17/1/14 - only 2 weeks of work to go...!
The house is full of boxes, I'm madly tying up things at work, I need to write an essay that's due in the next two weeks, find tenants, get shots, tidy up bills, sell the car, organise passport and visas, talk to the bank, get pet insurance for the cat, sell everything, make sure my life fits into a backpack AAAND... sleep at some stage!
But still, I can't wait for the year ahead!
But still, I can't wait for the year ahead!
26/1/14 - The obligatory packing list photo
For a while during this trip planning I became slightly obsessed with travel packing lists for long term backpackers... so here's mine, along with the photo.
I should point out that I haven't actually tried to fit everything in the backpack yet! So things may get pared down considerably.
Also I have packed extra of things like t-shirts and trackpants, but that's because I'm expecting them to get destroyed once I start volunteer work...
So here are my two lists (clothing on the left, and non-clothing on the right) - umm did I mention Kathmandu was sponsoring me?
p.s. this was the first photo - there was indeed paring down and the final list is below.
I should point out that I haven't actually tried to fit everything in the backpack yet! So things may get pared down considerably.
Also I have packed extra of things like t-shirts and trackpants, but that's because I'm expecting them to get destroyed once I start volunteer work...
So here are my two lists (clothing on the left, and non-clothing on the right) - umm did I mention Kathmandu was sponsoring me?
p.s. this was the first photo - there was indeed paring down and the final list is below.
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15/2/14 - A hangry Valentines Day
So, after 40 hours of flying, hanging out in airports, and lack of sleep, I have finally arrived in Quito!
Highlights! The food on Copa airlines, who I flew LAX-Panama-Quito. Yum! And flying over the Panama Canal - soooo looking forward to seeing it up close later this year! Overall managed 8 hours of sleep over all my flights so not too bad really.
Lowlights.... Fiji Airport. Hey Fiji Airlines, if you put people on a 5 hour stopover, the least you could do is provide free water. And a decent meal on the next plane wouldn´t go amiss - a sausage roll after an 8 hour wait doesn´t cut it, when the next meal is still another 8 hours away. LAX you still suck as well - a 7 hour wait to check in bags with nowhere to buy any food and drink? Really? Hence my hangry-ness...
But, I'm here in Quito, Ecuador now, mobile connected (those Spanish class lessons kicking in already!) and have had a great day in the park eating fabulous tamales and drinking delicious papaya juice. Topped of with empanadas for dinner. Food bliss!
3am start tomorrow... we're off to the airport for our flight to the Galapagos! Bring on the turtles!
(Sole kiwi once again, vastly outnumbered by Aussies and Yanks... and one Brit in the same boat as me...).
p.s. follow up - in retrospect, not a bad Valentines Day, as I met one of my loves of my life for the first time - ECUADOR!
Highlights! The food on Copa airlines, who I flew LAX-Panama-Quito. Yum! And flying over the Panama Canal - soooo looking forward to seeing it up close later this year! Overall managed 8 hours of sleep over all my flights so not too bad really.
Lowlights.... Fiji Airport. Hey Fiji Airlines, if you put people on a 5 hour stopover, the least you could do is provide free water. And a decent meal on the next plane wouldn´t go amiss - a sausage roll after an 8 hour wait doesn´t cut it, when the next meal is still another 8 hours away. LAX you still suck as well - a 7 hour wait to check in bags with nowhere to buy any food and drink? Really? Hence my hangry-ness...
But, I'm here in Quito, Ecuador now, mobile connected (those Spanish class lessons kicking in already!) and have had a great day in the park eating fabulous tamales and drinking delicious papaya juice. Topped of with empanadas for dinner. Food bliss!
3am start tomorrow... we're off to the airport for our flight to the Galapagos! Bring on the turtles!
(Sole kiwi once again, vastly outnumbered by Aussies and Yanks... and one Brit in the same boat as me...).
p.s. follow up - in retrospect, not a bad Valentines Day, as I met one of my loves of my life for the first time - ECUADOR!
20/2/14 - Just another day in paradise...
Today was EPIC because... I realised my lifetime dream of swimming with turtles! But let´s backtrack a couple of days first...
So our Intrepid Travel group arrive at the Galapagos Islands and right from the drive into town it's like the brochures - sea lions over there! Iguanas strolling over there! Pelicans and Sally Lightfoot crabs everywhere! We arrived on San Cristobal Island and by the afternoon we are cycling out to La Loberia - Sea Lion beach - to swim with sea lions and pups all around (they really do have the worst call - it´s liking waking up the grumpiest person ever...). I may possibly want to be a sea lion if ever reincarnated - their day seems to consist of sleeping, swimming, then back to sleeping...
Day 2 and we are out to Sea Lion Island for more sea lions, blue footed boobies (they are mad looking things!) and snorkeling - check out the photos for my underwater sea lion. I love him!
