It’s a love story like no other with the world captivated in the “magical connection” between two people from opposite sides of the world.
Jordan Hauenschild, who lives Australia’s Queensland, had no idea she would end up in the Amazon jungle to meet her real-life Tarzan — Indigenous Ecuadorean man Pitiuruk.
The 26-year-old was randomly flicking through the Explore page on her Instagram late one night in December when she came across 24-year-old Pitiuruk’s profile.
She decided to message him to learn about his culture and way of life.
“I was just doing the late night doom scroll before bed and I came across this gorgeous man who was posting incredible content over in a country I knew nothing about,” Jordan told news.com.au.
“I was so intrigued about how people still live this way of life and to some degree I knew there were tribes in the Amazon, but I had never taken the time to learn about it.
“I clicked on his page and I just messaged him.”
Jordan said she is a big believer in taking risks and living in the moment – and that’s exactly what she did.
“You never know, you might just end up finding the magic you never knew existed. Mine just so happened to be on the other side of the world, in a country I’d never heard of, and I don’t speak the language of.”
That night, Jordan sent Pitiuruk a direct message first telling him how “gorgeous” he is before explaining how she would love to learn more about his culture.
“I didn’t expect a response back If I am completely honest,” she said.
And when he did, it left her stunned.
“I couldn’t believe someone form the Amazon jungle, on this exotic piece of land, just responded to me. For a girl that lives a Western life on the coast in Queensland, who is always going to the beach, who lives in a house, to be talking to someone from the Amazon who lives in a hut, was just so surreal.”
The pair got chatting right away, even engaging in video calls where they would educate one another about their cultures and daily life.
“Our conversations were mainly about our way of life, what we do during the day, what we eat, where we sleep and simply, how we live,” Jordan said. “I would show him my bedroom, the fact we have a bathroom and my front and backyard – just the little things.
“And he would walk me through a day in his life living in the Amazon, which is pretty unique.”
Pitiuruk’s family is located in the province of Pastaza, Puyo canton Amazonia Ecuador, where they offer guided tours as a way to educate others of their ancestral culture.
After four months of spending nearly every day on the phone together, Jordan hopped on a plane to South America to meet Pitiuruk.
She had quit her 9-5 office job, booked a Contiki trip to Peru, Argentina and Brazil – and also made arrangements to meet the man she was developing an unexpected connection with.
“I just said to him, ‘I can actually come and meet you. Call me crazy, but we can do this’,” Jordan told news.com.au.
Without hesitation, Pitiuruk was on-board with the idea and worked with his family to plan an itinerary for Jordan.
After four flights totalling more than 30 hours and then a five hour bus ride from Ecuador’s capital city Quito to Guayusa Runa (name of Pitiuruk’s family home), she finally arrived.
“As the plane was landing in Quito, I realised the magnitude of the situation – I had gone on a whim with a ‘why not’ attitude and I was about to meet someone I had never seen in real life.”
But, the moment she laid eyes on him, she never felt more at ease. And it didn’t take long for them to develop a romantic connection.
“I just couldn’t believe he was real,” she said. “It was my first time in Ecuador and I just wanted to ensure I was really respectful, but I just couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.”
The next two weeks were spent living and learning Pitiuruk’s way of life and while the pair are not fluent in one another’s language, Jordan said a lot of their connection is based off body language.
“If the spark is there, it doesn’t matter if you can’t speak each other’s language. I’ve never had such a connection with somebody where I know exactly where I stand.
“When I arrived, Pitiuruk had worked with his family to plan a two week itinerary for me around the capital city and then in and around the region of their home (Pastaza).”
The pair spent four days in the city and surrounding mountains.
“After I acclimatised (Quito is high above sea level and is referred to as the city in the clouds), we had a family member drive us five hours to Pitiuruk’s family home.”
Jordan said Pitiuruk’s family welcomed her with open arms and not once did she ever feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
“‘Our jungle is your jungle’, they would say to me.”
Jordan would wake up each morning to the sound of drums, visit local farms, help the family cook and immerse herself in nature.
“They live about 15 minutes form the nearest town by taxi. And the town has everything you need.”
She explained that in order for Pitiuruk’s family to maintain their story and educate people about their way of life, they have to embrace tourism.
“And the best way to do that is through social media platforms and establishing an online presence. They’ve had to integrate into understanding how to use the internet and create a website to maintain the way they live.
“But they don’t want to change anything with how they live – they are happy the way they are.”
She said Pitiuruk one day aspires to work and travel to other countries, and dreams of securing work as an indigenous model to both promote and educate others of his culture and to support his family.
‘Magical and undeniable’ connection
Jordan said during her stay she and Pitiuruk developed a “magical and undeniable” connection that even shocked her.
“Honestly, I had no idea how my holiday would pan out, but all I can say, is that it was cinematic,” she told news.com.au.
“Everything was as magical as you can possibly imagine. It was better than my day dream.”
As the pair learned more about one another, their feelings also grew stronger.
But Jordan had to eventually return home to Australia.
When she shared her story on TikTok, it immediately went viral with people from all over the world invested in their love story.
“He is stunning! He just has this beautiful energy about him, soft yet strong, beautiful yet so masculine. He exudes life. And you, you are beautiful too,” one person wrote.
“We’re too invested now. It’s not your love story. It’s our love story,” another joked.
Others also shared similar stories.
“I did this. It was 110% worth it and I never thought I’d be this happy. Take that leap,” one woman added.
“I had a similar experience with a man. He didn’t speak much English when we 1st (sic) met and somehow it seemed to make our connection stronger. I’m picking him up from the airport today. [Love]️ finds a way,” wrote another.
Jordan said she is blown away by all the support.
“It started getting likes and likes and likes and I just could not believe the pace it was going at – and still is,” Jordan said.
“It has been wonderful to see the support from people all over the world.”
However, their love story isn’t over. In a surprise turn of events Flight Centre have offered to fund Jordan’s next visit to Ecuador.
“They’re going to fund my flights which is just incredible. When I told Pitiuruk, we both just cried,” she said.
“I had received an email from Flight Centre saying they were invested in our story and wanted to see us reunited.
“We were both in tears because we didn’t expect to see each other for another year or so.”
The pair both agreed they would regret it they didn’t try and see things through to the end and while Jordan hasn’t decided on a return date just yet, she is scrambling to get her affairs in order as this time she hopes to stay for a few months.
