willing to sponsor him in the United States. However, the visa process was long and arduous. He finally landed in St. Louis, MO, started taking classes with additional classes in the evenings for ESL…English As a Second Language.

He finished his degree in tourism, returned to Ecuador, and his family thought he would return to their community in the jungle. As he was working as a guide one day, he met a lovely young woman of 22 years of age whom he was interested in dating. When he came back into town two weeks later after a guiding trip, he asked her out for a date. She said he had to ask her father’s permission, which he gave, and when Juan arrived to pick her up, both parents joined them for their first date!

Juan informed her father he would like to continue to date his daughter when he was in town. The father said he would have to ask the local community, and after their discussion, he told Juan the answer was “No”!

The reason? Juan was an old man at 32 probably with a family and children elsewhere. The parents and community were convinced Juan wasn’t serious and only wanted a young plaything!

He was very interested in this young lady, had never been married and had no children. “What do I have to do to date your daughter?” Juan asked.

The father replied. “You have to marry her!”

So after one date which was chaperoned by both parents, Juan agreed to marry! After thirteen years, they are still happily married with three wonderful boys.

However, Juan has had plenty of other difficult times which would make some people give up. Several years ago, his wife became pregnant again, and as her due date grew near, she wanted to return to their community to give birth. As she was getting water from the river and eight months pregnant, she fell and slid down a steep bank. Her water broke, but she did not go into labor.

The local doctor said he could do nothing for her so when Juan finally returned two days later, they went to the city. She waited in the hospital waiting room for two days, and again, the doctor said to go home that he could do nothing. Still no labor, and Juan’s wife began to run a fever.

Juan and his wife returned to the city, and he begged a different doctor to please help his wife. She was starting to pass in and out of consciousness, and the fever was climbing. Against hospital policy, this kind doctor took her into the operating room for a C-section. Of course, the baby was dead. It had been eight days since the fall!

Juan’s wife stayed in the hospital for two weeks due to infection, but she has recovered, and is healthy. Will they have more children? When asked, Juan only smiles.

Before the vaccine was available, Juan’s brother who had helped him with his education, contacted COVID and died. He was 52 leaving behind a wife and six children. Recently, this same sister-in-law was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and even those she received treatments, it eventually spread throughout her body. She died during our time in the rain forest.

Over the years Juan has free-lanced with various agencies but says the company we are traveling with, Overseas Adventure Travels or OAT, is his favorite. Must be the fabulous customers!

With Ecuador’s poor economy and then COVID shut-downs for almost three years, Juan has had to work elsewhere to support his family including construction and the balsam wood industry. Tourism is finally picking up again, and I hope Juan is hugely successful in these endeavors.

Back in Quito, we head to a museum celebrating the sun and the influence on the Ecuadorian culture. As we enter, loud drumming and singing and people can be heard. We have arrived on the day of the winter solstice…March 21! Remember, I am below the equator, so seasons are flipped, and March here would equate to September in Virginia.

Flower petals line the stairs as we head up to watch the celebration. Drums beat, horns blare, people are dancing in a circle round an elaborate decoration. In the middle of this five story museum is an opening to the sky through each floor. During the spring and winter solstice, the sun shines directly overhead through the opening from the roof to the first floor. Unfortunately, today is cloudy, but the celebration continues!

The museum chef provides lunch, and it is absolutely delicious! Sea bass with a seafood cream sauce with clams and shrimp is my main course, along with roasted tomatoes and sweet plantations.

Dessert is a steamed cake in a plantain leaf and raspberry sorbet. I ask for the recipe for the sea bass and also ask if he has a cook book!

We tour the museum with a guide as he describes ancient cultures and beliefs.

They sound pretty smart to me!

He shows us beautiful pottery,

statuary,

textiles,

and the “eye” in the middle of the floor looking down on floors below.

Juan recommends another Ecuadorian restaurant for dinner where we can watch the sun set over Quito. I am not hungry….a symptom of high altitude sickness, but join the group to be social. One margarita and a bowl of potato soup, and I am a happy camper.