Traveling the wilderness
of Ecuador is a unique experience. Jorge is an adventurer of the sky and a pioneer
of ultralight aviation in South America. He's been flying over his country
with its limitless horizons for 27 years. It gives you
such an intense feeling of freedom. You can enjoy the scenery
and fly wherever you want without worrying
about the road or traffic. With this plane, you're free. It's not at all expensive and you can go
wherever large planes can't, and land on much shorter runwa
ys. You're flying with the wind blowing
through your fingers and on your face. Ecuador is a small country
with a lot of diversity. You're in these 6,000-meter mountains, and an hour later
you can be down on the Pacific coast, on the beach or in the tropical forest. It's very rich. Jorge is a pilot,
writer and High Mountain Guide. A photographer as well. His books on Ecuador From the Sky have made him famous
throughout the country. Now, he's preparing
for his next flight into the Paramo, a mounta
inous zone 4,000 meters up. There, he's going to meet
a friend, Armando, a naturalist. Armando called me. I have to make a flight. He's got a problem with the instrument
he uses to locate the wild animals. I'm going to bring him
a spare cable up near Ayakache. Then I'll come back. Jorge, a self-taught aviator,
built his first ULM in his own hangar. He learned how to fly
without an instructor. He was a pioneer 30 years ago. He flew above the Andes in his ULM,
all the way down to Patagonia, the so
uthernmost point of South America. Jorge is flying over the Paramo. It would be impossible
for him to land in these swampy mountains. He spots Armando from the plane
and decides to fly in closer. He has to drop
a little parachute with the equipment that will allow Armando
to carry on his mission. Armando and his team
are trying to locate mountain tapirs, the emblematic mammal of the Paramo. Some of them have been
equipped with radio transmitters. This timid animal
is an endangered species. Howev
er, Armando hopes
that by studying its behavior, he will be able to do
a better job of protecting them. Without the radio localization, we can't do anything
so many thanks to Jorge, who managed to fly up here
despite the bad weather conditions, but he's really an ace. The cable is really very important. Now that we have it, we'll be able to
localize the tapir and track them down. I hope we'll be able
to observe him without disturbing him. The terrain is tough going
with high grass and pockets of
icy water. At last, they arrive
at the mountain tapirs sanctuary. It's really close now. It's very important to study this animal
because we know so little about it. If we were to know it a little better, we might be able
to protect it and save it. The paramo lies on the fringe
of two worlds, between sky and Earth. Armando, in his study
of the last mountain tapirs, is merely passing
through these age-old landscapes that will remain forever untamed. Jorge on board his ULM never tires
of flying o
ver these territories, which he finds so fascinating. Even though he knows that he's merely skimming
the surface of these vast virgin expanses, he is fulfilling his dreams of adventure. Here is the gateway
to the vast Amazon basin. This is the world's largest rainforest. One and a half times the size of Europe. The Amazon is a legend. It looks like a vast green Poncho,
rolling off into the endless horizon, an El Dorado coveted for its riches, it evokes both
a green inferno and paradise lost. The
Amazon is menaced by deforestation
and the extraction of oil. For years now, the indigenous communities
have been organizing and taking action for the recognition
of their ancestral rights. Once nomads of the forest, they've gradually become
the main defenders of this green continent. Teo is on his way home to his village after a long scientific expedition
on the Rio Napo. Teo is one of the best guides
of the Amazon, one of the few to dare travel these rivers
that snake deep into the jungle. He
'll be collecting plants
from the riverbanks, all along the way home. For me, there's nothing better
than living an adventure like this. We see the wonders of the Amazon, which is like the eye
of the world, the center of the earth. If we don't take advantage of it now, all this will be lost
with the passing of time. All this vegetation will disappear. Here, nature's at her very best. When Teo was 20, he had the opportunity
to leave his country for England. In Leeds, he discovered
another jungle,
the city. He studied natural sciences
and earned a diploma in biology. Then a few years later,
he came back to Ecuador, where he quickly resumed
his place in his native community on the banks of the Rio Napo,
deep in the forest. Navigating this river
is a lesson in patience and solitude. It winds through the Amazon
for over 1,000 kilometers. It takes its source in the west, in the glaciers of the Andes,
and meets the Amazon River in Peru. Teo's pirogue is the ideal boat
for traveling down the r
iver. He has christened it, [Spanish spoken audio] Go like the wind. It's a long
and dangerous trip down the river. There are many obstacles
and they're constantly shifting. Sandbanks and submerged
tree trunks become mortal traps. Teo on the prow, keeps his eyes
glued to the surface of the river. He's looking for the best path
through the water and guiding Claudio, the pilot. Termites are a delicacy for piranha. The little predators
serve as bait to catch bigger ones. Today's menu, Amazon piranh
a. [Foreign spoken audio] It's over 40 degrees and the sweltering heat beats down
like a hammer on the men and nature. The Amazonian jungle
may appear harsh and inhospitable. Yet for Teo and his companions,
it's like a childhood friend. A land of plenty, all within easy reach. [Foreign spoken audio] There's no relief from the heat here,
even after the sun goes down. With the darkness,
a different world is unveiled. To get back to his village,
