March 5, 2015

Sadly, we had to depart the relaxing hot springs hotel around 11am and boarded the bus. We were headed to the Napo Province. The capital city of the Napo Province is Tena. An interesting fact we learned was that the Napa River in Ecuador and the Marion River of Peru make up the Amazon together. Along the drive we learned that there are almost over 1700 species of birds in Ecuador making it a birdwatchers paradise. There was a large discussion concerning the Yasunee National Park in Ecuador and how it is one of the most diverse places in the world. In 2006 a campaign was started by President Correa requested 3.5 billion dollars to help Ecuador save the park and help Ecuador stay financially stable without having to drill for the oil underneath. Germany made a huge contribution while the U.S. made none. By 2012 President Correa had only raised $700,000 and therefore was forced to start drilling. Ecuador has already sold the oil to China. The national park is also known for a fungus mushroom that can discompose plastic! We were briefly stopped in Baseza and because of its proximity to Colombia is still under military control. Once we got to Tena we stopped for a snack and picked up our boots for our hike through the amazon. We got into the canoes and hiked through the night until we reached the Amazon and the Grefa family for dinner around 9pm.