Puenting in Baños

The Basilica

Right from the beginning, my week started off great! On Monday we were given a day off of school because we had been gone all weekend.  We used the free day to our advantage and we went into Quito to explore the city.  We went to the Basillica, which was built in 1883, and we walked and climbed all the way to the top of the bell tower.  By the end the ladders were literally stick straight and sometimes even had no railings.  When we finally reached the top, the view was amazing and you could see the entire city of Quito and all of the volcanoes that surround it.  We also visited the Church of San Francisco, which is the oldest colonial monument of Quito.  We ended our visit to Quito in the Mariscol, otherwise known as the entertainment district of the city!

The View from the Top

The rest of the school week went very quickly and my classes were extremely enjoyable.  In biology we began studying population ecology and speciation and extinction. Currently we are undergoing the sixth mass extinction.  This time, however, the rates are unprecedented and between 10 and 10,000 times higher than any other mass extinction.  This human propagated, or anthropogenic extinction, is being caused by habitat loss, over exploitation, and climate change.  We evaluated the best ways to direct conservation efforts and discussed whether to focus on trying and most likely failing to save every species, or instead focus on saving an area with a lot of endemism (species only found in that specific area) and essentially give up on saving certain species.  Spanish class was also great this week and we even learned some Quechua, which is the language of the indigenous people in Ecuador. Many Quichian words are integrated into many Ecuadorians’ everyday language.  Some word highlights were:

Achachay- what you say when you are cold

Ayayay- what you say when you are in pain

Chuchaqui (very important to know)- Hangover

After school I also went for some excellent runs with friends from my program along the Chaquinan. It is a beautiful bike and running path that goes for 30 km!  The only problem is that the way there is completely downhill and once you turn around it is all up hill! By the end of the semester we are all going to be marathon runners because with the altitude and the uphill it is very challenging!

Baños

Swinging in la casa de arbol

The highlight of my week was the weekend because we all went to the Baños, and no I do not just mean the bathroom.  Baños (de Agua Santa) is a small city in the Andean highlands of Ecuador under the smoke of volcano Tungurahua. Its name, which is Spanish for "Baths (of sacred water)," comes from the famous hydrothermal springs in the area.  It is known as the adventure capital of Ecuador and we definitely found out why.  On Saturday we rented bikes for $5 and then were driven up to the top of a giant mountain to la casa del Arbol (the tree house), hailed as the swing at the end of the world. Connected to the tree house is a swing, which goes over the abyss and when you look down mid-swing there is nothing beneath your feet.  It was amazing and by far the most scenic swinging I have ever done. The adventures did not stop there because we then biked down the entire mountain stopping at various points to ride a horse and see the city and volcanoes downs below. When we made it down to the bottom we decided to bike to the Cascadas (waterfalls).  The taxi driver on the way up had described how to get there and made it seem very easy. All we had to do was turn left, bike a little, and then walk a little.  It ended up being a 20 km bike ride, on bikes where the gears were used more as decoration, and then a 30-minute hike to the waterfall!

Cascada Pailon del Diabolo

It was well worth the travelling, however, because the waterfall, la Cascada Pailon del Diabolo, was absolutely gorgeous.  We climbed to the top of it but it is definitely not for swimming, as it would likely pull you done extremely quickly. We decided to continue the adventure and biked over to the next waterfall where we could actually get in and swim. The water was freezing, but extremely refreshing after a long day!

 

Puenting

Today, on Sunday, we went puenting, which if you are unfamiliar with the term literally means bridge jumping.  We went to a bridge 100 m above a river filled with rocks. In just a few minutes I was all harnessed up and standing on the edge of the cliff and being told to jump. Unlike the U.S. there were no waivers to be signed, but we didn’t pay until the end so if anything were to happen at least we would not have lost money! I dove off the bridge and it was definitely one of the most thrilling experiences and should be added as a new attraction at the MN State fair. For a split second it felt as if I was dropping and headed straight for the rocks, and then the harness stopped me and let me swing above the river as I was lowered down. If you ever visit, I highly recommend it and you definitely will not regret it! Baños was amazing and definitely provided some adrenaline rushes to last for a while!

Although class tomorrow probably does not provide as much as excitement as jumping off a cliff, I am excited to see what this week will bring!  

Living in the Clouds

Wow, another great week in Ecuador!

This week was full of many new and exciting adventures and even school! Last Monday I had my first day of class at the University of San Francisco, although for our classes it is basically just UW teachers renting out space at the university. 

