I have reached the village of Putumayo after long hours on the direct local bus from Bogota to Putumayo. 12 hours drive, after having spent more then 20 hours flying across the Atlantic ocean and over the American territory.
Situated in the far South of Putumayo Colombia, The Cofan tribe has settled their finca on the side of the river banks. The land can be reached only by traditional boat or canoe, situated half an hour away from the village.
Following a two-day stay at a cozy hostel and enjoying the delicious local cuisine at a nearby restaurant, I eventually had the pleasure of meeting the Cofan family at their residence in the town. They kindly invited me to join them for a meal consisting of the traditional local fare - rice and fish, complemented by fried bananas for dessert.
The next day, I have helped the Cofan family to move out of their home in town to get to the feet of the amazon forest. It has been madness experience, loading beds, sofas, furniture kitchen equipment, clothes, food basically all that you could take with you when moving out off your home, only instead of transporting it all in a truck to your home you will have to unload the truck and move everything into the canoe!
It started to rain, the water level began to rise, so we tried the shortcut across the river, taking the canoe over some very narrow arms of water leading closer to camp. Our bamboo sticks helped us keep the bushes at bay and the canoe's balance. We travelled through areas of the Amazon rich in natural beauty and wildlife.
The cofan people are very strong minded people mostly jungle guides, and hunters. They mostly maintain their area of the rain forest generating revenue with eco-tourism, tours, and includes the novelty of staying over night to Cofan huts. Some tribe cultivate cocaine and you can see me standing in the middle of the field. Most cocaine leave are used for health purposes, they are burnt in low fire, the blended until turned into powder, and this powder can be added to your meal or inhaled giving you power and strenght as well as a remedy for stomach pain. They developed a profound understanding of the nature, especially the medicinal plants and poisonous plant that are very evident in today society. The age is spreading all over Europe and further. It has a large impact on the westerns and their society. People are more and more going true a phase a movement I will call it "movement of healing". Hopefully this will bring peace on our beautiful planet.
The unique experience I had with the Cofan family outside of the tribe was truly one-of-a-kind. It was an unforgettable adventure through the jungles of Southern Colombia, in Putumayo.
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