Day 3 and we are off on a 5 hour speedboat ride (eek! not feeling too well after a few hours on the open seas waves - I forget I'm 1000km from the South American coastline!). A snorkeling stop at Floreana Island to break up the trip, then on to Isabella Island for...
Day 4 - swimming with sea turtles!!! Seeing juvenile Galapagos tortoises in the wild! Holding a 4 day old baby Galapagos tortoise! It's just incredible, and I'm grinning like a cheshire cat all day :)
So our Intrepid Travel group arrive at the Galapagos Islands and right from the drive into town it's like the brochures - sea lions over there! Iguanas strolling over there! Pelicans and Sally Lightfoot crabs everywhere! We arrived on San Cristobal Island and by the afternoon we are cycling out to La Loberia - Sea Lion beach - to swim with sea lions and pups all around (they really do have the worst call - it´s liking waking up the grumpiest person ever...). I may possibly want to be a sea lion if ever reincarnated - their day seems to consist of sleeping, swimming, then back to sleeping...
Day 2 and we are out to Sea Lion Island for more sea lions, blue footed boobies (they are mad looking things!) and snorkeling - check out the photos for my underwater sea lion. I love him!
Day 3 and we are off on a 5 hour speedboat ride (eek! not feeling too well after a few hours on the open seas waves - I forget I'm 1000km from the South American coastline!). A snorkeling stop at Floreana Island to break up the trip, then on to Isabella Island for...
Day 4 - swimming with sea turtles!!! Seeing juvenile Galapagos tortoises in the wild! Holding a 4 day old baby Galapagos tortoise! It's just incredible, and I'm grinning like a cheshire cat all day :)
Oh and I just really really like this guy! He reminds me of a muppet. He's a blue footed boobie and he was just hanging out on the beach with his girlfriend. They were so cute together I named them Ken and Barbie. I've added a little video of them here - http://youtu.be/Pwsnl2qaUl4
23/2/14 - more Paradise :)
Day 5, and we are supposed to be doing a volcano walk today... but because it's 30 degrees, and the 'walk' is 19km... it's a sleep in day for me! So a wander around town, treated ourselves to a fancy brunch, then hung out with the iguanas for the rest of the day at the beach. Bliss! Oh and some more happy hour $3 dacquiris.
Mental note - do not go to the Galapagos to lose weight. 2-3 course lunches and dinners, plus happy hour every night somewhere, definitely means all the exercise is negated...
Day 6 started with a kayak around the bay, with baby sea lions racing alongside us. Then another snorkel had us finding a 1m stingray just hanging out on the floor of the bay... I'm just glad it didn't wake up while we were there! Another boat ride to Santa Cruz, and our first street food of the trip at Los Kioskos, om nom nom delicious!
Day 7 and we are off to the highlands to hang out with the Galapagos Tortoises in the wild. We know the population is healthy because we passed a pair mating... but overall they are amazing creatures. And we got to try on a shell afterwards! *not as heavy as they look but difficult to walk in!* Final night tonight, so cocktails and beer - but there is an alcohol ban on because Ecuador is having elections. No problem, our pina coladas suddenly become 'milkshakes' and beer is being served in coffee cups!
Day 8, final day and an early morning visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to visit the breeding program there. Can't get enough of those tortoises! Then a stop off at the largest sinkhole I've ever seen on the way to the airport and back to the mainland to start saying goodbye to everyone from the trip.
The Galapagos Islands were incredible, surpassed all expectations, every day brought something new to get excited about! The Galapagos Islands truly are one of the most incredible places in the world.
Mental note - do not go to the Galapagos to lose weight. 2-3 course lunches and dinners, plus happy hour every night somewhere, definitely means all the exercise is negated...
Day 6 started with a kayak around the bay, with baby sea lions racing alongside us. Then another snorkel had us finding a 1m stingray just hanging out on the floor of the bay... I'm just glad it didn't wake up while we were there! Another boat ride to Santa Cruz, and our first street food of the trip at Los Kioskos, om nom nom delicious!
Day 7 and we are off to the highlands to hang out with the Galapagos Tortoises in the wild. We know the population is healthy because we passed a pair mating... but overall they are amazing creatures. And we got to try on a shell afterwards! *not as heavy as they look but difficult to walk in!* Final night tonight, so cocktails and beer - but there is an alcohol ban on because Ecuador is having elections. No problem, our pina coladas suddenly become 'milkshakes' and beer is being served in coffee cups!
Day 8, final day and an early morning visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to visit the breeding program there. Can't get enough of those tortoises! Then a stop off at the largest sinkhole I've ever seen on the way to the airport and back to the mainland to start saying goodbye to everyone from the trip.
The Galapagos Islands were incredible, surpassed all expectations, every day brought something new to get excited about! The Galapagos Islands truly are one of the most incredible places in the world.
