First and foremost I must apologize for the delay- I was not accosted by a band of colombian drug lords, nor fallen down some mountainside (though it was close!)... just haven´t been on the internet much and when I have been I actually forgot to update and lost my computer to another user. SO... where were we?
I will give a brief account of the last two weeks to get everyone up to date:
Last week we started with a new schedule of 530am wake up to start milking the cows at 6am. Let me tell you, it is not as easy as it looks and although Shane and I have improved greatly- to the point of being able to do 1+ cow(s) myself and Shane typically does 2-3 cows! And I often wander off and feed the baby cows while he continues. Now I must say, the key to successful milking for a newbie is to get a cow with big enough teats that you can really grab onto, however, I have had the unfortunate opportunity to get a cow with teats that were so big that my arms ached, my hands cramped, and that productive little lady took me forever because she has over a litre of milk in there! Shane didn´t believe my complaints til I made him milk her and then he couldn´t do another afterwards lol... but it´s still a blast and I do love having the interaction with the farmhands and the animals. Sadly, we haven´t had the chance to get the chicken eggs though and we only feed the pigs every few days- usually just table scraps!
After breakfast we tend to do other backbreaking work such as moving roof tiles, clearing areas by machete, digging giant pits for a chicken composter that we´re building or digging post holes (me) and getting the posts, i.e. trees from the jungle, (Shane) for fencing in the composting area. We also harvest mandarines, oranges, guava, guayaba, peanuts, coffee, bananas,plantains, and tree tomatoes as they ripen. Several more volunteers have arrived over the last two weeks which makes us pros of some sort since we´ve become quite comfortable here but they are all in the conservation program and don´t tend to do the same things as we do- including getting up at some ungodly hour, but they´re all pretty good people and we have lots of fun nights sitting in the common room (outdoor room) or around the fire drinking beer and playing cards.
Last weekend Shane and I headed into Quito so that he could go on a date with our volunteer co-ordinator before we headed to Mindo- a little jungle town with wicked rafting and a butterfly conservatory, and apparently the best coffee in Ecuador. The reality was, the chick kept putting things off until it was too late to head to Mindo Friday and then we missed the Saturday am bus because the station moved from where our map said it was SO that required a little retooling of our plans. What to do? We decided to do all of the touristy things around Quito that we were leaving for our next chunk of free time... what does that mean? It means that from the bus station we caught another bus for $0.40 that headed to Mitad del Mundo (MIddle Earth!) where we went to the "park" so to speak, built around the ecuatorial monument (Latitude 0´0´0´)... we had a lovely lunch followed by a trip to a gallery, the insectarium, and the planetarium, with a little sangria mixed in there because they sell booze pretty much everywhere (I love this place). Then we went down the road to a little native museum that is apparently the REAL ecuatorial line as per GPS (but Sascha- our fellow volunteer said that it´s even the wrong one!). At this museum we got to learn about some indigenous cultures, the ecuator, and do the little tricks like balancing an egg on the head of a nail (yes friends, I am officially an Egg Master). It was very informative and quite fun!
After these little treks I just wanted to see the Volcanic Crater that was nearby. SO we hailed a cab and off we went. Well the problem was that at that late time of day all of the clouds had settled in the crater already so you stood at the lip and listened to roosters crowing, cows mooing, dogs barking, etc... all rather disembodied... and so we walked... and walked... and walked... and an hour later, still walked... trying not to fall because it was very slippery! But the nuns passed us quite quickly which is an interesting little aside :)
When we got to the bottom of the crater it was really a sweet little community of farmers that lived there and quite thankfully, a hostel! (and a beautiful one at that!) So we went to the hostel, got a room that was quite nice, had warm showers, firm beds, and a beautiful hummingbird garden with a hottub (!) and a lovely restaurant where we had a wicked 4 course dinner ($7!) and then went for an early bedtime since it really was a rather full day. The next day we headed BACK UP the crater (dear god... sorry nuns... my ass hurt) and walked down to where we could catch the bus back to Quito. The bus ended up taking us to El Panecillo which is a monument of the Virgin of the Apocolypse on top of a hill in Quito that we had previously decided to skip because it´s apparently quite dangerous to go up the hill (on foot). It was quite stunning though and a great view for pictures and we were fortunately able to catch a bus back down as well, even though SHane first wanted to walk down (he tries "invincible" shit like this all the time). Once back into the city proper we headed toward the Basilica which was our next item on the list. After a wonderful lunch we managed to get there and climbed the (many) stairs and ladders that took us to the two peaks from where we could overlook a large part of Quito´s 80km expanse.