Teo crosses the Yanacocha lagoon, a labyrinth of chan
nels,
lakes and flooded forests. Water. Light. A world of exuberant greenery. Life is bursting
out here in all its forms. The lagoon is an eerie mirror, reflecting the image
of an age-old, inaccessible garden. To carry through this kind of adventure, it's really important,
first off, that we all trust one another. You have to have a tightly knit group. We have to be able
to anticipate what needs to be done and prepare very carefully
for the expedition to be a success because it may look easy. Ho
wever, in the jungle,
you have to make sacrifices and sweat for the group
to keep functioning smoothly and to get what you're after. At the heart of native spirituality are strong links between man,
nature and the cosmos. This culture is deeply ingrained in Teo. In the jungle, he feels
the force of the spirits that dwell there. He recalls the legends
that his mother passed on to him as she would drink guayusa,
a brew of forest plants. This tradition is a time-honored ritual. It's the moment
for
the elders to relate the stories that continue to forge the native culture. The shamans always invoke Pachamama,
the sacred Earth Mother. [Foreign spoken audio] They say that the goddess Pachamama has the power to petrify
the animals of the forest. This goddess will return when the earth can no longer bear
what we've been inflicting on her. She will come back
as a very old person with a long beard. Then, she will release all the petrified
animals who will exterminate the humans. This indigenous
spiritual vision allows one to understand
how the world was before, and how to live better
in today's world as well. These stories tell how at the beginning,
Pachamama had blessed our planet. She's the one who created
things as they are for us. This harmony of nature, man and animal. I firmly believe in this vision which has been handed down to us
through these stories. Teo's mother has asked him
to collect certain specific plants. For a long time,
the communities of the Amazon kept the secrets
of medicinal plants to themselves. Even now, all the communities
on the Rio Napo still use these natural remedies. [Foreign spoken audio] Look, this one's good. Go ahead, make a cut here. What we do
is collect the sap of this tree. We use it as a natural medicine. It can be used
to treat malaria and diabetes. We call it dragon's blood. This is one of the most
useful trees in the Amazon. It has a number of virtues, for example,
you can use it to heal wounds. You do like this, and it becomes a cre
am. It's also good
as protection from the sun, plus, with one, two,
maximum three drops of sap, you can purify one liter of water. Here we have a very special
tree of the Amazon. This species of palm tree grows
straight up to benefit from the sunlight. However, if another tree
overshadows it and takes the light, it will start to move. It can move up to 60 centimeters a year. The pregnant women
here use it during labor because it helps dilate
the cervix and ease the birth. It's one of the best na
tural remedies
we have around here. Nowadays, the younger generation
doesn't care about medicinal plants. They want what's easy. They just go to the pharmacy. If they have a stomach ache,
for example, they buy pills. Whereas here, there's so much more,
and it's natural, no chemicals. The modern world
has been knocking at Amazon's door for quite a while now. Today, Teo's life balances
between these two opposing cultures that he would like to unite. [Foreign spoken audio] I see things
from the ind
igenous point of view. I see a dim future for Pachamama,
our Earth Mother. If man doesn't protect her,
our planet will explode like a bomb. Look at all the wonders we have here. All this beauty. We should be careful
with it and cherish it, then Pachamama
will thank us and take care of us.
Comments
Wonderful videos. Thanks, Best Documentary. Ahead more videos of natural life styles.
Could you do more videos on the Avenue of Volcanoes 🌋 in Ecuador? I visited Mount Chimborazo and fell in love with it. So majestic. So peaceful. The valleys were lush and gorgeous to drive in. The people with their history, cultures and hospitality makes me want to go back again. And perhaps a documentary on Esmeraldas and Playa de Oro. And Puerto Lopez. I love România 🇷🇴 where I was born in, but man visiting Ecuador 🇪🇨 makes me appreciate biodiversity and natural wonders even more. Thank you for this documentary and Gracias Jorge
Super video
I'm a mountain man too!
Природа и космос!!! Nature et espase!!! ПАЧАМАМА!!! МАТЬ-ЗЕМЛЯ!!! Хороший перевод на русский язык!!! Классный фильм!!!👍👍👍!!!
Galing talaga sumayaw 😊👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you for videos.
We called it that animal `Tapir’ in Malaysia. Such a beautiful creature
Ecuador país de los 4 mundos
Thanks for your videos, they are interesting because I'm learn at loot. God Bless you. 🙏👌👍
Documentary is fine like French wine smooth like Italian cheese crispy like indian kachodi..... Amazing content
💕 Amazon & Amazonian countries,wish to be there
Teo is a visionary
❤❤❤
Amazon forest is the best example for future to be like but we take advantage in destroying like there's no tomorrow.
great
In the 1960's during the building of the Pan-American highway there was a national Geographic presentation on television or perhaps a written article. On this was a story about a tree native to the Amazon that truck drivers would hack open and use the liquid that would gush out as a substitute for diesel. NEVER HEARD ABOUT IT AGAIN!!!
malaysian call it TAPIR. a little bit difrent is thier strips..this animal also protected according to WWF
I don't belong where I live....my beliefs belong in Mother's natural element
Those piranhas looks good I wanna try it😂at 24:28 this man is right Human need to protect Mother Earth humans is killing earth by pollution and many more that goodness I’m not human 🤪