Kongo, with a few members of his photography group along with Joe McNally, travelled by canoe to visit a Kichwa settlement and spend the morning with some amazing women. Breakfast included! Kongo was part of a Fancy Girl/Street Boy photography expedition with Joe McNally to the Amazon. Each day the small group of avid photographers headed out for various trips in the rainforest, sixty miles from the nearest town on the Napo River. During our five days in the jungle, we stayed at the La Selva Eco Lodge.

The name “Amazon” was first applied by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana during his expedition in 1541. He encountered a tribe of indigenous women warriors who fought alongside their male counterparts, which reminded him of the Amazons from Greek mythology—female warriors known for their prowess in battle. This led him to name the river and the surrounding rainforest “Amazon” after these legendary figures. In the monkey’s opinion, the women he met were the true Amazons of the rainforest.

The ladies Kongo met are part of the Mandi Wasi Project, a women-led sustainable tourism initiative in the Kichwa El Pilchi community, located on the Napo River in Sucumbíos Province, Ecuador. It was established to promote cultural preservation, generate income, and protect the Amazon rainforest from deforestation.

The name “Mandi Wasi” means “House of Mandi,” referring to the floating plants found in the nearby Mandi Cocha lagoon. During our visit, the women shared their knowledge of Kichwa culture that included cooking a meal and sharing their handicrafts.

The Mandi Wasi project involves about 20 women who work in rotating groups every eight days. Income generated is distributed among participants, with additional opportunities for non-participating women to sell crafts through the initiative.

The community has placed nearly 15,000 acres under a conservation agreement with Ecuador’s Socio Bosque Project to protect forested areas. The project reduces deforestation while fostering environmental stewardship through education and sustainable practices.

The Mandi Wasi Project exemplifies how cultural preservation, women’s empowerment, and environmental conservation can work together to create a sustainable future for indigenous communities.

We were welcomed with guayusa tea, an ancestral ceremony where members of the community gather each morning to drink the tea, share their dreams, and plan daily activities to ensure harmony among the people. The tea is made from leaves of the guayusa tree. After our tea, we watched the women prepare a traditional Kichwa meal.

Suri grubs, also known as chontacuro, are larvae of the black palm weevil and are common in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.  They are a delicacy in the Amazon and are eaten by Indigenous communities. These are big grubs with lots of protein. They are often eaten raw or grilled on the fire. Take a peek at this short video and let me know if you think Kongo actually ate one of these guys.

Throughout the morning, Joe McNally, worked with us to get the most out of our impromptu models, take advantage of the light, and give us pointers.

Traditional face paint was applied to the women’s faces as they prepared to model some of their handicrafts. In the Kichwa culture, men apply the makeup.

Now, to be completely transparent, Kongo is a picky eater. He smiled around his food, nibbled around the edges, and then passed his portion on to our guide, Rodrigo, who scarfed it down. Protein or not, the monkey wasn’t going to eat palm weevils.

Kongo did buy several Kichwa artifacts. Trinkets for the granddaughters. Each item is tagged with the name of the woman who made it so that proper accounting can be done at the sale.

The women were absolutely delightful. It took a little while for them to open up, but by the time we left they were all smiles and playful. Notice the woman on the far right in the image above making rabbit ears on her friend for the camera.

It was a fascinating morning, palm weevils aside. Kongo learned a lot, and gained a deeper appreciation of the role Kichwa women play in protecting the rainforest, taking leadership roles in the community and sharing their culture.

Travel safe. Have fun!