Oh my goodness, it´s March! Time is flying by...
Mike and I needed to find something to do for 6 days before reuniting with Leif for continued adventures. We had been thinking about camping for a night in Cotopaxi national park and then heading off someplace else, but further research suggested that this might be a rather expensive and logistically difficult option. Cotopaxi is not super easy to get to, and options for lodging near the park aren´t ideal. So we decided to head to Baños for 5 nights. We´re discovering that we greatly prefer to stay in one place for 4-5 days (even if it means running out of things to do), rather than having to constantly be dealing with buses. I do not enjoy traveling in buses for several reasons, the biggest of which might be having to remain dehydrated all day so as not to have to pee. Guys can ask the bus to stop and just hop off on the side of the road, but there´s rarely a convenient place for a lady to relieve herself on the side of the road. On the main roads there are few bushes and lots of traffic. I could go on quite a long rant about buses, but that´s not really the point here. Anyway...
Baños is about 3.5 hours south of Quito. A tiny town tucked in a valley, surrounded by gorgeous mountains. While we were still about an hour and half away, Mike and I looked out the window of the bus and happened to notice a huge mushroom cloud of smoke and ash billowing above a large peak in the distance.
"Is that a volcano?"
"Um...I think so...I´ve never seen a volcano."
"I´m pretty sure that´s a volcano erupting."
"Huh."
No one else seems to be interested in the erupting volcano, which suggested to us that this is old news. "Oh, yeah, that whole smoke and ash thing...bo-ring..." This is, of course, Volcán Tungurahua, the slopes of which Baños is nestled into. It is also what provides the hot thermal springs that feed the baths that the town is named for. We visited the main municipal baths on Saturday and they were nice but crowded with weekending Ecuadorians. A couple of Aussies staying at our hostal said that they tried to go even later in the afternoon and there was no possible way to even get in the water, the crowd was so big. Mike and I went back to the baths early this morning (Monday), where there were no crowds and the water was lovely (although the hot bath was almost unbearable).
Since we were going to be staying put for a while, we decided it would be beneficial to take a few Spanish lessons. We´ve been getting by alright, and I think we have a pretty good command of the present tense, but it´s always good to learn more, and here we definitely had the time. We found Mayra´s Spanish School, a couple blocks away from where we´re staying, and signed up for 4 two-hour classes. 8 hours of lessons doesn´t seem like a whole lot, but it´s been super helpful. We got to take lessons with Mayra herself, who is very nice, and she gave us lots of good materials to study. It´s really nice to practice speaking with someone who will correct you and explain why you were wrong. Otherwise, it´s hard to know if what we´re saying to people is actually correct, of if they´re just politely picking apart the meaning of our mangled phrases. We´ve had lessons in the afternoons from 2-4, which gives us plenty of times for morning activities.
On Friday we set out early for a hike into the mountains that surround the town. The trail began just a couple blocks down the road from our hostal and climbed steeply up to a lookout over the town, and further up past the small village of Runtun to a lookout with a direct view of Volcán Tungurahua. The clouds still hadn´t burned off by that time in the morning, but even though we couldn´t see the peak of the volcano (which still spews smoke and ash but hasn´t been on the verge of a major erruption for a few years) it was still a beautiful of the surrounding mountains and valley. We then headed straight down the steep ridge (Mike called this part of the trail a ¨foot luge¨) back toward town, passing the giant statue of a seated Virgin Mary that watches over the valley.
No classes for us on Sunday, so another early morning found us renting bikes for the day and heading east out of town toward Puyo. The road is referred to as the ¨Highway of the Waterfalls,¨and aptly so, because there are waterfalls around every corner. Going toward Puyo is mostly downhill, but the lack of pedaling was made up for by a significant amount of hiking. We stopped a few times to hike down into the valley for better views, then back up to the road. At one point we spend about an hour hiking to a waterfall that our almost completely useless map made look much closer than it was. We finally gave up in favor of moving on to another spot, but it was a nice hike nonetheless. The most touristed (by Ecuadorians) waterfall was El Pailón del Diablo, an impressively large waterfall that was viewable by footbridge after passing through a gauntlent of vendors and restaurants on the hike down. On our way to the waterfall a group of young Ecuadorians beckoned us to come take a picture with them.
¨¿Porque somos gringos?¨
¨¡Sí!¨
¨...No...¨
This is not the first time we´ve been solicited for photos because we´re gringos...it´s somewhat of an interesting phenomenon.
After stopping along the road for lunch we decided to head back to Baños for the afternoon, so we hailed a passing ranchero and enjoyed the ride back. In the morning we hadn´t seen many other cyclists, but we passed a lot of them on our way back. Hooray for getting an early start. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in town. People watching on the weekend has been interesting. Baños seemed fairly deserted after the madness of Carnaval, but the weekend brought throngs of people into town. Foreigners aren´t the only tourist here!
Today is our last day in Baños, and tomorrow we´ll head up to Latacunga to meet Leif. Then we´ll all spend a couple days exploring the Laguna Quilotoa loop. I foresee lots of hiking in our future, and we definitely need it to get in shape for the challenging Choquequirao hike that awaits us in Peru!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Carnival in Otavalo
Carnival in Otavalo was crazy, loco, nuspa, and very fun. We spent five nights there and after reading Leif´s recounting of the events, I don´t feel as though I need to elaborate on what he wrote very much. He did an amazing job of bringing to life the events of the time spent there. Read it here. And once you´ve read that, come back and read the rest here. And since in about three more days we will be reuniting with Leif for the rest of our trip, you might as well bookmark his blog, cause events will be shared and he is an amazing writer.
The last day of Carnival.
Kelly and I spend the morning putzing around the amazing indiginous market, trying on sweaters, pants, rings, all at bargainable, low prices. Every restaurant is closed for lunch, because everyone is fiestaing. As we stroll the streets, the memory of our adventure the day before to the waterfall fresh in our minds, we keep a constant eye out for attackers. They strike from every direction with water balloons, buckets of water, flower, dye. We look at rooftops, store fronts, our feet where mini attackers threaten with water balloons, even though half the time they drop them on their own feet. We buy some bread, mayo and tuna at a tienda and head back stealthily to the hotel. As our floured, dyed, and wet clothes hang from the day before we prepare lunch and sit back and read for a bit.
The afternoon rolls in and Leif has finished classes and brought his homestay brother with him to the hotel. Knowing it is the last day of festivities, I have smartly changed back into my battle uniform and as I return from the bathroom Leif and Jorge are ready with water balloons...
¨No, no, no¨ I say and back away with my hands up, palms out, ready to deflect.
They smile and fake, not yet, they head to fill up more water balloons. I use this time to my advantage and grab the spray foam can left over from the day before.
I give them a friendly spatter of foam, all in good fun.
Leif hucks a balloon at my back when I let my guard down...it´s on.
I fill his face with foam, and Jorge threatens both of us. Okay, okay time to head to Jorge´s house where a war is being waged in the streets.
On the way Jorge pops a balloon on my back...can´t trust anyone.
When we get to the street a mob of tiny ecuadorian kids rush at us with buckets of water, spilling more on themselves than is left over in the bucket.
Jorge just barely gets the door open in time and we take our posts up above, where we pelt water balloons at them till we run out and have to resort to using buckets down on the street like them. By the time we are all completely soaked Jorge´s dad rolls up in a truck and we all pile in with a huge garbage can of water. We´re off.