For three hours each morning I first have biology.  In biology this week we discussed a variety of topics including why Ecuador is such a breeding ground for biodiversity, identified different parts and different kinds of plants and fruits (and we even got to try all the fruits), and began discussing what we can do to ensure the protection of all of these beautiful places and ecosystems. 

Following biology, we have a two-hour break for some siesta time. Everyday this past week I went to a different restaurant to eat lunch.  Cumbaya and all of Ecuador is known for their special almuerzo places (almuerzo meaning lunch in Spanish), which serve giant three to four course meals for less than $3.  One day for lunch I had juice, soup, rice and veggies with eggs, and dessert of course! With the remaining time during the breaks we have walked around or come back to the university to relax in the beautiful sunshine and play cards, Frisbee, or just talk. 

From 2pm to 5pm I have Spanish class.  The first day we all were eagerly awaiting the class, ready to finally learn Spanish in the classroom.  We had been told that Ecuadorians have their own time system and often do not show up right on time, but by 2:30 we were starting to get a little worried.  We found an instructor from our program to see what was going on and by 3:30 we learned that the teacher was not showing up because she didn’t know that she was teaching the class (only in Ecuador). The next day we did finally get a teacher and she arrived in Ecuadorian fashion (a little late), but thus far Spanish has been great.   

The orchid

Cloud Forest/Andes Mountains

It was not quite a full week of classes because on Friday morning we left for the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve in the cloud forest! The El Pahuma Orchid Reserve is located an hour away from Quito and is full of lush vegetation, birds, some bears and lots and lots of clouds and rain! The Reserve is even more special because it is owned by native Ecuadorians and serves as a model conservation project that allows local landowners to make sustainable revenue from forest protection. The reserve is protected by a conservation easement, which is an agreement between private owners of land and a non-governmental organization where the owners of the land agree to protect and not to deforest or hunt on their land. In 2000 the owners of the reserve and the NGO, Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Ecology, the organization that is running the study abroad program I am on, agreed upon the first ever easement in Ecuador to make this reserve possible. This agreement is extremely special because it keeps the land in the hands of the owners and allows them to take initiative to implement polices to protect it. The reserve protects over 600 hectares (over 1500 acres) of tropical montane forest lying and within the property over 200 species of orchids have been identified, a lot of plants only found on the reserve and it is also home to wildlife such as the Spectacled Bear and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. 

My trip to El Pahuma was excellent! The first day we spent on the lower half walking around and learning how to identify certain commonly found species of plants.  We also went into a freezing cold waterfall and had some delicious meals.  The following day we did a super steep hike up for 500 m to get to the top of the forest.  Up on top we did some great bird watching where we listened and then found parrots, tanagers, and toucans through binoculars.  If you have never tried to locate a bird through binoculars, it is much harder than you might think! We also did a great night hike and saw frogs, lots of bugs, and an olingo, which is in the same family as the raccoons, but much cuter! The following day we woke up to bright blue and sunny skies, but within two hours it was completely cloudy, or more like we were actually in the clouds and it rained for the rest of the afternoon.  Climbing down the super slippery and muddy slope was extremely difficult and at times sliding down on our butts proved to be the easier method. 

Plant scavenger hunt

 

Lots and lots of fruit

After my first true Ecuadorian excursion I am excited for many more. Everything else in Ecuador has also been great.  My host family continues to be amazing and I still have tried a new fruit almost every day! I also went to an Ecuadorian blues concert the other night at an organic hipster place, although interestingly enough the music was more rock, and they served IPA beer!

Check in for more adventures soon!

Hasta Luego!

Frog from the night hike

Campfire

el comienzo- The Beginning

My first week in Ecuador has flown by and it has been full of new experiences, people, and tons of Spanish!

I arrived Tuesday night in Ecuador and my host mom was there to greet me at the airport. Immediately I felt welcome, as she hugged and a kissed me and then of course served me an entire meal at 12:30 am.

My host brother David

My host family lives in a small neighborhood in Cumbaya (yes, just like the word from the Lion King), which is a suburb of the capital city Quito.  They have a beautiful house and I am lucky enough to have my own room with a bathroom, I think it may be nicer than my room at school.  My host mother's name is Ximena and my father's name is Ronald, and I have an 11 year old brother David.  I am happy to say that David will be the newest member of the Vikings in their upcoming season... I hear he can even make field goals from 25 yards away.  I have loved getting to know them this last week. None of them speak English very well, but we have found ways to communicate, and when all else fails I just nod and smile.  David speaks it the best because three out of his seven classes at school are taught in English, so I will speak in English to him and he will respond in Spanish.  I have definitely spoken more Spanish in these last five days than in my entire life and it is definitely improving!