26/2/14 - Just chilling in Quito
So off the trip and officially a backpacker from now on! Checked into my hostel *Vibes, at La Mariscal, near Plaza Foch, $10/night* and then a few of us went to the equator, or as it is known here, Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world - $3 entry, 25c plus 15c each way over two buses).
t's a bit like Disneyland there with all the cafes and merchandising, but we had loads of geek-fun standing on the equator line and getting the photos. Said good bye to the last of the Galapagos crew, and am officially travelling solo now. So just doing admin like confirming my Amazon trip for later this week, laundry *yawn* and finding cheap eats - i.e. todays lunch for $1.50 was steak, rice and beans. So don't really need to eat for the rest of the day!
Oh also found time to visit the shrunken head exhibit up the road...
t's a bit like Disneyland there with all the cafes and merchandising, but we had loads of geek-fun standing on the equator line and getting the photos. Said good bye to the last of the Galapagos crew, and am officially travelling solo now. So just doing admin like confirming my Amazon trip for later this week, laundry *yawn* and finding cheap eats - i.e. todays lunch for $1.50 was steak, rice and beans. So don't really need to eat for the rest of the day!
Oh also found time to visit the shrunken head exhibit up the road...
27/2/14 - Visa extension application...
NOTE: THIS WAS THE PROCESS IN 2014 - IT HAS LIKELY CHANGED SINCE THEN! MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH WITH LATEST INFORMATION IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO EXTEND YOUR 90 DAY FREE VISA.
After a rather social night at the hostel last night, it was up at 8am to join the queue to apply to extend my tourist visa from 3 months to 6 months. I wasn't sure where to go for this, but I asked at the hostel and the owner pointed me in the right direction - my first backpacking lesson in "just ask! People are helpful!" :) I actually tried yesterday, but found out you need to be there before 11am or you miss out for the day. *I was NEVER going to be there before 11am!*
So turned up with all my paperwork... or so I thought. Got to front of queue - and ripped my application form when I was getting it out, rendering it unacceptable. And also found out the forms need to be presented in a folder. So off to internet cafe, printed out another form *and a few spares!*, printed off copies of bank statements proving I had money to support myself, and found a folder to put all the documents in. They won't let you just show your internet banking account. So back to the office... and then sent to another internet cafe to get an 'official letter' applying for my visa extension. And printed off NZD-USD exchange rates so they could see in USD how much money I had to support myself with. NOTE: Ecuador currency is USD and you need to show you have enough money to cover 6 months at the average wage, or USD$1400 a month - some savvy mortgage and Kiwisaver account numbers worked in my favour! So back to the office AGAIN...! And hooray my paperwork was complete! Even the office guy cheered for me a little!
So just when I'm ready to go home with my visa approved - I'm directed to the first floor and 40 people ahead of me in the queue! It took an hour and a half to get to this point, and another hour and a half later my number is called, and after some formalities and a $30 payment, I'm told to come back in a week, pay another $200 then, and my visa extension approval will be ready, all going well! So fingers crossed, that while I am in the jungle for the next week, when I get back to Quito I can pick it up and travel easy for the next 6 months!
Having said that, the process here is FAR easier than what I had to go through back in Ireland, and at least it didn't involve queuing from 4am in the middle of winter a la Dublin!
After a rather social night at the hostel last night, it was up at 8am to join the queue to apply to extend my tourist visa from 3 months to 6 months. I wasn't sure where to go for this, but I asked at the hostel and the owner pointed me in the right direction - my first backpacking lesson in "just ask! People are helpful!" :) I actually tried yesterday, but found out you need to be there before 11am or you miss out for the day. *I was NEVER going to be there before 11am!*
So turned up with all my paperwork... or so I thought. Got to front of queue - and ripped my application form when I was getting it out, rendering it unacceptable. And also found out the forms need to be presented in a folder. So off to internet cafe, printed out another form *and a few spares!*, printed off copies of bank statements proving I had money to support myself, and found a folder to put all the documents in. They won't let you just show your internet banking account. So back to the office... and then sent to another internet cafe to get an 'official letter' applying for my visa extension. And printed off NZD-USD exchange rates so they could see in USD how much money I had to support myself with. NOTE: Ecuador currency is USD and you need to show you have enough money to cover 6 months at the average wage, or USD$1400 a month - some savvy mortgage and Kiwisaver account numbers worked in my favour! So back to the office AGAIN...! And hooray my paperwork was complete! Even the office guy cheered for me a little!
So just when I'm ready to go home with my visa approved - I'm directed to the first floor and 40 people ahead of me in the queue! It took an hour and a half to get to this point, and another hour and a half later my number is called, and after some formalities and a $30 payment, I'm told to come back in a week, pay another $200 then, and my visa extension approval will be ready, all going well! So fingers crossed, that while I am in the jungle for the next week, when I get back to Quito I can pick it up and travel easy for the next 6 months!
Having said that, the process here is FAR easier than what I had to go through back in Ireland, and at least it didn't involve queuing from 4am in the middle of winter a la Dublin!
5/3/14 - I survived the jungle!