We spend the next hour (maybe two?) completely soaked, crouched in the back of an uncomfortable truck. We throw water at teams set up on every corner and roof top. Our forces are no match, they have hoses, unlimited resources, and they can run. Water balloons are pelted at us from every direction...and they kinda hurt. More than half the time we are riding in the truck we don´t even have water left, so pretty much we are just there to get crap thrown at us. Freezing, crouched, unarmed, and smiling the biggest smile, Leif, Jorge and I keep glancing at each other and spouting our motto...¨Que tonto!¨ How stupid!
The last day of Carnival.
Kelly and I spend the morning putzing around the amazing indiginous market, trying on sweaters, pants, rings, all at bargainable, low prices. Every restaurant is closed for lunch, because everyone is fiestaing. As we stroll the streets, the memory of our adventure the day before to the waterfall fresh in our minds, we keep a constant eye out for attackers. They strike from every direction with water balloons, buckets of water, flower, dye. We look at rooftops, store fronts, our feet where mini attackers threaten with water balloons, even though half the time they drop them on their own feet. We buy some bread, mayo and tuna at a tienda and head back stealthily to the hotel. As our floured, dyed, and wet clothes hang from the day before we prepare lunch and sit back and read for a bit.
The afternoon rolls in and Leif has finished classes and brought his homestay brother with him to the hotel. Knowing it is the last day of festivities, I have smartly changed back into my battle uniform and as I return from the bathroom Leif and Jorge are ready with water balloons...
¨No, no, no¨ I say and back away with my hands up, palms out, ready to deflect.
They smile and fake, not yet, they head to fill up more water balloons. I use this time to my advantage and grab the spray foam can left over from the day before.
I give them a friendly spatter of foam, all in good fun.
Leif hucks a balloon at my back when I let my guard down...it´s on.
I fill his face with foam, and Jorge threatens both of us. Okay, okay time to head to Jorge´s house where a war is being waged in the streets.
On the way Jorge pops a balloon on my back...can´t trust anyone.
When we get to the street a mob of tiny ecuadorian kids rush at us with buckets of water, spilling more on themselves than is left over in the bucket.
Jorge just barely gets the door open in time and we take our posts up above, where we pelt water balloons at them till we run out and have to resort to using buckets down on the street like them. By the time we are all completely soaked Jorge´s dad rolls up in a truck and we all pile in with a huge garbage can of water. We´re off.
We spend the next hour (maybe two?) completely soaked, crouched in the back of an uncomfortable truck. We throw water at teams set up on every corner and roof top. Our forces are no match, they have hoses, unlimited resources, and they can run. Water balloons are pelted at us from every direction...and they kinda hurt. More than half the time we are riding in the truck we don´t even have water left, so pretty much we are just there to get crap thrown at us. Freezing, crouched, unarmed, and smiling the biggest smile, Leif, Jorge and I keep glancing at each other and spouting our motto...¨Que tonto!¨ How stupid!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Quito
Ecuador has such a large diversity for such a small country. It seems to have almost every type of ecosystem and just as many types of people. Everywhere you go the communities are different, the customs, culture and landscape changes. Quito seems to be a microcosm of this trend. We stayed for four days in a beautiful hostal in between the new and the old town. Casa Bambu had a kitchen we could cook in, tall, cold, one dollar beers, internet and an amazing rooftop terrace all for just five bucks a night. It was from here that we discovered the diversity of Quito. During the day we would explore the different sides of the town and at night observe it from high on our rooftop terrace. Playing cribbage, eating, drinking a beer, we watched each night as the sky grew dim and the lights of the city sprinkled on with the pervasive drone of car alarms as our soundtrack. Quito is surrounded by mountains, huge, volcanic mountains, and the buildings seem to reach up on all sides of the valley like fingertips grasping at the night sky.
The first thing we noticed about Quito, having recently come from the poorer north coast is how available everything is. We had to run errands in the new town, the Mariscal district, and this part of town could be in any city in the world. Everything you need is just around the next corner. Outdoor stores, climbing walls, supermarkets, coffee joints, bookstores, pharmacies, etc... We tried to only come here for the ATM or to run errands.
The old town is a web of tiny streets spattered with beautiful old churches and monastaries and millions of tiny stores and restaurants. There seemed to be pockets of stores that all sold the same thing. You walk down one street and find twelve stores selling soccer jerseys and balls. The next street brings tons of cell phones and places to buy jewelry or exchange gold. There is a beautiful plaza in the old town where the president´s building is situated and it is common to have a mob of protesters with signs in front of it.
We spent a day and a half exploring the old town. And we learned a good lesson in the first church we visited. We hesitantly walked into the church, looking for a place to pay the two dollars we knew we needed to give them to explore the amazing views of the clock towers. Instead of finding a ticket window we are approached by a well dressed ecuadorian.
"Hablan Espanol?" He asks.
"Un poco" we respond, as we usually do when asked this.
So he immediately starts speaking english. He says he is the priest and he starts showing us around pointing at things and stating the obvious.
"This is a baby Mary. Take a picture, take a picture."
"This is a flag, this is a picture of the pope, this is a pole. Take a picture, take a picture."
Uhm. Okay. We get done with our two minute "tour", he hands us two tiny pictures of Jesus and puts his hand out. I'm not too comfortable with this, but what am I gonna do? I give him a buck. He asks for one more. I give it to him...I'm not good with confrontation. So we step out the back, feeling a bit ripped off, and see the ticket office. Mierda! We walk up to the ticket office, yep here is where you pay two bucks. I explain in broken spanish that there is a guy hustling tourists and that he got two dollars from us. I was just telling the woman so that she would know for the future, but she starts marching off towards the church beckoning for us to follow. Uh oh, like I said I don´t like confrontation. When we get inside we see him showing the church to a much larger group, and the woman strides over to the man and says many things in very rapid spanish. We are just standing on the side, I feel bad, but we did just get swindled. She forces him to give us our money back and then kicks him out. At least we got un ripped off in the end. And it was worth it to pay the real two bucks to climb up for an epic view of the city.
We also explored one of the most ornate churches in Ecuador with tons of gold all over it. We weren´t the only ones checking out this church though, there were a bunch of other tourists, including some sort of group of beauty pagent contestants completely decked out in short dresses, with flowers and all. They were being guided by some lady from the ecuadorian military. Strange for a catholic church, no?
In the old town we also visited an amazing photography exhibit, ate in a great restaurant, and chilled in the plazas people watching. More north of the new town we found the ecuadorian artist, Guayasamin's house and museum, as well as the church/museum he made. Amazing art, amazing collection of precolonial artifacts and great archetecture all situated, yep, on a huge hill with another amazing view of the Quito valley.
The first thing we noticed about Quito, having recently come from the poorer north coast is how available everything is. We had to run errands in the new town, the Mariscal district, and this part of town could be in any city in the world. Everything you need is just around the next corner. Outdoor stores, climbing walls, supermarkets, coffee joints, bookstores, pharmacies, etc... We tried to only come here for the ATM or to run errands.
The old town is a web of tiny streets spattered with beautiful old churches and monastaries and millions of tiny stores and restaurants. There seemed to be pockets of stores that all sold the same thing. You walk down one street and find twelve stores selling soccer jerseys and balls. The next street brings tons of cell phones and places to buy jewelry or exchange gold. There is a beautiful plaza in the old town where the president´s building is situated and it is common to have a mob of protesters with signs in front of it.
We spent a day and a half exploring the old town. And we learned a good lesson in the first church we visited. We hesitantly walked into the church, looking for a place to pay the two dollars we knew we needed to give them to explore the amazing views of the clock towers. Instead of finding a ticket window we are approached by a well dressed ecuadorian.