By this time we agreed that we´d likely be late back to the reserve and miss dinner but we ventured onward, stopping at the hostel to pick up Shanes forgotten shampoo, and walking through one of the many parks where local artists were displaying their works... it was quite delightful!
We got to the bus station, got on the bus and managed to get back to the reserve in two(whole, individual) pieces... AND we thought that the bus driver had confiscated the beer we were bringing back but he only stowed it under so we even got that!... which was good because we still had a 45min walk up the 1.5 km hill to the reserve, in the dark and rain... which we survived :) We agreed that the weekend, despite it´s odd turn of events, was a success, AND Shane is going to Quito this weekend (alone) to go on his date with Geovanna... while I relax and do some hiking and horseback riding at the reserve.
This week has also been pretty busy, full of very hard physical labour and early mornings and nights. I think my parents can vouche for the fact that I am not an early to bed person but 830-9pm ish is really the extent of my late nights these days. That said, I´m looking forward to finishing the chicken composter and building a gazebo around the sugar cane crusher next week and playing with the animals some more. There´s even a baby horse here who is quite shy but SO cute.
I think that is all I can say. I will try to upload some pictures very soon but until then I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and coming week!
oxo
Friday, January 22, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
weekend update
So the reserve is absolutely stunning and the work is pretty great. Our first morning Shane had to take the donkey down the hill to sell the milk to the locals while I weeded the vegetable garden and got a couple beds ready to plant in. The schedule is fairly light so far but we´re going to change things up next week so that we´re up early enough to actually milk the cows and feed the pigs and collect the chicken eggs before our usual tasks start. Friday morning I was woken up by a bat flying at my head. he got in a window that popped open throughout the night and shat all over my room... and I almost did too!
We then went and harvested mandarines and oranges from our orange grove and peanuts from the garden. In the afternoon we did a three hour hike throught the jungle, about an hour of which was along a very thin path with a very steep drop to the one side... what a treat!
This morning Shane and I left to go into town (Santo DOmingo) and saw some monkeys on our way down the hill as well as checking out the coffee that we´ll be harvesting on Monday. Í promise to upload photos soon but it might have to wait until we get into Quito next weekend. Shane has a date with our volunteer co-ordinator for next Friday night so I´m hoping that it´ll go well without interrupting our travel plans too much. I´ll try to write a better description or something soon too but I really am at a loss for describing the way of life and the landscape around here besides the fact that food grows everywhere and people are really nice and helpful despite the fact that we´re both not very strong with our spanish... fortunately we start lessons next week as well. Hope everyone else is doing well too!
love you all
We then went and harvested mandarines and oranges from our orange grove and peanuts from the garden. In the afternoon we did a three hour hike throught the jungle, about an hour of which was along a very thin path with a very steep drop to the one side... what a treat!
This morning Shane and I left to go into town (Santo DOmingo) and saw some monkeys on our way down the hill as well as checking out the coffee that we´ll be harvesting on Monday. Í promise to upload photos soon but it might have to wait until we get into Quito next weekend. Shane has a date with our volunteer co-ordinator for next Friday night so I´m hoping that it´ll go well without interrupting our travel plans too much. I´ll try to write a better description or something soon too but I really am at a loss for describing the way of life and the landscape around here besides the fact that food grows everywhere and people are really nice and helpful despite the fact that we´re both not very strong with our spanish... fortunately we start lessons next week as well. Hope everyone else is doing well too!
love you all
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Quito Day 2: Up the Mountain!
