Ecuador Galapagos

Ecuador Galapagos Log (2007-07-02 --> 2007-07-22)

Leaders: Megan Moran, Eric Draper, Molly Weaver

Students: Cory Colnon, Henry Davis, Margaret Gregory, Will Hannon, Mary Ireland, Frannie Jackson, Arielle Klebanoff, Andrew McConnell, Margaret Ann Medley, Julie, Spielvogel, Jane Stader, Kelly Van Hee

Are you ready to Moondance?!

Update July 8

Day 1

Greetings from Ecuador! Everyone arrived safely, if not a little late, to the airport in Quito. We found everyone´s bag, loaded up the van and headed out of the city of Quito. Right away it was clear that we were going to have a great group. Laughter, stories and questions filled the drive to our campsite. Thank goodness they had time to bond on the flight. We set up tents, without any problems and quickly crawled into our sleeping bags for a good night’s sleep.

Day 2

The sunshine woke us up today and everyone was amazed at their first view of Quito. Our campsite was perched on top of a hill and we could see the whole city spread out before us. Along the horizon there was an endless ring of mountains and the tell-tale white of a snow capped volcano. The beauty (and altitude) truly took our breath away. As we broke down camp and headed to the van we were greeted by Wilson (our guide) and his family. They had an amazing breakfast of eggs, fruit and tomato tree juice waiting for us. The perfect way to start a day. During our van ride to the area of Cotopaxi we were able to see more of the beauty of Ecuador. It truly is un pais lindo (a beautiful country). We arrived at the ranch Porvenir and were greeted with hot tea and cheese empanadas. Frannie found the first food of Ecuador that she really liked!!! Our horse back riding hosts fitted us all with chaps and ponchos. We looked so awesome. If not for the blonde hair, you would have thought Will was a genuine Ecuadorian. Our guides lead us out on our horses, and we set off into the green mountains. The views were unbelievable and Henry led the charge, getting his horse to actually listen to him. Margaret Ann and Julie were not so lucky, but truly enjoyed the stroll their horses insisted on. Our view during the ride was the endless ranches in the area and the tall volcano Cotopaxi. We learned from Megan that the top of Cotopaxi is the closest you can get to the sun. Of course this also required a lesson on the equator! We saw the bulls, birds and flowers of the area. The horses tire out and so do our legs, so we let them return home and continued on hiking. Considering we were at about 12,000 feet above sea level our group did awesome. Margaret kept up with Wilson, smiling the whole time. Each time you stopped to look at the volcano it looked different and more beautiful. Our campsite at the base of it is like nothing I have ever seen. Clouds swirled around the summit, the colors in the sky changed and we started to see the stars come out. Wilson and his cousin Puma (our driver) treated us to a feast after our high altitude hiking. We enjoyed pork chops, salad, guacamole and potatoes before scurrying into our sleeping bags. It gets cold up there in the mountains!

Day 3

The sun woke us up and again we were amazed and awed by the view. Mary and Margaret made a delicious and fresh fruit salad that everyone enjoyed with yogurt and bread. This was the same fruit we had bartered for the day before in the market (and that also was a beautiful sight, so many fresh and colorful fruits and veggies)! That day for lunch we enjoyed a meal at the market. We were all marveling at how delicious the soup was, then we discovered it included blood sausage and sheep intestines. At least we liked it before we knew what it was. Andrew started chatting up the locals and proved to be excellent at speaking Spanish. We also wandered through an outdoor museum, learning about the different plants and the effects of the volcano on the villages and land. After more traveling we arrived at Laguna Quilotoa, a lake in the crater of an active volcano. The people living there still dress in traditional outfits and soon were offering us homemade masks and paintings. Kelly learned that she had a knack for bartering and got everything for just the price she wanted. After dinner that night, a traditional group of musicians came and played and danced for us. They had flutes, guitars, drums and instruments we couldn’t begin to name. Two six year old girls showed us traditional dances and soon we were all up and dancing. Jane learned the best moves from one of the woman and impressed us all.

