Dena La Explora: Living in the Amazon- A Summary of my Time

My cabin and 2 of my cabinmates

Our class bug specimens, 3 of which are mine here

Wow, what an amazing three weeks it has been. I have not recorded much, but I have done and learned so much about nature and the people around it.
What have I learned? Well, I can name the order of just about any insect you give me/ I can recognize many of the bird, monkey, and frog calls. I know how to tell the different between a frog and toad, a centipede and milipede, and most of the birds that fly overhead here. I can identify many plant groups and tell you information about them, and just from asking a very knowledgeable guide, I have learned about many medicinal uses of plants as well.

We needed to learn all this, and more for our exam. We also broke off into groups and did a research project of our choosing. My partner’s name was Deidre, and she is a botany expert. We started off reporting on Medicinal Herbs, but it would not be possible to conduct a medicinal study in the four days we were given, so we decided to study emergent leaves on certain plants and what the advantage to anthocyanins (red pigments) vs. plain green emergent leaves were. The paper and presentation are due when we return to Quito.
One of the days here, they drew names out of a hat to see who got to go fishing. I was drawn first along with four other students. We went on this big canoe with some of the workers, and we took fishing line with a hook and bread on the end and just threw it out, no pole or anything. I caught two sardines with which one of the workers cut up on the spot and caught two giant catfish with. I got to play with the catfish, and I made friends with the worker I sat next to. His name is Alfonso, but I call him Alfie. Because he worked in the Kitchen, I got seconds whenever I wanted, and he would always save me an extra desert. His friend’s name is Tomas, and Tomas is an indigenous Indian. He speaks Spanish, Quiche, and Haurani. He is native Amazonian, and looks it! I talked to him for a while to get to know the area, and I realize I am most intested in the anthropology of the area here. It is so fascinating!
Another day, we went on a morning float where we were allowed to get off the boat at one point and float down the river in life jackets. This was probably the most amazing experience I’ve had. There I was, floating down the Amazon, with nothing but trees around me. It started raining halfway through and I immediately felt that I was really doing something special! I was living like an animal- I was floating down the world’s most original lazy river. We could not touch the river floor because there are lots of caimens, piranhas, and electric eels, but as long as we didn’t touch one, we’d be fine!
Our professors set up bat nets one night. They are really fine nets that are used for catching flying animals. We caught 5 bats, and I got to hold one! It was amazing!
Also, on the day after out exam, we had a fun day. My roomates Jennifer and Francesca and I hiked back to the lagoon and paddled around in a canoe. On our way, we saw 3 species of monkeys above us. The first were the Red Titi Monkeys, and we could tell them from their distinguishing howls (they sound like a squeaky bed spring/they are mating all the time, its really funny). We also saw Wooly Monkeys overhead. Then we were crossing a bridge across a river, and we saw a big group of Squirrel Monkeys. They were literally jumping across the river from the trees on one side to the trees on another. They would get a running start and just fly across. I couldn’t get my camera out in time, but it was so funny to watch.
When we got to the lagoon, we paddled around, then returned to the dock and hiked back on another trail for lunch.

Here at the field, numerous people come through. I have met some photographers, scientists, and news reporters. I met one of my U of I ecology teachers’ good friends, and a guy who is filming a documentary for National Geographic. He was really cool, and we discussed film and photography a lot.

I also spent some time playing with a snake, catching butterflies, catching bugs and Iding them, practicing navigational skills, and playing around with my camera. I did so much, its hard to write everything.
Well, now I am so excited for the upcoming Coast Trip as well as Spring break, and then best of all, THE GALAPAGOS!
So pumped.