Getting ready for Ecuador

As my husband and I are getting ready for Ecuador, we are beginning to realize the difference this trip will be, compared to other trips we have taken together. We have just completed a series of shots: yellow fever, hepatitis, and tetanus. We were coached about how to be careful when eating or drinking water in the area where we are staying. It will be a trip that will take some will power and caution, but we are very excited for the opportunity to meet people who live very differently than we live.
We will be traveling through two parts of Ecuador's diverse country. Ecuador consists of four distinct biomes. We will land in Quito, a city located in the Andes mountain range. It will be a cool climate compared to the area where we will be staying in the Amazon Basin. As we travel along the edge of the Andes mountain range south to the town of Puyo, we will be noticing the geographic changes from the active volcano region of the Andes, to the lower Amazon river basin. This area is lowland rainforest which catches the water as it comes down the mountains and channels it through numerous rivers and misty jungle.
We will not be visiting the green ocean side of the Andes along the Pacific, nor the fabulous Galopogas Islands, located many miles off Ecuador's coast. Perhaps that will be another visit, or one that you might be taking someday.
Our adventure will begin with a seven day stay at the Kapawi Eco Lodge. The web site will provide you with great pictures of the area. The youtube video will give you an idea of how the plane ride might be when we catch the plane at Puyo and travel to the edge of the Pastaza River. When we land, we will take a boat ride for about 1/2 hour to the Eco Lodge. There are no roads into this area and the people live very much like they have lived for thousands of years. I am very excited to meet them and see what I can learn about living in a rainforest.