Amazon River Adventure, Part I
Gary paddling down the Rio Babonoza.
Because Marc Schreuder was off on his own jungle exploration in Brazil, I invited his assistant, John Whetten, to come to Guayaquil and explore the Amazon with me. John did a fantastic job handling a video camera on my trip to the Middle East in March and April. I thought he’d enjoy going from the land of sand dunes to the wilds of the jungle!
John and I flew from Guayaquil to Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. There we met our guide, Giovanni, and headed out for the drive to Baños where we stayed overnight. We packed up an inflatable kayak and a larger inflatable canoe along with tents and other supplies and drove to Canelos, where we embarked on our river journey in the Pastaza River Basin.
John will agree that around every turn on the Rio Babanoza is another aromatic plant! And this, friends, is the reason for venturing into the rain forest.
People with an interest in the exotic plants of the Amazon often travel to meet the villagers along the river. But the villagers lose faith in these foreigners because they come and seem very excited—but then there is no follow-up. I will go back to talk to the people John and I met during this trip. In fact, I will make at least two more trips to cement these relationships. That’s what makes Young Living so successful—because I DO go back.
The people we met along the Rio Babanoza are lucky to earn $250 to $500 a year. They usually own a cow and some chickens. They fish the river for a whiskered fish much like our catfish. They also eat fat grubs that grow in decaying trees on the floor of the jungle. You can imagine what a little extra income means to them. The people we met have expressed an interest in gathering plants for us—but I must go back to show them I am dependable and trustworthy.
You’ll hear more about grubs next week and about braving an anaconda- and alligator-filled lagoon. But before I sign off, I’d like to invite you to take a quick look at the latest convention news that is found at this link: http://www.youngliving.com/en_US/convention2009/index.html.
No matter where in the world an intriguing new plant is found, Young Living will go there and obtain it. Exciting news and new essential oils will be revealed at convention. I hope to see you in September!
Essentially yours,
D. Gary Young
