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Another week. Another blog. I’m sure you must be bored reading all this by now… ;-) Last week’s instalment was a bit of an epic, and this week’s threatens to be just as longwinded. So, to help the easily confused (including myself), I’ll give a quick summary of the last seven days instead:
Saturday and Sunday - Took a bus (or three) through the central highlands to a little market town called Guaranda high in the mountains with two of the new volunteers. The roads to and from this town are famous in Ecuador for their beauty, and have amazing views of the extinct Volcano Chimborazo. The town itself is quiet and friendly, with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside from a viewpoint on the edge of town. The road to Guaranda rises to over 4000 feet as it skirts the edge of the volcano, whose snowcapped peak is a massive 6,300m from sea level. The landscape moves from a patchwork quilt of farmland worked by indigenous farmers near Guaranda, to the lunar world around the foot of the mountain with only a few tufts of grass breaking up the expanse of purplish soil. We did the journey in a
loop, leaving the Panamerican highway at Ambato, and then returning via Riobamba (the more spectacular of the two roads - but go in the morning before the clouds roll in). We left Guaranda early to get the best views and arrived back at the reserve at 4pm.
Monday - Back at the homestead. Continued my work on the project in the morning. This time getting to grips with the laws on creating a children’s nursery in Ecuador. Everything was in Spanish, but with my trusty dictionary I made good headway. In the afternoon, as I am now acting as a part volunteer coordinator, I went down with the volunteers to pick coffee in the coffee plantation. There was another bumper harvest.
Tuesday - More project work in the morning, finishing what I had started the day before. I will meet with Alexandra tomorrow to have a catch and decide on the next steps. Last Sunday saw the arrival of a group of 23 American students on an ecology study abroad program, and on Tuesday afternoon half the group went down to the town and did a ‘minga’ (working together with the community) to clean the grounds of the
school and health centre. I was able to tag along, and spoke to the teacher to ask her if she minded me taking some photos to use for fundraising, which she didn’t, so I now have some representative images we can use. I also saw some of the children that I taught last year, which was lovely.
Wednesday - In the morning the group of US students left, so I went down the hill with Alexandra and Juan Pablo and had our catch up meeting in the car at the bottom of the hill as we bid them goodbye. We discussed further steps for the project, and it was agreed that this weekend Juan Pablo would ask his sister to begin to draft an architectural plan of the new nursery and education centre building (she is an architect), which should hopefully clarify the budget and other things we need to know before asking anyone for money. Mid-morning two new volunteers arrived, Alice and Antoine, and Alexandra and I walked them up the hill, introducing them to the reserve in all its vertiginous glory...
In the afternoon we transplanted patacho trees in the nursery, and then had a talk
on Ecuador's recent economic history from Alexandra. This was especially relevant at the moment, as the Ecuadorian economy is in a bit of a crisis. This week the government here has refused to renew the contract of the US Oil Company Oxy, which drills for oil in the Amazon region. In return the US has said that it won't sign their Free Trade Agreement with Ecuador. The US has already signed agreements with Peru and Colombia, so Ecuador's exports are going to have a really hard time, and jobs will be lost in many industries, such as bananas, coffee and flower exports. Oxy also want a billion dollars in compensation from Ecuador, despite the fact that only last week they offered the Ecuadorian goverment the same sum to 'overlook' their alleged breach of contract (they 'allegedly' sold one of their oil field interests to another Canadian oil co, which they weren't allowed to do).
Thursday - Guess, what I did in the morning? Yes, you're right, I worked on the community project. Specifically, I started to write funding proposals for volunteers who want to raise money in their local communities. Once I have the answers to some of the
questions I gave JP last week we will really be able to motor. In the meantime I am leaving gaps for the relevant info. Tim, an Aussie teacher from Melbourne, has asked to help with this work, so he will be working with me while he is here. In the afternoon we all had a fun time weeding the lettuce in the vegetable garden. In places it was more a case of 'hunt the lettuce' than weed the lettuce, as the weeds were two foot high (in a month!).
Friday - Hike Day. In my new 'kind-of volunteer coordinator' role I led the hike up to the highest point on the reserve. It's a 450 metre climb overall, and we had some gorgeous views, saw some toucans (well them flying away anyway!), a trogan (a brightly coloured tropical forest bird), lots of orchids, wierd-looking spiders and hummingbirds. At the top we ate a packed lunch and just enjoyed the view until the clouds began to roll in and we headed off back down the mountain and away to Quito for the weekend.
In Quito the big news is I booked my Galapagos trip!! I got a good deal
on a nice boat called the Guantanamera, for five days, starting next Sunday! I can't wait. Otherwise it's just be sorting out bits and pieces, getting laundry done, emailing, calling... the usual stuff. Last night a few of us went to the old town and had a lovely dinner in a underground restaurant called Los Cuevas de las Candelas (or something like that). It was covered in paintings and photos of matadors and bullfights. I had steamed sea bass, and it was lovely. Definitely the best meal I have had in Ecuador. We had brilliant service too, which may have been because we were the only people in the restaurant!
So, I am writing this at breakfast in my hostal, in between mouthfuls of yoghurt and granola. In a bit we're going to head off to the indigenous market at Parque Ejido, not far from here. Then it's back to the reserve for another week. Take care all!
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George
non-member comment
felicitaciones
I'm enjoying your fun adventures and interesting photos from your writings. I'm in the EEUU but recently had a wonderful trip to Ecuador. Next time I go I would like to visit your reserve; it is a fascinating place. Just wanted to say thanks for putting this together here where any of us interested parties can come check out your magical home-away-from-home, and to inform you that your efforts are appreciated beyond the circle which you may have expected! I really hope the political unrest smooths over and dries up, and that relations become amiable - soon. Blessings on the rest of your trip, including your jaunt to Galapagos.