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Published: February 19th 2007
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Looking out at dusk
This is what the tree line outside the volunteer house looks like at 6:30 every night. It is also the hour of the mosquitos. The bus station was full. I was the only gringo in there, and as I sat there clutching my bags and sensing peoples eyes examining me and my belongings I thought "This is what travelling alone must be like alot of the time".
The sensation certainly wasn't lost at all as I sat in my bus seat and felt kids under my seat tugging on my bag, which I clutched with sufficient strength to deter the slightly simple youngsters. Otherwise the bus ride was great... Ohhh... Except for the fact that I had to take a piss after to hours, but wasn't comfortable leaving my bags unattended, so I held on for 10 hours, often having to lend some physical assistance to the hold. I believe the experience has atleast increased my bladder capacity!
Finally I arrived in Muisne.
Muisne is a dirt road town where the paved road from Quito finds itsself defeated by the Pacific Coast. Most of the people here appear to be predominantly of African descent, and as you can imagine I blend right in with my similar appearance (I attribute it to my strong fijian skin tone).
So when the directions I had been given to
Muisne forest
This emergent tree caught my inner photographer, and despite what the critics may tell you, this is a prize photo. meet a woman named Senora Cortez in Muisne failed, and Senora Cortez wasn't there I easily blended into the local scene and adapted to the local systems in seconds. I walked around like a chick abandoned by the silly old hen that found its head on the chopping block, and eventually found a collection of boats bobbing alongside the bottom of a concrete staircase that disappeared into the river. One of them new of Lagertera and I fluked a really cheap price (He probably thought I was a local!).
The volunteer station here is wonderful, and challenging at the same time. The beach is beautiful, with the 28 degree waters of the Pacific surging in perfectly formed surf up along the sand beach, and retreating with coconuts that drop from the many trees that hang out from the sandy plantations. Red crabs scurry across the sand, and turtles nest amongst the beach vegetation. Its bloody great!
The volunteer house (which I have decided to replicate one day in New Zealand) is a wooden hut raised on stilts. Beneath the hut are two bathrooms, and a huge bamboo thatched mat that looks up at the hammocks and washing lines that are
I ruin this photo
But the background is great strung between the huts giant legs. In our rooms are bunks with large mosquito nets, and all the rooms open onto a large deck that has a large Bamboo table in the middle. Around the table are a mismatched group of bamboo and plastic seats, a cd player hanging from the wall, a library along another wall, and 4 worn and comfortable hammocks strung alongside. At night and in the weekend we often hang out there (hahahah what a pun) just reading, listening to music, and discussing the merits of communism, Mcdonalds, and Aloe Vera.
The rest of the volunteer station is comprised of a larger building with plenty of equipment, supplies, and rooms for more volunteers. The station co-ordinator and his family, the cook/station cleaner, Vicente (a full time employee) and his family, and three dogs all share the station with us. There is also numerous lizards, bugs, and chickens. One chicken in particular (named HitchCock) often hangs out with us at the volunteer house and joins us for meals in the shade-cloth surrounded dining hall. There has been a few leaks as the leaves are getting old in the thatch roof, so we are confined to one corner
Atacames beach
Far inferior to our little slice of paradise in Muisne, but this is where the people are. Just not the most important person :) on rainy days.
It all sounds very good, and pleasant, and wonderful doesn't it! But what the hell do we do?
Well the work is another story all together. With the heat and humidity I am often sweating streams before we even arrive to breakfast at 7am, and whilst we harvest fruits, or leaves in the jungle I tend to lose at least a few liters of fluids (without relieving myself). If it rains the ground becomes mud, and seeing that it is the rainy season rain is very common, and very heavy. There is a small garden that I have been weeding, and with the climate here weeds seem to grow a great deakl faster then they ever did in Brooklyn. It is somewhat of an uphill battle, but I am hoping all the hill runs I did with Steve see me through. Apart from our monotonous work in the garden and out in the jungle we also go turtle monitoring on the beach, collecting rubbish amongst the mangroves in canoes, and sometimes help clean a local coconut plantation. I have also propsed that I begin illustrating childrens books in basic english for the local schools efforts to teach
english, and I have planned with a local biologist who is getting funding to work with tourism, that I construct a town map with a slogan and logo on it, for tourists who find themselves lodt as I did. All the possibilities for how to help this beautiful little place promise me quite alot of ahope for productive and rewarding time here.
The last few days have been carnaval, and we have basically been body-surfing at the beach or engaged in waterfights for the last three days. At times Andres's wife Nori has resorted to throwing flowers and eggs, and on one occasion the were throwing eggs with unborn chicks inside at us. I was traumatised by the incident, and the smell, and I have temporarily lost my appetite for thye plentiful supply of chicken here at the station.
Well I hope you have enjoyed this look into the life of Andrew, and if this pilot goes well I hope to occupy your computer screen at the same time every week. If we keep our fingers crossed someone may one day make it to the end of one of these blogs, and not just look at the pictures.
I love
Four players
On this home made risk board it must take a few games to get the knack because uncharactyeristically I lost! But what about that board??? you all for checking in on me, and hope that you all are as well and happy as I am.
x (one kiss for you all to share. Mum I will email you some extras later!)
Adios
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