Ten Things I'll Miss About Ecuador
10. Cheap transportation
9. Snack stores where you can buy a single roll of crackers or cookies instead of having to buy in bulk
8. Pirated DVDs
7. Empanadas, fresh avocados, fresh fruits, bread stores on every corner
6. Spanish pop music
5. The commonness of walking places. It's not that far away...why get in your car and drive there?
4. The nature.
3. Hearing Spanish everyday. It's such a beautiful language
2. The SOCCER ATMOSPHERE
1. The people. The guy on the street corner who sells mani dulce. The guards at my apartment complex. the woman at the sandwich shop by school which I frequented at least twice a week. My fellow BCAers: Alex, Amy, Vince, Kandi, January, Keita, Shun, Sophie, Lily, Julie, Joi, Kaitlin, Hannah, Ashley, Wesley, and Rachele. Daniel and Martha, BCA Program Directors. Volunteer people and the soccer boys: Galo, Andres, Camila, Chespie, Charlie, Suco, Messi, Jazmani, Miguel, Nathan, Paul, Morocho, David, etc. Friends from the U: Ana, Beth, Hannah, David, Stefano, Sebastian, Daniel, Paz, Claudia, Hector, Mika. My church community here. My extended family: Grandma, Martin, Susana, Samuel, Gabriel, Monica, Ignacio, Nicolas. And last but not least, my host family: Sol and Sebas and Bibi.
"Because I knew you....I have been changed for good."
Ten Things I Miss About the States
10. Safe and free drinking water
9. My cell phone
8. Not getting hit on by creepy old men on the streets
7. Dairy Queen, Sonic, Chinese food, real milk, cereal, pie, poppyseed bread, etc.
6. Tv Shows in English
5. Uncrowded streets and driving a car
4. Understanding everything
3. Fresh air
2. Throwing my toilet paper in the toilet
1. The people. My friends, my family, my dog.
This isn't goodbye, Quito, it's until later.
Que Dios les bendiga.
This is Lizzie, signing off.
Chao, chicos.
BCA Study Abroad Spring 2011.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Cuenca: Not for tourists
Not going to talk much about this one because it wasn't that exciting. And it's so close to me coming home that I'm lacking the patience to do anything for a long period of time.
Ashley and I left from the bus stop near La Mariscal on Tuesday night at 10:00. Arrived in Cuenca, a mountain town south of Quito, at about 7:40 in the morning. Grabbed breakfast at a bread shop and found the other bus station that would take us to the Incan ruins in Cañar. They were actually pretty cool. Their temple of the sun is the only oval-shaped Incan temple in the entire South American continent. Our tour guide spoke English during the tour because we had some annoying old American tourists who would ask him questions and talk really loudly and slowly. And they would stupidly use big words. So annoying. I think he liked Ashley and I, though, because we talked to him in Spanish.
Temple of the Sun:
Got back to Cuenca around 3 in the afternoon. Checked into a hostel, The Cafecito, and found the main square of town. Pretty architecture. Not much to do.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception:
Some bank:
We wandered/sat around until we ate supper. Got the vibe that Cuenca is a pretty classy city. There were high-dollar clothes stores on every corner and furniture stores every other store. Went to bed literally at 8:30. Woke up on Thursday morning at 10. Ate breakfast at the hostel and then started our day. We went to the Museo del Banco Central AKA Museo Pumapungo. There was art and recreations of the different ethnic tribes in Ecuador. Very interesting. And free. There was also a park out back that we walked around in and randomly stumbled upon a little birdie zoo. Highlight.
We finished up there around 2, found a snack, and then headed to the Panama hat museum which wasn't that in-depth. So we were done there in like half an hour. Then we tried some other museums, but they were all either closed or too small. Wasted time until supper and then got to the bus station by 6:45 even though the bus didn't leave until 10. Passed the time playing MASH, hangman, pictionary, and iTunes charades. Got back to Quito Friday morning at 7:00.
Ashley and I left from the bus stop near La Mariscal on Tuesday night at 10:00. Arrived in Cuenca, a mountain town south of Quito, at about 7:40 in the morning. Grabbed breakfast at a bread shop and found the other bus station that would take us to the Incan ruins in Cañar. They were actually pretty cool. Their temple of the sun is the only oval-shaped Incan temple in the entire South American continent. Our tour guide spoke English during the tour because we had some annoying old American tourists who would ask him questions and talk really loudly and slowly. And they would stupidly use big words. So annoying. I think he liked Ashley and I, though, because we talked to him in Spanish.
