Sarayaku

Sarayaku was comprised of an arrangement of wooded houses on stilts thatched with palm fronds.

We were given our own wooden house, raised on stilts to ourselves where we could sleep in tents and set up a camp for ourselves and a place to build a fire and cook our meals.

There were separate open huts at ground level which served as kitchens where they cooked chicken wrapped in banana leaves and drive river fish on grills on open fires. Whilst there was a small gas cooked in one of the kitchens, Juan said this was only for his mother who was 80 years old and found it difficult to stoop down to cook on the fire but they preferred the flavour that the open fire gave their food – even their rice. Although solar panels provided electricity I never noticed it being used and we were confined to using head torches to see after the sun when down.

The plan was to stay here for 3 nights.

We prepared our own food but they shared their chichi with us. Chicha is an alcoholic drink fermented from yuka or cassava. One stage in the process of its preparation is that the women masticate it and spit it back.

They drink it only from bowls made from the dried fruits of a specific tree - the name of which I now forget. This bowl is filled and refilled by the women, who then pass these communal bowls around to all those present.

We noticed that whenever anyone entered a house, or a gathering in the community hut, the new arrival had to go around and individually greet every person present, shaking hands.