To the Amazon

It was a long and windy road but the views were surreal. The vegetation seemed to rise up and engulf us, waterfall fell from incredible heights into majestic rivers that flowed down the canyon. At times the road was paved, at times not . At times it seemed like a road and at times there was barely room for one vehicle never mind oncoming traffic. Throughout it all the group was in a grand mood, singing, telling stories and getting to know one another better.

In the middle of no where we stop and pick up the most incredible pizza to go and eat it on the bus on the way in. We arrive at the edge of the Napo river and are met by a boat. We load our gear into the boat and are off on a 20 min ride up the river to the Mingo lodge which will serve as our base for the next week. It is an incredible place nestled in the rainforest that you can see only a tiny bit of the dining room from the water as you approach. Individual cabins await us and we are divided into small groups for sleeping companions. Bedding with linen, bathrooms in each room and electricity from 6-10pm each day. It far exceeds the expectations of anyone in the group and we are feeling quite humbled by the graciousness of our host and the program.

We meet various people who live and work for Free the Children and for the lodge and they orient us to where we are and what the plan is for the next few days. We even meet Yolanda, a parrot the has taken residence at the lodge as well. A fine dinner is prepared for us, and we all enjoy the feast and the company.

Following dinner we learn more about Free the Children organization and it's connection to the Me to We project that we are involved in. We check in with one another, share our hopes for the next day and our highlights from today and then head back to our rooms, flashlights in hand to see what creatures might meet us along the way and even perhaps in our rooms.

The air is loud and alive with the sounds of crickets, cicada, and other yet to be identified sounds. It's louder than any city. In the distance, the neighbouring community is having a celebration and we can hear their music and sounds as well. The generator goes off, we are plunged into darkness and settle in for the night .