"Hablan Espanol?" He asks.
"Un poco" we respond, as we usually do when asked this.
So he immediately starts speaking english. He says he is the priest and he starts showing us around pointing at things and stating the obvious.
"This is a baby Mary. Take a picture, take a picture."
"This is a flag, this is a picture of the pope, this is a pole. Take a picture, take a picture."
Uhm. Okay. We get done with our two minute "tour", he hands us two tiny pictures of Jesus and puts his hand out. I'm not too comfortable with this, but what am I gonna do? I give him a buck. He asks for one more. I give it to him...I'm not good with confrontation. So we step out the back, feeling a bit ripped off, and see the ticket office. Mierda! We walk up to the ticket office, yep here is where you pay two bucks. I explain in broken spanish that there is a guy hustling tourists and that he got two dollars from us. I was just telling the woman so that she would know for the future, but she starts marching off towards the church beckoning for us to follow. Uh oh, like I said I don´t like confrontation. When we get inside we see him showing the church to a much larger group, and the woman strides over to the man and says many things in very rapid spanish. We are just standing on the side, I feel bad, but we did just get swindled. She forces him to give us our money back and then kicks him out. At least we got un ripped off in the end. And it was worth it to pay the real two bucks to climb up for an epic view of the city.
We also explored one of the most ornate churches in Ecuador with tons of gold all over it. We weren´t the only ones checking out this church though, there were a bunch of other tourists, including some sort of group of beauty pagent contestants completely decked out in short dresses, with flowers and all. They were being guided by some lady from the ecuadorian military. Strange for a catholic church, no?
In the old town we also visited an amazing photography exhibit, ate in a great restaurant, and chilled in the plazas people watching. More north of the new town we found the ecuadorian artist, Guayasamin's house and museum, as well as the church/museum he made. Amazing art, amazing collection of precolonial artifacts and great archetecture all situated, yep, on a huge hill with another amazing view of the Quito valley.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Oriente Wrap-Up
Monday morning we set out in the canoe right after breakfast to head up the river back to Coca. During the canoe ride we contemplated our stay, all the cool stuff we saw, and decided that it was definitely worth it.
We had been a little (a lot) skeptical about going to a lodge. For one thing, it´s expensive (over 4 times the daily amount that we´ve been spending in Quito the last few days). And after a month of taking on the challenges of travel head on, on our own, we felt weird and kind of sheepish having everything arranged for us. I feel like our time spent volunteering in a tiny village in the most non-touristed part of Ecuador had made hardier travelers out of us, and we did not want to be unneccesarily pampered. We want to do things ourselves. We are not weak!
That being said, I´m super glad we went to a jungle lodge, and that our consciously spent dollars went to a great community. We saw WAY more stuff than we ever could have seen on our own, with the help of our extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic guides. The reserve was remote enough to be packed with life (Sani is the farthest lodge on that part of the Napo), as opposed to day trips out of Coca, which I hear can be quite a bust. The ammenities weren´t over the top: the bar and dining hall were basic, open-air buildings with thatched roofs and solar power, and we ate by candlelight when necessary. The food was a little gringo oriented, but it was simple and the portions were fair. We didn´t want to be in the jungle eating lobster and all-you-can-eat dessert buffets, and we weren´t.
Jeremy was awesome (we even discovered on the last morning that he has connections to Port Townsend--what a small, small world), and he picked activities that meshed well with our interests, so we got to go on longer, more strenuous hikes with the other younger guests. Even if we hadn´t seen an unprecedented amount of monkeys, we still would´ve had an awesome time.
All in all, it was a great experience. The Sani Isla community seems to be getting ecotourism ¨right¨and I was really happy to support them in their efforts. After all, this is what we´ve been saving money for...
We had been a little (a lot) skeptical about going to a lodge. For one thing, it´s expensive (over 4 times the daily amount that we´ve been spending in Quito the last few days). And after a month of taking on the challenges of travel head on, on our own, we felt weird and kind of sheepish having everything arranged for us. I feel like our time spent volunteering in a tiny village in the most non-touristed part of Ecuador had made hardier travelers out of us, and we did not want to be unneccesarily pampered. We want to do things ourselves. We are not weak!
That being said, I´m super glad we went to a jungle lodge, and that our consciously spent dollars went to a great community. We saw WAY more stuff than we ever could have seen on our own, with the help of our extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic guides. The reserve was remote enough to be packed with life (Sani is the farthest lodge on that part of the Napo), as opposed to day trips out of Coca, which I hear can be quite a bust. The ammenities weren´t over the top: the bar and dining hall were basic, open-air buildings with thatched roofs and solar power, and we ate by candlelight when necessary. The food was a little gringo oriented, but it was simple and the portions were fair. We didn´t want to be in the jungle eating lobster and all-you-can-eat dessert buffets, and we weren´t.
Jeremy was awesome (we even discovered on the last morning that he has connections to Port Townsend--what a small, small world), and he picked activities that meshed well with our interests, so we got to go on longer, more strenuous hikes with the other younger guests. Even if we hadn´t seen an unprecedented amount of monkeys, we still would´ve had an awesome time.
All in all, it was a great experience. The Sani Isla community seems to be getting ecotourism ¨right¨and I was really happy to support them in their efforts. After all, this is what we´ve been saving money for...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Continued Jungle Awesomeness
Sunday morning brought another 4:45 wake-up call, which was made a little more difficult by the sleepy sound of falling rain. We paddled across Laguna Challuacocha for our candle-lit breakfast in the lodge, then headed out for another morning of exploration. The weather was still a little rainy, but getting a wet doesn’t make much of a difference when you´re drenched in sweat, anyway. First stop was the 30 meter-high canopy observation tower, which was built around a giant kapok tree. It was really amazing to experience the forest from the canopy level, looking across a sea of green and feeling the energy of the morning rainforest. It´s truly spectacular to realize just how much life is surrounding us. I got of few pictures (my crappy little camera doesn’t even come close to capturing how beautiful it all is), but then of course my batteries died and I didn’t get a chance to replace them for the rest of day...We pass around binoculars and check out lots of different birds (lots of parrots, macaws, oropendulas, and others that I can’t remember). Sergio, our native guide for the day, brings along a telescope and we use it to watch many-banded araçaris, which are like mini-toucans. They´re super cute and brightly colored with yellow stripes on their chests--definitely some of my favorites from the trip. While looking at the araçaris, Mike spots even MORE black mantled tamarins chillin’ in a tree. We watch them frolick around with their cute little ¨milk mustaches,¨ and Jeremy is stoked because he´s never seen monkeys from the observation tower.
After spending about an hour and a half up in the canopy, we head off for a hike. Today´s hike is more focused on plants and ethnobotany. Jeremy and Sergio point out all kinds of cool plants: (very) phallic-looking palm roots that are used as aphrodisiacs, brisly “monkey palm” hairbrushes, spikey roots that can be used as graters, etc. We learn about which trees are best for lumber, which are best for dugout canoes, and which types of fibers are most useful for various needs. My favorite highlight was the tree that produces “dragon’s blood,” an aptly-named blood-red liquid that has antiseptic properties and can be used to seal and dry wounds (you don’t want cuts festering in the damp forest). We also find a few things to taste, including a plant that tastes exactly like garlic but isn’t related in any way, and tiny lemon ants, which we sprinkle into our palms from the tree branches that they live in. And yes, they really do taste like lemon!
