How fast can piranhas eat a chicken - Nech and Jesse do the rainforest

Completing our week in Quito with an ascent to 5000m high glaciers of Volcano Cotopaxi, we then traveled to Lago Agria and bused and canoed five more hours into the northern part of the Ecuadorian rainforest known as Cuyabeno (the Cuyabeno River eventually flows into the Amazon) for a five day expedition. Almost as interesting as the animals we spotted - everything from pink dolphins, caiman crocodiles, anacondas, and seven species of monkeys to toucans, parakeets, and giant praying mantises - were the people we travelled with.

Jesse swears that our guide (with a little bit of blue makeup) would have fit right in with Avatar's Návi. We also realized midway through that the jolly old Canadian couple from British Columbia were only so jolly because of the three liters of vodka streaming steadily out of their camelpak.

Possibly the most interesting person, however, was a well-traveled Ecuadorian around our age named Mauricio. Though not all of his ideas came to fruition (like dressing up in war paint and raiding neighboring lodges), there was one instance when he could not be deterred. After having only a little luck on our piranha fishing expedition, Mauricio wanted to up the ante - see how fast the piranhas would devour a whole chicken. So, when we visited an indigenous village the next day, Mauricio bought a chicken and then (with some difficulty) killed it a few minutes before we set out for our sunset swim in the lagoon.

Arriving at the piranha fishing spot, we all sat on the edge of our seats, poised for a scene normally reserved for National Geographic. Mauricio lifted the chicken, put a hook throught it, and flung it into the water. The reaction was immediate - but not by the piranhas. Instead of sinking a few feet to the depth of the piranhas, the chicken floated on the water next to the boat and we all rocked with laughter. Mauricio's further efforts (including spilling the guts out and repeatedly poking the chicken with a stick to drive it deeper) didn't help. Eventually we had to give up and dove into the water for our swim.

But not until we'd sailed to the other side of the lagoon; just because the piranhas didn't eat the chicken, that didn't mean they wouldn't eat us.

I'm initially writing this from the popular adventure town of Banos; today we hiked up to see an active volcano smoking and pouring out lava. Next up is the tranquil Vilcabamba, whose miracle water enables its residents to regular live past 100 years of age.


Check back soon for La fiesta - Nech and Jesse do the Quilotoa Loop.