After a 7 hour overnight bus to Lago Agrio, a 3 hour wait, a 2 hour mini bus and a 2 hour motor canoe ride, I'm at my jungle lodge in the Ecuadorial Amazon Rainforest! *Samona Lodge in Cuyabeno*. Rom is our guide this time, and it's 4 days of animals and birds and nature and canoe rides and paddling and hiking and... you get the idea. The wildlife isn't abundant - it's not sitting on every river bend waiting for you as you pass, as if you are in Disneyland - but it is there and with a bit of patience *I know! The irony! Me being patient!* I got to see everything I wanted.
I pretty much gave up taking photos of animals as they are constantly moving, so the album pretty much consists of flowers and sunsets *so beautiful!* but you'll just have to take my word for it that we saw anacondas and squirrel monkeys and tree frogs and toucans and on the very last day we lucked out and saw the elusive river dolphins! Oh and there were the tarantulas on the roof over our table at meals (more enormous meals!) and bedtime was often a race to get in the mosquito net before the bats swooped down... but the lodge was sooo cute and I would go back there in a second. And may do yet!
p.s. turns out I am a gun shot with a blowpipe. Just saying...
I pretty much gave up taking photos of animals as they are constantly moving, so the album pretty much consists of flowers and sunsets *so beautiful!* but you'll just have to take my word for it that we saw anacondas and squirrel monkeys and tree frogs and toucans and on the very last day we lucked out and saw the elusive river dolphins! Oh and there were the tarantulas on the roof over our table at meals (more enormous meals!) and bedtime was often a race to get in the mosquito net before the bats swooped down... but the lodge was sooo cute and I would go back there in a second. And may do yet!
p.s. turns out I am a gun shot with a blowpipe. Just saying...
9/3/14 - Heading south through the Andes
Righteo so after a quick stop back in Quito to finalise my Visa extensión - 2 more visits to immigration and $200 later, I have it!! - it´s off to the bus station, and 4 hours later I am in Riobamba, staying at Tren Dorado, $17/night incl. breakfast. It´s a hotel, so I get my own room for the first time in 3 weeks. Riobamba is almost in the centre of Ecuador and is an old Spanish settlement that has a mix of new and old. Half the people are dressed in modern clothes and half are dressed in the old ethnic ponchos and (bowler?) hats of times gone by. It´s a funny old town and if I would describe it, I'd probably compare it to Gisborne... it´s trying, but the money just isn't there to support it. But when you scratch the surface the people are really friendly and it's fairly cool. Having said that, I killed a couple of days wandering around the parks and visiting monuments like the basilica. And Saturday was market day, so I got some delicious street food om nom nom. Had a quiet giggle at the ladies trying on the hats in the market... all the hats looked the same to my uneducated eyes, but obviously the locals could see stylish differences in them! The food stall people wanted me to try cuy but I´m just not that brave... when you see the photo you might agree with me...
Anyways, after another 6 hour bus I´m now in Cuenca... and have the flu :( So I am dosed up on Night and Day pills (Dia y Noche here..) and might just hang out here for a couple of days until it´s gone. It´s really pretty here - funny enough, for a Spanish town I actually feel like I´m in an old English village! - and the hostel is beside the river. Worse places to be...!
Random stuff
1) Realised that if someone world famous in the Latin American world came up to me on the street I would have no idea who they were! i.e. if say the Michael Buble (love him!) of Ecuador was eating at the table next to me I would be oblivious...
2) All hostels seem to be multi-sex dorms, not segregated... so those pj´s my Mum gave me for Xmas with the cat face on them are slightly embarrassing... but hey, they are clothes, and they don´t have holes, so whatever.
3) Plantains, even though they look like green bananas, actually taste like a potato-y kumara (or a kumara-y potato?). Anyway they are delicious fried, and the plantain mash I had for breakfast in the jungle was to die for.
4) Locro de Papa is my new favourite soup flavour, it´s a soup with chunks of potato and cheese (all the cheese here seems to taste like rubber... or haloumi...) and slices of fresh avocado on top. Yummm... and you don´t need anything else if you order that for a starter.
5) Everyone thinks I´m about 30. I love this country! Oh and Ecuador men are huge flirts. If you are not a supermodel and want to feel good about yourself, here is the place to be! Heyyyyyy baby!
2) All hostels seem to be multi-sex dorms, not segregated... so those pj´s my Mum gave me for Xmas with the cat face on them are slightly embarrassing... but hey, they are clothes, and they don´t have holes, so whatever.
3) Plantains, even though they look like green bananas, actually taste like a potato-y kumara (or a kumara-y potato?). Anyway they are delicious fried, and the plantain mash I had for breakfast in the jungle was to die for.
4) Locro de Papa is my new favourite soup flavour, it´s a soup with chunks of potato and cheese (all the cheese here seems to taste like rubber... or haloumi...) and slices of fresh avocado on top. Yummm... and you don´t need anything else if you order that for a starter.