Day 4

The wind woke us up this morning instead of the sun. It didn’t matter though because we were headed to kayak the beautiful green lake that lay below us. Everyone exchanged amazement at being able to kayak across an ACTIVE VOLCANO! The hike down was impressive, we wound between canyons and rocks only to learn that the trail we were on pre-dated the Incas. I was personally amazed; it was like walking through history. At the lake we discovered the water was cold and a little stinky. But as we kayaked along the edges, some rocks were warmed by the volcano and bubbles spurted up. We even saw some hard core pigs that lived at the edge of the volcano. Our hike back up was strenuous but everyone made it in style. Arielle led her group with enthusiasm and encouragement. Our drive to the next destination took us through interesting places, including a town completely dedicated to making ice cream. We arrived at Rio Negro, in the heart of the rainforest, where the ENTIRE town was waiting for us. After a quick (and delicious dinner) of giant beaver we headed back to take on the local teams in a game of futbol (or soccer, if you will). The girls came out strong; Margaret Ann was an excellent goalie. Kelly and Jane lead the team with their amazing skills and Molly and Megan tried their best to impart some coaching. However, these girls in the middle of the jungle were incredible. We could hardly keep up with them or their fast passes. Let’s just say we were happy to at least score one goal. The boys went out next and put on a much better show. Cory scored twice and so did Henry, causing chants of ¨Chicago¨ from the crowd. They also had to mark down a loss, but at least scored 3 goals. After all that activity, we slept very very well that night.

Day 5

Anticipation for the day’s activity woke us up early. Today we were scheduled to repel and canyoneer. Everyone seemed a bit nervous but very excited. We got a little math practice in, discussing how far down 75 meters really is! First, everyone did a practice repel off a 20 foot bridge into a river. It was nice to get wet and a little clean! Then we had a ton of fun playing in the river, throwing people in (especially the leaders) and enjoying the sunshine. We explored the small town and even made a box for shipping fruit at the local (and very small) ¨factory¨. Some of us were superstars and quickly made our piece of the box, while others (Draper) seemed to struggle with the job. At lunch we were lucky enough to play ¨how many waterfalls do you see? ¨ a game that is probably only possible in the beauty of the Ecuadorian rainforest. When we arrived at our rappel (the BIG one) everyone was a bit nervous with the height. Kelly and Arielle took the lead and were the first 2 down. We lowered ourselves into a narrow canyon of waterfalls, plants, and insects. The activity was amazing. Everyone did it!!! Despite some fears and hesitation, each person in the group wanted to conquer their fears and prove to themselves that they can do anything they set their minds to! Down in the canyon we had to climb across rocks, lower ourselves over waterfalls and scramble through the water. Andrew kept everyone motivated and smiles abounded. When we finished, Megan, Frannie and others were waiting with hot delicious tea. We were off to fish for our dinner. Delicious. Down at a fresh trout farm we put bait on our hooks and surrounded the pond. Kelly, and Mary were awesome fisherwoman, impressing all. Cory and Henry also were able to catch more than their share. That night for dinner, we ate our fish whole, fried and delicious. Frannie truly enjoyed a few bites and Jane got a kick out of eating it off the bone with her hands! The girls had a soccer rematch and some coaching from Puma but unfortunately lost again. We had big goals from Kelly, Mary and Jane. Again, by the time the game was over everyone was exhausted and ready for bed. We had some rafting to do the next day!

Day 6

Another delicious fruit breakfast greeted us before rafting. There were hardly any slow spots on the river; we enjoyed constant rapids for 3 hours. The sides of the river were massive cliffs that rose up to several hundred feet. The whole area was covered with enormous trees, clouds and mist, exactly how you might picture the rainforest in a movie. Our view was infinite, the river basin allowed us to see all the way to the horizon. The river eventually empties into the Amazon, through Brazil and into the Atlantic. We did not have time to travel that far! It was Margaret’s first time rafting and she never stopped laughing the entire time. That’s a good time! Will and Margaret Ann loved sitting on the front of their boats and riding ¨rodeo¨ through the rapids. They might have a calling, neither was thrown! Julie was the only person to go in the water. Don’t worry, it was on purpose! She decided to swim in the only slow spot, very brave. Lunch was delicious and of course another beautiful sight. There was a pool dammed up at the end of the river and it continued its flow over the edge. Several people were also able to take their first showers. That provided a lovely new scent in the van. We traveled a short distance to the town of Baños. Exploring, shopping and practicing Spanish got everyone smiling. We are ready for another wonderful night’s sleep before traveling to Tabacundo and beginning our service project and farming.

Blue skies!

Hola Mis Amigos,

We write to you from an organic farm outside of Tabacundo, a small town nestled in a valley north of Quito. It is a beautiful place with the volcano Cayambye, which stands over 15,000ft, looming overhead. Our days are filled with fun and lots of hard work on the farm. We wake to the sound of a bell that Margaret Anne loves to ring, and feed the animals and prepare for whatever the day lays out for us.

The farm is a NGO farm that does environmental education, rural development, alternative energy, integrated farm programs, conservation, and reforestation. If you want to know more about the farm you can look it up on the internet at fbu.com.ec. We have been assisting in all aspects of the farm helping locals, helping the farm, and harvesting and cooking our own food. We started the week with a harvest of vegetables that we would need for the week ahead. Will was a master with the hoe and dug up pounds and pounds of potatoes for us while Kelly went hunting for zucchini’s and found us one that was as big as a watermelon. Mary, Margaret and Jane were on blackberry duty and hunted through endless bushes finding the perfect berries for our juice, fruit mouse, and many other various uses we have found for them.