Temple of the Sun:
Got back to Cuenca around 3 in the afternoon. Checked into a hostel, The Cafecito, and found the main square of town. Pretty architecture. Not much to do.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception:
We wandered/sat around until we ate supper. Got the vibe that Cuenca is a pretty classy city. There were high-dollar clothes stores on every corner and furniture stores every other store. Went to bed literally at 8:30. Woke up on Thursday morning at 10. Ate breakfast at the hostel and then started our day. We went to the Museo del Banco Central AKA Museo Pumapungo. There was art and recreations of the different ethnic tribes in Ecuador. Very interesting. And free. There was also a park out back that we walked around in and randomly stumbled upon a little birdie zoo. Highlight.
We finished up there around 2, found a snack, and then headed to the Panama hat museum which wasn't that in-depth. So we were done there in like half an hour. Then we tried some other museums, but they were all either closed or too small. Wasted time until supper and then got to the bus station by 6:45 even though the bus didn't leave until 10. Passed the time playing MASH, hangman, pictionary, and iTunes charades. Got back to Quito Friday morning at 7:00.
Monday, May 9, 2011
End of school stuff
We came back from Spring Break and had one more week of legit classes before finals week. But since a lot of my classes had gringos in them who want to travel, I had all but one of my finals this first week in May. it was a busy week to say the least.
Monday, May 2: Botany Lab Final. Easier than the midterm, but still hard. Tons of homework.
Tuesday, May 3: Prep for finals in my classes. Had another late night soccer game. Except this time it wasn't as late. We played at 9:00 in Tumbaco. Us volunteers/friends of Insport were playing the older Insport kids, the one's I don't volunteer with. The game was commemorating Insport becoming a legal soccer club. This was their first "official" game. Against us. Galo had shirts made in honor of the event for our team to wear as a jersey. We ended up winning 4-3, and it was a good game. Got home. Tons of homework.
Wednesday, May 4: Found out that my plant collecting botany project was due today at 6 instead of Thursday like I thought it was. Our professor is such a great communicator. So I spent from noon until 6 finishing that up. We were supposed to have 20 plants each, but I only had 12. Oh well. Botany can go jump off a bridge. Tons of homework.
Thursday, May 5: Advanced Spanish Final. Intermediate Spanish Final. Then we had our BCA final dinner at Papallacta, which is about an hour south of Cumbaya (where the universidad is located) up in the Andes mountains. I had a dinner of veggies, chicken, mora juice, bread, locro (potato soup with avacado), and cake. Delicious. Then we all changed into our bathing suits and hung out in the natural hot baths. It felt soooo good, but sometimes it got kind of hot, so we would take a dip in the polar bear bath and then jump back in the hot baths. It was a really nice, relaxing last activity for BCA. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I didn't have any homework!
Joi, Rachele (creeping), Lily, Wesley, Me:
Friday, May 6: Final improv presentation. I won't explain a lot except for that it was a ton of fun, there were a lot of BCA people who came to watch which was really cool, and I'm going to miss my improv classmates a lot. One thing we did for this presentation was prepare a rant. A little informal speech about something we're passionate about. We all had to perform in class, but we could decide if we wanted to perform at this final presentation or not. I originally said no, but when I got such positive feedback from the class, I had to do it. My topic was the death penalty. I think I'm so passionate about this topic because I can't see the other side. I'm pretty good at seeing the pros and cons or the arguments for either side for most topics, but with the death penalty I just can't fathom why anyone would be for it. So here's what I wrote. It won't be the same because you can't hear the inflection in my voice and whatnot, but without a doubt I had the most emotion and passion than anyone else in my class. Oh, and it's in English because I don’t feel like I get my point across in Spanish. I’ve been thinking and arguing and formulating my thoughts in English my whole life. It’s just not possible to express myself in Spanish the same way I can in English. The ebb and flow of the words, the way I make my points; it all means more to me in English. It feels more natural, it gets me worked up. And that's what the rant is all about.
So here it is:
"Picture this. You’re a parent. You love your child. You would do anything to protect your child. But unbelievable tragedy strikes and your child is murdered. What comes next is only normal for a person in your situation. Grief, rage, confusion, emptiness, denial. The pain envelopes you in the same way fog envelopes a city. It reaches into every corner and crevice of your being. It bores straight through your heart, leaving a void that nothing can possibly fill. The only thing that might mend that hole even in the slightest is justice. Watching the murderer meet the same end to which he or she sentenced your child. The death penalty. There’s some comfort in knowing that the murderer will never again be able to take away the precious gift of life.
