Miami to Quito

I must admit, taking on a project that involved living in a foreign country for 7 weeks and not speaking the native language was daunting. But in retrospect, I did fine with limited Spanish skills and no Achuar language skills.

While waiting in the Miami-Dade International Airport for my flight to Quito, I met someone who was from Quito and worked as a cook in Coca, an oil village near Quito. Ironic that I would meet someone who worked for a German oil company while I was concerned about the oil development on Achuar territory. She had been visiting her daughter in the States and was now headed home. She spoke English quite well and spent the hours talking about her family and my plans while in Ecuador. She invited me to stay with her in Quito. Such a lovely lady.

Arriving in Quito sent us on our separate ways. I had a reservation at a hotel, and the next morning a 7 a.m. meeting with Pedro A. Pedro and I had been e-mailing and skyping for a year or so to work out all of the details regarding writing a book about the Achuar. He was my contact person at the Kapawi Ecolodge Quito office.

More Preparation

I do not speak Spanish. I have taken classes throughout my life, but it doesn’t take. I tried Rosetta Stone, and then a quick intensive study with a friend who is a linguist. All to no avail. So I head out, trusting that my rudimentary Spanish skills will get me through. I will have interpreters sometimes, but I have to get to Kapawi first. I will be traveling in Ecuador. Their language is Spanish. 

Preparation

The proposal was accepted! Now, to prepare for 7 weeks in the rainforest. There were immunizations to get, a supply of preventative meds., quick-dry clothes to round up, knee socks, personal items, flashlight, batteries, binocs, camera, laptop… the list was long, the space in one duffle small. The weight limits were challenging. The small planes that fly from Shell to an Achuar community transport tourists to the lodge as well as supplies. Everything has to be flown in. That means each person is limited to 25 pounds. That was a big challenge. I tried to think of every contingency.

Persistence

After I made the decision to write a book about the Achuar culture, I had to find a way to do field work in Kapawi. This process lasted over two years.  I wrote many inquiries, to many places. Finally, when I thought it was not going to work, I received communication from the Kapawi Ecolodge headquarters in Quito. Viviana had received my request and left it for her predecessor, Pedro. I have never met Viviana, but she is the one that set everything in motion. Andrés, manager of the Ecolodge, assigned Pedro to work on the possibilities of a book. I was asked to submit a proposal. Finally, after so long, I would have an opportunity to explain my vision.

Birth of an idea

New Book:

The Achuar of the Pastaza River

A Glimpse into Their Lives

The birth of an idea:

What started out as a short excursion in the Amazon rainforest turned into a three year project. My husband and I spent three days at Kapawi Ecolodge in 2008. We enjoyed the hiking and bird watching excursions, but had minimal contact with the Achuar culture.

After returning to our desert home in AZ I just could not get the Achuar out of my mind. I wanted to know more, and further, I wanted the information about their rich culture to be available to the naturalist guides and the tourists who visit the ecolodge from around the world.

That was the beginning of a two year endeavor to make contact with someone in Kapawi who shared my vision and could help make it happen.

The book is now available on Amazon.com, and CreateSpace

Book about the Achuar of the Ecuadorian rainforest