Tomorrow we are heading into the mountains to do a reforestation project and plant some trees and go for a big hike which we are looking forward to. Everyone here is happy and healthy and having a great time.

More news from us to come,

Megan, Molly, Eric and all our buddies here in Ecuador.

Greetings from the world famous Otavolo Market!

We have been working hard on the organic farm, toiling in the dirt. We have built many new rows of gardens to be planted, moved thousands of new seedlings in the tree nursery, fed huge pigs and small guinea pigs, and planted many new trees in our reforestation project! We have also helped to build the foundation for the new school that is being built in the community just down the road! We have been busy to say the least!

Now we are having a great time cruising the isles of the market. It is truly amazing to see the rainbow of colors and plethora of smells that abound here. There are all types of textiles here ranging from woolen slippers, to alpaca sweaters, blankets, table cloths, and even to jade carvings, and most things in between. Seeing the smiles on the faces of our group as they bargain to save a few dollars, or even fifty cents, is fantastic. We are totally immersed in the market and being forced to use our Spanish to make sure that we are getting a square deal! Seeing the bags that we are carrying, stuffed to the rim, makes us realize how inexpensive shopping can be in Ecuador, if you can haggle!!! This experience is fun and not to be forgotten any time soon!

We are heading to a smaller leather market, and then retire to the peace and quiet of the farm for a good nights rest. Tomorrow, on Sunday, we will complete our last day of work at the Foundation, and then pack for our trip to the Galapagos!!! Awww yeah!

We will awaken before the sun and head to the airport for the two hour flight to see where Darwin changed the way we view the world! We are so fortunate to be heading to the islands and all are soo excited! Thanks to our parents for this fantastic and memorable opportunity!

Until next time,

Blue Skies!

You get a sense of how far in the middle of nowhere you are when your day of travel begins at 5:30 a.m and doesn’t end until nearly 5:30 p.m. Our travels to the Galapagos Islands required buses, planes, boats and a bit of walking. When we landed on the first island, we quickly discovered we had an almost 3 hour boat ride to get to our home for the next few days. Everyone was in great spirits, staring in awe at the crystal turquoise water and strange islands that seemed to appear out of nowhere. As we neared Isla Isabela, the first animal to greet us was the blue footed boobie. They are amazing black and white birds with feet that are a bright, robin shell blue. After we dropped our bags at the hotel we went off to explore the small island and town. Jane and Henry were so excited to be here that as soon as we touched the sand of the beach they took off running for a quick ocean dip. Our second wildlife encounter was with marine iguanas. They are the only iguanas that live on land and swim in the ocean. We saw them in every stage of development from tiny babies to monstrous old folks. These black iguanas swim in the water to eat algae growing on the rocks. After filling their stomachs they return to land to lie on hot rocks that allow them to digest their food. That night we had a delicious dinner of fish. Frannie is doing awesome and can’t believe all the new foods she is trying and enjoying. (Even beans!) We had a good nights sleep because we knew that tomorrow we would be hiking a volcano to see its amazing caldera (crater).

We awoke early and enjoyed breakfast (always amazing fresh fruit juice!) then packed up lunches for the day. It was a short ride to the volcano and we watched the island change from barren, dry rock to lush green forests. The hike up to the top was incredible. It is the guereo season, which means that a fine mist is falling almost all the time at higher altitudes. It is not quite rain and not quiet fog. Margaret was blown away to be walking through the clouds. After time hiking through trees we reached the top of the volcano. The caldera was enormous!!! It was 10 km across and about 45 km all the way around. We could look and see where different lava flows had changed the earth from different eruptions. This volcano most recently erupted in 2005. It left lava flows a richer color than the ones from previous years. Julie was brave and had a blast crawling through on of the tunnels created by the lava flow. The view from the top was wonderful; you could see the islands and ocean beyond. When we returned a few people went snorkeling while the rest went to swim and play sports on the beach. Will and Andrew came back with amazing stories of swimming and playing with sea lions. They are creatures that will come right up to and love to have a good time! Back at the beach, the group lounged and swam. Cory got some games of frisbee, soccer and football going as well. After dinner we walked to the center of town. The whole country is having festivals right now in honor of Corpus Cristi. This particular town was hosting a futbol game between the police force and the people who lived in the high altitude. It was awesome to watch and they play with a background of dance music. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time cheering them on and busting a move. On the walk home across the beach Margaret and Kelly both let loose and had a mini-dance party with Megan. We were able to watch a short video showing the rescue of some beached whales and also the place we would be snorkeling the next day.