We wrap up the hike and head back to the lodge for lunch, where we discover that some kids (they´re on vacation from school so there are a few helping out at the lodge) found a boa nearby. The snake (a red-tailed boa) is coiled up in a rice bag behind the bar, and Jeremy gently lifts it out to get a good look. The snake is huge and beautiful and we can definitely tell how powerful it is at begins to constrict around Jeremy´s arm. It´s a pretty special find, and we´re told by a few different staff members that we´re really lucky to see it. Jeremy returns the snake to its bag and it sits behind the bar for the rest of the afternoon, until being released later in the evening.
After lunch most of the guests and staff members pile into 2 canoes, and set off to visit the Sani Isla community. On the way a guy up in a tree is harvesting ice cream bean, and he throws some down to the canoe for us to try. The look like huge pea pods, and we eat the white, cottony looking fruit inside. It´s surprisingly juicy and mildly sweet. The community center is about a 30 minute canoe ride up river, and that day there had been a meeting so the place was really bustling. The community seems to be really well organized and democratic. The lodge is the main source of income, and the money seems to be used very transparently for community development. Currently, an internet center is in the works as well as a building for cacao processing. Jeremy and Sergio give us a little tour of the school, the medical center, meeting center, football field, etc. Then we hop back in the canoe and head a little farther upriver because Sergio has invited us to visit his father´s house. The house is simple but welcoming--made of palm with a thatched roof. We sit in the cool(er) living room, which is bare save for a couple benches along the wall and a table in the corner. A woman brings us a bowl of chicha (fermented yuca...everyone carries around buckets of chicha. It´s all-purpose: hydration and calories, plus a little alcohol kick), an offering of hospitality, and we all pass it around as Sergio´s little sisters peek around the corner at us. Sergio is really proud of the house because it´s built traditionally, with all natural materials (except for the twine on the thatching). He takes us to see the house he is building, too, and then we head back to pick up the other folks at the community center.
We spend the evening before dinner driking refreshing cold beers at the bar and looking out at the gorgeous views of the forest and lagoon. More many-banded ariçaris fly right up to the tree closest to the window, and we get a great look at them. Dinner is a traditional meal of fish steamed in banana leaves, boiled yuca, and plantains. After dinner we embark on another night hike. Sergio wants to look for a giant anteater that´s been seen around, but the hike is a bit of a bust. We see plenty of cool insects and spiders, but nothing very different from the first night. Upon returning to the cabin area, Jeremy spots an awesome tree frog with HUGE eyes hanging out on a porch, and we all get a good look before it hops away. A nice high note to end the hike on...Little did we know that even more awesomeness awaited us.
After the hike, Jeremy, Mike and I head over to the campsite across the lagoon. Mike and I hop out of the boat, but Jeremy starts freaking out and tells us to hurry up and come look. We walk back to the stern of the boat and shine our lights into the marsh. A small red and black snake (I think we found out it was a cat eye snake) is coiled around a tree and restricting a mouse that looks WAY too big for it to eat. The snake´s head is like, the size of my pinky, and this is a very healthy jungle mouse. We all stand in the boat, leaning into the trees, watching the snake be a total badass. It waits to make sure the mouse is dead, and then goes to town working its jaw and maneuvering around to get started on the mouse´s head, all the while keeping itself wrapped around the tree. After a few minutes the mouse looks like it´s being consumed by a tube sock. The snakes mouth and throat are so expanded, we can see the lines of skin between its scales and its muscles are working like crazy to get it down. We can´t believe we´re watching this. Jeremy is beside himself. It´s one thing to watch a snake in captivity eat something that´s been fed to it, but to just happen to stuble upon the process in wild, and watch it from beginning to end, is just nuts. In 10 minutes the snake slurps down the tail, and retreats into the darkness with a mouse-shaped buldge in its belly. So fucking awesome.
Then we go to bed.
After spending about an hour and a half up in the canopy, we head off for a hike. Today´s hike is more focused on plants and ethnobotany. Jeremy and Sergio point out all kinds of cool plants: (very) phallic-looking palm roots that are used as aphrodisiacs, brisly “monkey palm” hairbrushes, spikey roots that can be used as graters, etc. We learn about which trees are best for lumber, which are best for dugout canoes, and which types of fibers are most useful for various needs. My favorite highlight was the tree that produces “dragon’s blood,” an aptly-named blood-red liquid that has antiseptic properties and can be used to seal and dry wounds (you don’t want cuts festering in the damp forest). We also find a few things to taste, including a plant that tastes exactly like garlic but isn’t related in any way, and tiny lemon ants, which we sprinkle into our palms from the tree branches that they live in. And yes, they really do taste like lemon!
We wrap up the hike and head back to the lodge for lunch, where we discover that some kids (they´re on vacation from school so there are a few helping out at the lodge) found a boa nearby. The snake (a red-tailed boa) is coiled up in a rice bag behind the bar, and Jeremy gently lifts it out to get a good look. The snake is huge and beautiful and we can definitely tell how powerful it is at begins to constrict around Jeremy´s arm. It´s a pretty special find, and we´re told by a few different staff members that we´re really lucky to see it. Jeremy returns the snake to its bag and it sits behind the bar for the rest of the afternoon, until being released later in the evening.
After lunch most of the guests and staff members pile into 2 canoes, and set off to visit the Sani Isla community. On the way a guy up in a tree is harvesting ice cream bean, and he throws some down to the canoe for us to try. The look like huge pea pods, and we eat the white, cottony looking fruit inside. It´s surprisingly juicy and mildly sweet. The community center is about a 30 minute canoe ride up river, and that day there had been a meeting so the place was really bustling. The community seems to be really well organized and democratic. The lodge is the main source of income, and the money seems to be used very transparently for community development. Currently, an internet center is in the works as well as a building for cacao processing. Jeremy and Sergio give us a little tour of the school, the medical center, meeting center, football field, etc. Then we hop back in the canoe and head a little farther upriver because Sergio has invited us to visit his father´s house. The house is simple but welcoming--made of palm with a thatched roof. We sit in the cool(er) living room, which is bare save for a couple benches along the wall and a table in the corner. A woman brings us a bowl of chicha (fermented yuca...everyone carries around buckets of chicha. It´s all-purpose: hydration and calories, plus a little alcohol kick), an offering of hospitality, and we all pass it around as Sergio´s little sisters peek around the corner at us. Sergio is really proud of the house because it´s built traditionally, with all natural materials (except for the twine on the thatching). He takes us to see the house he is building, too, and then we head back to pick up the other folks at the community center.
We spend the evening before dinner driking refreshing cold beers at the bar and looking out at the gorgeous views of the forest and lagoon. More many-banded ariçaris fly right up to the tree closest to the window, and we get a great look at them. Dinner is a traditional meal of fish steamed in banana leaves, boiled yuca, and plantains. After dinner we embark on another night hike. Sergio wants to look for a giant anteater that´s been seen around, but the hike is a bit of a bust. We see plenty of cool insects and spiders, but nothing very different from the first night. Upon returning to the cabin area, Jeremy spots an awesome tree frog with HUGE eyes hanging out on a porch, and we all get a good look before it hops away. A nice high note to end the hike on...Little did we know that even more awesomeness awaited us.
