Night hikes=not my idea of a good time. I was totally scared during the walk up to the viewpoint that SOMETHING was going to jump out of the foliage and get me! We hiked for about 15 minutes before we came to a viewpoint that overlooked the surrounding mountains. While we waited for the sun we admired the waning crescent moon and whether or not we were crazy.
Sun=never came. I am in a cloud forest after all. It was all clouds; by 6:30 we were feeling rather like a balloon that had been burst unexpectedly. It was still beautiful up there despite the lack of sun and I used my new gorilla pod to take a couple of self pics of us. (:
I spent the morning working in the garden, Luis is back. How did he greet me? Well I was walking to the garden after breakfast & let myself in through the gate to see him relieving himself in plain sight. Right next to the building where the bathrooms are. Awkward! I don't think he saw me though, whew. In Ecuador it is common practice for men to relieve themselves in public places. Not a fan of that cultural custom.
I planted 3 beds of vegetables in the morning and was feeling quite proud of myself. Luis came over, corrected my hoeing technique and helped to rake the soil so it was flat. We had a difference of opinion on a couple of things but I stood my barely speaking Spanish ground. For example he was staking squash, I informed him that squash can grow on the ground. He steadfastly disagreed. I kept trying to impress on him that with this, I knew what I was talking about, he grumbled and walked away. To note- Luis does love plants but has limited garden knowledge as this is very new to the reserve.
It felt really good to plant spinach, arugula, and mixed greens that future volunteers will hopefully help cultivate and eat. It was like I was planting for the future, putting my hopes and wishes into the ground alongside the seeds.
In the afternoon it was POURING rain. Not just a light shower, literally buckets for hours. Savannah and I began watching "Into The Wild" but had to pause it due to inventory arriving. Once per week inventory arrives from Quito and it all has to be inputted into a log sheet before being put away. I am amazed how much food that it takes to feed visitors at the reserve.
Side note: I am so happy I did not go with the other volunteers for the day. Michael went along - their activity was catching tilapia, de-scaling them whilst they were still alive, then killing & cleaning them. I would have had a heart attack. He was a trooper about it, but it broke my heart a bit to hear that they put the fish through pain before they die to keep the meat in good condition. Sometimes especially in this case, ignorance really is bliss.
After inventory it was happy hour time! One of the co-managers family came for a visit and what a nice family it was. We all sat around before & after dinner playing "Phase 10," telling jokes, and sharing ghost stories.
En route back to the cabin for bed the stars were very present, but none of us knew what we were looking at! We threw out some theories, this is something I should have researched before coming. I think we saw the milky way, but not so sure if it was just a cloud? We then all retired to our rooms as we had a 6:30 meeting time for bird watching the following morning.
Upon putting my pajamas on a knock sounded at the door and I was invited to go star gazing! Threw my clothes back, even thought I was SO tired, but hey you only live once right? We all traipsed out to the main road, with thoughts of adventure, smelling the night air rich with the scent of lush forest life, and kindred spirits creating memories. The night was ours!
The stars were completely covered by clouds. So much for that. Back to bed it was.
Yesterday morning the 6:00 wake up time was rough. I had around 5 hours of sleep and was tired once again, but hoping to spot my first toucan. First animal spotting? A wild squirrel! I asked our guide Arsenio (who is the local manager and very friendly) if people ate squirrel. It was an affirmative, but I am happy to report that he stated is was "no muy rico."
We also saw an agouti which is a large rat like animal- apparently it is muy rico. Yum-not! A lot of birds presented themselves to us, woodpeckers, swallows and brilliantly colored birds each with their own distinctive call. Arsenio- now dubbed "The bird whisperer" can mimic a large number of bird calls. It was fantastic, walking down this lush green trail in the early morning, Arsenio whistling with the birds responding to his whistles. He brought along a telescope & had quite the knack for locating birds with it, this was quite powerful, it was like they were right in front of your face even thought in reality they were 100-500 feet away. Also, I saw my first toucan! Way different that the fruit loops package. It was thrilling.
A really interesting bird hopping from tree to tree that we saw was a crested guan, it rather looks like a big turkey. Time for Thanksgiving? Tofurkey please!
