Travels with Frank: The Amazonian Twilight Zone & Transit Hodge Podge

I have to say, maybe it's because I just spent practically the last 4 days in some CRAZY transit or maybe this place is as crazy as it looks and seems...

I have now entered the Amazon Twilight Zone...Do do do do do do do do do do do dooooo...or an X-files episode (or as Frank says, the Amazonian equivalent of Mayberry with it's very own Ecuadorian Andy Griffith, Gomer Pile, and Aunt B--who is the owner of our hotel). This place is INSANE, like I've already hinted at. Frank and I arrived after 4 days of almost solid transit from Quito, Quito of which was...not as fun as I'd have liked it to have been. That being from battling an epic sore throat due to the miserable cold weather (and no heating), to almost losing my cool (and my chances at a Brazilian Visa) at the incredibly RUDE women at the Brazilian Consulate to just about having my purse stolen in broad daylight in a park by a disturbing Ecuadorian Albino who threatened my life as he made a grab for my purse--luckily I have a grip like a VICE and didn't let go or let him scare me! Ya, Quito was pretty much bad "juju" from day 1 and I was HAPPY to blow that pop stand, let me tell you! Anyway, I'm getting way off topic but I have to fist finish the little tid bits about my journey here to...Amazonian Wonderland. So we took a 7 hour bus ride from Quito down through the Andes to the little town of Tena in the Amazonian basin of Ecuador, where, interestingly enough I had been to 7 years before when I spent 2 1/2 months volunteering on the Jatun Sacha Reserve right out of Tena. Tena, of which, in the preceding 7 years had done quite well for itself. It even had a supermarket! But again. I digress. Frank and I spent one day in Tena pumping the local hostel owner, a trite and impatient German for information regarding boat routes to take from Coca along the Rio Napo to Iquitos---quite a feet as there are no regular boats that run that route. After getting sufficient enough info, and a photo copy of a section of his map (they don't sell maps in South America wouldn't you know...) we boarded another bus and spent all day going to Coca. In Coca, the edge of the Ecuadorian Amazon we located the boat to take us to here, the Amazonian Twilight Zone, and actually ended up saving a few bucks by sleeping on the boat (or rather over-sized "canoe" with an engine) and then proceeded to spend ALL day, a COMPLETE 12 HOURS, heading down stream on the Rio Napo, a major tributary to the Amazon River, deeper and deeper into the jungle...(Oh. And I'd like to add that the boat only stopped ONCE in those TWELVE hours for FIFTEEN minutes in which you were supposed to go to the bathroom AND EAT a full meal. The whole time I was concentrating on not drinking anything so I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom!).

So that brings us to where we are now. In a small village called "Roca Fuerte." By coming to Roca Fuerte, the Amazonian Twilight Zone, we have reached the point where cars no longer exist because, well, there are no roads to this town. You can ONLY get here by boat. And What few roads they do have are paved, interestingly enough, yet there are no cars. Town-wide the electricity goes out completely, and water, at 11pm sharp. We are in a town where everybody knows your name...literally, you walk down the street and everyone greets you and introduces themselves. Frank and I were here all of 1 hour and already we were seeing people we knew calling us by our names. There is one village policeman. He just about invited us to come over to his friend's house where they were having a "capibara" BBQ...Now. If Frank and I remember correctly, Capibara, the largest rodent on the planet, about the size of a pig, furry and cute, is on the endangered list and prohibited from being hunted. We, however, did not bother to mention this to the only village policeman...In addition, I've noticed that as I've been walking around all the stray dogs are...pure breads (?!!!!). Ya. We're talking Great Danes, Dalmatians, etc. I know, STRANGE. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE: DALMATIANS. GREAT DANES. At least this village has Internet...at the local high school! Frank and I are definitely at the end of the world, or the world of reason anyhow. Beyond this here point be monsters!

We'll see. But first, we need to get on it and find out how on earth we're gonna get ourselves on the ACTUAL, FACTUAL AMAZON RIVER! Because apparently, we've chosen the most difficult route where there are no regular boat routes! Yay! I sure do like a good challenge! More to come on Travels With Frank: The Amazon. Man I could use a shower after 2 days of hard traveling. And I need to go pee. Op. It's 11:09. Damn. Guess I'll have to wait till morning to do both...

Travels with Frank. Installment #1: Life with a 60yr old Ex-Marine

Life has been especially interesting (and sometimes equally frustrating admittedly) because our Fearless Adventurer has taken up with quite a unique and quirky fellow lately. Namely, that of a Mr. Frank Broadfood Taylor. A 60 year old American ex-marine who hasn't worked a day since he got out of the marines 30 years ago. How to go about describing Frank. Most, if not all, wonder why on earth a chick like me would choose to hang out with such a seemingly strange fellow. After all, it's not like he goes around practically naked (in warmer climates of course) and barefoot--as well as runs barefoot--eats raw meat like my grandmother, is the must frugal human being known to man as well as GARRULOUS to high heaven. OMG, the man can talk! Well ya...he's actually all of these things and MORE, MUCH MORE.

Frankly speaking ;) I am a magnet for such odd, strange people. Maybe because I find that they just add SO much extra spice to life and make it SO DAMN amusing! Or maybe because I'm rather a strange duck myself.

Regardless of all the outwardly visible oddities and slight annoyances (prime example being the other night when we had just arrived from Medellin, Colombia after 34 hours of bus travel, Frank had managed to piss off the only 3 cab drivers at the terminal at 2 in the morning as were FREEZING our butts off over a buck or two--not a smart move) we make a reasonably good dynamic duo. We are good running buddies, we prefer the same type of diet--high in veggies and protein, have the same financial limitations and he reminds me of a family member in the way that we are able to openly and candidly talk about a wide range of topics (he keeps himself highly educated and informed) and also has a heart of gold. In addition, he is not the overly sensitive sort which is good for someone who has to be around me for long periods of time as I can be a little...acerbic to some!

It all began back in the beginning of December when Frank showed up at my hostel. Admittedly, I avoided him the first few weeks due to his glaring idiosyncrasies. But, like all fungi, if you're around it long enough, you start to grow accustomed to it and even start to appreciate it, or, it just simply starts to grow on you. And for better or worse, it's there to stay. This is how I feel about Frank. After a few weeks, he convinced me to run with him. Then we started cooking together and sharing meals. A month later we were contemplating a trip down the Amazon River together--and if you're Julia, you're crazy enough to go PAST THE POINT OF CONSIDERATION to ACTUALLY ATTEMPTING TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT with such a person.

So that's where my story leaves us currently. Frank and I have traveled from the beautiful Caribbean Coastal city of Cartagena in Colombia, to Ecuador where tomorrow, we will begin our daring decent into the jungles of the Amazon where we will hop on the Amazon River and if successful in obtaining our Brazilian visas, take it all the way through the top portion of Brazil's wild jungle to the Atlantic Ocean. I know I'll definitely make it. The question that everyone else and probably yourself is asking is how far Frank will make it before Julia ends up pushing him overboard! I trust no one will say anything though if I emerge on the other side solo... ;p