5) Everyone thinks I´m about 30. I love this country! Oh and Ecuador men are huge flirts. If you are not a supermodel and want to feel good about yourself, here is the place to be! Heyyyyyy baby!
12/3/14 - Cuenca!
So after a day in bed - I felt guilty at first and then thought bugger it, it is the first 'day off' I have had in weeks! - I ventured out to explore the city and... Cuenca is Beautiful (with a capital 'B'!). Enough said! It seems to be the go-to city for US and Canadian ex-pats to retire in and I can totally see why. It is easy to get around, there are amazing churches on what seems to be every corner in the old town/city centre, it is surrounded by the Andes mountains towering over it and the rivers running through make you feel like you are in the middle of the country. Not to mention the great food, sunny weather, and randomly, palm trees in the middle of the mountains! I would definitely return here and would recommend it to anyone as a first stop to ease you into South American life! Oh, hostel $8/night, La Casa Cuencana.
17/3/14 - Crazy Town...
After all this mountain time I am itching for the beach again. So a 3 hour bus ride from Cuenca through Cajas National Park (pretty, but they should tell you that you will need travel sickness pills...) I am in the biggest bus station of my life in Guayaquil. Ummm my bus leaves from the 3rd floor...! Also I hate myself a little here as I gave in and ate my first hamburger of my trip for lunch. In my defence I was wearing my 18kg backpack and really did not think balancing a tray of beans and rice was going to have a happy ending! Anyway, 2 hours later I am on another 3 hour bus and finally at the beach at Montanita!
My hostel not-prebooking luck ran out here so I ended up in the first one I could find. I had been advised to stay over the river from town to avoid the night noise... but seeing as it is only about 500m from town it does not really make a difference! Anyway the first hostel was a dive so next day booked myself into Paradise South $15/night and had a very relaxing 3 nights there, about 10m from the beach!
Montanita is crazy town and travelling alone probably is not the best way to experience it, unless you are one of those super confident people that can go clubbing by yourself. But I had a few great days on the beach, developed a pina colada for sunset habit, and just as I planned to leave to go a bit further up the coast... ran into the Canadian girls from the jungle! Sarah was just leaving but Gill had a few days to kill, and we both decided Olon seemed like a nice relaxing place to go for a night, so off on a bus we went!
My hostel not-prebooking luck ran out here so I ended up in the first one I could find. I had been advised to stay over the river from town to avoid the night noise... but seeing as it is only about 500m from town it does not really make a difference! Anyway the first hostel was a dive so next day booked myself into Paradise South $15/night and had a very relaxing 3 nights there, about 10m from the beach!
Montanita is crazy town and travelling alone probably is not the best way to experience it, unless you are one of those super confident people that can go clubbing by yourself. But I had a few great days on the beach, developed a pina colada for sunset habit, and just as I planned to leave to go a bit further up the coast... ran into the Canadian girls from the jungle! Sarah was just leaving but Gill had a few days to kill, and we both decided Olon seemed like a nice relaxing place to go for a night, so off on a bus we went!
22/3/14 - The best beach in the world?
OK so our 1 night in Olon somehow turned into 4... and if Gill could have stayed longer, I would probably have stayed here until starting with the turtles. We stayed at Hostel Surf Olon, $30/night for 2 people. Hammocks everywhere, 2 streets from the beach. It has all the good stuff from Montanita (white sandy beaches! Food cabanas! Cocktail stands!) and none of the crazy. If we had known, we would have just gone straight here and not even stayed in Montanita, as it was only a $1.50 taxi to get back there. It is another of those towns that when you first arrive you think OMG there is nothing here it is a wasteland... but then you slowly find the fruit shop with giant strawberries, and the bakery with the chocolate cake, and the street food stands that open around the square in the evening... and you start thinking, I really like this place!
And I even managed to tick another thing off my list... my first surf lesson! I 'almost' stood up 3 times... Sooo much fun and will have to do again sometime soon to practice my technique.
Anyway all good things must come to an end (sob), but there are turtles waiting for me, so I am off to Puerto Lopez!
And I even managed to tick another thing off my list... my first surf lesson! I 'almost' stood up 3 times... Sooo much fun and will have to do again sometime soon to practice my technique.
Anyway all good things must come to an end (sob), but there are turtles waiting for me, so I am off to Puerto Lopez!
30/3/14 - Turtles turtles turtles!
I got to Puerto Lopez a couple of nights early, so stayed at Hostel Itapoa (beachfront, $15/night) while I got my bearings. And unfortunately got my first sunburn of the trip. I have no one to blame but myself though... Two hours in the sun from 10am to 12 noon really was just stupid! Anyway, did some uni essay stuff in the meantime.
And then, turtle time! I am at the Equilibrio Azul house for 4 weeks and there are 3 of us starting at the same time (total 6 in the house currently). Basically the 'work' consists of walking white sandy beaches looking for turtle trails that may lead to fresh nests... night patrol on a known nesting beach that also has a few nests on the verge of hatching... and snorkeling and going out on boats looking for turtles in the near sea. There are Green and Carey (Hawksbill) turtles in the region... and within a week I have seen both types, up close, and also freshly hatched turtles making a break for the sea. Awwww!