Let’s reflect. You’re upset. That’s understandable, but does killing the killer solve anything? You may expect to feel closure with the death of the killer, but nothing is going to bring back your child and nothing is going to answer the questions why me? Why my child? And think about it, how hypocritical is the death penalty? Why do we kill people for killing people to show that killing people is wrong? You wouldn’t hit your child to show them that hitting people is wrong. Let’s also take into account that with the death penalty, it’s not just one person deciding to kill another human being. It’s several people coming to a conclusion that someone else deserves to die. How freaking messed up does that sound? THAT right there is the most premeditated of murders. Is that even justice or is that abuse of power? No human being should have to power to decide who DESERVES to live and who DESERVES to die. That’s the right of God. And it’s when we start playing God that we get into trouble.
Every human has the right to life. You have the right to life, you have the right to life, as do you, and you, and you, and ME, and WE, as fellow humans don’t have the right to take THAT right away. The death penalty is hypocritical, barbaric, and unjust. Open your eyes! It’s not a solution, it’s a problem."
Bought bus tickets to go to Cuenca with Ashley. Made another stop by the DVD store (it's an addiction). Watched a movie. Went to bed.
Saturday, May 7: Wesley, Ashley, and I met at the North Station at 8:45 to head to the south terminal to go to Cotopaxi, a large snow-capped volcano visible from the valleys near Quito. We get on the trolley and by the time we get to the south terminal we are squished closer than sardines. Seriously. We're standing there and we're not even swaying as the bus moves. That's how packed we are. We get into the terminal and we see that the second story where you buy bus tickets is packed and we're like "What is everyone doing?" Then a kind gentleman explains to us that because it's a voting day (a 10 question consulta popular) everyone is going home to vote. In Ecuador, voting is mandatory at the age of 18. Now, in the states, if we knew we had to vote on a SATURDAY, we would all be going home on FRIDAY. Not here. So we ditch the Cotopaxi idea, head back to Quito, and eat lunch at Quicentro (the mall). Later that night we went to a Mexican restaurant in La Mariscal to celebrate the birthdays that aren't during this semester. Fun times.
Sunday, May 8: Mother's day. Went to Liga game with Ashley and Joi at noon. Last Liga game! : ( We won 2-1 and both goals were scored on the side we were on.
Made it to Quicentro by 3:00 to meet my mom, brother, and mom's cousin, Clau. We ate at Crepes and Waffles, which is a company that sells the most delicious ice creams. I had a chicken, cheese, and broccoli crepe, and we split two large ice cream bowl things. To die for.
Then the three of them went to see a movie I had already seen so I headed home to call my real mom and study for my Botany final.
Monday, May 9: Botany final. It was hard. I struggled. And it's hard to BS in Spanish, but I saw a lot of other people were struggling as well so that made me feel better. Finished some improv homework and then ran errands with Ashley and Wesley. Then I did my BCA presentation where we come up with some creative project to reflect on our time here. Yep. Call me a follower, but I made a CD like Greg did. After presenting, though, Daniel (our program director) said that only two of our songs were the same. (Dare you to guess, Greg. Haha) Yep. It was a fun presentation. Lots of laughing and dancing on my part. Haha. Entertaining. For me at least.
Cuenca on Tuesday night. Home by next Monday. Doesn't feel real!
Lizzie
Monday, May 2: Botany Lab Final. Easier than the midterm, but still hard. Tons of homework.
Tuesday, May 3: Prep for finals in my classes. Had another late night soccer game. Except this time it wasn't as late. We played at 9:00 in Tumbaco. Us volunteers/friends of Insport were playing the older Insport kids, the one's I don't volunteer with. The game was commemorating Insport becoming a legal soccer club. This was their first "official" game. Against us. Galo had shirts made in honor of the event for our team to wear as a jersey. We ended up winning 4-3, and it was a good game. Got home. Tons of homework.
Wednesday, May 4: Found out that my plant collecting botany project was due today at 6 instead of Thursday like I thought it was. Our professor is such a great communicator. So I spent from noon until 6 finishing that up. We were supposed to have 20 plants each, but I only had 12. Oh well. Botany can go jump off a bridge. Tons of homework.
Thursday, May 5: Advanced Spanish Final. Intermediate Spanish Final. Then we had our BCA final dinner at Papallacta, which is about an hour south of Cumbaya (where the universidad is located) up in the Andes mountains. I had a dinner of veggies, chicken, mora juice, bread, locro (potato soup with avacado), and cake. Delicious. Then we all changed into our bathing suits and hung out in the natural hot baths. It felt soooo good, but sometimes it got kind of hot, so we would take a dip in the polar bear bath and then jump back in the hot baths. It was a really nice, relaxing last activity for BCA. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I didn't have any homework!
