19 September 2008

Friday photo - A Wika tattoo in Ecuador

Today I'm joining in the Friday photo, hosted by Debbie at Delicious Baby, to bring you a photo with a story behind it.

Snake tatoos with Wika fruit dye at Sarayaku

Here you see me having a snake tattoo painted on my arm by the children in the village of Sarayacu in Ecuador, on my Amazon river trip last October. The black dye is made by roasting a local fruit in the embers of the fire and grinding up the pulp to make a black ink called Wika, which is painted on with a palm stalk.


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now there's a tattoo even I would be brave enough to have on my arm :)

Even though your tattoo eventually faded, at least you still a nice memory and the photo.

Unknown said...

I love the expression on that girl's face and the way the little one is looking up at you. I concur that this is about the only tattoo I'd ever get either!

Debbie said...

I always think that having something to do together is the best way to bond with people (at home or when I'm traveling). I think there are few things more personal than having someone "decorate" you and I love that you let yourself enter the life of the village in this way (and I'm sure many others).

Thanks so much for sharing your photo and your memory