Yes it sounds glamorous but it is actually hard work, it is soooo hot it is hard to sleep, and it seems that every beach is accessed by first climbing a mountain... I think I swore for the first time this trip when we went to Los Frailes, one of the most beautiful beaches in Ecuador, but after 4 hours sleeping on the sand at night patrol, and then an hour walk just to get there, I was swaying between 'I love this beach! I hate this beach!'. But I am just chilling back, developing the slow Ecuadorian beach walk, calling everything Ecuador time, and imagining I will have the best legs of my life after 4 weeks of this...
Other projects we are involved with here are a weekly Eco-club with the local kids - our first week we painted the fence of our house with sea creatures (fun!). Beach erosion in the area is also strong, so we do regular beach profiles - basically, measuring how the shape of the beach is changing. The method is not quite as high-tech as my land surveying days, but none the less is just as effective. And finally, we visit the morning fish market on the beach, where the fishermen bring in the nightly catches to sell, to record sharks captured and types (in particular, a lot of small hammerheads)... and the odd stingray sighting as well.
Oh also had my birthday this week as well! Celebrated at night patrol at Playita... sooo lucky, as it is a protected beach, so very few people ever get to access it!
And then, turtle time! I am at the Equilibrio Azul house for 4 weeks and there are 3 of us starting at the same time (total 6 in the house currently). Basically the 'work' consists of walking white sandy beaches looking for turtle trails that may lead to fresh nests... night patrol on a known nesting beach that also has a few nests on the verge of hatching... and snorkeling and going out on boats looking for turtles in the near sea. There are Green and Carey (Hawksbill) turtles in the region... and within a week I have seen both types, up close, and also freshly hatched turtles making a break for the sea. Awwww!
Yes it sounds glamorous but it is actually hard work, it is soooo hot it is hard to sleep, and it seems that every beach is accessed by first climbing a mountain... I think I swore for the first time this trip when we went to Los Frailes, one of the most beautiful beaches in Ecuador, but after 4 hours sleeping on the sand at night patrol, and then an hour walk just to get there, I was swaying between 'I love this beach! I hate this beach!'. But I am just chilling back, developing the slow Ecuadorian beach walk, calling everything Ecuador time, and imagining I will have the best legs of my life after 4 weeks of this...
Other projects we are involved with here are a weekly Eco-club with the local kids - our first week we painted the fence of our house with sea creatures (fun!). Beach erosion in the area is also strong, so we do regular beach profiles - basically, measuring how the shape of the beach is changing. The method is not quite as high-tech as my land surveying days, but none the less is just as effective. And finally, we visit the morning fish market on the beach, where the fishermen bring in the nightly catches to sell, to record sharks captured and types (in particular, a lot of small hammerheads)... and the odd stingray sighting as well.
Oh also had my birthday this week as well! Celebrated at night patrol at Playita... sooo lucky, as it is a protected beach, so very few people ever get to access it!
12/4/14 - A week in Portete
As part of the Equilibrio Azul volunteer month we spend a week in the Esmeraldas province, in northern Ecuador, at an island near the town of Mompiche. We stayed on a tiny island (200 people) called Portete - well, sand bar may be a more appropriate description! Only room for one road to run down the centre. You need to catch a dinghy or canoe to get there!
Olive Ridley turtles nest here, and unlike Puerto Lopez where the nesting season is just finishing, the nesting season is about to start at Portete. Unfortunately no turtles were nesting the week we were there so our week consisted of much beach walking looking for turtle tracks, some sign painting for the egg hatchery being built there in anticipation of nesting turtles, a surf lesson, and just a generally relaxing week in a really friendly place!
Olive Ridley turtles nest here, and unlike Puerto Lopez where the nesting season is just finishing, the nesting season is about to start at Portete. Unfortunately no turtles were nesting the week we were there so our week consisted of much beach walking looking for turtle tracks, some sign painting for the egg hatchery being built there in anticipation of nesting turtles, a surf lesson, and just a generally relaxing week in a really friendly place!
Oh... one small thing... on one of our beach walks we noticed some broken pottery on the beach. A bit of a dig around the area uncovered... well you can see from the photos! My childhood dream of being an archaeologist finally realised... and that practice dinosaur dig in my office the last few years has finally paid off! The pot has now been taken to the University of Quito for studying and we are all looking forward to hearing the results.
22/4/14 - Back to Puerto Lopez
I still have just over a week in Puerto Lopez, so back to walking beautiful beaches in the daytime. The night patrols have now finished, so we have had a few outings to town this week... town being the cabanas on the beach for cocktails! Also had a salsa lesson, and we made a little day trip to Montecristi to buy a genuine Panama Hat from the source (yes, Panama Hats are actually from Ecuador!). It is probably the only time in my life I will ever say I travelled 2 hours to buy a hat, and 2 hours back again... but a 2 hour bus trip seems like a short distance in South America.