Joi, Rachele (creeping), Lily, Wesley, Me:
Friday, May 6: Final improv presentation. I won't explain a lot except for that it was a ton of fun, there were a lot of BCA people who came to watch which was really cool, and I'm going to miss my improv classmates a lot. One thing we did for this presentation was prepare a rant. A little informal speech about something we're passionate about. We all had to perform in class, but we could decide if we wanted to perform at this final presentation or not. I originally said no, but when I got such positive feedback from the class, I had to do it. My topic was the death penalty. I think I'm so passionate about this topic because I can't see the other side. I'm pretty good at seeing the pros and cons or the arguments for either side for most topics, but with the death penalty I just can't fathom why anyone would be for it. So here's what I wrote. It won't be the same because you can't hear the inflection in my voice and whatnot, but without a doubt I had the most emotion and passion than anyone else in my class. Oh, and it's in English because I don’t feel like I get my point across in Spanish. I’ve been thinking and arguing and formulating my thoughts in English my whole life. It’s just not possible to express myself in Spanish the same way I can in English. The ebb and flow of the words, the way I make my points; it all means more to me in English. It feels more natural, it gets me worked up. And that's what the rant is all about.
So here it is:
"Picture this. You’re a parent. You love your child. You would do anything to protect your child. But unbelievable tragedy strikes and your child is murdered. What comes next is only normal for a person in your situation. Grief, rage, confusion, emptiness, denial. The pain envelopes you in the same way fog envelopes a city. It reaches into every corner and crevice of your being. It bores straight through your heart, leaving a void that nothing can possibly fill. The only thing that might mend that hole even in the slightest is justice. Watching the murderer meet the same end to which he or she sentenced your child. The death penalty. There’s some comfort in knowing that the murderer will never again be able to take away the precious gift of life.
Let’s reflect. You’re upset. That’s understandable, but does killing the killer solve anything? You may expect to feel closure with the death of the killer, but nothing is going to bring back your child and nothing is going to answer the questions why me? Why my child? And think about it, how hypocritical is the death penalty? Why do we kill people for killing people to show that killing people is wrong? You wouldn’t hit your child to show them that hitting people is wrong. Let’s also take into account that with the death penalty, it’s not just one person deciding to kill another human being. It’s several people coming to a conclusion that someone else deserves to die. How freaking messed up does that sound? THAT right there is the most premeditated of murders. Is that even justice or is that abuse of power? No human being should have to power to decide who DESERVES to live and who DESERVES to die. That’s the right of God. And it’s when we start playing God that we get into trouble.
Every human has the right to life. You have the right to life, you have the right to life, as do you, and you, and you, and ME, and WE, as fellow humans don’t have the right to take THAT right away. The death penalty is hypocritical, barbaric, and unjust. Open your eyes! It’s not a solution, it’s a problem."
Bought bus tickets to go to Cuenca with Ashley. Made another stop by the DVD store (it's an addiction). Watched a movie. Went to bed.
Saturday, May 7: Wesley, Ashley, and I met at the North Station at 8:45 to head to the south terminal to go to Cotopaxi, a large snow-capped volcano visible from the valleys near Quito. We get on the trolley and by the time we get to the south terminal we are squished closer than sardines. Seriously. We're standing there and we're not even swaying as the bus moves. That's how packed we are. We get into the terminal and we see that the second story where you buy bus tickets is packed and we're like "What is everyone doing?" Then a kind gentleman explains to us that because it's a voting day (a 10 question consulta popular) everyone is going home to vote. In Ecuador, voting is mandatory at the age of 18. Now, in the states, if we knew we had to vote on a SATURDAY, we would all be going home on FRIDAY. Not here. So we ditch the Cotopaxi idea, head back to Quito, and eat lunch at Quicentro (the mall). Later that night we went to a Mexican restaurant in La Mariscal to celebrate the birthdays that aren't during this semester. Fun times.
Sunday, May 8: Mother's day. Went to Liga game with Ashley and Joi at noon. Last Liga game! : ( We won 2-1 and both goals were scored on the side we were on.