SO the day kinda went like this:
- Chill on the terrace with Nathan, our roomie, and get info on local hot spots
- physically shake Shane awake so that he doesn´t miss breakfast and we can get on with our day
- go up the TeleferiQo, which is the gondola up the mountain
- bus back to the hostel... meet wicked people and chill on the terrace some more...
Alrighty... one of the most notable things that I must mention is that apparently you can pee anywhere. Shane and I were on our way from the hostel to catch a cab to the TeleferiQo and a dude was walking up the street towards us. All of a sudden, he looks up, makes eye contact, and pulls his pants down and squats in a door way... not even kidding! So we crossed the street and had a little giggle but soon enough we realized that this peeing in the street phenomenon was not an isolated incident but in fact, so regular that they actually have servicos higenicos (fancy porta-potties) in the main squares to keep them cleanish!
Upon seeing ANOTHER pee-er on our return trip we decided that a new drinking game would come of this... and so it was born.
Beyond this little adventure we actually went up the gondola on the side of the moutain and had a wonderful little hike. The altitude at the top of the TeleferiQo is approx. 4100m above sea level and you could literally watch the clouds rolling in below and the planes coming down through the mountains... there was actually a path that lead to the peak of the volcano which is 4700m... the hike would´ve taken 3 hrs though so we vetoed it since the altitude was already kicking our asses at 4100m. We did take many pictures, stopped for many breathers, and even took a little horse back tour to see a waterfall and hear about the native plants in the area.
Shane also made friends with a local who taught us about Wawa Pachincha and Coco pachincha... the two volcanos (one active, one not) and the other big mountains in the area. He introduced us to his whole family and even invited us over to visit but we haven´t made it there yet!
Upon our return to the hostel we realized that we´d missed the few restaurants open on New Years Day, and the hostel wasn´t serving so instead we sat around the fire on the terrace, met some wicked people, and drank the few drinks til we were drunk... clearly very quick since we hadn´t eaten since we were up the mountain. One thing we did decide on that morning was to do a few days in Tena which is a tiny town South East of Quito on a 5 hr bus ride through the mountains (think of a very fun 5 hr long roller coaster) that boasted excellent rafting and kayaking, waterfall rapelling, and jungle tours... those stories will have to come in another post since time is flying again.
Anyway, a lovely little side note for those of you who care or at least know how much I care- beer here comes in giant (750ml?) bottles for $1.80 and tequila shots are a dollar... can you guess how the next morning went?
Well... more stories to come as soon as I let others use the interweb for a bit!!
- Chill on the terrace with Nathan, our roomie, and get info on local hot spots
- physically shake Shane awake so that he doesn´t miss breakfast and we can get on with our day
- go up the TeleferiQo, which is the gondola up the mountain
- bus back to the hostel... meet wicked people and chill on the terrace some more...
Alrighty... one of the most notable things that I must mention is that apparently you can pee anywhere. Shane and I were on our way from the hostel to catch a cab to the TeleferiQo and a dude was walking up the street towards us. All of a sudden, he looks up, makes eye contact, and pulls his pants down and squats in a door way... not even kidding! So we crossed the street and had a little giggle but soon enough we realized that this peeing in the street phenomenon was not an isolated incident but in fact, so regular that they actually have servicos higenicos (fancy porta-potties) in the main squares to keep them cleanish!
Upon seeing ANOTHER pee-er on our return trip we decided that a new drinking game would come of this... and so it was born.
Beyond this little adventure we actually went up the gondola on the side of the moutain and had a wonderful little hike. The altitude at the top of the TeleferiQo is approx. 4100m above sea level and you could literally watch the clouds rolling in below and the planes coming down through the mountains... there was actually a path that lead to the peak of the volcano which is 4700m... the hike would´ve taken 3 hrs though so we vetoed it since the altitude was already kicking our asses at 4100m. We did take many pictures, stopped for many breathers, and even took a little horse back tour to see a waterfall and hear about the native plants in the area.
Shane also made friends with a local who taught us about Wawa Pachincha and Coco pachincha... the two volcanos (one active, one not) and the other big mountains in the area. He introduced us to his whole family and even invited us over to visit but we haven´t made it there yet!
