Hola Amigos!
No time for a proper update, but I just wanted to share that I had a fantastic week on the farm. Mostly helped out in the garden (where they have over 50 different kinds of organic veggies and herbs!). It was an eventful week, as I also learned how to milk a cow, slaughtered and prepared a couple roosters (that´s right, I slaughtered a chicken!), and yesterday evening watched a cow give birth!
I´m back in Otavalo now, getting my bartering face on and hitting the market.
Chao
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Since returning to the mainland...
I spent a couple of nights in Quito at the lovely guest house run by Darrel and Mandy Klassen (a couple with roots in my hometown, who also happen to be relatives...2nd cousins I think we figured out). I was so happy to return to the mountain climate where it cools off at night. In my four weeks on the Galapagos I learned how much I dislike heat like that. Anyway, Darrel and Mandy have been wonderful. There was another group at the guest house going to Banos, and they were kind enough to offer me a ride.
So I headed down to Banos, a town with a really cool vibe. It reminded me a lot of Canmore...surrounded by mountains, and a cool cafe on every corner. It´s also at the base of an active volcano (last eruption in 2005), and was evacuated a few months ago because the volcano started spewing smoke. I really didn´t want another evacuation story (the tsunami was enough), and fortunately I survived my stay in Banos without a volcanic eruption. It was a really good place to relax, with lots of time for thinking and reflecting. No major inspiration to report, but it´s always good to spend some time sitting still and being quiet - especially in the season of lent. The (relatively) small cathedral in the middle of town was a good place for that. I also helped some paramedics practice their english. They needed english speakers to be mock accident victims so they could practice different scenarios in english to be able to better serve the many tourists that visit the area.
I met up with a friend from the bear project and a few of her friends and we headed down to Puyo, a town right on the edge of the jungle. There we visited a monkey reserve that houses 54 monkeys, all sick, injured, or were kept as pets and aren´t able to live in the wild. These monkeys were crazy and would literally climb all over you and jump on your head and unzip your bag to steal your stuff if you weren´t careful! A pretty cool experience!
Next I moved on to Riobamba for a short visit. I left today on a bike tour. We drove up to the base of Volcan Chimborazo - the highest in Ecuador (6310m), and because of the equatorial bulge, the furthest point from the centre of the earth. We walked from 4800m up to the refuge at 5000m; a breath taking hike - not so much for the view (it was really cloudy), but because it´s really hard to breathe up there! We were able to catch a few glimpses of the snow capped peak between the clouds and it really was amazing. Later, we biked 45km, descending almost 2000m, down a beautiful road winding alongside the river through canyons and past villages. Absolutely gorgeous!
On this tour I realized two things:
1. It was a great tragedy that my mountain bike spent last summer in the garage. We need to spend some quality time together this year...(not just on my birthday, Kim).
2. I´m drawn to the mountains by some force beyond my control. The refuge was extremely basic and it was cold and hard to breathe, but I wished so much that I was spending the night in preparation for a summit attempt. I will always love the prairies (in that way that only someone who grew up there can), but the mountains are calling!
The tour ended in Ambato where I took a bus further north to Latacunga. I´ll spend the night here, do a day trip to the Quilotoa crater lake tomorrow, then head back to Quito. On Monday, I´m going to spend a week on a farm north east of Quito (www.fbu.com.ec).
Then it won´t be long till I´m back in Manitoba. I will miss many things here, but there is a lot to look forward to at home: clean water coming out of the tap, cereal with milk, catching up with family and friends, ROCK CLIMBING!, etc, etc.
Hope all is well! See some of you soon!
So I headed down to Banos, a town with a really cool vibe. It reminded me a lot of Canmore...surrounded by mountains, and a cool cafe on every corner. It´s also at the base of an active volcano (last eruption in 2005), and was evacuated a few months ago because the volcano started spewing smoke. I really didn´t want another evacuation story (the tsunami was enough), and fortunately I survived my stay in Banos without a volcanic eruption. It was a really good place to relax, with lots of time for thinking and reflecting. No major inspiration to report, but it´s always good to spend some time sitting still and being quiet - especially in the season of lent. The (relatively) small cathedral in the middle of town was a good place for that. I also helped some paramedics practice their english. They needed english speakers to be mock accident victims so they could practice different scenarios in english to be able to better serve the many tourists that visit the area.
