Hi Friends and Family!

Well, I am off at 6am to go to the Amazon in Ecuador and wanted to say goodbye. :) This should be quite an adventure! I will fly from LAX into Miami, and then onto Ecuador's capitol Quito. I'll arrive at 9:00pm on Saturday (tmrw) night, and stay at a place I've stayed several times called "Hostancia San Martin", a hostel run by a very nice woman.

On Sunday, March 16th, I will travel to Lago Agrio 9-10 hours by bus through the Andes. Lago Agrio means "Sour Lake", and pretty much sums up the atmosphere of this town, a small, dusty oil town bustling with prostitutes, oil workers...yes, a few leftist guerrillas...:) (don't worry, Mom, they won't get me!) and locals. I will stay in a $4 hostel there for one night. I'll try to call someone in the states-probably Mom-to let her know I'm ok. It is pretty tough to find a phone.

On Monday, March 17th, I'm going by pickup truck or van taxi one hour to a town called Dureno. It consists of a few houses and lots of passing oil trucks. There, I will go to a canoe making shop called EcoCanoa, where the tribe I'm staying with makes eco friendly canoes for public sale. I will try at that point to arrange a ride down the Rio Aguarico (Rich Water River), which merges into the Rio Zabalo. I will travel by motor canoe-basically, a canoe, with a motor on the end. The ride down the river takes about 9 hours. Last time I visited the Cofan tribe, I lay back in the canoe, singing songs to myself and drinking a traditional Cofan drink called "Chucula", which consists of mashed banana mixed with water.

That night, I hope to arrive in "Zabalo", a tiny village (about 100 people live there) on the northeastern border of Ecuador, near the Peruvian border and below the Colombian border. There is a nearby Siona tribe, but otherwise, the Cofanes are the only tribe in the region.

I will stay with Antonio and Saora Aguinda and their family in a cabana on stilts by the river. I stayed with them last time and they were so hospitable and kind. The food is cooked over fire in a pit, and usually consists of white rice and anything that's caught in the river (piranhas or local fish)...No catch and rice it is! :) I decided against buying any pre-packaged REI food, in order to get a more authentic experience. So, on a positive note, I may lose a few pounds!

I plan to stay for a week. My goal is to talk with the tribe about their experiences with Texaco from the 60's-the 90's. The Cofan tribe is part of the largest environmental lawsuit against an oil company to date, after Texaco dumped polluted chemicals and oil into their streams and onto their territory. The pollution caused a mass loss of natural resources, animals for hunting and loss of lives of the Cofanes from cancers related to the carcinogens.

I also look forward to getting to know my host family and to try learning the language, which was

Elizabeth and Her Host Family

quite challenging for me last time! It sounds kind of like Japanese to me, but there were sounds I'd never pronounced before. I love learning new languages, so it should be interesting!

Last time, I spent a few days carving a piece of balsa wood into a toucan shape. I sanded and painted it and was so excited to bring it home and show it to everyone. On my way home, I realized I'd forgotten it! So, I hope to try again. :)

I will most likely return via canoe on March 22nd or 23rd, back to Dureno, then Lago Agrio, then Quito! Long trip! I fly back on Tuesday, March 25th. I should have lots of stories to tell! I will have no access to email until the 24th, unless I find some kind of internet in Lago Agrio on March 16th. If so, I will send an email to everyone. :) There are no phones or internet (of course) in the Amazon, so I will be doing a lot of reading, writing in my journal and reflecting.

Please send lots of prayers my way for a safe trip! As many of you know, I do NOT like flying, but try not to let that stop me from seizing new adventures. I really look forward to having an amazing journey. It is so empowering traveling alone.

Here's the contact info for the Cofan Foundation office in Quito, just FYI...Fundación para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofán
Mariano Cardenal N74-153 y Joaquín Mancheno
Carcelen Alto
Quito, ECUADOR
Telephone: (593-2) 247-0946

Randy Borman is the Chief of the Cofan tribe. He speaks English. He will most likely be leading a tour of tourists into the jungle, so he would not be reachable, but there may be someone at the office. If you want to read more about the tribe and the region I'm going to, go to http://www.cofan.org

I love you all and can't wait to share my adventures when I return! To my family, grab some Easter eggs for me at the Easter egg hunt!! I will miss you! :)

SIEZE THE DAY!!

Love,

Liz

I love all of you and will write soon! My fear of flying was almost nil, thanks to a >Unisom tablet I took in LAX. Although there were a lot of bumps, I wasn't even afraid! Thanks, Dad!
Take care and I´ll be in touch. ;)

Love,

Liz
March 17, 2008
Hi Guys!

