Jungle Fever!

Hey guys!!!  Well Cass and I got word back from the organization and everything is set up. We are taking an overnight bus from quito tomorrow night, will arrive in one town the next morning, and then we will take a lanchera (open sided bus) for a few hours to the site where we catch a canoe for about 45 minutes down the river to the community. Here is the site of the community we are going to:
 
http://www.yanapuma.org/Siecoya.html
 
We feel really good about this plan, and are really excited to trek into territory unknown to anything we have ever experienced. The Amazon jungle is most definitely one of the most powerfully energetic and abundant natural places on our whole entire planet. Our friend here is a biologist who works in the jungle taking university students around doing research, and he said that the energy in the jungle is unparalled to anything, a completely different world.  We are hoping to get a Kichwa dictionary tomorrow because this community speaks little spanish, which ours of that is minimal enough. The tribe we were originally planning on documenting fell through, all in perfect startling alignment. I thankfully called another organization who had listed this wachimak tribe on their site, about an hour before we were supposed to get on the bus for the jungle.....he proceeded to tell me that they are not supporting sending volunteers there anymore, not because its not a community that still has major needs and consists of amazing people, but because of a few incidences that has questioned its safety for female travelers....how badly do Cass and I wish we were dudes right now! However, this tribe has only seen about 15 outsiders ever (which is why we so badly wanted to go!) but now is not the time.
 
Furthermore, there is also a large political divide among the community (only 12 families) between those who want tourism and those who dont, and we definitely do not want to be the exact thing that has been so invasive. So, it is still just cass and I going to this other community and there are currently no other volunteers, but we went through an through a non profit so at least we have a support system and someone will know where we are. We have all of our camera equipment and look forward to documenting. This tribe seems very interesting because they are small, very isolated, but yet have an awareness of the complete degridation occuring around them and are working to defend against incursions from colonists and oil companies. Once we return, Cass is then going to take our footage back to New York and edit it into a 7 minute short, to then get seed money to come back with more funds and proper crew. Meanwhile, my intention on the west coast will be to continue with the research aspect, and produce a complimentary art installation. This could be the beginning of some amazing journeys back down here with a really important purpose to share. The constrast is really interesting because while so much of the Amazon is completely untouched with its magical natural abundance, the parts that are, are completely being raped of our Mothers blood. This is happening everywhere, but I feel the severity is more easily felt for the masses than in the city because of our constant desensitization through visual overstimulation in highly populated areas, and the little amount of untouched pureness to smack our truth in our face. I will be in touch upon our return in a few weeks or so!
 
Much love and respect,
Whitney