I met up with a friend from the bear project and a few of her friends and we headed down to Puyo, a town right on the edge of the jungle. There we visited a monkey reserve that houses 54 monkeys, all sick, injured, or were kept as pets and aren´t able to live in the wild. These monkeys were crazy and would literally climb all over you and jump on your head and unzip your bag to steal your stuff if you weren´t careful! A pretty cool experience!
Next I moved on to Riobamba for a short visit. I left today on a bike tour. We drove up to the base of Volcan Chimborazo - the highest in Ecuador (6310m), and because of the equatorial bulge, the furthest point from the centre of the earth. We walked from 4800m up to the refuge at 5000m; a breath taking hike - not so much for the view (it was really cloudy), but because it´s really hard to breathe up there! We were able to catch a few glimpses of the snow capped peak between the clouds and it really was amazing. Later, we biked 45km, descending almost 2000m, down a beautiful road winding alongside the river through canyons and past villages. Absolutely gorgeous!
On this tour I realized two things:
1. It was a great tragedy that my mountain bike spent last summer in the garage. We need to spend some quality time together this year...(not just on my birthday, Kim).
2. I´m drawn to the mountains by some force beyond my control. The refuge was extremely basic and it was cold and hard to breathe, but I wished so much that I was spending the night in preparation for a summit attempt. I will always love the prairies (in that way that only someone who grew up there can), but the mountains are calling!
The tour ended in Ambato where I took a bus further north to Latacunga. I´ll spend the night here, do a day trip to the Quilotoa crater lake tomorrow, then head back to Quito. On Monday, I´m going to spend a week on a farm north east of Quito (www.fbu.com.ec).
Then it won´t be long till I´m back in Manitoba. I will miss many things here, but there is a lot to look forward to at home: clean water coming out of the tap, cereal with milk, catching up with family and friends, ROCK CLIMBING!, etc, etc.
Hope all is well! See some of you soon!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Apologies...
Sorry the comments don´t match up well with the photos. I am a bit technologically challenged, and too short on time to fix it.
Also, at the volcano we were really lucky, not ´really like´
Also, at the volcano we were really lucky, not ´really like´
Last Days on the Islands
Last Saturday, about an hour and a half after the tsunami warning was called off, out of bravery or stupidity, eight of us got on a super dodgy boat and headed out into the Pacific. (The motor kept dying and someone literally held the wires together for a good part of the 3hr. journey).
In any case, we made it to Isabela and very quickly realized why everyone loves this island. There are way less people which also means way less tacky tourist shops, and we got a hostal right on the georgeous 2km long beach. Went for a sunset swim the night we got there and watched one of the most spectacular sunsets I´ve ever seen. Did a volcano hike the next day to see the second largest volcano crater in the world. We got really like with a perfectly clear morning so we had quite a good view. A short tour the next day, to see loads of marine iguanas nesting, frigate birds, and penguins! (No penguins on San Cristobal or Santa Cruz so this was exciting). We also went on a (successful) flamingo search. An excellent trip.
This is my last weekend on the islands, I go back to Quito on Wednesday. I did another snorkel tour today, the best one yet. We saw loads of reef sharks (it was impossible to count, but I would guess there were at least 30). Also about a dozen spotted eagle rays swimming by. And the usual sea turtles, parrot fish, puffer fish, etc. Definitley one of the most amazing things I´ve done.
I can´t upload my own photos, but here are a few I´ve stolen from another volunteer...
Post-tsunami evacuation. I think all of the town´s vehicles were called in to help with transport, so we rode back in this dump truck.
