I had just graduated from high school, and I was expecting a lavish graduation present from my grandpa. I definitely would’ve taken my sister’s gift, an all-expenses paid trip to Europe. Instead, my grandpa announced that he was sending me on a tour of South America. He said that I needed to see other part of the world and experience new cultures. It consisted of a hike through the rainforests of Ecuador, then the Galapagos, then a long stay in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately for my well-being, Grandpa didn’t do enough research into the vacation package. The rainforest adventure was a little too close to the border with Colombia to be safe.
I arrived in Ecuador two weeks after graduation. I spent one night in Quito, and then headed off to meet my camping group on the edge of a wildlife preserve. As the trip began I was astounded by how lush and green everything was. The rainforest was beautiful. We came across a vast range of plants and animals. And true to the name, it rained about half the time. I was loving it. But there was an unseen danger that had been shadowing our path.
Two days into the journey our group was ambushed by two heavily-built Latinos with sub-machine guns. They were shirtless from the heat, and had red bandanas on their heads. The taller one seemed to be the leader, so he barked out orders in Spanish to the tour guide, who translated it. I assumed that they were Colombian rebels, on a mission to collect more money for their cause. I had seen a documentary on it back home, but now being there really sucked. After being forced into a prone position, they took our wallets, all the jewelry, and my watch. Then the shorter one started to point to one of the prisoners, an attractive young girl. I could tell that their intention was to take her as a hostage. She was terrified. When she caught my eye, I knew that I couldn’t let her be taken away. Being unarmed, I decided to offer myself in her stead. At first they refused and threatened to shoot me, until I told them that I was an American. Their eyes lit up and they grabbed me, dragging me off into the jungle.
It was then that I started to doubt the heroics of my decision. I spoke no Spanish, but I could understand their basic commands. We formed a column and began marching towards their encampment. The tall one walked in front, with me in the middle and the shorter prodding me along with the barrel of his gun. Eventually, through their talking back and forth, I figured out their names; the leader was Carlos, and his subordinate was Juan. It was extremely hot, and I joined them in being shirtless, putting it in my bag. The trail soon disappeared and Carlos resorted to hacking his way through the dense undergrowth. The march got even tougher as it began to rain again.
After an hour we reached the camp. It had a couple of boxes of supplies and ammunition, a campfire, and three hammocks with tarps hung a few feet over them as sleeping quarters. The hammocks were set up in a triangle, with everything else inside of it. Juan went about setting up a fire, and Carlos went off to hunt for food. I was told not to move. Finally Carlos returned with a sack full of food. I helped in the cooking. I was very cooperative, and after a while I think I developed a rapport with them. Dusk turned to darkness as we sat around the fire and ate. After eating miscellaneous rainforest creature kabob for dinner, they motioned for me to sleep. I faked it, and watched them discuss my fate. It appeared that they decided to not watch over me tonight, as I was a passive captive.
Juan doused the fire, and they both climbed into their beds. The rain now came back with a vengeance, raining much harder than before. I was amazed at how loud the rain was. If I had wanted, I could have sneaked off and the rain would’ve covered my escape. But I decided against it, seeing as I would be lost without food or shelter. I closed my eyes and listened to the rain for a bit. The sound helped to steady my nerves, although this was turning out to be a lot better than I would’ve guessed.
