Yachana Lodge

Yolanda, the resident lora loca (crazy parrot).

Yachana Lodge is run by the Yachana Foundation. The owner is American, but the staff are nearly all Kichwa from the nearby communities in the rainforest. The lodge is actually adjacent to the small and remote community of Mondaña. The foundation does all kinds of development work with the community and the region, working on issues of sustainability, education, health care, and conservation. It's doing some great work to empower communities. They're working actively to purchase and protect rainforest, currently holding more than 4,300 acres. (If you don't know, deforestation is one of the leading causes of climate change, and it's happening faster in the Amazon than anywhere else on Earth, and faster in Ecuador than anywhere else in South America.) The lodge itself is an award-winning ecotourism operation. Yachana is a Kichwa word that means "a place for learning." It's located on the Napo River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon. Do check their site, it's remarkable. Yachana Lodge


Incredible and beautiful flowers everywhere. Bromeliads, heliacona, orchids, hibiscus, birds-of-paradise -- all manner of tropical flowers.




And great big spiders too! We always needed to watch out for them. The brighter the colors, the more they were advertising, 'stay away, I'm dangerous.' No worries -- I like to give all spiders a wide berth!


Butterflies everywhere, even while just walking the paths....


However, I did have to wonder about my choice of activity. When we arrived at the lodge and were making our way up to reception and our rooms, we walked straight into an absolute wall of humidity. Now, you all know that I HATE summer in Washington, because of the humidity. I don't like bugs and snakes and spiders. And suddenly I found myself in the middle of all of it, and voluntarily. In fact, I paid to be there! As the afternoon wore on, I started to wonder what I was thinking.

In fact, as darkness fell and we learned about not just repellent, but 24-hour repellent, most critical morning, evenings, and at night; long-sleeve lightweight clothing; hats; flashlights (it's DARK in the forest!); etc., I started to worry. Juan Carlos had taken me shopping before I left, so I had spray repellent for my clothes in addition to the repellant I had brought, and I was taking vitamin B. Who knows if that helps but I figured why not try it? But I didn't think I had enough repellent for the week. I didn't have any long-sleeve things with me in Ecuador at all except for my jackets, so I was out of luck there. I had no hat. I had no flashlight. Thankfully, Hannele had a light and had an extra hat, so all was good there. And the lodge provided boots, so if I could deal with the bugs and the humidity.....

Yes, I lost the battle that first night with the giant cockroach-type insect in my room. Yes, I had already been bitten. Yes, I sat on the bed that first night and cried, being a miserable city-girl "trapped" in the deep rainforest. But I slept well, and awoke refreshed and determined to have an amazing time. After all, how many people get to have an experience like this? That's why I had made the decision for the lodge, after all.

Sadly, the humidity proved to be the more challenging issue for me, manifesting itself in an awful headache that would not leave. By Tuesday afternoon, it was in my neck too, and worse than any tension headache I've ever had. In fact, I had trouble seeing and walking, and I expect I was experiencing my first migraine. We had a long hike planned with Juan that afternoon, but my professors would not let me go. They ordered me some tea and sent me to bed. While I resented it, and know that I missed out, I also know that it was the right decision.

But there was always Yolanda, who would help you feel better if she was in the mood for entertaining and not mischief. (When mischievous, she would stalk us and attack our feet, not very pleasant!) But when amusing herself, she was great fun. She had a funny side-shuffle gait, and often enjoyed climbing on the tablecloths. She seldom made it to the top of the table, but instead usually pulled the tablecloth down around her. We fed her when we could, hoping that would keep our feet and shins safe!





And there were the sunsets. Thankfully I was able to enjoy this one after my nap, while my friends filled me in on their hard but exciting afternoon. Tomorrow, we'd have a morning excursion, since I really wanted to go bird-watching. Juan would join us just after 7.