[CRNMC] Fwd: Update from the jungle

[Shannon Biggs]

That¹s amazing! I work with a number of Saryaku leaders, who often come to
SF for events we bring them up for. If you all want to know when the next
opportunity is let me know and I¹ll try to keep you all looped in. Its a
wonderful place, and I¹m so envious of your cousin, Baile!


On 7/30/14 1:53 PM, "Baile Oakes" <baileoakes at gmail.com> wrote:

> Wow !
> 
> Sounds wonder full !
> 
> 
> On Jul 30, 2014, at 9:14 AM, Linda Jupiter wrote:
> 
>> Greetings,
>> Here¹s an email from my cousin Barry that you may find interesting. See the
>> bolded part below.
>> Linda
>> 
>>> Hey guys!
>>> 
>>> Since it looks like I won't have any cell service for a few more days, I
>>> thought I'd give you an update on the trip.
>>> 
>>> Right now we're deep in the jungle in a Kichwa village called Sarayaku. We
>>> flew here in tiny prop planes (2 5-seaters and a 3-seater). Flying over the
>>> Amazon is pretty incredible. There are absolutely no roads at all, just a
>>> few winding rivers which people use to get around. Sarayaku has a landing
>>> strip in the village for the planes (crazy).
>>> 
>>> The village is gorgeous. It only has traditional structures so the guest hut
>>> is like a long-house, all one room with 13 beds. And there's a fire pit
>>> inside the hut as well.
>>> 
>>> The food has been great. Beans and rice and plantains and avocado at almost
>>> every meal. Everywhere we've been has had local herbal tea and juice from
>>> whichever local fruit is ripe. I think we've been served liters of freshly
>>> made juice at every meal in Ecuador so far.
>>> 
>>> Sarayaku is a famous village in the fight against the oil companies as they
>>> recently took the Ecuadorean government to court over their corrupt
>>> practices with regards to oil exploration. The govt lost the court battle
>>> and had to stop the project and pay the people of the region $1M in
>>> reparations for the damage already done. The day we arrived in the village
>>> marked the two year anniversary of winning the case and tomorrow the govt is
>>> coming to the village to remove the unexploded dynamite that they planted
>>> for oil testing. They have yet to apologize to the people of the region but
>>> everyone here is patiently waiting for that to happen.
>>> 
>>> Sarayaku has a hut with satellite internet and solar powered outlets but
>>> neither work when it rains, which is pretty much everyday. It's fascinating
>>> to see such a rural community use the internet to stay updated on govt
>>> policy changes and announcements. They got the internet in 2005-2006 and it
>>> played a major role in their fight with the govt and the oil companies. So
>>> inspiring.
>>> 
>>> Every morning around 4:30am, Kichwas everywhere get together with their
>>> families in their homes to drink this special tea (wayusa) and tell their
>>> dreams to each other. We're doing that tomorrow morning with them. I usually
>>> don't remember my dreams but hopefully I'll retain something tonight.
>>> 
>>> I'll be in Sarayaku for a few more days and then we fly back to Quito in our
>>> tiny planes.
>>> 
>>> Can't wait to tell you guys more stories from here. It's been quite a
>>> transformative trip.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Love,
>>> BP
>> 
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