But ended my stint with the turtles on a high, on the last day we did a nest excavation and had more live babies (they are seriously cute with their run to the sea!) and in the afternoon we found a Hawksbill (Carey) in the ocean and I got to hold it! (Though my hair was terrible from the wind arggh...). So a very happy Lisa!
But ended my stint with the turtles on a high, on the last day we did a nest excavation and had more live babies (they are seriously cute with their run to the sea!) and in the afternoon we found a Hawksbill (Carey) in the ocean and I got to hold it! (Though my hair was terrible from the wind arggh...). So a very happy Lisa!
Anyway, now I need to get serious about my uni study for the next 6 weeks or so, so I am heading to Loja in the southern Andes, via Cuenca (again). After Loja I'm heading to Tena at the edge of the Amazon, to base myself there for a few weeks to tap out my next (and final ever!) essay, and try and get prepared for my (final ever!) exam in early June. It hasn't been easy studying here as the course notes and my Samsung Tablet have not been compatible (the notes are more compatible with an iPad, but I refuse to buy Apple products on principle!), but hopefully I have picked up enough of the info along the way to get through the exam!
1/5/14 - Channelling my inner hippie, Vilcabamba
So when I asked everyone what to do in Loja, they said go to Vilcabamba (even the locals said that!)... so I skipped Loja entirely and booked a couple of nights in town at Jardín Escondido ($12.50/night incl. breakfast) and then a week at Hosteria Izhcayluma ($8.50/night), which is like a resort high in the Andes mountains. The hosteria is about a half hour walk to town, the views are spectacular, and I am taking advantage of the free yoga every day (not that I have done yoga before, but this seems as good a place as any to do it!). Not quite up to the massages though (my thing about strange people touching me...).
Town seems to be where all the American hippies from the 1970´s have come to retire, as well as, being 6 hours from the border, a handy last stop for all the backpackers heading for Peru (or a first stop for those arriving from Peru). It kind of reminds me of Ubud in Bali.
Anyways if you want to try sweat lodges or ancient shaman drug rituals or mediation rituals or just chill out with loads of hiking, I highly recommend here! Me, I´m being productive with some Spanish classes (all the locals are laughing at my Barcelona accent?!), some uni study, and spending a lot of time in the hammocks... oh, and once again, as in all of Ecuador it seems, the meals are enormous! I should be big as a house by now... but I think the lack of processed food in them is actually allowing me to eat these massive meals without adverse side effects.
Town seems to be where all the American hippies from the 1970´s have come to retire, as well as, being 6 hours from the border, a handy last stop for all the backpackers heading for Peru (or a first stop for those arriving from Peru). It kind of reminds me of Ubud in Bali.
Anyways if you want to try sweat lodges or ancient shaman drug rituals or mediation rituals or just chill out with loads of hiking, I highly recommend here! Me, I´m being productive with some Spanish classes (all the locals are laughing at my Barcelona accent?!), some uni study, and spending a lot of time in the hammocks... oh, and once again, as in all of Ecuador it seems, the meals are enormous! I should be big as a house by now... but I think the lack of processed food in them is actually allowing me to eat these massive meals without adverse side effects.
10/5/14 - An unexpected journey...
I was given a tip for a place you can swim with turtles in the wild, and it was too good an opportunity to pass up... so after a 12 hour bus, I made an unplanned trip to Peru! I stayed in Mancora (Kokopelli, $10/night), which is a laid back beach town full of backpackers (laid back I think because 2/3 of the people appear to be stoned...) but it is really nice there and if I had some more money I might have stayed a bit longer than my planned 3 days. Actually, if I had not been money exchanged fake money I may have been able to stay longer... but at the end of the day I only lost $35 so it was not the end of the world. (And in a happy end to the story, I got the money back when I got back to Ecuador! It is in keeping with my trip mottos... 'I have the luck' and 'I saw river dolphins! I can do anything!').
Anyway, the rumours were true, and I spent 2 very happy hours paddling with 20 or 30 turtles! The signs say do not touch the turtles... but apparently no one has told the turtles not to touch the humans because they just swim past bumping into you, which can be a bit freaky when there are 2 or 3 or more at the same time, all around 70cm to 1.2 metres long...
When the fishing boats come in around 1pm, they gut the fish on the wharf and throw the offcuts back into the sea, which means free lunch for the turtles, hence why they congregate in this area... and money for the fishermen though tourists coming to see the turtles. I also got some good (extreme close up!) views of turtles eating as well - mostly manta ray fins - though I did get a bit worried for my toes after a while! The fishermen are really helpful and point out where the turtles are as well. Totally worth the trip!
p.s. I took night buses both to and from Peru to avoid painful border crossings - I definitely recommend! And I SWEAR Paddington Bear was one of the night border guards... It was hard to tell in the dark - but if you were a celebrity not wanting to be spotting, night shift would be a good place to work... wouldn't it...?
