Flapping Over to the East Side of the Jungle (Maybe)

Today, we went to the premier anthropological museum in Ecuador today (with archealogical artifacts from about 3000-4000 yrs or more ago...) quite amazing except for the "unamazing" fact that I only understood about 60% (maybe at the most...you know, this is part of the immersion experience) of what the tour guide was saying.

We are scheduled to take a drive/fly combo viaje (trip) for a few days leaving the lofty altitude of the Andes and go to the jungle for a few days. But we received word this evening that they don't know if there will be fuel for the MAF Cessnas when we get to the jumping off town for the flight into jungle.

I guess we'll just be flexible and wait and see. we're supposed to drive 5 hrs east/south of here into what is called the Orient (it's where the jungle begins....much more tropical) to a town called Shell Mara (named after the oil company who came to the area when oil was discovered back in the 50s ?) It's said to be a laid back little city with the central plaza. Shell is home to a missionary doctor-staffed hospital/clinic that serves both the townsfolk and people from villages further out in the jungle. This is the same town/area where Nate Saint, Jim Elliot , and Co. (End of the Spear) lived and ministered and were martyred. So, this will be a meaningful experience in more ways than one.

The plan is to give us an opportunity to fly in a Cessna (for 16 people this could take a squadron) out from Shell into the "selva" or jungle....there we are to get to do a jungle hike, eco-hike kind of thing and then also whitewater raft.....but we may have to reschedule or go with no guarantee of flight to lack of fuel. How can they have no fuel when the drill for it in that general area? We'll have to ask that.

This will bring back memories for Darlene, as her travels to and from high school (boarding school) in the mountains of Papua New Guinea was by Cessnas flown by MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) and JARS (I think this stands for Jungle Aviation)....we are looking forward to this experience!