The beach and the pier is crowded with sea lions every evening
Cliff jumping on Santa Cruz
Sunset on Isabela
Volcan Sierra Negra
In any case, we made it to Isabela and very quickly realized why everyone loves this island. There are way less people which also means way less tacky tourist shops, and we got a hostal right on the georgeous 2km long beach. Went for a sunset swim the night we got there and watched one of the most spectacular sunsets I´ve ever seen. Did a volcano hike the next day to see the second largest volcano crater in the world. We got really like with a perfectly clear morning so we had quite a good view. A short tour the next day, to see loads of marine iguanas nesting, frigate birds, and penguins! (No penguins on San Cristobal or Santa Cruz so this was exciting). We also went on a (successful) flamingo search. An excellent trip.
This is my last weekend on the islands, I go back to Quito on Wednesday. I did another snorkel tour today, the best one yet. We saw loads of reef sharks (it was impossible to count, but I would guess there were at least 30). Also about a dozen spotted eagle rays swimming by. And the usual sea turtles, parrot fish, puffer fish, etc. Definitley one of the most amazing things I´ve done.
I can´t upload my own photos, but here are a few I´ve stolen from another volunteer...
Post-tsunami evacuation. I think all of the town´s vehicles were called in to help with transport, so we rode back in this dump truck.
The beach and the pier is crowded with sea lions every evening
Cliff jumping on Santa Cruz
Sunset on Isabela
Volcan Sierra Negra
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tsunami Alarm
You have probably all heard about the earthquake in Chile. Just a quick note to say all is well here. I was woken up at 5:30 this morning and told we needed to move to higher ground. The details were a bit vague but we all started heading up hill and eventually found out what had happened, and that the wave (if it was coming) was expected here between 8 and 9am. Luckily, because this is a volcanic island you can gain elevation without going very far. Apparently this hasn´t happened here before, but the town was really quite efficient at evacuating everyone quickly. In the end, we were not hit here. At 10am we were allowed back to Port, and it`s business as usual. Thoughts and prayers with those in Chile.
Friday, February 26, 2010
A cold shower is my favorite part of the day
The Galapagos in the tourist brochures is a paradise. The highlands, on the other hand, are less of a paradise. I have never been tree planting before, but from the stories I´ve heard I think life at the Jatun Sacha station is similar. Similar in that it´s uncomfortable all the time (hot, sticky, surrounded by bugs). Different in that instead of getting paid, we´re actually paying to be here (to be fair, I´m sure we don´t work nearly as hard as tree planters). I´m actually glad to be cutting mora (very invasive blackberry bushes), and planting trees...it´s like a tax for visiting, since increased tourism is putting a major strain on this unique ecosystem. It´s nice to be able to have somewhat of a positive impact on the island (and relieve a little bit of my guilt). I´m also glad I don´t have to do it longer than four weeks.
We have had an incredible amount of rain in the last week, which has caused a bit of damage, most notably:
1. So much water flowing down the river breaks the connections in the water pipes and cuts off our water supply.
2. Mudslides, downed trees, and major erosion makes the road to the station impassable (it´s not a good road to begin with). After a rain storm we go out and fix it (I use the term ´fix´ loosely, it would be more accurate to say ´we make it barely passable´) and then we get another hard rain during the night that washes out the road again. This morning we had to walk half an hour to meet the taxis.
Our station manager, Cesar, has never seen so much water in the eight years he has been here.
So, life at the station is an adventure - challenging and rewarding. But don´t get me wrong, the coastal region of the Galapagos is a paradise. Beautiful beaches...sea lions everywhere! I´ve also seen blue footed boobies, frigate birds, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and giant tortoises, but the best part is the snorkeling. Huge sea turtles, and loads of colourful tropical fish. Sting rays and sharks are also quite common but I have not seen them yet. A group of us are taking another extended weekend and travelling to Isabela (4 hours by boat). It´s the largest island, not very heavily populated, and seems to be most people´s favorite one to visit.
