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Ripple Effect - Taking to the water in Ecuador By Lorrie Orr Although I am a bona fide landlubber, water travel holds a fascination for me. Growing up in northern Canada, I enjoyed occasional canoe rides, gliding silently through silken soft lakes. Ferry rides between Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia offered invigorating salt air and gorgeous vistas of sky, mountain, and ocean. Traveling somewhere, anywhere, by water seems to me one of life's adventures. I left Canada in 1981, not by boat but by airplane. My husband and I embarked upon our careers as missionaries in the jungle region of Ecuador, South America. Dreams of elegant cruises remained just that - dreams. But as I discovered, romance sometimes awaits us in unexpected places. On a sunny day in February, my husband, Tim and I, our three children, and visiting friends drove from our home town of Shell to a sandy riverbank along the Napo River. There we began our day's adventure. An enormous dugout canoe piloted by Eduardo, our Ecuadorian guide, awaited us. Eduardo found three fast friends in our children, Cristal, Travis and Ashley, who were wild with excitement. The canoe bobbed and wobbled as I made my way down its length, holding fast to the sides. Everyone aboard, we pushed into deeper water. From the air the jungle resembles a lush broccoli patch; the river breaks the deep green into various shades of emerald. Lush ferns trail from riverbanks and overhanging vines sweep through the dark water. From the water the shapes become more clearly defined and I notice a long sinuous shape near the canoe that I recognize as a water boa. Luckily, it seems eager to flee. After an hour of travel along the Napo River, the pilot steers us toward the shore, explaining that he wants to take the small waterway that leads to the Curaray River. Passing through the shallow water, our canoe scrapes bottom and we wade to shore, walking along the sandy bank until deeper water permits us to ride again. Although "The African Queen" is one of my favorite movies, I try to avoid thinking of encountering leeches as we make our way through the water. In the narrower stretches of the Curaray River, the water is darker. At times the foliage meets overhead, creating the feeling of moving through a tunnel filled with green light. Now and then we glimpse orchids clinging to tree trunks, their floral colors a bright contrast to the endless verdant jungle. A stop on a wide sunny beach offers the opportunity to stretch our legs and enjoy a picnic lunch. A family of spider monkeys entertains us with their chatter, peering at us through dark-rimmed eyes. One, unable to resist Ashley's banana, leaps from a tree, wrapping his tail around her head in his eagerness. We feel exuberant after a morning of sun and water. We begin our trip back up river, back to our known environment, reflecting on the day's events as if caught up in a romantic daydream. Home Articles Speaking Blog About Me Links Contact Copyright 2006 Lorrie Orr |