I am heading out right now from my hostel in Quito to Lago Agrio. I have yet to hear from Randy Borman, the chief, with confirmation as to when I can go down the river. But, since I am only here for 10 days, I figure I better get a move on! ;) I'll just have to do what I did on my last visit-show up at the canoe shop and hope for the best! We'll see how that goes. It was a rainy day here yesterday. I had a traditional Ecuadorian lunch of soup, chicken and rice in the city and walked around a little bit. Most of the stores were closed because it was Sunday, but lots of locals were walking around-couples holding hands and eating ice cream cones, two tiny kids sharing an red umbrella.

This week begins¨La Semana Santa", or the week of saints. It's a very traditional week-long celebration of Easter. I wish I were here for it! I did get to enjoy watching fireworks from multiple parts of the city last night. It was the commencement of the sacred week, and just as one firework display would end, another would begin in another part of the city. I, along with about 15 student travelers from all over the world, stood outside on the patio of the hostel, next to a fire made in a wheel barrow, inhaling the smoke ;) and enjoying the colors in the sky. It was beautiful.

Well, I better go catch a bus to Lago Agrio! I am a bit nervous because a local told me that the recent rains caused a lot of damage to the roads. I will be sure to ask for a slow driver.(An anomaly in Ecuador, but I'll try!).;)

I love you all and will write soon! Next time you hear from me I hopefully will have some great jungle stories!

Love,

Liz
March 17, 2008
Hi Everyone!

Just wanted you to know I got to Lago Agrio ok. The roads through the Andes have been paved since my last visit, so it was much safer and faster. I somehow got the only safe bus driver in Ecuador, which was awesome. The ride only took 6 and a half hours! It normally takes 8-but, with the newer roads, it was much better!
Not much to say about a 6 and a half hour bus ride-winding, winding, winding, up, up, up through the Andes (Thank you, Erin, for the Dramamine!)...there's a pipeline in front of someone's house!...there's a pipeline in the middle of the street!...cows, cows, cows, sheep, green quilt-like patches all over the Andes...wait, there's that pipeline again!, a check point with armed military men checking for Colombian drug smugglers, winding, winding, an oil spill all over the yard of someone's house, a ¨wanted¨ sign for a drug smuggler, a ¨"We Protect the Environment" sign, put up by a local oil company in front of, yes, another pipeline! That's pretty much how it went. I offered a couple pieces of gum to two locals riding on the bus from Quito and one of them (a nice young woman) offered to show me where my hotel was. I thought she would walk me there, but we got a block and she said "There is", pointed down a dark street that leads to a busy, lighted street and walked away. Needless to say, I booked it down the dark street towards my destination "Hotel D´Mario", a cool hotel (more like a hostel) that has a restaurant inside. I have a room with air conditioning, which is great, since it's really humid here! It also has a restaurant inside, where I ate Lomo a la Plancha, a delicious flattened (really thin) steak, with rice, papa fritas (French fries), and my favorite sauce "Aji". If I could have a fountain at my house with Aji spilling ou, I would! It's a spicy sauce, made with pureed tomates de arbol, or tomatoes from the tree, and spices. It is incredible!

Well, I am off to my room! I plan to wake up really early and catch a bus to Dureno, the little town with the canoe shop. Cross your fingers for me! If you don't hear from me for about 5-6 days, it's because I made it. Don't worry, it doesn't mean I was captured by leftist guerrillas, Mom. ;) Things are normal here and no tension after that Colombian conflict a couple weeks ago.

I love you all! I will email again from this hotel when I return. :)

Love,

Liz
March 18, 2008
Hi Everyone,

Well, here I am again back at my hotel in Lago Agrio. I woke up super early and took a taxi to the EcoCanoa shop, about a half hour from here in Dureno, a town of about 100 people. When I got to the canoe shop, there were only a few people inside. I asked if Randy Borman was there and one of the men said he may be back tomorrow from Quito...what? I was so bummed. I had my taxi wait, while I tried to get info out of this guy, who claimed Randy would be back tomorrow, but also said he had no phone number for him. I asked him how much it would cost me to get down the river today and he said $75! Last time I paid $30. Considering I had no clue who this man was, and didn't want to find myself alone in a canoe with him for 9 hours, I walked a couple doors down to a little store with telephones and tried calling the number I have for Randy in Quito...no answer. :(

So, the taxi driver and I turned around and headed back. The only positive thing about today, is that I can walk down the road to Frente Defensa de La Amazonia (Amazon Defense Front), which is the non profit legal center representing the case against Texaco for the Cofanes. I talked with them last time I was here and wanted to this time, but I have such a short trip that I wanted to go right to Zabalo. So, I'll walk down there in a few minutes and interview the president of the organization. I am also going to send Randy Borman an email, although considering I haven't heard back in a week, I don't know how that will go. I plan on having the same taxi driver pick me up at 8:00am to go to the canoe shop again. We'll see! This means I only have 4-5 days with the tribe, but that will be enough. Thanks for the emails...It really helps when I'm on the other end of the map to hear from all of you! :)