We have had an incredible amount of rain in the last week, which has caused a bit of damage, most notably:
1. So much water flowing down the river breaks the connections in the water pipes and cuts off our water supply.
2. Mudslides, downed trees, and major erosion makes the road to the station impassable (it´s not a good road to begin with). After a rain storm we go out and fix it (I use the term ´fix´ loosely, it would be more accurate to say ´we make it barely passable´) and then we get another hard rain during the night that washes out the road again. This morning we had to walk half an hour to meet the taxis.
Our station manager, Cesar, has never seen so much water in the eight years he has been here.
So, life at the station is an adventure - challenging and rewarding. But don´t get me wrong, the coastal region of the Galapagos is a paradise. Beautiful beaches...sea lions everywhere! I´ve also seen blue footed boobies, frigate birds, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and giant tortoises, but the best part is the snorkeling. Huge sea turtles, and loads of colourful tropical fish. Sting rays and sharks are also quite common but I have not seen them yet. A group of us are taking another extended weekend and travelling to Isabela (4 hours by boat). It´s the largest island, not very heavily populated, and seems to be most people´s favorite one to visit.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A few more from San Cristobal and Santa Cruz
Sea lions, pelicans, lava lizards, tortoises, marine iguanas...
Photos! Bear Tracking...
Our last camping trip at the base of Volcan Cotacachi.
We don´t see the bears, but we see lots of evidence of them. This is Armando (biologist) and Alberto examining scractches on the tree.
An Andean Bear! (at the zoo). Few bears + a large area of wilderness + a fear of people + a keen sense of smell means you´re very unlikely to see a bear in the wild.
Hike to Piñan
Alberto (project staff) with the radio, listening for bears
The Bear House
Friday, February 12, 2010
Life is always better on the beach
In my first 7 days on the Galapagos, I will do exactly half a day of work - can´t complain about that.
Day 1 (Wednesday) was orientation. I arrived at the station with 4 other new volunteers. There are a total of 19 volunteers at the station right now, representing at least 8 different countries. Some have been here just a few days and some 4 or 5 weeks. It´s a much bigger group than at the Bear House, and people arrive and leave at various times so it has a very different feel. There are 2 volunteer houses and a separate kitchen. The facilities are rustic, made from a combination of bamboo and concrete. We have running water and electricity (usually), plenty of hammocks, and a good supply of bananas, papaya, pineapple, coffee, and a few other fruits and vegetables growing at the project site. The bugs are as bad as they said, at least in terms of numbers - there are thousands and they swarm. But for me the bites don´t itch like Manitoba mosquitoes or black flies.
Day 2 (Thursday) we worked in the morning.
The work includes:
- general station maintenance (there are plans to build a clay oven to bake things like bread and pizza)
- maintenance in the nursery (so far that means cleaning out overgrown plant beds)
- bird observation (to be able to record which birds are hanging around and whether they´re using native or introduced vegetation)
- cutting down and burning banana tree leaves that are infected with a fungus (Cesar, our station manager, estimates that if the problem isn´t controlled, in 10-15 years there won´t be any more banana trees here)
We did not work in the afternoon in honor of the beginning of Carnaval - a giant festival the week before Lent. In the spirit of Carnaval we had a giant water/flour/mud fight. I don´t know why, but people celebrate by throwing water at each other.
Every Friday, instead of working we do a hike to learn about the island. Today was not so much a hike, but got taxis into Port and went to the interpretation centre, followed by the beach. There are a lot of interesting things I should report from the interp. centre but not everyone seemed as interested as I was, so I rushed through it to not keep everyone waiting. I will go back sometime when I can take my time. The beaches are fantastic. Beaches (like mountains) have a way of making all worries and negative thoughts disappear (not that I had a lot of those to begin with). The sea lions are everywhere, and are very playful swimming around you in the water.
Saturday and Sunday we normally have off, and this week we will get Monday and Tuesday off as well to celebrate Carnaval. Most volunteers stay in Port for the weekend - there are no bugs, it´s usually sunny, and there are lots of beaches to enjoy. Me and a few other volunteers are taking advantage of the long weekend and taking a ferry to Santa Cruz (another island) tomorrow, coming back Tuesday.
