A Day in the Oriente (Part 2)

On our day in the Oriente we rode in this cool double-decker bus that was open on top.

Most of us rode up there, especially as the day grew warmer.

I was surprised that the day never became uncomfortably hot and humid. I think it was because we were still at a higher altitude than the true Amazonia.

We went to a Kichwa village named Kotokocha and drank more chicha. This chicha was much more potent.

Delfin told us that this chicha was made from yucca and water. Some chicha is chewed and spat out to start the fermentation process.

But Delfin said that chewing is not necessary and that the chicha we were drinking was just mashed.

We did a lot of hiking in the jungle, with Delfin, showing us the flora and fauna along the way. We rode a dugout canoe a mile or so down the river. We climbed up a hill for a great view of the Rio Pastaza and the Andes on the horizon.

We got our faces painted with some red dye from a native fruit. Luckily it washed off later in the day when we went swimming in a cool jungle swimming hole under a waterfall. Here I am looking doubtful about my face paint.