Why This Man's Encounter in the Amazon Led to a Shocking Ban

When a 23-year-old traveler left his home to live in an extremely remote part of the Amazon rainforest , he met the love of his life, but their relationship was far from smooth sailing - and one impulsive decision meant he had to stay away from pregnant women. Although his father was Amazonian, Justin Alvo grew up in the US, but when he reached his twenties, he decided to return to his father’s homeland, as he always felt “something was missing” in his life. Before moving to America in search of a better life and meeting Justin’s mother in a Chinese restaurant, his father grew up in a remote part of the eastern Ecuadorian Amazon called Tres de Noviembre. It was so isolated that he did not see a radio until he was 14 and still cannot be sure exactly how old he is, as the community did not track birthdays. Justin moved to the Amazon and became a father. Credit: YouTube / Justin Alvo The YouTuber's entire life changed when he arrived in the Amazon When Justin decided to visit where his father was raised to document the culture on his YouTube channel, he unexpectedly met the woman who would soon become his wife. Maria was working as a chef at an Amazonian restaurant when she met Justin and agreed to be part of his documentaries about the Shuar people. Justin told UNILAD : "I basically said, 'Hey, I like you a lot, you're really cute, and I want to make documentaries and videos about the Shuar people.' She said 'yes, let's do it.'" However, keeping in touch with her was difficult as Maria has one of those “$20 phones that barely works,” which she only used to call family members in emergencies. Recalling their first date, Justin said: "I genuinely thought I might get kidnapped; we were meeting in the middle of nowhere." Justin and Maria welcomed a baby this year. Credit: YouTube / Justin Alvo Justin made the mistake of ignoring the tribe Despite his Amazonian heritage , Justin described tribal life as “an alien world.” Thankfully, the tribe was quick to educate him on which insects to avoid, which snakes could kill him, and other crucial survival tips. However, on one fateful day, Justin decided to ignore the locals' advice for the sake of filmmaking and got close to a deadly boa that slithered past. He was strictly warned not to approach the snake but couldn’t resist the opportunity. He said: "They told me, 'whatever you do, don't go near that thing,' but I love animals, so of course I caught it and started showing everyone." As Shuar people view boas as spiritual animals , after he had touched the snake he was seen as having bad energy, so was banned from being near any pregnant women in the community. The amateur filmmaker was forced to be “cleansed” as the community feared he might pass on bad energy. Since he was cleansed, Justin has become well integrated into the isolated community and is now happily married to Maria, with whom he welcomed a child at the start of the year. Featured image credit: YouTube / Justin Alvo