What began as a simple message on social media ended up changing her life completely. Jordan Hauenschild, a 26-year-old Australian woman, came across the profile of Pitiuruk, a young Indigenous man from the Ecuadorian Amazon, and decided to write to him because she was curious about his culture and way of life. What neither of them imagined was that the conversation would end up becoming a love story.
For nearly four months, they spoke every day through messages and video calls. Jordan lived on the coast of Queensland, Australia, while Pitiuruk lived with his family in the Amazonian community of Guayusa Runa, near Puyo, Ecuador. Despite the distance, the connection between them grew until they decided to meet in person.
To make it happen, Jordan quit her jobs and embarked on a journey of more than 30 hours by plane to South America. Afterwards, she still had to travel several hours by road to reach the community where Pitiuruk lived. There, she spent two weeks getting to know his culture, learning about life in the jungle, and spending time with his family, who welcomed her with open arms.
Although she later had to return to Australia, the experience was so special that they both began planning a life together. An Australian travel agency even offered to finance part of a new trip for Jordan, while the couple launched a campaign to raise funds that would allow them to reunite and stay in Ecuador for several months.
Their story quickly went viral, and millions of people followed the romance between the young Australian woman and the man whom many users dubbed the “Tarzan of the Amazon”. Beyond the nickname, both say they simply found love where they least expected it.
A message sent out of curiosity ended up changing the course of two lives separated by half the planet.