Monday, May 9: Botany final. It was hard. I struggled. And it's hard to BS in Spanish, but I saw a lot of other people were struggling as well so that made me feel better. Finished some improv homework and then ran errands with Ashley and Wesley. Then I did my BCA presentation where we come up with some creative project to reflect on our time here. Yep. Call me a follower, but I made a CD like Greg did. After presenting, though, Daniel (our program director) said that only two of our songs were the same. (Dare you to guess, Greg. Haha) Yep. It was a fun presentation. Lots of laughing and dancing on my part. Haha. Entertaining. For me at least.
Cuenca on Tuesday night. Home by next Monday. Doesn't feel real!
Lizzie
Yachana, Amazon
Sorry this has been so late in coming. The first week in May was a busy one.
Wednesday, April 27
We meet at the Rio Coca station at 8 AM where our BCA bus is waiting for us. It´s raining. Quito is just getting us ready for the RAIN forest. In total the trip takes us about 7 hours. We make a couple bathroom stops on the way. Also, we have to drive UP before we can drive DOWN to get to the Oriente, which is what they call the selva AKA rain forest. So...we happened to encounter snow. Crazy!
Proof:
We get to this small river port and we all climb out of the bus and load our things onto the canoe taxi. If we weren´t aware of this before, it has now become obvious that the rain forest is beyond humid. It´s ridiculously humid. So the canoe taxi (with a motor, no we didn´t have to row) takes us about a 5 minute ride upriver and we land on the other bank. We´re staying in Yachana lodge, and they have people waiting for us there on the steps telling us to leave everything in the canoe, they´ll bring it all up to the lodge. What service. So we walk for about 3 minutes from the dock to the lodge. And we are in awe THE WHOLE TIME. There are plants unlike anything I have ever seen before. Shapes, colors, sizes.
My Fav:
The symbol of Yachana lodge:
Then we get to the lodge and it´s practically the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. We thought we were pampered in the Galaps. HA! Little did we know...It looks out over the Napo River, the dining hall, bar, and relaxing area are open decks covered by nice thatched roofs. We show up and they hand us hot towels, a glass of lemonade, and crackers. Speechless. Completely and utterly speechless. We choose room assignments. Wesley, Ashley, Rachele, and I are in the 4 person room. Jeepers...talk about accommodations. I don´t know if you all remember the Rio Muchacho post, but this is the complete opposite. The cabin is enclosed so bugs are limited. Ceiling fan (although the power is only on from 6 PM to 10 PM). Comfortable beds. Our towels are creatively folded on our beds. We have a personal bathroom in our cabin. It´s spacious. Holy cow.
We put our stuff down and put on our jungle clothes. We have a little time to relax, so we sit there talking. Then there´s a commotion outside and we head back to the main building area where we can clearly see the erupting ash cloud from a volcano. What a site. We put on our favorite rubber boots (sarcasm) and then head up to a look out point near the lodge. We get up there and the sun is strong as heck but the view is incredible.
We stand around taking pictures and listening to our guide, Robert, tell us about the river and the surrounding communities. We can already tell he is going to be less annoying than our guide, William, from the Galaps. When the sun starts to go down we head back for supper. Supper is buffet style and it´s delicious. We finish up and even though it´s only 7:45, we decide to head to bed because we´re exhausted. Stay up talking for a little bit before we fall asleep.
Thursday, April 28
Breakfast at 6:30. Seems to be the time of day when the bugs are most active. They were all over us (not stinging ones, just annoying ones). They were attracted by the butter, jelly, coffee, juice, etc. We had to become creative, so we either put our napkins over those things, ate/drank fast, or stored the condiments on another table. It helped. Then it was back on with the boots and across the river we went. We started out with a double-decker chiva ride to do some bird watching. Because we went kind of later in the morning we didn´t see much, and what we did see was far away. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a small black monkey. That would turn out to be the only monkey we saw. The thing is with people moving into the rain forest and the whole search for oil, animals have had to move further and further into the forest. Yachana isn´t in a heavily populated area, but it´s not extremely deep in the forest. After about an hour on the chiva, we got out and hiked for about 3 more hours through the forest. Robert, showed us various plants, trees, insects, and small animals. He was very knowledgeable about everything. Turns our he grew up in Yachana and went the the Yachana High School. And he's only 20, which blew all of our minds because for one, he looks older than 20, and two, he ACTS older than 20. Haha. Anyway, we get back to the lodge and eat a well-deserved lunch. Then it´s off with the boots and on with the suits. We took a canoe taxi upstream and stopped on a sand island. Then we put our life jackets on diaper style and proceeded to float down the river for 45 minutes until we got back to the lodge. The current was crazy fast! If you just look at the river while you´re in it, it looks like a lazy river, but take one look at the shore, and you realize you are bookin´ it. Try to swim against the current and you make no headway...still moving down stream at a lightning pace. So much fun. Got back to the lodge, shower, supper, bed.
