This is the story of how I ended up consulting for the Ecuadorian Military in the Amazon Jungle while helping launch GoEcuador.com. By August 2000, the Dot-com Bubble had burst and it wasn’t clear what was going to happen to an already volatile industry. I thought I was on top of the world as my recently launched streaming media company had a couple of clients. An Ecuadorian-American Doctor living in the US was one that had contracted us to produce tourism videos and photos to be featured on a new website we were building.
Exploring Ecuador: Filming and Bullfighting
My first trip to Ecuador included video shoots in the capital city of Quito, at the Hosteria San Luis in Cayambe, which was owned by the Doctor’s Family, and at the Otavalo Marketplace, a popular tourist destination near Cayambe. The second trip was brief, a colleague joined me to document the Festival of San Pedro in Cayambe. The Doctor’s Family raised bulls for bullfighting and ran the bullfights as well as other events throughout the festival. I’ll never forget seeing the carcasses of the bulls being loaded into the back of a truck, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before considering I’d visited with the bulls grazing in pastures days before.
Ecuadorian Customs and Unexpected Challenges
Things spiraled out of control as I prepared for my third trip to Ecuador. I produced a live streaming media project from Times Square on New Years Eve 2000 for EarthCam. They didn’t have any live cameras in South America and deploying one in Ecuador seemed like a great idea. There was no problem checking the camera along with my bags but the equipment was held by Ecuadorian Customs upon our arrival in Quito, Ecuador.
My Ecuadorian Guide explained that we needed to figure out exactly who to bribe and how much it was going to take, which might take some time. We visited the Galapagos Islands and the Ecuadorian Amazon Gateway City of Puyo. We befriended a man named Orlando in Puyo and he introduced us to Senor Carlos Vacca who was the Beer Distributor for the region. Our travels brought us back to Cayambe where we recharged and waited for word on what we needed to do to get the equipment released from customs.
Consulting for the Ecuadorian Military: Amarun Hausi Project
We got a call from Orlando, who’d been consulting with the Ecuadorian Military on an ecotourism project called Amarun Hausi (House of the Boa). He asked us to come to the military base in Shell near Puyo. We hit the road immediately; traveling the dangerous mountain roads through the night. We checked into the Hosteria Turingia, which consisted of a walled compound of several buildings housing cabañas. Our instructions were to be at the base by 7am or risk missing our flight.
It was easy to get onto the base and find out where we needed to go. Orlando showed up shortly after us with his brother-in-law, who was also from the US. He was biologist that had worked as a shrimp farmer that had been asked to join us in order to assess the bird life and other biological aspects of the locations we were headed. This was a visionary project that would offer select visitors a magical portal into an enchanted world.
Far from the major tourism destinations, the infrastructure of the Ecuadorian Military’s Base Camps could serve as exclusive jungle lodging to provide unprecedented access to the heart and soul of the Amazon. The exquisite and otherwise inaccessible natural environment would now be just a flight away with Ecuadorian military personnel ensuring top-notch safety and security. The locations were only accessible by air, distributed over the two provinces that border Peru; Morona Santiago and Pastaza.
Jungle Adventures: Lorocachi to Montalvo Base
Our first destination was Lorocachi; we loaded into a large military helicopter and prepared for takeoff. It was my first time in a helicopter and I was a bit nervous. The take off was smooth as we glided over more trees than I’d ever seen in my life. Shooting video helped me to relax as I was able to focus on that and stop thinking about the fact that I was hovering over the Amazon Jungle.
The Curaray River, a majestic Amazon tributary, came into view. I had never seen anything like it; it wound back and forth forming what looked like horseshoes in the thick sea of green. As we got closer to Lorocachi, the soldiers wanted to open the door so I could shoot better video of our approach and landing. I didn’t have time to think about what was going on and before I knew it two soldiers were holding me in the wide open doorway. The sea of trees was suddenly gone and there was a large clearing with a runway and many small buildings.
As we landed, the soldiers pulled me back from the door and closed it just before the helicopter kicked up a cloud of dust. We were immediately greeted by the base Colonel. His enthusiasm about the project was evident as he spoke with us about what his base had to offer. I’d studied Spanish but I was nowhere near fluent at this time so I learned to act like I knew what was going on while gazing at the natural beauty that surrounded us.
