From Banos to Puyo, Jungle Tour, Shaman Healing

From Banos to Puyo, the road dips downhill and passes through a few underground tunnels, with spectacular views of a dozen waterfalls. For a closer look at one of them we took a small, cagelike cable car, which dangled and transported us high over the river gorge.

Later in a misty forested area, we followed a muddy jungle trail led by our tour guide - driver. We were accompanied by several monkeys swinging from tree to tree, as well as climbing our legs and jumping on our shoulders. Remembering a past Bali experience, I was not going to allow a monkey thief steal my glasses again nor my camera. So it was an interesting hike walking my glasses hidden away, while experiencing the sounds and smells and sensations.

Our guide was loved by the monkeys, sat on his shoulders, nibbled his ears and groomed his hair. He is the strong, sure footed, hunter, silent type. Surely he was not afraid of spiders or the 75 lb boa snake that wrapped around his neck. We canoed along the river in a funky, leaking boat along a tributary of the Amazon, looking for crocodiles.

Below is a short jungle video....warning...it's in Spanish!





Our lodge that night was more primitive than I expected. The bungalow was high upon wooden stilts, reached by climbing a dry rot latter. It was covered by thatch,
open aired at the top of the walls with thin foam mattresses. The bathroom...well...
down a trail somewhere. I woke up with a little monkey inside the room, silently checking me out on the other side of my mosquito net. CUTE but not to be trusted.

The owner of the lodge, his family and our tour guide cooked us dinner, barbequed fish wrapped up in a banana leaf, overly salted veggies, potatoes and an alcohol drink made of sugar cane.

Elva getting a healing/ black stone rubbing

The owner (?) is known to be a real Indian Shaman who gives healings. He offered us a treatment. Taking advantage of this, Alva and I stripped down to our waists, trying to create privacy, in a room of people. When I told him about headaches and back pain, he rubbed me all over with moist herbs with a black shiny stone. Then the fun part....he repeated took big swigs from
a bottle of forest herbs and alcohol. Then he proceded to spray and sputter the solution from his mouth all over me, including my face. As a finale, he gives both nipples a quick pinch.
Now I'm wondering? Is that the normal treatment?
Elva said she certainly didn't get it.