Friday, April 29
Breakfast at 7. Then it´s canoe taxi back across the river to visit a curandero. He´s a healer, but more medicinal than a shaman. He lives in this wooden house sitting on stilts that are a story high. We go inside and he performs a cleansing ritual on whoever wants to participate. Cleansing of bad spirits. He shakes bundle of leaves tied together and blows a lot of smoke from his joint of unknown substance. It was very interesting.
Then we moved down into his yard and had a competition. First, blow gun. The goal was to hit the target (a wooden parrot on a stick) in the eye. The gun is literally a meter and a half long. None of us have ever had any experience. We each get 3 tries. I´m the first one to hit the eye. That was my first shot. Second shot? Same spot, but I didn´t have quite the velocity to split the dart, so it didn´t stick. Third shot? heart. After everyone had gone, four of us moved on to round 2. Two of us had hit the eye. The other two had hit the heart. We each got 2 chances. I hit the heart dead on and was crowned blow gun champion.
Robert gave me a crown he had made out of peeled fibers from a plant stalk. My new weapon of choice? You guessed it. The it was the javelin throwing competition. We had to throw the javelin and knock over a tree stump. I hit the thing dead on. Something I learned that day: I might be adopted from the Amazon. On our way back to the lodge, we stopped to look at an enormously big tree. All 19 of us, holding hands, could barely fit around the trunk.
Got back to the lodge and had a cooking lesson. We seasoned fish, ate roasted white chocolate beans (which aren't used to make white chocolate. completely different things), and ate roasted gusanos (grubby worms; like the squishy juicy one that Simba eats in the Lion King). Lily was the only one brave enough to eat her's alive. Bleh. They kind of tasted like bacon, but left a very weird aftertaste.
Me and my gusano:
Then it was time to eat lunch with the senior class from the nearby high school called Colegio Yachana. The high school and the lodge are interconnected. During vacations and such, the students can work at the lodge and practice their English. They go to school for three weeks straight (including weekends) and then they get a week off. We were at Yachana during their week off. After lunch Daniel facilitated some improvisation games that we played with the kids. We played hug tag to break the ice and then we followed that up with Sí, Whoosh, Imagenes del duelo, and Completar el imagen (I'm not going to take the time to explain everything). After about an hour of games we split into smaller groups with Yachana and BCA kids in each group. from there, we walked and talked our way to the high school which is about a 15 minute walk away, got a tour of the place, and then helped out with a few chores. When we were done working, it was time to play. Soccer. We headed down to the field which had grass, unlike most of the fields in Quito that are just dirt, but the grass was patchy and made things very bumpy. It was very interesting because some kids played in cleats, others in Ecuashoes, and others barefoot.
The gang:
When the game ended, some of us stayed and threw frisbees around until it we had to head back because it was getting dark. I could have stayed longer. These kids are incredible and each of them have their own story. Then it was supper, a small informational talk that went into more detail about the high school, and then bed.
Saturday, April 30
Some of us (6 of us) met at the lobby at 6 to go on an early morning bird watching chiva ride. We saw a lot more birds this time, but had to cut the excursion short because it started to pour...for the first time since we arrived in the RAIN forest. Ironic. Got back, ate breakfast, headed back out to the high school to hang out with the kids one last time, then packed up our bags and taxied back across the river, boarded the bus, and drove for about 4 hours. We stopped at a place where we could go caving. The cave entrance was located in this pool/park area. It was still raining and we were going to get wet in the cave anyway, so us crazy gringos, in our street clothes, decide to go down the water slide. Hahaha. Super fun. Then it was off to the cave where we were given one headlamp per two people. Ashley and I got stuck with a dud. You seriously had to be within two feet of the ground for it to do any good. We managed though. On our way through the cave, we got to jump into a deeper part from a rock extension that was about 2 meters high. We also got to dunk ourselves in three consecutive holes that were 6 meters, 4 meters, and 2 meters. Took about an hour total. We came out soaking wet and muddy as heck, but it was well worth it. We changed and then it was another 30 minutes to Tena, a large jungle city. We got settled in the hostel and then headed out for pizza and ice cream. Got back to the hostel and had girl talk until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
Sunday, May 1