After the hike, Jeremy, Mike and I head over to the campsite across the lagoon. Mike and I hop out of the boat, but Jeremy starts freaking out and tells us to hurry up and come look. We walk back to the stern of the boat and shine our lights into the marsh. A small red and black snake (I think we found out it was a cat eye snake) is coiled around a tree and restricting a mouse that looks WAY too big for it to eat. The snake´s head is like, the size of my pinky, and this is a very healthy jungle mouse. We all stand in the boat, leaning into the trees, watching the snake be a total badass. It waits to make sure the mouse is dead, and then goes to town working its jaw and maneuvering around to get started on the mouse´s head, all the while keeping itself wrapped around the tree. After a few minutes the mouse looks like it´s being consumed by a tube sock. The snakes mouth and throat are so expanded, we can see the lines of skin between its scales and its muscles are working like crazy to get it down. We can´t believe we´re watching this. Jeremy is beside himself. It´s one thing to watch a snake in captivity eat something that´s been fed to it, but to just happen to stuble upon the process in wild, and watch it from beginning to end, is just nuts. In 10 minutes the snake slurps down the tail, and retreats into the darkness with a mouse-shaped buldge in its belly. So fucking awesome.
Then we go to bed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Day two in the jungle
Ok, I will try to describe the awesomeness of day two in the jungle without rambling forever. And as you can see, we added some pictures, we have a few more to add but Kelly's camera ran out of batteries halfway through the trip. The two kiwis we were with have a blog too and will probably post much better pictures on their blog.
Jeremy says before we go to bed friday night that the best wildlife viewing is in the early morning. So we should be at breakfast at 5:30. It is suprisingly easy to wake up at 4:45 in the jungle, what with the excitement and the loud bugs and birds. There is actually a bug, called the alarm clock bug, that sounds exactly like an alarm clock...however you cannot set it, it goes off unexpectedly. So, we eat our breakfast and set off in the canoe as the sun rises, our plan is to do the longest trail that they have on the Sani property (about a 5 hour hike), with the hopes of seeing some mammals. The canoe ride is about an hour on top and as we drift through the lagoon, being paddled by Jeremy and Orlando, we take note of birds (most of which we saw the day before). On our left are loud noises, we look eagerly and see a troop of red howler monkeys in the near distance. We haven´t even started our hike and already we´re seeing monkeys. A good sign.
We get to the trail and I head up it a bit to take a piss. I see the backside of some tailed, black, furry animal. But all the monkeys here are arboreal. Must have been an otter or something of that type. Rad. As we start off on the trail, we are all teeming with excitement and anticipation. I am thinking of the wildlife hikes I led in Rhode Island where I am pumped if we see a deer, or a fox track. We are noting the little bugs, and birds along the way when Orlando stops in the front and waves us up to him. Jeremy whispers something to him and then looks at us and whispers "squirrell monkeys!". This is going to be a repeated trend for our hike. Orlando often stops and we all wait quietly while he interprets the background sounds of the forest. "Squirrell monkeys." Sho´ nuff a whole troop of squirrell monkeys crash over our heads. Probably ten or more, some with babies on their backs. They leap from trees and fall only to grab a branch and bounce through the next tree. We follow underneath the monkeys for awhile and eventually we part ways.
We continue on our hike. Orlando points to the ground and Jeremy gets excited. "Jaguar footprints." As we keep walking we are noticing that we are following the Jaguar, we even cross on a log across a little stream that has wet footprints, meaning it can't be that far ahead of us. Jeremy has never seen one though, they are pretty elusive.
Orlando stops and points off the trail to the right. We hear large crashes off in the distance, wooly monkeys, the largest that they have in the area. Orlando starts off the trail, making his own way with his machete. We get a ways in and it seems they got away. Back to the trail. We tramp through an army ant "campaign", an uncountable about of small red ants are swarming the trail for about 5, 6 meters and we run through it so that none of the soldier ants can get up our boots and stick their huge pinchers into us.
Above us and in front we see another troop of monkeys, Black Mantled Tamarins. They circle around us while Orlando mimics their call with a lip pursed squeek. They are called milk drinkers because they have a white section just above their lips that looks like a milk moustache. Super cute.
We stroll on for a bit until we hear wooly monkeys off in the distance again. Again we tromp off trail for awhile in pursuit. This time we find them, they are large, about the size of a ten year old human. Jumping and crashing through the tree tops they notice us. Some of them stop and look down at us, curious I suppose. A couple must feel threatened because they are waving branches around and trying to assert their dominance over us. We watch for awhile and head back to the trail.
We are still following the Jaguar. We also see tracks from tapirs and some kind of boar. Signs of an anteater.
We get to a spot and stop, it seems that there are noisy night monkeys in this tree. We look up with binoculars to see a pair of small, undeniably adorable, big-eyed, furry monkeys staring back at us. That's right, now we've seen five types of the eight wild monkeys that live in this region. We see some more random monkeys but Jeremy really wants to see the howlers again, only close up. And of course next we hear a troop of them drinking water off to the right, they definately hear us first and shoot up into the treetops. Two large males pass over us. Looking directly at us, one of them stops and grabs his nuts and shakes them around, again to express dominance. "I am a male, I am big" he says.
I am sure I am leaving things out. But those were the highlights. I think we got to see around 8 or 9 different troops of monkeys. Much more than usual, Jeremy says.
That night we went Caiman hunting. We floated around in the canoe and tried to get the reflections of their eyes with our flashlights. We saw one little one and one huge one. Then called it a night.
Jeremy says before we go to bed friday night that the best wildlife viewing is in the early morning. So we should be at breakfast at 5:30. It is suprisingly easy to wake up at 4:45 in the jungle, what with the excitement and the loud bugs and birds. There is actually a bug, called the alarm clock bug, that sounds exactly like an alarm clock...however you cannot set it, it goes off unexpectedly. So, we eat our breakfast and set off in the canoe as the sun rises, our plan is to do the longest trail that they have on the Sani property (about a 5 hour hike), with the hopes of seeing some mammals. The canoe ride is about an hour on top and as we drift through the lagoon, being paddled by Jeremy and Orlando, we take note of birds (most of which we saw the day before). On our left are loud noises, we look eagerly and see a troop of red howler monkeys in the near distance. We haven´t even started our hike and already we´re seeing monkeys. A good sign.
We get to the trail and I head up it a bit to take a piss. I see the backside of some tailed, black, furry animal. But all the monkeys here are arboreal. Must have been an otter or something of that type. Rad. As we start off on the trail, we are all teeming with excitement and anticipation. I am thinking of the wildlife hikes I led in Rhode Island where I am pumped if we see a deer, or a fox track. We are noting the little bugs, and birds along the way when Orlando stops in the front and waves us up to him. Jeremy whispers something to him and then looks at us and whispers "squirrell monkeys!". This is going to be a repeated trend for our hike. Orlando often stops and we all wait quietly while he interprets the background sounds of the forest. "Squirrell monkeys." Sho´ nuff a whole troop of squirrell monkeys crash over our heads. Probably ten or more, some with babies on their backs. They leap from trees and fall only to grab a branch and bounce through the next tree. We follow underneath the monkeys for awhile and eventually we part ways.
We continue on our hike. Orlando points to the ground and Jeremy gets excited. "Jaguar footprints." As we keep walking we are noticing that we are following the Jaguar, we even cross on a log across a little stream that has wet footprints, meaning it can't be that far ahead of us. Jeremy has never seen one though, they are pretty elusive.
Orlando stops and points off the trail to the right. We hear large crashes off in the distance, wooly monkeys, the largest that they have in the area. Orlando starts off the trail, making his own way with his machete. We get a ways in and it seems they got away. Back to the trail. We tramp through an army ant "campaign", an uncountable about of small red ants are swarming the trail for about 5, 6 meters and we run through it so that none of the soldier ants can get up our boots and stick their huge pinchers into us.