I´m sure the following 3 weeks will involve a lot of hard work, but for now I´m enjoying the free time - there´s lots to explore!
Day 1 (Wednesday) was orientation. I arrived at the station with 4 other new volunteers. There are a total of 19 volunteers at the station right now, representing at least 8 different countries. Some have been here just a few days and some 4 or 5 weeks. It´s a much bigger group than at the Bear House, and people arrive and leave at various times so it has a very different feel. There are 2 volunteer houses and a separate kitchen. The facilities are rustic, made from a combination of bamboo and concrete. We have running water and electricity (usually), plenty of hammocks, and a good supply of bananas, papaya, pineapple, coffee, and a few other fruits and vegetables growing at the project site. The bugs are as bad as they said, at least in terms of numbers - there are thousands and they swarm. But for me the bites don´t itch like Manitoba mosquitoes or black flies.
Day 2 (Thursday) we worked in the morning.
The work includes:
- general station maintenance (there are plans to build a clay oven to bake things like bread and pizza)
- maintenance in the nursery (so far that means cleaning out overgrown plant beds)
- bird observation (to be able to record which birds are hanging around and whether they´re using native or introduced vegetation)
- cutting down and burning banana tree leaves that are infected with a fungus (Cesar, our station manager, estimates that if the problem isn´t controlled, in 10-15 years there won´t be any more banana trees here)
We did not work in the afternoon in honor of the beginning of Carnaval - a giant festival the week before Lent. In the spirit of Carnaval we had a giant water/flour/mud fight. I don´t know why, but people celebrate by throwing water at each other.
Every Friday, instead of working we do a hike to learn about the island. Today was not so much a hike, but got taxis into Port and went to the interpretation centre, followed by the beach. There are a lot of interesting things I should report from the interp. centre but not everyone seemed as interested as I was, so I rushed through it to not keep everyone waiting. I will go back sometime when I can take my time. The beaches are fantastic. Beaches (like mountains) have a way of making all worries and negative thoughts disappear (not that I had a lot of those to begin with). The sea lions are everywhere, and are very playful swimming around you in the water.
Saturday and Sunday we normally have off, and this week we will get Monday and Tuesday off as well to celebrate Carnaval. Most volunteers stay in Port for the weekend - there are no bugs, it´s usually sunny, and there are lots of beaches to enjoy. Me and a few other volunteers are taking advantage of the long weekend and taking a ferry to Santa Cruz (another island) tomorrow, coming back Tuesday.
I´m sure the following 3 weeks will involve a lot of hard work, but for now I´m enjoying the free time - there´s lots to explore!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
To The Galapagos!
I´ve been in Quito on my own for 5 days, and while it´s been nice to have my own space and have time to myself, I have missed the company of my fellow volunteers. Yesterday I had a nice dinner and visit with some relatives that live here in Quito, and another couple visiting from home. It was great to connect with them. Quito is a fine city as far as cities go, but I´m not a big fan of cities. I´ve wandered around a lot, seen the cathedrals, the parks, the shops, etc. but I´m really looking forward to leaving the city and getting started on my next project.
Tomorrow morning I fly to San Cristobal, where I plan to stay for the next month. I am eagerly anticipating spending time on the beaches (on weekends, most likely after hard weeks of chopping down invasive blackberry bushes with a machete) and observing the wildlife that I´ve heard so much about. I am less excited about the heat and the mosquitos, but from what I hear, it will be worth it. (So far the bugs have been nothing compared to Manitoba mosquitos and NW Ontario black flies but I´ve been warned excessively about mosquitos on the Galapagos...so we´ll see). I´m not sure when I´ll next have internet access, but I will post when I can.