Got ready, ate breakfast, and headed out to the Napo River to do some rafting. Never been before in my life. I was in a group with Ashley, Wesley, Rachele, Lily, Vince, and Matt (the volunteer doctor from Yachana). Our guide was super cool. He looked intimidating, but was a lot of fun. We practiced commands, rowing together, and our raft cheer. Then it was off! The water was freezing, but it was cloudy so the sun wasn't burning us. At one point our guide said we could get out and swim, so Matt and I immediately jumped out. During this calm point, one of the rafts was empty all except for Shun. It's hard to get into the raft without help, so Daniel shouted to Shun "Help us in, Shun!" Shun proceeded to look around and then jump in the water. Haha. During another calm point our guide went up to Lily and acted really interested in her shoes. Once he had both of them in his hand, it was just a matter of a small push and she was out the raft. Haha. I was laughing then, but 5 minutes later I stupidly fell victim to the same joke. Hahahahahaha. I still laughed, though. Later we played a game called "la flor" (the flower). We all stood on the rim of the raft, held hands and leaned in when the flor closed and leaned out when the flor opened. When we were leaning out, our guide let go of our hands and ran through the middle of the raft pushing people out. I managed to fall in instead of out. Another time, Vince was in the river and Matt and our guide were helping him in. Instead of pulling him up and letting go, they pulled him up and pushed him over the other side of the raft. haha. We also took turns riding on the front of the raft. Let me tell you, it's like riding a greased pig. No joke. About 2 hours in we stopped on this little rocky beach and walked back into a crevice that was like a mini-ecosystem. Absolutely incredible. It looked like something from a Disney ride. Like Pirates of the Caribbean. Our guides painted our faces with rock paint. Then it was off again. That was where I fell out on accident after we hit a bump. The one and only time. I was proud. We made one more stop at a waterfall where we tried to wash off the rock paint, but we basically just smeared it around until it looked like we had all just fake tanned. At the very end our guide us told us we were going to do one more trick - stop the raft at a 90 degree angle. He made us all come to the back of the raft and told us we couldn't move or we would tip over. He grabbed a rope tied to the front, pulled the front up, and then pulled us all the way over until we flipped. Hahaha. Don't know why we fell for that one. We changed and then the rafting people gave us lunch. Quite an adventure. Made it back to Quito by 8.
More to come.
Lizzie
Wednesday, April 27
We meet at the Rio Coca station at 8 AM where our BCA bus is waiting for us. It´s raining. Quito is just getting us ready for the RAIN forest. In total the trip takes us about 7 hours. We make a couple bathroom stops on the way. Also, we have to drive UP before we can drive DOWN to get to the Oriente, which is what they call the selva AKA rain forest. So...we happened to encounter snow. Crazy!
Proof:
My Fav:
We put our stuff down and put on our jungle clothes. We have a little time to relax, so we sit there talking. Then there´s a commotion outside and we head back to the main building area where we can clearly see the erupting ash cloud from a volcano. What a site. We put on our favorite rubber boots (sarcasm) and then head up to a look out point near the lodge. We get up there and the sun is strong as heck but the view is incredible.
The ash cloud is on the left side of the screen. It's blue.
Thursday, April 28
Breakfast at 6:30. Seems to be the time of day when the bugs are most active. They were all over us (not stinging ones, just annoying ones). They were attracted by the butter, jelly, coffee, juice, etc. We had to become creative, so we either put our napkins over those things, ate/drank fast, or stored the condiments on another table. It helped. Then it was back on with the boots and across the river we went. We started out with a double-decker chiva ride to do some bird watching. Because we went kind of later in the morning we didn´t see much, and what we did see was far away. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a small black monkey. That would turn out to be the only monkey we saw. The thing is with people moving into the rain forest and the whole search for oil, animals have had to move further and further into the forest. Yachana isn´t in a heavily populated area, but it´s not extremely deep in the forest. After about an hour on the chiva, we got out and hiked for about 3 more hours through the forest. Robert, showed us various plants, trees, insects, and small animals. He was very knowledgeable about everything. Turns our he grew up in Yachana and went the the Yachana High School. And he's only 20, which blew all of our minds because for one, he looks older than 20, and two, he ACTS older than 20. Haha. Anyway, we get back to the lodge and eat a well-deserved lunch. Then it´s off with the boots and on with the suits. We took a canoe taxi upstream and stopped on a sand island. Then we put our life jackets on diaper style and proceeded to float down the river for 45 minutes until we got back to the lodge. The current was crazy fast! If you just look at the river while you´re in it, it looks like a lazy river, but take one look at the shore, and you realize you are bookin´ it. Try to swim against the current and you make no headway...still moving down stream at a lightning pace. So much fun. Got back to the lodge, shower, supper, bed.