The Ecuadorian food has been great so far and never ending.  My host mom and dad used to be vegetarians and so they know how to make delicious vegetarian food with tons of spices and flavors.  I have eaten tofu, lentils, veggie burgers, lots of salad, and eggs, and a meal is not complete without rice somehow included. We usually do not eat lunch until 3 pm and dinner around 8pm.  I have tried a new piece of fruit everyday and, while I have had no idea what I am sometimes eating, they have all been delicious.

I spent my first few days in Ecuador getting to know Cumbaya and attending orientations at the University of San Francisco where I will be studying.  The university is about a 15 minute bus ride from my house, but I need to take two busses, luckily each bus is only 25 cents. I am still trying to figure out the bus system as there are no actual times that the bus arrives and sometimes it just goes a different direction than expected. I learned that very quickly on my second day when I ended up riding the bus all the way to the end of the line and then patiently waiting for the bus to turn around as the driver took a 20 minute siesta.

My first weekend in Ecuador was well spent with hanging out with new friends, exploring Ecuadorian culture, and getting to know my host family better.  On Saturday, I attended my first ever Olympics! At David's school they had an Olympics ceremony where both the kids and the adults participate.  Each grade (k-12) had a theme and in the 'opening ceremonies' the parents all performed dances in costumes, and it was very impressive.  This was followed by some serious soccer games played by both parents and kids, and of course tons of food.  After a fun morning watching him participate and meeting (and kissing, which is customary in Ecuador) all of their friends I came back home and was told it was time to go to lunch. I was very confused because I was under the impression that what I had eaten one hour before had been lunch, but apparently it was only a large snack!

Shamushakya Waterfall

Otovello Market

On Sunday, today, I went with everyone on my program to the Otovello market, which was about a two hour drive away.  The market was huge and it definitely presented an opportunity to practice my Spanish and bargaining skills. It reminded me of the shook in Israel, but the vendors were a little less aggressive.   Following the market we went to a beautiful waterfall and even though no one was wearing any swimsuits we all went in!

And finally to end our excursion we made it to the middle of the earth!! Today, I stood at exactly the middle of the earth at 0 degrees latitude. On one side of me it was winter and the other side it was summer, who knew I would be so successful in completing one of my goals in just one week.

The equatorial line

My experience in Ecuador thus far has been great.  The people on my program are all amazing and I have never been around so many biology majors at once.  All the Ecuadorians I have met have been super friendly, kind, and happy! It is a country struggling to maintain an economy that is based almost solely on oil with rising unemployment rates.  Yet, Ecuador is also such a beautiful country and Quito and Cumbaya are part of a valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, which makes everywhere absolutely gorgeous.

That is all for now, as tomorrow is the first day of class, I guess Ecuador does not celebrate MLK day.

Goodbye, or as they say in Ecuador Ciao

Pictures of Quito:

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Bienvenida to the Middle of the World

MiddlEarth

Which country is the most biodiverse in the world, houses the the most active volcano, is where Darwin first came up with the theory of Evolution, and uses the US dollar as its official currency?

If you guessed Ecuador, you are correct! But don't worry if you had no idea because a month ago I probably would have gotten the answer wrong too.  

Ecuador is named because of its location along the equator, or as I like to refer to it as Middle Earth. 30 minutes outside of Quito, the country's capital, person can literally stand in the middle of the earth at 0 degrees latitude.  

Ecuador is located on the northern part of the west coast of South America and borders Peru and Colombia and the Pacific Ocean.  While Ecuador is the smallest Andean country, it has four distinct and contrasting regions, and the coastal plains region grows enough bananas to make the country the world's largest exporter of bananas.  

It is in Ecuador, the middle of the earth, that I will be studying abroad for the next five months on a conservation biology program.  I will be living with a host family in Quito, and I will be studying biology and Spanish at the University of San Francisco.  Throughout my program I will also travel to the Amazon Rainforest and spend two weeks living there, although apparently Amazon actually does not even ship to Ecuador! I will also be spending a month in the Galapagos Islands doing marine biology research and snorkeling with the sea turtles.  To end the academic portion of the program (yes, I do get credits for everything mentioned above!) I will be doing an internship related to conservation and development.  

It is going to be a wonderful opportunity to learn Spanish, take classes where nature will be the actual classroom, and experience all that Ecuador has to offer!

I am very excited for my journey to the middle of the earth to begin. By tonight, I will have landed in Quito and been greeted by my host family and apparently a heat wave.  

Stay tuned for more once I arrive!  

Until then, Adios Amigos!