Lorocachi got its name from the parrots that inhabit the area. There amid hidden lagoons and lush vegetation, visitors could enjoy expeditions to observe Cayman and Piranhas, track Jungle Jaguars, and marvel at the many attractions while flocks of parrots flew overhead. We had a lovely lunch with the officers and their families who lived at the base. There was a well kept swimming pool that was wonderful to float in while taking in the surroundings.
We hiked to a Butterfly Lick on a beach-like bank of the River Curaray to observe the hoards of butterflies moving about so peacefully. The next morning, we boarded a canoe and headed to a remote outpost located at a spot called Dantacocha Lagoon. We set up camp and fished for Piranha before I became ill and turned in for the evening. When I woke, I was greeted with a breakfast of Piranha, which wasn’t bad and was exactly the right amount of protein to start the day.
Our next destination was the larger Montalvo Base, where we were greeted by the General for the region. After touring the base and enjoying a fantastic meal, we went to bed. We were awakened when it was still dark and loaded into canoes as we had a long day ahead of us. We weaved through the otherworldly Amazon Jungle on the Rio Bobonaza headed towards the Rio Pastaza. We spent several nights at remote camps along the river where everyone was excited to see us.
We traded salt with the indigenous people we met for all sorts of food including catfish and giant snails. I remember having the most vivid dreams, which seemed like they were under my control. I attributed this to the over stimulation from the surroundings but later discovered it was a known side effect of the anti-malaria medication, Chloroquine Proguanil. Upon reaching the frontier with Peru, we planned to head to the Kapawi Ecolodge, an ecotourism lodge on the Rio Capahuari near where it joins the Rio Pastaza.
Kapawi Ecolodge was built following ecotourism principles, inspired by the natural history of the area, including its indigenous cultures, whose areas have been adapted for this activity in a spirit of appreciation, participation, and responsibility. When it opened in 1996, Kapawi Ecolodge set the standard for community ecotourism, promoting practices that protected wildlife, generated employment, and empowered communities. It was constructed respecting Achuar Construction Styles and using building materials from the forest.
Crossing Borders: Andoas, Peru
We planned a soccer match with the Peruvians at the base across the river. I didn’t know any of the history of the area, especially the fact that the Cenepa War had just ended and a peace treaty was only recently signed. Everyone was getting along so we planned a trip down river further to the village of Andoas, Peru. We loaded into canoes and met up with the Peruvians to begin our journey down the Rio Pastaza.
Along the way, we stopped and met some indigenous people that offered us chicha. I was told it would be insulting not to drink so I gulped away, which wasn’t a good idea as they later told me chicha was made by chewing Yucca roots so they’ll ferment. We were greeted in Andoas by a welcoming party that toured us around the village and took us to the school where photos were taken while shook hands and such. I was in a daze from the chicha but discovered we were the first non-military personnel to cross the border from Ecuador into Peru since the war had ended and the people associated our visit with the recently signed peace treaty.
We danced in the streets drinking into the night but I blacked out so I don’t remember much of that. I woke up on a piece of plywood that was sitting on concrete blocks to raise it above the dirt floor of the hut. There was a lit candle on the ground at my feet and the last thing I remembered was dancing in the street.
I stood up to find the room was empty or so I thought as a young soldier stepped out of the shadows. He’d clearly been posted to make sure I was okay through the night. I asked where the others were and he guided me to a hut where everyone was passed out on the dirt floor. Someone explained that we’d drunk all the beer in town and the tab still needed to be paid so I gladly handed over the $50 to cover it.
Frontier Diplomacy and Further Explorations: Taisha and Santiago
We headed back up river to the frontier where we found out that the general was extremely pissed off about our trip into Peru and he was sending a helicopter. Apparently the officer in charge of the frontier camp was there as punishment due his involvement with a recent coup and he took this as a chance to mess with the general.
Our journey continued with visits to two more major base camps at Taisha and to the south in Santiago. The highlight of this part of the journey was spending time with the indigenous soldiers at the Santiago base learning jungle survival. The adventure, initially planned for two weeks, ended up being over ten, creating a dramatic and unforgettable experience.