Love,

Liz
March 18, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,

Great news!! Today ended up incredibly successful. Everything happens for a reason! Despite my let down when I went to the canoe shop today, only to be told there were no canoes going down the river, I decided to make the best of it and walk over to the organization who've advocated for the indigenous and mestizo groups affected by the oil pollution. Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia, is a wonderful non profit, with several programs to help educate the locals about self advocacy against pollution, group organizing and world outreach. I walked over to the office (about half a mile from my hostel), in 100% humidity (I was drenched!). No one was expecting me...I wasn't expecting myself to be there! But, I figured I might as well try.

The office is on a little side street, and is filled with educative posters about Texaco´s role in the pollution during their 20 years here. I was told to return in 2 hours for an interview with the president of the organization, so instead of walking to my hotel, I went across the street to eat (only $2!) and began writing my paper. I sat by myself, on the patio, and it began to pour down rain. It was surreal to be writing a paper for law school, not on my laptop in my comfy bedroom, but in a town highly affected by the oil industry. I have to remember to appreciate that next time I'm home. 2 hours later, I had a GREAT interview with Jose, the president. He was so nice and extremely articulate. He gave me the history of Texaco´s dealings here, the damage (over 500 adults and children died of cancer from drinking the river water), and the action they're taking to unite the people and move forward. It was sad to learn that one indigenous community was completely wiped out by the pollution, due to illnesses and many people built their homes in front of the water pools', which are basically pools of the used water from the process which separates the oil from its other chemicals^. People didn't realize the pools were contaminated, so they drank from them. Children, more fragile, died first and many more followed. His group is doing a huge conference in Washington D.C. in; May to educate the government and the world about the situation. Overall, the interview was the best I've had in all my research. Thank goodness for my Spanish, because it was all in Spanish! Luckily, I taped it on my recorder so I can listen back later.

The president offered to take me to the Nueva Loja courthouse, where the case is now being tried. After many years of trying to get the case heard in New York, Texaco´s headquarters, it was finally bounced back here. The organization doesn't feel the system works as well here, so they were disappointed, but nonetheless undeterred and moving forward. On the way to the courthouse, he called a Cofan friend of his, who had the cell number of a man who works with the chief Randy Borman! When we arrived, I met the nice Cofan man in front of the courthouse, and he called for me...before I knew it, Randy Borman was on the phone! It's amazing what a little networking will do! :) I was ecstatic to find out that he and a group of tourists are arriving in Lago Agrio tonight, and heading down the river tomorrow! He said I can 'fit' on the canoe (barely) and that I should bring my own food. He said he 'mentioned' my possible visit to Antonio and Saora Aguinda, and they said it was ok. He was really nice. I am SO happy this is working out.

So, this REALLY is my last email for 5 days. I've written more on this trip than in my daily life at home! But, with free internet at my hotel, I wanted to 'aprovechar' (take advantage). I bought what they had at the local store, which was basically rice, tuna, pasta, salt, pepper and water. Same as last trip! I am going to attempt to cook spaghetti for my house family. Spaghetti in the jungle! Should be cool! I definitely won't have a strainer to work with, but I'll be creative.

Anyways, I am going to head to my room for my big trip down the river tomorrow. 9 hours on a motor canoe! I should be back Sunday or Monday. I will write then! :) To my family, Happy Easter and I love you! Paul, hit a home run at the Easter family baseball game! Adios!

Love,

We all headed down the river in a 20plus foot long canoe, made at the canoe shop. They are truly amazing, enormous canoes! We slithered through the Rio Aguarico, as the rain sprayed us, until the river widened to a glossy expanse, surrounded by lush green, towering jungle trees. It really is a sight to behold. The trip to Zabalo took only (it's all relative) 6 and a half hours (trip back took longer), and when I arrived, I basically took my backpack off, headed up the path through the jungle, and Randy (the former chief) stopped in front of my host family's house and said, "Ok...here you go!" and I was on my own. Saora and Antonio recognized "the funny gringa" right away, which was cool. I brought them a photo album of photos from my last trip as a gift and they really loved that. I don't think many people have photos in Zabalo, as they are so far from any photo mats. The gift was a big hit! My host family showed it to multiple family members who stopped by throughout the night. I also brought some nice lavender soaps and a dish towel, which Saora loved.