Margaret Ann and Mary, the leaders of the day, woke us up with style and enthusiasm. During breakfast they even performed a skit that gave a public service announcement. Breakfast doesn’t get much more entertaining than that! We headed to the dock, excited for a morning of snorkeling. Along the way we stopped at a very small island and hiked around it. On the short 30 minute hike we saw sea lions playing and wrestling, as well as napping under trees. We also spotted a sea turtle swimming off the point. Then we rounded a bend where there were more than 10 reef sharks enjoying a break in cool, sheltered water. It was an amazing sight as their fins sliced the surface of the water and they swam circling each other. Although, a little unnerving before a day of snorkeling. Have no fear though! Our snorkeling sight was far away and a HUGE success. Jane has a knack for being the first (and therefore the bravest) so she was in the water as soon as the boat stopped. It was Arielle’s first time snorkeling and she caught on after just a bit and loved it! Kelly spotted a ray relaxing on the ocean floor and called the group over to see it. 4 sea lions discovered us and we shared mutual entertainment as they dove and spun around us. Later we spotted a sea turtle and swam along side it for quite a while. Molly swam down beside it and gave everyone a perspective of how big it was (about 5 feet!). Margaret Ann also cruised along with the turtle for a long time. Schools of fish were everywhere (just like Dory in Finding Nemo) and there were some strange colored fish that were new to us. It was a beautiful experience. We had yet another delicious meal before heading for more swimming or snorkeling. Draper is a snorkeling king and always has an enthusiastic group. We meet back up in just a bit to head to the turtle corrals and study their growth.

All in all the Galapagos are incredible. The blue water, the volcanoes, the animals, the food. It is such a wonderful experience and one that we will share for years to come!!!

Hasta luego.

July 23rd Final Update

Our trip has wrapped up with a bang! Bang! Bang!

We spent out last two nights just on the outskirts of Quito, in a small town called Nayon. This gave us the opportunity to explore Quito and getaway to the quiet neighborhood, or so we thought!

We saw so much of Quito by going to the TelefriQo. It is a small amusement park on a hill overlooking the huge city. We were able to ride a gondola to the top of the adjoining mountian with sweeping views of the city and the valley. The city just seems to stretch on forever and ever! While we were there we were lucky enough to watch an enormous eagle soaring above our heads, riding the wind!

Afterwards, we toured the old quarter of the city seeing many grand catherdrals and museums. The largest cathedral is a replica, built in the late 1500´s and early 1600´s, of one in Rome and it took 100 years to complete! We climbed up to the top of a viewing platform, that was scary to say the least! You climbed up steep metal steps that were outside the spire, but on a safe platform. As the wind blew it made you feel that you were totally exposed. For those of us afraid of heights it was a test of our nerves! The cathedrals themselves had high grand ceilings, fantastic stain glass, and were covered in gold leaf. The colors were amazing and the light shone off of the gold so brightly! Simply beautiful.

We returned to Nayon for a night of rest. At about 4 AM the rooster where we were sleeping decided it was time for us to arise! He did his best and loudest cock-a-doodle-do for about an hour until we arose and chased him aorund the yard. Needless to say, we were rather tired at breakfast time. However, we were reassured that we would be able to have the last laugh.

That day we toured more of the city and took a short journey to the equator. This was so worth the time! While there we were able to see how the local people traditonally lived. Seeing their mud and adobe houses and shooting a blow gun at a cactus gave us a greater apprecation of our homes and being able to go to the grocery store to obtain our food.

We also were able to watch how the water goes down the drain in different hemispheres. A few feet on the northern side of the equator, the water would drain counter clockwise. A few feet on the southern side of the equator, the water would drain clockwise. On the equator the water drains straight down the hole (no whirlpool effect)! It was so amazing to see.

We also had the opportunity to balance an egg on a nail! Did you know that you weigh less on the equator as well? Crazy huh? You are also weaker on the equator. It is too hard to explain in words, so please ask you child to demonstrate it to you. It is simply mind boggling!!!!

So after a day of fun we returned to our camping area to find out that we would be eating chicken for dinner! Yes, you guessed it! We all chased the rooster around the yard until Margaret Ann caugh him! He was quickly prepared and tasted fantastic. Talk about fresh!

That night the town was celebrating the sun festival. We were able to dance with the locals for a short time before we turned in. Funny thing is the festivals go ALL NIGHT LONG! There were fireworks going off all night. There was even a band that passed by our area at about 4AM, 5AM, and 6AM! Needless to say, we did not get too much sleep! But it was fun.

All in all, this trip was amazing, fun, eye opening, and life changing. We laughed, we cried (at the airport saying goodbye), we learned, and we grew. Thanks to the parents for sending your kids. They will never forget this experience.

Until next year, stay safe, happy and healty.

Blue Skies!