THE PLAN
We planned our trip to Ecuador two years ago, studying the country’s attractions in detail so as not to miss any of its four worlds: the Andes, Pacific coast, Galapagos Islands, and Amazon.
RENE PAID FOR EVERYTHING…
Rene insisted this time that he would bear all the expenses as this trip was on our list of priority trips, and the Amazon was a lifelong dream for both of us. Despite the bad reputation of the Piranha and Anaconda movies, we would take the ‘risk’ of experiencing its wonders.
AMAZING ECUADOR
After experiencing the three worlds, including snow-capped volcanoes, Indigenous markets, national parks, and world heritage sites such as Quito and Galapagos, we finally took a short 35-minute flight to Coca, an oil city named after the Cocamas, the ancient inhabitants of the region. This is the starting point of the adventure.
THE AMAZON
Once at the airport, Churi, our private bilingual guide, welcomed and took us to the Napo River, the largest tributary of the Amazon. By motor canoe, we headed down to Sani Lodge, built around the Chawllacocha lagoon, which translates from Kichwa as the ‘Small mouth bass’ lagoon.
MASTER SUITE
Rene had booked a beautiful suite. The bed decorated with local flower petals in the shape of a heart said ‘I love you,’ which literally left me speechless, followed by a hunch that something special was about to happen. The suite in front of the lagoon had a large balcony with a beautiful natural setting adorned with hammocks for total relaxation, plus plenty of privacy thanks to its location.
SURPRISE AFTER SURPRISE
The private dinners on the third floor of the pier, which allowed us to hear the sounds of the forest and lagoon, were outstanding. Decorated tables, personal service, and champagne were something I didn’t expect, as the itinerary shared by René didn’t mention these add-ons in the middle of the jungle.
ACTIVITIES
The activities exceeded our expectations. I still remember Churi explaining to us about the conservation of species, the Ecology of the Tropical Rainforest, the Community, the fauna, and the flora. I believe we experienced that adventure we had dreamed of since we were children, in a place where our senses were magically activated to absorb the energy of the forest: seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting the Amazon world.
THROUGH THE FOREST
The trip to the Canopy Tower was the best surprise ever. There, I got to know why all the details: the honeymoon suite, decorations, private canoe rides and romantic dinners. We left the lodge around 7 a.m. to paddle for about 30 minutes, then walked on one of the trails where signs were hanging from the trees with inscriptions like ‘I love you,’ ‘You are what I expected,’ ‘You are my everything,’ to which Churi mentioned that the elves of the forest write them when an extraordinary event is going to happen.
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
We climbed the 36-metre tower built around a giant thousand-year-old kapok tree whose upper canopy is a unique, energetic place adorned by a natural garden of epiphytic plants: moss, orchids, red-yellow bromeliads. Once we reached the top, our guide pointed out the lodge’s location and asked us to close our eyes because a magical event was coming.
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
When Churi asked us to open our eyes, he pointed to a sign saying, ‘Sandy, will you marry me?’ The local guide handed René a beautiful box woven from local fibers. I felt my body shudder as I saw the engagement ring sealing our love at the top of the world. My open arms hanging from my broom´s neck and a long kiss were the acceptance as the guides uncorked a celebratory sparkling wine.
It was a dream come true; the trip to Ecuador, the Amazon, and our love blessed.
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