Above us and in front we see another troop of monkeys, Black Mantled Tamarins. They circle around us while Orlando mimics their call with a lip pursed squeek. They are called milk drinkers because they have a white section just above their lips that looks like a milk moustache. Super cute.
We stroll on for a bit until we hear wooly monkeys off in the distance again. Again we tromp off trail for awhile in pursuit. This time we find them, they are large, about the size of a ten year old human. Jumping and crashing through the tree tops they notice us. Some of them stop and look down at us, curious I suppose. A couple must feel threatened because they are waving branches around and trying to assert their dominance over us. We watch for awhile and head back to the trail.
We are still following the Jaguar. We also see tracks from tapirs and some kind of boar. Signs of an anteater.
We get to a spot and stop, it seems that there are noisy night monkeys in this tree. We look up with binoculars to see a pair of small, undeniably adorable, big-eyed, furry monkeys staring back at us. That's right, now we've seen five types of the eight wild monkeys that live in this region. We see some more random monkeys but Jeremy really wants to see the howlers again, only close up. And of course next we hear a troop of them drinking water off to the right, they definately hear us first and shoot up into the treetops. Two large males pass over us. Looking directly at us, one of them stops and grabs his nuts and shakes them around, again to express dominance. "I am a male, I am big" he says.
I am sure I am leaving things out. But those were the highlights. I think we got to see around 8 or 9 different troops of monkeys. Much more than usual, Jeremy says.
That night we went Caiman hunting. We floated around in the canoe and tried to get the reflections of their eyes with our flashlights. We saw one little one and one huge one. Then called it a night.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The first day in the jungle
We just got back from our four day stay in the Amazon. It seems like a lot longer than four days, each day was so packed, so I am going to start by just writing about the first day. Hopefully the other three will follow soon.
We went to a community-owned jungle lodge called Sani Lodge. We felt a bit weird because for the last month we have been living in less fortunate areas, not knowing much of what was going on and constantly having transportation misadventures. But now this lodge organized everything for us and had a person waiting at the airport in Quito and in Coca. We met the others that would be staying at the lodge with us. Jared and Rachel, two kiwis about our age who were living in Houston, Rich, an avid fisherman from Maryland, and a couple from Chili. A very small crew, we had the lodge and the staff to ourselves.
When we got off the plane in Coca Jeremy, our guide for the duration, who has lived all over the place, has citizenship in three countries and most recently came from Portland, greeted us in English. He led us on a bus and then to a huge motor-driven canoe where we were joined by a few locals catching a ride up the Rio Napo to their houses. It was a three hour canoe ride with the sun hot and welcomed and the spray from the river crisp and refreshing. Along the way Jeremy pointed out birds, Greater Egret, something Kingfisher. Small dwellings could be seen through the thin layer of foliage on the banks of the ridiculously wide and powerful river. We passed the Sani community center, dropped some people off and made our way to the lodge storage facility where we transfered into a smaller canoe. We then made our way up a smaller river, a much different environment. Shaded by the canopy, the small tributary wound in sharp coils and errant branches drifted past our heads. I looked around to see if Ice Cube was nearby battling an anaconda.
We made it to the lodge. Breathtaking. Amazing naturally built structures right on the edge of a tranquil lagoon. We step inside for an orientation and then Jeremy paddles us to where we will be camping (everyone else was staying in cabins). The tent is set up with sheets, towels and mini soaps and is located on a large platform right on the water's edge. Ideal. Jeremy camps out here too and he comes over and suggests that we spend the afternoon until dinner taking a relaxing canoe paddle to examine the evening bird activity.
So many birds...in this one area of land over 550 species have been found. I'm not even going to try to write them all in here, however I wrote them all in my journal, Jeremy says that is the first sign of a birder...uh oh, next thing you know I'll be up at 3 sitting motionless in the forest, staring at a trail of ants for hours waiting for an antbird to show up. Mealy Amazons (A type of monogamous parrot) fly over us in pairs. Oropendulas fly in flocks to their amazing hanging nests. Frogs and birds all around us create a cocophany of sound and it is all backed up by the deep, screaming drone of howler monkeys in the distance. They sound ominous. Now instead of Ice Cube, I am looking for Jack and Lock to come bursting out of the forest being chased by the smoke monster. As the sun sets we float back to the dock being chided by prehistoric looking hoatzins (stinky turkeys). We sit down to a candle lit dinner which is obviously geared toward a gringo taste.
After dinner Jeremy suggests a night hike. Night hikes in the Amazon are a bit different from night hikes in Rhode Island or Orcas. First of all it is actually dark early enough. Secondly, you actually see stuff...lots of stuff...scary, nightmarish stuff...cute, slightly cuddly stuff. As we set off I get excited about a three inch long, black and yellow millipede. However by the end of the hike we probably saw 50 of them. They look like they are out of a Pixar animated movie, little antennae bobbing and weaving in front of their heads. As we stroll along there are multitudes of different Katydids, Grasshoppers, and stick bugs on the leaves, all trying to blend in, in their own unique way. All trying to not get eaten. We see spiders, and I'm not talking about the biggest scariest spider you've ever seen in the states, I'm talking huge, hairy tarantulas, crazy-freaky Tailless Whip Scorpions, Lycosids of all shapes and sizes, spiky abdomens, ginormous fangs, redonkulous proportions. It's true, everything is much effing bigger in the Amazon. Jeremy gets peed on by a bat that barely misses hitting Orlando's head (Orlando was our native guide for the first two days and the founder of the lodge, super knowledgable, bright, friendly, crinkly smile, intense, searching eyes.)
The night has come to an end and we join Jeremy in the canoe and head back to our campsite. We walk to the bathroom and note two tarantulas on the way. Remember to bring shoes and a light. One last treat before bed, a Black Caiman. Right on the water next to our tent is a very small (one meter with tail) Caiman, which is like an alligator. We get a good view of it but it isn't nice to shine lights in their eyes for very long and when we turn away it rapidly turns away too and swims for deeper water.
Sweating profusely but grinning wide we lay in our tent and try to fall asleep with the excitement of the day bouncing in our head and the excitement of the next day steeping in our brains.
We went to a community-owned jungle lodge called Sani Lodge. We felt a bit weird because for the last month we have been living in less fortunate areas, not knowing much of what was going on and constantly having transportation misadventures. But now this lodge organized everything for us and had a person waiting at the airport in Quito and in Coca. We met the others that would be staying at the lodge with us. Jared and Rachel, two kiwis about our age who were living in Houston, Rich, an avid fisherman from Maryland, and a couple from Chili. A very small crew, we had the lodge and the staff to ourselves.
When we got off the plane in Coca Jeremy, our guide for the duration, who has lived all over the place, has citizenship in three countries and most recently came from Portland, greeted us in English. He led us on a bus and then to a huge motor-driven canoe where we were joined by a few locals catching a ride up the Rio Napo to their houses. It was a three hour canoe ride with the sun hot and welcomed and the spray from the river crisp and refreshing. Along the way Jeremy pointed out birds, Greater Egret, something Kingfisher. Small dwellings could be seen through the thin layer of foliage on the banks of the ridiculously wide and powerful river. We passed the Sani community center, dropped some people off and made our way to the lodge storage facility where we transfered into a smaller canoe. We then made our way up a smaller river, a much different environment. Shaded by the canopy, the small tributary wound in sharp coils and errant branches drifted past our heads. I looked around to see if Ice Cube was nearby battling an anaconda.
