Remolino Grande, The Secoya Community on the River Aguarico 2nd November -16th November 2006.

Day 1

My canoe journey from Puerto Gregorio to Remolino Grande (Seguaira) the Secoya Community where Gustavo was actually waiting for me was absolutely amazing if a little scary. The river is brown and doesn't seem that clean but the surroundings are really beautiful: Rainforest punctuated by the occasional wooden shacks and semi-naked brown little kids playing in along the banks, women washing clothes and strange bird calls screaming from the jungle. My companions for the trip didn't really talk to me but seemed to find my presence highly amusing. The only person that did talk to me was only asking for my phone number and various other more insulting things, good start!

Suddenly after about 30minutes we pulled over to one of the banks of river where there was a massive clearing and what looked like several houses. Gustavo was waiting here talking to some of the other blokes (so glad I paid $25!). The first thing he did was ask me for $20 for gas. He then asked if I had eaten and I said no so then he asked me for another $10 for food. Not exactly the welcome I had anticipated! There was a little girl with him with straggly long black hair and mismatching clothes who refused to look at me or talk to me - Yurema his 9 year old daughter.

Finally he seemed to have everything sorted and we got into his motorised canoe, it was nice of him to come and meet me with it?! We then went upstream for another 30 or so minutes to a smaller clearing with more wooden shacks. This was where the main Secoya community was - Remolino Grande (Seguaira). I scrammbled up the banks to where there was a small crown of people watching me. I waited there for over an hour while Gustavo talked to his mates and we watched a game of football.

Finally when it was dark, I had been bitten and I was completely knackered, we got back into the canoe for another 20 or so minutes to Gustavo's house.

Gustavo lives high up on the bank of the river set back slightly into the rainforest. There was the remains of his first house and then his house which consisted of a wooden shack with a corrugated iron roof. I couldn't see much as it was pitch black but when I got into the house I walked into one large room, which constituted the kitchen, living room and a small study area. I met his wife Victoria, who seemed really shy and didn't talk much, his son Edis (12 years), Jenny (19 years) and Freddy (24years). They all seem ALOT younger and didn't talk to me at all except to ask me if I was vegetarian and if I ate eggs. Gustavo then asked me if I had brought any food, which I had but only i case they didn't have anything for me to eat. I then had to give hime all the food for 'the kitchen' - a cardboard box in the middle of the room. There goes my emergency food! He then asked me for the money and if I had brought any phone cards for his mobile. I made sure he subtracted the money he had demanded for me earlier and the money for the phone cards. When we had finally agreed on the maths I handed over the money for my food and accommodation and he signed the 'contract'. What a pleasant welcome!

I had a fried egg, white rice and a fried banana for dinner and was then shown upstairs to my 'bedroom'. There were no doors to any of the rooms and my room consisted of a box with a shelf running all the way round. Gustavo helped me hang my mosquito net, gave me a blanket to put on the floor and asked "¿esta bien?" Joy!

After that I had a bath in the river with Gustavo and Victoria, before being told that the toilet was a hole in the ground surrounded by a wooden contraption with a bivvy bag over the top. That was fine except for the massive infestation of biting ants! I decided to pass on the whole toilet experience for that night and pretty much went straight to bed!

After