Here are some highlights:

• My host father went out one day for 8 hours and woke me up out of my nap in the hammock to tell me he'd hunted a pig and asked if I wanted to come with him to look at it and I could take pictures. He was so proud of his hunt and it was pretty cool he wanted to share it with me. I must admit, I am not a big fan of pork, so I wasn't necessarily looking forward to eating it (which we did that night), but I appreciated the effort. In our pre packaged world, it really is a reminder of where it all comes from.
• My host family took me out on one of the motor canoes to go piranha fishing. We snaked along the Rio Aguarico and made a U turn and made our way down the Rio Zabalo. We jetted it down the rivers for about 45 minutes at a nice pace with the motor running, when all of a sudden, "Clank!" the motor was "dañado" (broken). Meanwhile, we were amidst a torrential downpour of rain. I have literally never seen or felt so many raindrops pummeling me at once. Carlos, my host father's son in law, tried to fix it, as we sat out in the rain for about an hour to no avail. The, my host father got out onto the banks, cut a branch off a tree with his machete, quickly whittled a sharp tool out of it, and tried fixing the motor with it...nope! At that point, we were literally up a creek without a paddle! We had one oar, one long bamboo stick (used to push off the bottom of the river to steer the canoe) and a VERY long canoe. I really was wondering what was next. Carlos sat me back and rowed with the one oar on both sides, my host father sat in the front and steered with the bamboo stick, and I used a bucket to scoop out the water that was accumulating very quickly under our feet. We crawled along for about 30 minutes until we pulled up on the side of the river and Carlos got out and started walking. I was told he (and his young nephew) were going to walk through the jungle to get another canoe back at the village. I couldn't imagine how long this would take, considering we had just motored 45 minutes away, but said thanks and hoped it would be soon. Meanwhile, Saora, Antonio, Vickie (their gorgeous little 4 year old niece), Isolina (their daughter in law) and I pushed and rowed our way back to the confluence of the two rivers. There we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. The rain actually got worse and never stopped. For FOUR hours! We just sat getting drenched and scooping out the canoe. Isolina and Saora fished, while the only part of little Vickie I ever saw were her boots under the plank she was sitting on. She hid under Saora´s poncho the whole time. I have never bee so WET in my entire life! But, what was amazing was that we just sat and laughed and made the best of it. Isolina is a master fishing woman and caught multiple fish (which I ate that night). We were "rescued" and towed 4 hours later. It was quite an adventure!
• A huge highlight...Monkeys!! Zabalo now has two adorable moneys who hang out together in a tree. They were actually hugging each other on a branch! I watched them quit a bit over the 5 days and have some great pictures! There is also a pet monkey who lives at one of the elders´ cabañas. He´s really funny and swings from the tree next to the cabaña, into the open kitchen, and sits on the edge of the kitchen eating bananas! I loved that.
• Zabalo has a new school. It's a pretty basic schoolhouse, but one nonetheless. Before, the kids were studying in a little room. The kids wear their traditional multi colored "vestidos" (clothes) to school.
• The kids. My host family has many grandkids, who all hung out at the cabaña throughout the day. One of my favorite days, they all giggled and followed me into my room. I started taping them with my tape recorder and playing their voices back to them. They had never heard their own voices on tape and were hysterically laughing. It was so adorable!
• My host family's favorite part...laughing at me as I freaked out about the various bugs and beetles that flew into me at night, as we sat in their open kitchen. Last night, a beetle flew into my chest and I freaked out and jumped across the kitchen, which sent them into hysterics. A second later, the same beetle flew into my eye!! That was enough to make me scream and drop my flashlight, as I tried to whip it off me. The were cracking up. It's nice to be entertainment!
• The fresh grapefruits growing on a big tree by the river. They were HUGE, and absolutely delicious! I ate at least 2 a day!
• A new horse who ate, and ate and ate all day. He just walked around the forest grass eating everything blade of grass in sight! When he wasn't doing that, he was rolling around on his back (like a dog!) on the grass. I've never seen anything like it. Needless to say, he was fat, but so cute!
• Beautiful handmade necklaces, from seeds found in the jungle. I bought several necklaces and bracelets from Saora. They are so intricate and gorgeous.
Overall, the trip was such an adventure, and it really was great to see my host family again. We were able to talk so much more, as almost everyone speaks some Spanish. We also vowed to keep I touch. I talked with them about their experiences with oil pollution, and what emerged most out of the trip was not just my "research", but friendships that I will keep for a long time to come. I just hope my paper brings light to their struggles, and how they've triumphed and moved forward.
I am happy to be at the hotel in Lago Agrio. It took us 8 hours today in the canoe to get back, and then an hour in the back of a taxi truck. I got SO sunburned on my chest, face and hands! It was nice to take a shower (there weren't any there. The shower is the river and after getting devoured by mosquitoes on my last trip in the river, I wasn't about to do it again). So the shower tonight was extra nice!
Anyways, those are some highlights. Sorry for the length, but thanks for reading. I head back at 7am by bus in the morning to Quito, then on an 8am plane on Tuesday back to the states! See you all soon! 

Love,