We made it to the lodge. Breathtaking. Amazing naturally built structures right on the edge of a tranquil lagoon. We step inside for an orientation and then Jeremy paddles us to where we will be camping (everyone else was staying in cabins). The tent is set up with sheets, towels and mini soaps and is located on a large platform right on the water's edge. Ideal. Jeremy camps out here too and he comes over and suggests that we spend the afternoon until dinner taking a relaxing canoe paddle to examine the evening bird activity.
So many birds...in this one area of land over 550 species have been found. I'm not even going to try to write them all in here, however I wrote them all in my journal, Jeremy says that is the first sign of a birder...uh oh, next thing you know I'll be up at 3 sitting motionless in the forest, staring at a trail of ants for hours waiting for an antbird to show up. Mealy Amazons (A type of monogamous parrot) fly over us in pairs. Oropendulas fly in flocks to their amazing hanging nests. Frogs and birds all around us create a cocophany of sound and it is all backed up by the deep, screaming drone of howler monkeys in the distance. They sound ominous. Now instead of Ice Cube, I am looking for Jack and Lock to come bursting out of the forest being chased by the smoke monster. As the sun sets we float back to the dock being chided by prehistoric looking hoatzins (stinky turkeys). We sit down to a candle lit dinner which is obviously geared toward a gringo taste.
After dinner Jeremy suggests a night hike. Night hikes in the Amazon are a bit different from night hikes in Rhode Island or Orcas. First of all it is actually dark early enough. Secondly, you actually see stuff...lots of stuff...scary, nightmarish stuff...cute, slightly cuddly stuff. As we set off I get excited about a three inch long, black and yellow millipede. However by the end of the hike we probably saw 50 of them. They look like they are out of a Pixar animated movie, little antennae bobbing and weaving in front of their heads. As we stroll along there are multitudes of different Katydids, Grasshoppers, and stick bugs on the leaves, all trying to blend in, in their own unique way. All trying to not get eaten. We see spiders, and I'm not talking about the biggest scariest spider you've ever seen in the states, I'm talking huge, hairy tarantulas, crazy-freaky Tailless Whip Scorpions, Lycosids of all shapes and sizes, spiky abdomens, ginormous fangs, redonkulous proportions. It's true, everything is much effing bigger in the Amazon. Jeremy gets peed on by a bat that barely misses hitting Orlando's head (Orlando was our native guide for the first two days and the founder of the lodge, super knowledgable, bright, friendly, crinkly smile, intense, searching eyes.)
The night has come to an end and we join Jeremy in the canoe and head back to our campsite. We walk to the bathroom and note two tarantulas on the way. Remember to bring shoes and a light. One last treat before bed, a Black Caiman. Right on the water next to our tent is a very small (one meter with tail) Caiman, which is like an alligator. We get a good view of it but it isn't nice to shine lights in their eyes for very long and when we turn away it rapidly turns away too and swims for deeper water.
Sweating profusely but grinning wide we lay in our tent and try to fall asleep with the excitement of the day bouncing in our head and the excitement of the next day steeping in our brains.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Me gusta Mindo
As Kelly described, we had a bit of a long, crazy day of traveling to get back to Mindo. If you remember, on our trip to Atacames I got hit in the face with a branch travelling fairly fast, sitting on the top of a bus. Well, this last time, right as we were leaving Estero, I somehow sliced a large chunk of skin off of my big toe...it´s pretty much healed now. However now I have crazy stomach problems and have been shitting like crazy for like three days now...besides my bad luck with injuries and illnesses, Mindo has been mui divertido (very fun).
On Saturday we had a free day, we slept in till 7 and then had a breakfast of...yep...veggies and plantains. Kelly and I wanted to get the Mindo experience since we are here for just a bit longer. Mindo offers many things, but the river was a bit cold for innertubing and while birds are cool and all, we aren´t interested in paying ridiculous amounts of money to look at them. So that left us with the coolest option, ziplining. We took about a 45 minute hike up to the higher part of the canopy in Mindo valley to a zipline company that Milton knows. Two young excited Ecuadorians (I think we were the first group of the day) strapped us into our harnesses, popped old school helmets on our domes (no hairnets!), and gave us heavily preused gloves. They then led us up to the first zipline and explained the rules in spanish. Hmmm...I get most of the rules, missed a couple words, eh, its cool. I fly down the zipline, canopy glowing, vibrant, verde below, Juan stops me at the end. I think to myself, well, that wasn´t very long...or really that exciting, not really worth ten bucks. Then he leads us to another one, oh okay, two for ten bucks thats a good deal. Turns out we take ten total leading us over and back and across and down, all over the canopy, with little trails in between. Along the way they point out numerous tiny orchids and convince us to ride the zipline in less conventional ways and if you see the pictures some of them are a bit suggestive. Very fun.
We then keep on hiking up the road for another half hour or so and come to a cable car that takes you across the canopy to a series of waterfalls. Which I am sure are amazing to swim in...if it wasn´t fairly cold out. We hike around for awhile and check out some waterfalls but by this time we are all starving and a bit tired of walking, so we head back.
Yesterday we spent most of the day working. Kelly and I built some garden beds and transplanted some tomates, pumpkins, garlic and a mystery plant while Steffen and Milton got the stove working and modified a bamboo frame to fit it. In the afternoon we made a map of the trail we built in Estero de Platano and fleshed out ideas we had for making the trail into an interpretive trail. After that Kelly and I looked over a document that Milton was writing for his bird watching programs and edited the english parts. By this time it was dinner and we headed back to the casa to eat and have a beer.
On Saturday we had a free day, we slept in till 7 and then had a breakfast of...yep...veggies and plantains. Kelly and I wanted to get the Mindo experience since we are here for just a bit longer. Mindo offers many things, but the river was a bit cold for innertubing and while birds are cool and all, we aren´t interested in paying ridiculous amounts of money to look at them. So that left us with the coolest option, ziplining. We took about a 45 minute hike up to the higher part of the canopy in Mindo valley to a zipline company that Milton knows. Two young excited Ecuadorians (I think we were the first group of the day) strapped us into our harnesses, popped old school helmets on our domes (no hairnets!), and gave us heavily preused gloves. They then led us up to the first zipline and explained the rules in spanish. Hmmm...I get most of the rules, missed a couple words, eh, its cool. I fly down the zipline, canopy glowing, vibrant, verde below, Juan stops me at the end. I think to myself, well, that wasn´t very long...or really that exciting, not really worth ten bucks. Then he leads us to another one, oh okay, two for ten bucks thats a good deal. Turns out we take ten total leading us over and back and across and down, all over the canopy, with little trails in between. Along the way they point out numerous tiny orchids and convince us to ride the zipline in less conventional ways and if you see the pictures some of them are a bit suggestive. Very fun.
We then keep on hiking up the road for another half hour or so and come to a cable car that takes you across the canopy to a series of waterfalls. Which I am sure are amazing to swim in...if it wasn´t fairly cold out. We hike around for awhile and check out some waterfalls but by this time we are all starving and a bit tired of walking, so we head back.
Yesterday we spent most of the day working. Kelly and I built some garden beds and transplanted some tomates, pumpkins, garlic and a mystery plant while Steffen and Milton got the stove working and modified a bamboo frame to fit it. In the afternoon we made a map of the trail we built in Estero de Platano and fleshed out ideas we had for making the trail into an interpretive trail. After that Kelly and I looked over a document that Milton was writing for his bird watching programs and edited the english parts. By this time it was dinner and we headed back to the casa to eat and have a beer.
