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ECUADOR - FIELD UPDATES - UPDATE FROM JACK
Ok, so I left Columbus, Ohio around 3pm last Tuesday and after a brief layover, we were off to Quito, Ecuador!
Flying into Quito is beyond words. It was dark, so the Andes weren’t visible, but the city was lit up like a Christmas tree! You could see the different plateaus or levels of the buildings, houses, and even roads... it was cool! We were met at the airport by Enrique and Carlos from Greenforce..
Carlos got us to our house in Mariscol safe and sound. Mariscol is also know as Gringo Town because of all the tourists, a good part of town, walking distance to some shops, great bars, restaurants, and night life.
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Wednesday morning we were up at 5:00am, running on about 4 hours sleep after checking in, cleaning up, and a welcome meeting in the lobby. Breakfast was had and we were off to Cayambe with Romero and Hugo, our mountain guides. Romero is the premiere guide in Ecuador and his school is world renowned. Also, if you heard in the news of the two, stranded German climbers on a glacier... Romero is the guy who rescued thier butts! Anyway, Quito is surrounded by volcanoes, Cayambe being the one that is about 3 hours due North. Getting to Cayambe was not easy, but it was enjoyable... winding, switch back roads high in the Andes.. most of it in 4 wheel drive, on a road originally built by the Incas. I took some great pictures of the Indigenous people during the trek. So we arrive to Cayambe and take refuge in the shelter. A brief tour of the kitchen, sleeping quarters, and other facilities... After the meeting it’s time to get dressed for the trek to the Caymbe glacier.
It was windy, but I soldiered on and made my way to a slight break from the wind. Dave and Romero were ahead of me, everyone else behind. Soon there was the glacier right in front of me. Unreal, surreal, beautiful, massive... it was truly an amazing sight. We made our way to the base of the glacier, around 15,000 ft now. All the hard work had paid off. To stand on a glacier was a thing of beauty. How ancient this thing must be... and it was right at my feet. Top of the world, or as close as I may ever get.
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Back in Quito now. As soon as we got to civilization, a celebratory beer was in order. We stopped for a ¨Pilsner¨ at the original center of the world marking. Original, because the French who helped map it in the 1700´s were off by miles and miles. Guess they tried. We decide on an Ecuadorian place to get a feel for authentic food. I was very surprised, and happy, to see Guinnea Pig (Cuy) on the menu! The gp´s were eaten by the Incas... ever since I learned of this, I´ve wanted to try it. For me, food is an adventure. Eating what the locals eat helps me identify with them... maybe understand the way they think, feel, or why they do certain things. Ok, so Cuy it was. I opted for the whole Cuy with a side of potatoes and corn. By the way, I have a wonderful picture of my meal.. head, paws and all! Ill try to get it posted soon. So a lot of you have been asking what it tastes like????? Ummm, I´d say it´s a cross between a chicken wing, squirrel, and a frog leg. A ¨chirrel¨ maybe? Not a lot of meat, kinda chewy and stringy.
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Today we are heading on our for the 6 1/2 hour journey to the rain forest. How are the roads in Ecuador you wonder???? Well we drove our van, a Nissan diesel used about 1/2 a tank of gas. Sometimes the roads were there, sometimes they didn’t exist. This is where I learn of Carlos´ driving skill. Anyone who has ever driven in Latin America can probably appreciate it… Right before our arrival to Jatun Sacha, we stopped in a city on the edge of the jungle called, Tena.
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Ok, time out for a little bit... I’ll come back to the rain forest. Want to tell you a little about Quito right now. A very cosmo city... great atmosphere, great night life, friendly people, and cheap! A beer, even in the tourist area is about $1.50 for a 32 oz. Sometimes as little as .80. Food is good. Quite a mix of ethnic and regional.
We're also heading to the Otovalo Indian market, about 2 hours out of town on Saturday. Saturday is when the Otovalo Indians come to town to sell there goods. I'm hoping for some very traditional wears. It’s great here - ll races, all nationalities, all religions... all cool.
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Skipping around a bit more, sorry. The center of the world. It was like being in bizarre world . Eggs balancing on end, on the heads of nails... got the pics to prove it! A sink full of water, sitting on the equator, pull the plug and the water rushes strait down. No swirl, no nothing, strait down. Move 10 steps northern, pull the plug, the water swirls out clockwise. Move 10 steps south, the water swirls out in the opposite direction. Crazy to actually see it. So I'm standing in the north with my index and big fingers held as tightly as possible against my thumb. Gabriella then tries as hard as she can to separate them. No luck. Same experiment, but we move on top of the equator... she breaks my hold like I'm a little baby... no strength what-so-ever! The experiments went on and it was jaw dropping.
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Coming home from the rain forest the other day we stopped in two towns... one called Poyo and one called Banos . Poyo is a big sugar cane producing area. Bought a bag of fresh cut sugar can off a street vendor for .50. You just sort of chew and suck on it at the same time... very good! Also, bought a pint of sugar cane hooch off a street vendor for $1.00. Yep, a whole pint for one buck. The guy even proofed it for me prior to buying it.
Banos is where the volcano is erupting right now. We stopped, had dinner, a little shopping... it was good. As we’re driving out of town, Carlos slows down (maybe for the first time) so we can get a good look at the volcano. Almost on cue, it burps up the coolest thing I have ever seen! Molten rocks and other bright orange debris come flying out of the top! I'm in awe and yelling at Carlos to stop... scrambling for my camera and having just realized the fact that my life had just changed. To stand there and think about what was going on right beneath my feet was awesome. Pompeii came to mind...