Upon our return to the hostel we realized that we´d missed the few restaurants open on New Years Day, and the hostel wasn´t serving so instead we sat around the fire on the terrace, met some wicked people, and drank the few drinks til we were drunk... clearly very quick since we hadn´t eaten since we were up the mountain. One thing we did decide on that morning was to do a few days in Tena which is a tiny town South East of Quito on a 5 hr bus ride through the mountains (think of a very fun 5 hr long roller coaster) that boasted excellent rafting and kayaking, waterfall rapelling, and jungle tours... those stories will have to come in another post since time is flying again.
Anyway, a lovely little side note for those of you who care or at least know how much I care- beer here comes in giant (750ml?) bottles for $1.80 and tequila shots are a dollar... can you guess how the next morning went?
Well... more stories to come as soon as I let others use the interweb for a bit!!
The Wee Vacation...
Ok, so it seems that so much has happened in the last five days that I really can´t expect to write the in depth blogs that I´d like to so we´re going to go in the style of my notes from school... meaning I´ll give you guys a brief outline of the days and focus on the key points a little more afterwards. So we left off with Shane and I in Quito, Ecuador... and so the story continues...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Departed
Well, my trip to Ecuador was most certainly and interesting one with a full night (14 hrs ish) of flying and transfers. Apparently from JFK in New York the language barrier was established as everyone spoke Spanish with very little English. The 6.5 hr flight from NYC to Bogota, Colombia was a treat since I sat between on giant man who nearly elbowed me in the face several times and a lovely little Peruvian man who delighted in fukll on staring at me for about 5 hours of the flight... needless to say, I didnt sleep until I was in the airport in Bogota where I caught about 45 minutes of spooning my backpack on a chair... it was wonderful.
Once I arrived in Quito, Ecudaor,my buddy Shane met me and we hailed a cab to the hostel... just a little note here, my giant back pack is not overly comfortable to carry and the reception area at the hostel is on the 5th floor... our room was on the 4th thankfully. So we signed in, I changed in to more weather and walking appropriate wear and we decided to try to get to the TeleferiQo which is the gondola that takes you up the mountain (Quito is at 3300m and the TeleferiQo takes you to 4100m). This is actually impossible to walk there since it is a 20 min cab ride... but we did walk the streets of the city for about 4 hours, catching some food here and there as we went.
Quito is stunning, set in almost a valley except it really is too high to be called that I think and there are little mountains popping up in the city. The locals are, for the most part, extremely friendly and were nice enough to warn us away from the high crime areas during our wanders... they didnt, however, feel the need to warn us about the attack dog at the church but fortunately the lady who sold Shane a sewing kit to repair his pants was very friendly and helpful...
Im afraid that my time is limited so I will have to elaborate and continue my stories soon as I bid you all adieu... or rather hasta luego ... thank goodness Shane is more familiar with Spanish!
Once I arrived in Quito, Ecudaor,my buddy Shane met me and we hailed a cab to the hostel... just a little note here, my giant back pack is not overly comfortable to carry and the reception area at the hostel is on the 5th floor... our room was on the 4th thankfully. So we signed in, I changed in to more weather and walking appropriate wear and we decided to try to get to the TeleferiQo which is the gondola that takes you up the mountain (Quito is at 3300m and the TeleferiQo takes you to 4100m). This is actually impossible to walk there since it is a 20 min cab ride... but we did walk the streets of the city for about 4 hours, catching some food here and there as we went.
Quito is stunning, set in almost a valley except it really is too high to be called that I think and there are little mountains popping up in the city. The locals are, for the most part, extremely friendly and were nice enough to warn us away from the high crime areas during our wanders... they didnt, however, feel the need to warn us about the attack dog at the church but fortunately the lady who sold Shane a sewing kit to repair his pants was very friendly and helpful...
Im afraid that my time is limited so I will have to elaborate and continue my stories soon as I bid you all adieu... or rather hasta luego ... thank goodness Shane is more familiar with Spanish!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)