Misahualli, Part Two.

After another peaceful, rainy night in the jungle (with occasional interruptions of sleep due to monkeys on the roof) we awoke to a new day of service in Misahualli. We spent the morning removing a ton of jungle brush from the future site of a new building at the school. The work was not easy, especially with the rain and the bugs. The worst bugs in the jungle actually aren't mosquitoes--they're tiny little gnats that you don't even feel until after they bite you. Eventually red dots start to show on your skin, and within the next two days the dots are extremely swollen and itchy. It's unlike anything we have in the states. Other fun jungle wildlife included big hairy tarantulas, fire ants, and giant ants whose bites will put you in the hospital. Yep, these fun creatures were all in the pile of brush we were moving. 

Another highlight of the morning included trying cacao fruit, from which chocolate is made. The fruit has a super slimy texture, and it tastes a bit like a sour melon. The inside of the fruit is what makes the chocolate, but I hear it's extremely bitter until it's roasted.

After we were sufficiently dirty, tired, and bitten by bugs (although I was fine with the latter because I wore long pants and long sleeves the whole weekend) we took a lunch break. That afternoon we needed something more relaxing to do, so we took a boat ride (a common mode of transportation in the jungle) to a local museum. At this museum we explored a little botanical garden full of medicinal plants that are traditional to the indigenous cultures of the jungle. One of the plants included "wild marijuana", which the tour guide offered to let us try but unfortunately this is not allowed in our "Living Above Reproach" contract for the semester abroad program. ;)

However, we did learn a bit about indigenous culture and got to see some real examples of Quechua clothing, kitchen implements, communication, and hunting traps. We also had the opportunity to shoot a blowgun and toured a mini zoo of some rainforest animals, including capybara, coati, ocelot, and piranha. 

Overall, our museum trip was really interesting and a welcome break from the work we'd been doing. Once we were finished we hopped back on the boat just in time for another delicious dinner of pork chops and mote, a type of corn similar to choclo. We had a significant debriefing session before heading out on the town for some ice cream bars--sooo good. 



Just one more night of listening to the peaceful jungle sounds remained, and then we packed up and left the next morning. The jungle is such a beautiful, unique place to visit--pictures just can't do it justice. I loved the experience and am so happy we're going back in April!