Tomorrow morning I fly to San Cristobal, where I plan to stay for the next month. I am eagerly anticipating spending time on the beaches (on weekends, most likely after hard weeks of chopping down invasive blackberry bushes with a machete) and observing the wildlife that I´ve heard so much about. I am less excited about the heat and the mosquitos, but from what I hear, it will be worth it. (So far the bugs have been nothing compared to Manitoba mosquitos and NW Ontario black flies but I´ve been warned excessively about mosquitos on the Galapagos...so we´ll see). I´m not sure when I´ll next have internet access, but I will post when I can.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Jungle Tourism
I'm told I need to provide more news. So here is my attempt at a longer update:
After having successfully avoided most tourist traps [besides the Otavalo market] for a month, I have spent the last 3 days in Tena being a proper tourist. Tena is a small city in the northern Orient, 4 or 5 hours by bus from Quito.
Day 1: A self-guided walk through a little interprative park, showcasing lots of unique plants and animals from the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 2: A jungle tour, climbing waterfalls and swimming in a lagoon...really beautiful! There was a snake right beside the path, which we all managed to walk right by until the last guy noticed it. Our guide then told us it was venemous and very dangerous and quickly beat it over the head with a stick. I don't know what kind it was but apparently a lot of people have been killed by it.
Day 3: White water rafting. Yesterday we were told the rafting was a bit boring now because of a drought. Then it rained a lot overnight and today the river was really high...lots of water moving very fast! We travelled down river about 25 km which normally takes 2-3 hours, but today took us not more than 1 hour. After being told not to worry, that no one ever falls out...2 of the 3 rafts flipped! But everyone made it out unscathed.
Other highlights: Trips to the market to buy all the crazy kinds of fruit we don't recognize [and some we do] and making a giant fruit salad [anyone who knows how much I love fruit will understand why this is a highlight]; finding someone to repair my shoe for $1 [which ripped down both sides on the second day and I have been faithfully duct taping and re-duct taping; daily trips to the ice cream shop; and plenty of hammock + book time.
Tomorrow: We take a bus back to Quito and I have a few days of me-time before the Galapagos. The jungle is cool, but I think I prefer the slightly cooler weather in the mountains [up till now we've been craving hot showers, and now have an good supply of hot water but we're struggling to make the showers cold to escape the heat!] I also don't mind the absence of venemous snakes at higher altitude.
I hope you are all enjoying life in your part of the world!
Until next time,
S.
After having successfully avoided most tourist traps [besides the Otavalo market] for a month, I have spent the last 3 days in Tena being a proper tourist. Tena is a small city in the northern Orient, 4 or 5 hours by bus from Quito.
Day 1: A self-guided walk through a little interprative park, showcasing lots of unique plants and animals from the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 2: A jungle tour, climbing waterfalls and swimming in a lagoon...really beautiful! There was a snake right beside the path, which we all managed to walk right by until the last guy noticed it. Our guide then told us it was venemous and very dangerous and quickly beat it over the head with a stick. I don't know what kind it was but apparently a lot of people have been killed by it.
Day 3: White water rafting. Yesterday we were told the rafting was a bit boring now because of a drought. Then it rained a lot overnight and today the river was really high...lots of water moving very fast! We travelled down river about 25 km which normally takes 2-3 hours, but today took us not more than 1 hour. After being told not to worry, that no one ever falls out...2 of the 3 rafts flipped! But everyone made it out unscathed.
Other highlights: Trips to the market to buy all the crazy kinds of fruit we don't recognize [and some we do] and making a giant fruit salad [anyone who knows how much I love fruit will understand why this is a highlight]; finding someone to repair my shoe for $1 [which ripped down both sides on the second day and I have been faithfully duct taping and re-duct taping; daily trips to the ice cream shop; and plenty of hammock + book time.
Tomorrow: We take a bus back to Quito and I have a few days of me-time before the Galapagos. The jungle is cool, but I think I prefer the slightly cooler weather in the mountains [up till now we've been craving hot showers, and now have an good supply of hot water but we're struggling to make the showers cold to escape the heat!] I also don't mind the absence of venemous snakes at higher altitude.
I hope you are all enjoying life in your part of the world!
