So. Here we are...

Only day 2 in Ecuador and there is already much to tell, but not much time. After 24 hours of travel we arrived in Quito. Slept. Ventured out for about half an hour, then slept some more. This morning caught the bus to Mindo after a couple exciting cab adventures, and upon arrival in Mindo realized Mike's backpack was stolen from right above our heads (not his big pack, just a day pack with not much in it). Met Milton and a couple volunteers from BioMindo, who informed us of their new project on the coast and convinced us to join them there. It seems to be too rainy and cold here (seems warm to us compared to the NW), and the folks at BioMindo are ready for a coastal holiday of sorts. So we leave tomorrow for a little town on the coast (the name escapes me at the moment). 5 of us and all our stuff in a little jeep! We helped rig up a cover for it this afternoon...A change of plans, but adventure all the same, and we'll be doing similar work (biodiversity indexes, building bamboo structures, clearing trails). Word is there's no internet in the town, so it might be a while before we're heard from again. But we're here, alive and well, and hope you are, too.