I’m sitting outside the house, looking toward the mountains densely covered with tropical trees, which marks the border between the Andes and the Amazon. The view is incredible here. It’s that time of the day in the rainforest when it’s done raining for the day and is drying up with the cool evening breeze, party cloudy but with some light blue spots. Having been here for a couple of days it increasingly reminds me of Ollantaytambo, Peru, where I stayed for three months last summer, despite the fact that I am in a completely different region and climate. Ollantaytambo was in the high sierra where it’s dry and cold with its own variety of highland vegetation, here it’s the rainforest where it’s hot and humid with various tropical flora and fauna. But this scenery, with the low-hanging clouds that partly cover the mountains, the delicate juxtaposition of nature and human construction, and the general rustic, rural and relaxed atmosphere are some aspects that keeps bringing me back to my time in rural Peru.

The mountains that are in front of me are part of the Parque Nacional Sumaco, where according to people here is super dense and not much explored. There are no inhabitants and people have gotten lost while in search for gold that the Incans supposedly hid in the mountains when the Spaniards came. That was a few decades ago. Now not many people go even to explore, according to Ian, Runa Foundation’s tropical forestry master. So kind of like a “forbidden” zone. It looks pretty intense/dense, kind of like a magnified version of rocks thickly covered in algae. But as for now it is a beautiful add to the scenery of this place. Sometimes in the evenings when it’s clear, which is pretty rare, we can see the outline of the Volcán Sumaco which is most well-known volcano in the Amazon area.

The sound of the place is definitely unique—the first thing you notice is the constant chorus of insects and birds which tells us that we are in the Amazon. And then come the occasional crow of roosters, dogs barking, the sound of car tires against a rough gravel road, and reggaeton beats from somewhere in the neighborhood.

I think I am going to like this place and our small and relaxed neighborhood. I’m excited to take walks and runs everyday, especially during the evening times when it’s not super humid and hot, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. This is our new home, la Casa Runa, where I’ll be staying for the next two months. Located in Archidona which is 20 minutes away from Tena, on the border of the Ecuadorian Amazon.