Until next time,
S.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wrapping up in Intag
The month has very quickly come to an end. Since I last wrote, we´ve done many more walks through the forest, spent hours playing Cuarenta (an Ecuadorian card game) and lying in the hammocks, and have enjoyed just going with the flow of Ecuadorian lifestyle. We spent our last night on the project camping in the Paramo at the base of Volcan Cotacachi. It was a gorgeous spot, with a full moon illuminating the volcano. I few llamas even came by to check out our camp.
We are in Quito tonight and heading to Baeza (2.5 hours east) tomorrow to take part in an event to promote the plight of the andean bear. A conservation group is organizing volunteers to construct a 2800m2 image of a bear using black and white stones. The idea is to use publicity to pressure politicians into protecting the bears. After that, we will all go our separate ways. I am going to Tena (a bit further east, into the Amazon) for a few days with another volunteer before coming back to Quito to prepare for my next volunteer stint on the Galapagos.
We are in Quito tonight and heading to Baeza (2.5 hours east) tomorrow to take part in an event to promote the plight of the andean bear. A conservation group is organizing volunteers to construct a 2800m2 image of a bear using black and white stones. The idea is to use publicity to pressure politicians into protecting the bears. After that, we will all go our separate ways. I am going to Tena (a bit further east, into the Amazon) for a few days with another volunteer before coming back to Quito to prepare for my next volunteer stint on the Galapagos.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Sore Feet and Sunshine
THE PARAMO
I´ve spent the last few days camping in the Paramo (high altitude grassland) with another volunteer, and one of the project staff, Samuel, as our guide. On Sunday we took a ride in the milk truck up to Samuel´s house where we spent the night. Early the next morning, we loaded Samuel´s quad with the three of us, plus all of our gear for three days of camping, and then tied a horse to the back of it, and set out for the trail. We walked for 4 or 5 hours (with lots of steep ups and downs - we were very grateful that we had the horse to carry all our gear) before it started to rain. So, we camped at someone´s house, completely in the middle of nowhere (I think they were friends of Samuel). The next day it was just a short walk up to the lake, our destination. An absolutely gorgeous spot, I´m afraid my pictures won´t do it justice. We did some fishing and caught a good sized trout for supper. Seven hours of hiking the next day brought us back to Samuel´s, where I ate a ton of (organically grown) grenadillas from his field (these are my new favorite fruit!). My Spanish got a lot better, since Samuel speaks no english and the other volunteer I was with speaks no Spanish. We spent a lot of time playing Cuarenta, an Ecuadorian card game (which is a bit tricky to learn when you only understand every third word!). It was a really cool few days, made even better by knowing that the area I was visiting is not in my Lonely Planet guide book.
BEAR TRACKING
We haven´t heard any bears in the last few days. There are only two bears with working collars. The others are wearing new, expensive GPS collars that aren´t transmitting a signal properly. Our other task is to cut new trails (through really dense cloud forest). This is so that the bears will use the trails, rub up against a tree, and we can then collect hair samples from uncollared bears for DNA analysis. We need multiple trails because the bears won´t use them if they can tell that people have been walking there.
FIESTA
There were some American university students visiting Pucara on a sort of study tour so the village held a fiesta for them. Everyone came out for games, music, and dancing. It was a great way for us to meet more of the people in the village. The people are very friendly with a great sense of humour - a really cool atmosphere.
REST DAY
I am back in Otavalo for a couple days off, which I will spend shopping in the market and enjoying a comfortable bed, hot showers, pizza, and giant slices of pie at The Pie Shop.
