We started the morning with breakfast provided at the hostal: Scrambled eggs, mixed fruit with yogurt, rolls, papaya juice and hot chocolate. After breakfast we met up with a guide to take us on a jungle tour.
We took a boat up the Napo river and stopped at a chocolate making Kichwa home. We saw the cacao trees blossoming. We got to taste the jelly substance that surrounds the pod…it is very sweet. There were beans already dried and roasted for us to shell and grate. They then made some fondue type chocolate that they put on roasted bananas and toasted bread for us to try along with some of their tea leaf drink. Apparently we were so busy eating we didn't get many pictures of the chocolate making and eating, but it was very cool.
We got to dress up in some of their hand-made clothing
And learned how to weave our own headbands. The plant used is the same used in the above picture for the skirt that Preston is wearing.
We also got to see coffee plants and beans and taste them in their flower pod. They were also surprisingly sweet and not at all coffee tasting.
From there we continued up river to a pottery making demonstration.
She showed how they make the pottery and also how they use natural minerals for painting, banana leaves for sanding, hair for the paint brush, and tree resin for the gloss. It was fascinating.
We also got to try eating chontacurro there (beetle larva). They roasted them over the fire for us. They were about what I expected them to be. They salted them so it was a salty chewy crunch.
Weird, but all part of the experience.
Our group with our guides and tour canoes. We had an Ecuadorian guide and also a English translator (from Germany) for our family.
After our jungle tour we went over to the Latas waterfall. It had rained a lot in the morning, so the hiking was wet, slippery and very muddy. Preston made it walking both there and back with a few meltdowns. He did okay as long as I kept telling stories. He and Ethan loved playing in the waterfall. Brielle got a bit wet, but mostly enjoyed it from a safe distance and not right under.
We loved these mushrooms growing along the path.
On the way back we did the 'tobagan' natural water slide. Ethan and Preston loved it and went over and over again.
Preston slid down the rock slide so many times he wore holes right through his pants and underwear.
Once we got to the bottom Ethan played with rope swing into the water. We changed clothes since we were a muddy mess and then continued our journey driving on to Banos that night which was about 2 1/2 hours away.
The first 2 hours of the drive were great playing guessing games and enjoying the ride. But the last half hour was rough. Preston had fallen asleep, but woke up screaming. Trying to turn around to help him was making me car sick. James had a headache. We were trying to figure out maps and directions to get to the house…it was a perfect meltdown. Preston did better with me telling him stories again. Dad pulled off to look at the map and was able to find the house. And once we made it inside everyone was more than happy.
After getting cleaned up a bit better, we went back to town for dinner. We chose an Argentinian restaurant. We were all hungry after a busy day and by this time it was about 9:30pm. The restaurant had a funny menu (such as stating that the dessert is so good that if you can't finish it the cook, who has a sweet tooth, will eat it for you) and decorations that kept us entertained.
