Because Marc Schreuder was off on his own jungle exploration in Brazil, I invited his assistant, John Whetten, to come to Guayaquil and explore the Amazon with me. John did a fantastic job handling a video camera on my trip to the Middle East in March and April. I thought he’d enjoy going from the land of sand dunes to the wilds of the jungle!
John and I flew from Guayaquil to Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. There we met our guide, Giovanni, and headed out for the drive to Baños where we stayed overnight. We packed up an inflatable kayak and a larger inflatable canoe along with tents and other supplies and drove to Canelos, where we embarked on our river journey in the Pastaza River Basin.
John will agree that around every turn on the Rio Babanoza is another aromatic plant! And this, friends, is the reason for venturing into the rain forest.