I´ve spent the last few days camping in the Paramo (high altitude grassland) with another volunteer, and one of the project staff, Samuel, as our guide. On Sunday we took a ride in the milk truck up to Samuel´s house where we spent the night. Early the next morning, we loaded Samuel´s quad with the three of us, plus all of our gear for three days of camping, and then tied a horse to the back of it, and set out for the trail. We walked for 4 or 5 hours (with lots of steep ups and downs - we were very grateful that we had the horse to carry all our gear) before it started to rain. So, we camped at someone´s house, completely in the middle of nowhere (I think they were friends of Samuel). The next day it was just a short walk up to the lake, our destination. An absolutely gorgeous spot, I´m afraid my pictures won´t do it justice. We did some fishing and caught a good sized trout for supper. Seven hours of hiking the next day brought us back to Samuel´s, where I ate a ton of (organically grown) grenadillas from his field (these are my new favorite fruit!). My Spanish got a lot better, since Samuel speaks no english and the other volunteer I was with speaks no Spanish. We spent a lot of time playing Cuarenta, an Ecuadorian card game (which is a bit tricky to learn when you only understand every third word!). It was a really cool few days, made even better by knowing that the area I was visiting is not in my Lonely Planet guide book.
BEAR TRACKING
We haven´t heard any bears in the last few days. There are only two bears with working collars. The others are wearing new, expensive GPS collars that aren´t transmitting a signal properly. Our other task is to cut new trails (through really dense cloud forest). This is so that the bears will use the trails, rub up against a tree, and we can then collect hair samples from uncollared bears for DNA analysis. We need multiple trails because the bears won´t use them if they can tell that people have been walking there.
FIESTA
There were some American university students visiting Pucara on a sort of study tour so the village held a fiesta for them. Everyone came out for games, music, and dancing. It was a great way for us to meet more of the people in the village. The people are very friendly with a great sense of humour - a really cool atmosphere.
REST DAY
I am back in Otavalo for a couple days off, which I will spend shopping in the market and enjoying a comfortable bed, hot showers, pizza, and giant slices of pie at The Pie Shop.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Arrival
Last Saturday, after what I hoped was my last blast of cold air for the year, I boarded the plane. We got about as far as the perimeter before we turned back to the Wpg airport (apparently certain planes aren´t fit for Wpg winters). So I arrived in Quito one day late. My luggage, however, was not so lucky. I prepared for this by strategically packing my carry on, but thanks to heightened security, no carry ons were allowed. But, a passport and a toothbrush can take you a long way, and I am back in Otavalo today (a 2.5 hour bus ride from the project site) to be reunited with my things.
Our house is quite remote, near a very small village. There are six other volunteers (2 from Aus, 2 from England, 1 from Scotland, and 1 from California - a good mix). There is a volleyball court in the centre of a nearby town, where the seven of us played yesterday. I think the local people where quite entertained by seven gringos playing horrible volleyball - they had a good laugh. The countryside is georgeous...it´s nice to be around mountains again. It´s supposed to be the rainy season but climate change is messing things up and it hasn´t rained yet. This is bad news for the crops, but I am enyoying the sun. I´m loving learning about the research here and issues affecting the local ecosystem. Our house is at about 2000m; walking up hill is a bit more difficult, but other than that no altitude sickness. I learned a decent number of Spanish words before I came, but I´m not so good at formulating sentences yet. There´s a woman in the village that teaches Spanish so I´m sure I will be able to improve. So, other than wearing the same clothes for the last few days, everything is going very well.
Until next time,
S.
Our house is quite remote, near a very small village. There are six other volunteers (2 from Aus, 2 from England, 1 from Scotland, and 1 from California - a good mix). There is a volleyball court in the centre of a nearby town, where the seven of us played yesterday. I think the local people where quite entertained by seven gringos playing horrible volleyball - they had a good laugh. The countryside is georgeous...it´s nice to be around mountains again. It´s supposed to be the rainy season but climate change is messing things up and it hasn´t rained yet. This is bad news for the crops, but I am enyoying the sun. I´m loving learning about the research here and issues affecting the local ecosystem. Our house is at about 2000m; walking up hill is a bit more difficult, but other than that no altitude sickness. I learned a decent number of Spanish words before I came, but I´m not so good at formulating sentences yet. There´s a woman in the village that teaches Spanish so I´m sure I will be able to improve. So, other than wearing the same clothes for the last few days, everything is going very well.
Until next time,
S.
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