Oh, and...
...this computer won´t let me access the USB port to upload photos, but Steffen has a few posted on his flickr site. You can view them here. Bonus points for you if you can read German!
Back in Mindo
We´re back in Mindo now, currently waiting for an 11:00 bus to Los Bancos just to go use an ATM. Milton told us there was a bus at 7:30 this morning, and we left at 7:00 to catch it, but of course there wasn´t one so once again our day off will be consumed by silly travel snafus. Anyway...
We left the coast on Thursday. Once again we packed a ridiculous amount of stuff (more than we had on the first trip) and 5 people into Milton´s 50-year-old Jeep. It´s a miracle that we were able to all fit, and even more of a miracle that the car made it all the way. Mike and I thought that this time we´d be more mentally prepared for the journey ahead, but the 12 hour adventure was just as interesting as the last. We left Estero at about 8:30, and arrived in Tonchigue at 9:30ish. Milton pulled into a little place that I guess was a garage of sorts.
"What are we doing?"
Milton said something about hooks and then he and Leo busied themselves doing things while the guy from the garage looked under the car. Mike, Steffen and I went to the paneria to buy some cheap, yummy bread. When we returned a guy was welding little pieces of metal onto the sides of the jeep. Milton wanted a better way to secure the tarp on the car, so he chose the day that we were leaving with ALL of our belongings and had a long drive ahead to get the job done. Feeling useless, we stood around in the sun, sweating and squinting, on one of the hottest days we´d had on the coast so far...
This is how most of the stops along the way went. The jeep would stop, there would be no explanation of what we were doing or how long it might take, and we would shuffle around feeling useless. Since the trip back to Mindo was essentially all uphill, water constantly needed to be added to the radiator the prevent overheating. The jeep groaned and sputtered up the hills, never going over 35 mph, while we all sat in various uncomfortable positions and listened to Leo belt out pop songs in Spanish. At some point a police officer stopped the car for not having seatbelts (and probably a few other safety violations). Milton gave him $5 and he left us alone.
The crowning moment of the trip occured at dusk in Los Bancos, when while we were going down a hill the engine died and the brakes failed. The jeep went careening down the hill, almost crashed into the cemement barrier on the side of the road, and rolled to a stop in a parking lot by a school. We commenced with our usual routine of wandering around feeling useless, and a little while later we got going again into the darkness, still with no brakes and only a single headlight.
We finally slowly rolled into Mindo at 8:30 that night, happily set our stuff down in our room (our own spacious room!) and went into town to make some dinner at BioMindo´s juice bar, since the stove in the kitchen wasn´t working.
Another long day of traveling in the books. Needless to say, I´m glad we don´t have to do it again.
We left the coast on Thursday. Once again we packed a ridiculous amount of stuff (more than we had on the first trip) and 5 people into Milton´s 50-year-old Jeep. It´s a miracle that we were able to all fit, and even more of a miracle that the car made it all the way. Mike and I thought that this time we´d be more mentally prepared for the journey ahead, but the 12 hour adventure was just as interesting as the last. We left Estero at about 8:30, and arrived in Tonchigue at 9:30ish. Milton pulled into a little place that I guess was a garage of sorts.
"What are we doing?"
Milton said something about hooks and then he and Leo busied themselves doing things while the guy from the garage looked under the car. Mike, Steffen and I went to the paneria to buy some cheap, yummy bread. When we returned a guy was welding little pieces of metal onto the sides of the jeep. Milton wanted a better way to secure the tarp on the car, so he chose the day that we were leaving with ALL of our belongings and had a long drive ahead to get the job done. Feeling useless, we stood around in the sun, sweating and squinting, on one of the hottest days we´d had on the coast so far...
This is how most of the stops along the way went. The jeep would stop, there would be no explanation of what we were doing or how long it might take, and we would shuffle around feeling useless. Since the trip back to Mindo was essentially all uphill, water constantly needed to be added to the radiator the prevent overheating. The jeep groaned and sputtered up the hills, never going over 35 mph, while we all sat in various uncomfortable positions and listened to Leo belt out pop songs in Spanish. At some point a police officer stopped the car for not having seatbelts (and probably a few other safety violations). Milton gave him $5 and he left us alone.
The crowning moment of the trip occured at dusk in Los Bancos, when while we were going down a hill the engine died and the brakes failed. The jeep went careening down the hill, almost crashed into the cemement barrier on the side of the road, and rolled to a stop in a parking lot by a school. We commenced with our usual routine of wandering around feeling useless, and a little while later we got going again into the darkness, still with no brakes and only a single headlight.
We finally slowly rolled into Mindo at 8:30 that night, happily set our stuff down in our room (our own spacious room!) and went into town to make some dinner at BioMindo´s juice bar, since the stove in the kitchen wasn´t working.
Another long day of traveling in the books. Needless to say, I´m glad we don´t have to do it again.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Atacamas adventure cont...
So, little did we know when Kelly last wrote that our Atacamas adventure was only half over. After leaving the internet cafe we went to the bus stop to check with a bus driver that there was a bus leaving Atacamas going home to Estero at six, like everyone had said already. The bus driver agreed, the next and last bus going where we wanted was at 6. So, we walked around a bit more, I bought some clothes detergent, we drank some Batidos, and then we returned to the bus stop at a quarter to 6. An hour passed and we came to realize that there were no more busses going home that day. We didn´t really want to stay in Atacamas, it was saturday night, where ever we stayed would have been expensive and filled with loud drunk people all night. So we took a bus to a town about halfway home. We were tired, it was dark and the bus was packed and hot. We got to Tonchigue and lo and behold, the town hadn´t had electricity for 2 days, and we had no idea where the hotels were. We asked a nice young man and he took us to one of the two hotels. No vacancy...at least not for us at that hour. So we went to the next one and woke the owner, who was on the couch in the front room. Also no vacancy. Luckily there was a couple who were staying there who spoke english and convinced him to give us the two rooms he had left...hmmm...thought he said no vacancy...the rooms were a bit dingy, but a bed´s a bed. We then got the owner to sell us three warm beers and sat in front, watched fisherman put away a net, and listened to the loud crashing of the waves on the beach.
A half day trip to use the internet and go to the bank turned into a day and a half. We have yet to successfully, without kinks, take a bus.
Steffen, Kelly and I have been by ourselves in the little hut since saturday. None of us speak spanish that well, the two ecuadorians, Leo and Milton, left to run errands in other towns. We thought one of them would be back on Sunday, but now it seems maybe not until tomorrow. Either way we feel a bit strange living in this hut. It is now basically a gringo zoo exhibit, because the hut is located directly between the two very intertwined families houses. I think all three of us are ready to head back to Mindo soon, where most likely we will not have to battle chickens, dogs, and bugs during the day, and rats at night...well at least not as much.
A half day trip to use the internet and go to the bank turned into a day and a half. We have yet to successfully, without kinks, take a bus.
Steffen, Kelly and I have been by ourselves in the little hut since saturday. None of us speak spanish that well, the two ecuadorians, Leo and Milton, left to run errands in other towns. We thought one of them would be back on Sunday, but now it seems maybe not until tomorrow. Either way we feel a bit strange living in this hut. It is now basically a gringo zoo exhibit, because the hut is located directly between the two very intertwined families houses. I think all three of us are ready to head back to Mindo soon, where most likely we will not have to battle chickens, dogs, and bugs during the day, and rats at night...well at least not as much.
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