Blogs from Puyo, Centre, Ecuador, South America - page 5

Today is our last day in the jungle, emotions for me span the gamut of sadness and relief. Sad that this part of the adventure is coming to a close - there's still so much more to see and do. Relief that we are headed back to civilization and I won't have to worry about giant flying cockroaches the size of my hand crawling on me while I sleep (yeah, the size of my hand!). Sticky and slightly funky from the strenuous activities the day before we decide to start the day with a shower. As luck would have it, the showers set up for the tourists had no running water. The only running water was a spigot behind the host family's house. A bucket, a pail and open jungle, that's it. Yep, no walls, no ... read more

Up at the crack of dawn (Megan, woken up by crazy jungle roosters and Jarrod, having not slept much due to crazy jungle insects) and suited up to head out into the wilderness. Shacay promised us a relatively easy hike to 2 waterfalls, encounters with unique flora & fauna, and good times making like locals. Clad in the elusive rubber boots that are a must-have for slopping through the quicksand-esque terrain that is the Amazon after a soaking night of rain, we 5 set out. After about 2 minutes, Shacay handed me a leaf which, when torn open, was teeming with ants. 'Lemon ants' he said 'try 'em, they taste like lemons' and down the hatch they went...they did indeed. Extra protein that would come in handy later, or so I told myself... It's important to ... read more

This week seemed to pass quicker than most and I am not entirely sure why that is. Perhaps it was due to the start of the MLB season and my Indians jumped out to an early start before finishing the week at 2-3, perhaps it was the lead-up to the NCAA final four, perhaps it was because Katie was leaving the country this week and you never get enough time to say goodbye or to tie up loose ends, or perhaps it was because I was busy as usual and these days time is flying by. I have been sick though with a nasty head/chest cold that has kept me from getting a good night sleep for a couple of weeks now. My global warming/environment presentation project in the high schools is coming to an end. ... read more

When last I updated the blog I was talking about giving presentations in the local high schools about global warming. This past week was more of the same. On Tuesday, I gave a presentation at Colegio Doce de Mayo. Whitney Shipman (another PCV) was in town with her husband so she came along to see my presentation. It went fairly well - I was rushed through it though, since the principal told me that I would only have 40 minutes to give it. Whitney chatted with the principal afterwards about collaborating on a project she has with some high school students in her site. Her site is near Loja in the southern part of Ecuador - a mere 16 hours by bus. Anyhow, Whitney has a group of students that she does Env. Ed. stuff with ... read more

Last week saw the end of the Andrea era at CODEAMA. Her departure was somehow anticlimactic. We had a despedida (farewell party) for her at Colibri. Half the number of people who were supposed to show up did. Bolivar, to his credit, gave a toast that was kind and generous considering the fact that the two of them do not get along well at all. On Wednesday, my last day with her at the office, she opted to work from home. So at lunch, she said goodbye and walked out. She would be working until Friday, however, I was headed to Quito for another workshop. I like Andrea, I admire her, and I wish her the best of luck in her new job with a company called Eco Decision. Already I’ve been forced to pick up ... read more