Journey by canoe into the Cuyabeno Amazonian Reserve: where the jungle grabs hold of us, wraps us tightly up and teaches us to watch once and for all

This past weekend, some of the other volunteers and I were lucky enough to go for four days into the Amazon jungle to stay in a jungle lodge and travel by canoe into the interior to see many colorful animals and glimpse a beautiful unique environment which is currently under threat from oil companies of rapid deterioration. Our lodge was supposedly ¨ecofriendly,¨ and I can see how that is relatively true, considering we had to take a canoe 2 hours into the jungle to get to it, it was built on wooden stilts with thatched rooves, and had simple rooms with no ceilings to speak of, hot water or electricity. It was humid, hot, and sweaty the whole time we were there, we had to take malaria medication because of danger from mosquitos, and it was extremely worth it. We were able to see numerous species of exotic birds, including mckaws, parrots, tucans, and others, monkeys, alligator-like animals called camens, beautiful butterflies, pihrañas, and even hints of jaguars (remains of a fresh kill). No pink dolphins, but we heard that another group had seen them recently.

It is amazing to imagine that such an amazing place is not only already being drilled for oil and mined for other ¨precious resources,¨ but that exploration for more is underway. If there is any cause which it is urgent and appropriate for the global community on the whole to rally together in order to defend, then surely this hotbed of fantastic and beautiful species fits the bill. Fortunatey, there has been a history of indigenous uprising here in response to the extraction of oil from the region for the purpose of export to international as well as domestic markets, and, recently, protests have succeeded in reportedly impeding the shipment of 26,227 barrels of crude amounting to a loss of 2 million in would-be revenues by way of road blockades.

I felt grateful for and throught deeply about these efforts by the indigenous peoples of the region to protect the rich heritage of the Amazon as I drifted along the rivers, listened to the hum of the jungle, and gazed out upon a wealth of evening stars.