Friday, April 29
Breakfast at 7. Then it´s canoe taxi back across the river to visit a curandero. He´s a healer, but more medicinal than a shaman. He lives in this wooden house sitting on stilts that are a story high. We go inside and he performs a cleansing ritual on whoever wants to participate. Cleansing of bad spirits. He shakes bundle of leaves tied together and blows a lot of smoke from his joint of unknown substance. It was very interesting.
Got back to the lodge and had a cooking lesson. We seasoned fish, ate roasted white chocolate beans (which aren't used to make white chocolate. completely different things), and ate roasted gusanos (grubby worms; like the squishy juicy one that Simba eats in the Lion King). Lily was the only one brave enough to eat her's alive. Bleh. They kind of tasted like bacon, but left a very weird aftertaste.
Me and my gusano:
The gang:
Saturday, April 30
Some of us (6 of us) met at the lobby at 6 to go on an early morning bird watching chiva ride. We saw a lot more birds this time, but had to cut the excursion short because it started to pour...for the first time since we arrived in the RAIN forest. Ironic. Got back, ate breakfast, headed back out to the high school to hang out with the kids one last time, then packed up our bags and taxied back across the river, boarded the bus, and drove for about 4 hours. We stopped at a place where we could go caving. The cave entrance was located in this pool/park area. It was still raining and we were going to get wet in the cave anyway, so us crazy gringos, in our street clothes, decide to go down the water slide. Hahaha. Super fun. Then it was off to the cave where we were given one headlamp per two people. Ashley and I got stuck with a dud. You seriously had to be within two feet of the ground for it to do any good. We managed though. On our way through the cave, we got to jump into a deeper part from a rock extension that was about 2 meters high. We also got to dunk ourselves in three consecutive holes that were 6 meters, 4 meters, and 2 meters. Took about an hour total. We came out soaking wet and muddy as heck, but it was well worth it. We changed and then it was another 30 minutes to Tena, a large jungle city. We got settled in the hostel and then headed out for pizza and ice cream. Got back to the hostel and had girl talk until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
Sunday, May 1
Got ready, ate breakfast, and headed out to the Napo River to do some rafting. Never been before in my life. I was in a group with Ashley, Wesley, Rachele, Lily, Vince, and Matt (the volunteer doctor from Yachana). Our guide was super cool. He looked intimidating, but was a lot of fun. We practiced commands, rowing together, and our raft cheer. Then it was off! The water was freezing, but it was cloudy so the sun wasn't burning us. At one point our guide said we could get out and swim, so Matt and I immediately jumped out. During this calm point, one of the rafts was empty all except for Shun. It's hard to get into the raft without help, so Daniel shouted to Shun "Help us in, Shun!" Shun proceeded to look around and then jump in the water. Haha. During another calm point our guide went up to Lily and acted really interested in her shoes. Once he had both of them in his hand, it was just a matter of a small push and she was out the raft. Haha. I was laughing then, but 5 minutes later I stupidly fell victim to the same joke. Hahahahahaha. I still laughed, though. Later we played a game called "la flor" (the flower). We all stood on the rim of the raft, held hands and leaned in when the flor closed and leaned out when the flor opened. When we were leaning out, our guide let go of our hands and ran through the middle of the raft pushing people out. I managed to fall in instead of out. Another time, Vince was in the river and Matt and our guide were helping him in. Instead of pulling him up and letting go, they pulled him up and pushed him over the other side of the raft. haha. We also took turns riding on the front of the raft. Let me tell you, it's like riding a greased pig. No joke. About 2 hours in we stopped on this little rocky beach and walked back into a crevice that was like a mini-ecosystem. Absolutely incredible. It looked like something from a Disney ride. Like Pirates of the Caribbean. Our guides painted our faces with rock paint. Then it was off again. That was where I fell out on accident after we hit a bump. The one and only time. I was proud. We made one more stop at a waterfall where we tried to wash off the rock paint, but we basically just smeared it around until it looked like we had all just fake tanned. At the very end our guide us told us we were going to do one more trick - stop the raft at a 90 degree angle. He made us all come to the back of the raft and told us we couldn't move or we would tip over. He grabbed a rope tied to the front, pulled the front up, and then pulled us all the way over until we flipped. Hahaha. Don't know why we fell for that one. We changed and then the rafting people gave us lunch. Quite an adventure. Made it back to Quito by 8.
More to come.
Lizzie
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