Armadillos do live on the reserve, but they are strangely elusive to my eyes as of yet. They do tear up the greenery on the path of the trail in search for grubs- I hope to see one before I leave. Apparently I missed seeing the armadillo guitars at the market in Otavalo last week. No thanks!
The hike to find the birds was quite picturesque, clouds literally sitting atop and rolling over tree filled mountains. From the big picture is was breathtaking, to the minute details of white flowers with yellow centers softening our footsteps.
What was thrilling in an "wow, there is something that could kill me" kind of way occurred about 2 hours into our hike. We literally stumbled upon a fer de lance! It was sleeping next to a trail, when one of the co-managers stepped quite near it & the snake retreated into the brush. Arsenio called a few of the local workers in Spanish & I heard him yell out MACHETE! Up the trail comes the arsenal ready to kill this snake. Thank goodness the co-managers did not feel that the snake should have been killed. I know the locals thought we were crazy for not killing it as it could easily kill someone, but it just didn't feel right. We are the ones in its territory, shouldn't it have the right to live?
After that we all felt strangely pensive, lost in our own thoughts with the sounds of birds singing and our rubber boots crunching along the path.
After breakfast I spent the morning painting signs for the garden. I was in
a rush to paint them as once a sign is put up indicating something is planted there, Luis will not plant more cabbage in that spot. I have come to the realization that Luis loves cabbage. It is easy to plant, takes care of itself, and looks pretty. At the current moment there are 8 beds of cabbage! I am trying to introduce a bit more diversity in the garden.
As for the signs, for those that know me they know that I am in no way an artist. I tried my best but I think they look like a kindergartener painted them. (:
In the afternoon Michael & I were off to Mindo. My guidebook describes Mindo as "An Alpine village transplanted to the tropics, with steep roofed chalet-like farmhouses punctuating its lush and beautiful landscape."
To get to Mindo we received a ride from one of the employees to the nearest town of Nanegalito. Nanegalito is not a pretty town. It feels gritty, with trash and stray dogs lining the streets, and non-stop cars rolling through spewing exhaust fumes. Once we located the bus stop, which of course doesn't have a sign we waited. Many buses drove by and on one the corn on the cob seller tried to convince us to get on and catch a camioneta from the town it was headed, I emphatically replied no thanks.
While waiting at the bus stop a man in a wheelchair rolled up with his 8 year old son. He was destined for a different town. The first bus for his destination rolled by and the young man in charge of tickets told him no, the bus was full. I saw empty seats. The second bus rolled by and he received the same answer. Between that and the mournful old female dog looking like she had borne way too many puppies, my heart was breaking. I know these buses are not equipped for the disabled, but I hoped for a little bit more love and empathy towards their fellow countryman. The look on the man's face was one of resignation, I am sure he gets this everyday. It made me have an "appreciate America" moment where we have the ASPCA and ADA laws to try to prevent these injustices from occurring.
The bus to Mindo arrived and was very full. It was also approximately 100 degrees and very humid. The smell of sweaty bodies, bad breath, and old upholstery punctuated the air. We had to stand and I thought I was going to throw up. Thank goodness it was a 40 minute ride.
Upon arrival to Mindo we both went our separate ways to try to find our hotels. Originally I was booked at his, alas there were no single rooms so the co-managers of the reserve graciously called & made another reservation at a different hostal for me. What will $6 buy you in Mindo? Well your own room, but wow I feel like Alice in Wonderland. I am in the attic and the door to enter my room is approximately 3.5 feet tall. To enter you ascend very steep stairs and crawl through a door. The room is gorgeous, with windows all around, but man oh man that door trips me out. Never had to climb into a hotel room before. (:
Laundry here is cheap, $3! As of yet I have not had to hand wash my clothes, woo hoo!
On track for today is zip lining, a butterfly garden, and touring a chocolate factory. Tomorrow we are going horseback riding for only $12! Yes I am amazed and so looking forward to it.
PS- I have 27+ chigger bites on my trunk. Yes I counted.
1 comment:
First of all, how sad about the tilapia, I too would have flipped. Secondly, damn girl these posts are long. Thirdly chiggers, eeew and ouch. Fourth weee have fun zip lining. Be safe and miss and love you.
Post a Comment