Anyway, the rumours were true, and I spent 2 very happy hours paddling with 20 or 30 turtles! The signs say do not touch the turtles... but apparently no one has told the turtles not to touch the humans because they just swim past bumping into you, which can be a bit freaky when there are 2 or 3 or more at the same time, all around 70cm to 1.2 metres long...
When the fishing boats come in around 1pm, they gut the fish on the wharf and throw the offcuts back into the sea, which means free lunch for the turtles, hence why they congregate in this area... and money for the fishermen though tourists coming to see the turtles. I also got some good (extreme close up!) views of turtles eating as well - mostly manta ray fins - though I did get a bit worried for my toes after a while! The fishermen are really helpful and point out where the turtles are as well. Totally worth the trip!
p.s. I took night buses both to and from Peru to avoid painful border crossings - I definitely recommend! And I SWEAR Paddington Bear was one of the night border guards... It was hard to tell in the dark - but if you were a celebrity not wanting to be spotting, night shift would be a good place to work... wouldn't it...?
More random Ecuador stuff
Thanks to a bout of food poisoning (argh and I hate to be stereotypical, but it was a bad burrito!) I have stayed in Cuenca a few days longer than planned. No problem, I dont have to be anywhere in a hurry anyway! So here a few more random musings...
1) Salchipapas might be my new favourite word! A bit like fish and chips for us Kiwis, Ecuadorians love fast food sausages (salchichas) and chips (papas), in fact they love them so much they have combined the name into one word! The sausages are hot dog sausages cut up and put on top of a pot of hot chips, then you put tomato sauce or mustard or mayo on top. Can't say it is my favourite... but it definitely hits the spot those days you want a fried food hit.
2) Argh the @ button on the keyboard! It is never the same on each keyboard! On some you have to hit Alt-2 (where the symbol is)... on others it is Ctrl-Alt-2... but my personal favourite (or nemesis?) is the keyboards where you need to hit Alt-Gr-Q... yup THAT makes sense! (I still have no idea how to get an apostrophe!).
3) Do not bother carrying any bank notes larger than $20 here. No one really trusts them. In fact, outside of the cities, you will be struggling to use a $20 anywhere. Stock up on $10 notes or less if you are heading to the coast or the jungle! (Oh, whenever I talk about money, I am talking in US$, which is the currency here. Easy!)
4) Talking of money, not all cash machines are equal. Some you can get $400 out of, others you can only get $100 maximum (but you can do multiple transactions to get more cash). However every transaction comes with a NZ$5 bank fee. And a $5 exchange rate fee. So it is best to get a decent whack of money whenever you can, maybe a couple of weeks worth, and stash it somewhere safe, just to avoid the multiple charges! (Follow up - after a couple of months, I asked my Mum if she could visit my local bank in NZ and ask if these fees could be waived, as I was travelling doing volunteer work - and they agreed! Thanks ANZ for letting my money stretch a bit further :) )
5) Budget wise I am working on roughly $25/day. This easily covers accommodation, food and transport, and I also have a kitty for when I want to do activities. If I was going on a booze-fueled Montanita week, or an adventure packed jungle week i.e. white water rafting plus bungee plus kayaking etc etc, I would probably need to bump up the budget, but as it is I have been fine for the last 3 months and still seen and done everything I wanted to. Having said that, I did pre-pay the Galapagos before arriving, and the jungle trip was also pre-planned to come out of my kitty and not my budget.
6) The Spanish dialects are different from the mountains to the sea. I can muddle through in the mountains... but at the coast I am lost, they speak so fast there! I felt a little better when I found out the Andean Ecuadorians also have trouble understanding the coastal Ecuadorians though.
7) The buses from city to city are sooo easy... NZ could learn a few things about setting up central transport hubs in cities (I am talking about you, Auckland and Napier!). Plus I love the 'entertainment' - vendors jump on and off selling everything from food (yay! empanadas! chifles!) to jewellery to herbal remedies to... umm camera cases... You've never seen such dedicated salespeople as the ones that can give 15 minute speeches about a chocolate bar or a packet of chewing gum! I also love the lack of bus stops on intercity buses. Just stand on the side of the road. The bus will drive past, shouting it's destination, and if it is going where you want, just yell out, and it will stop for you! You're fairly obviously waiting for a bus, when you have a massive backpack.
1) Salchipapas might be my new favourite word! A bit like fish and chips for us Kiwis, Ecuadorians love fast food sausages (salchichas) and chips (papas), in fact they love them so much they have combined the name into one word! The sausages are hot dog sausages cut up and put on top of a pot of hot chips, then you put tomato sauce or mustard or mayo on top. Can't say it is my favourite... but it definitely hits the spot those days you want a fried food hit.
2) Argh the @ button on the keyboard! It is never the same on each keyboard! On some you have to hit Alt-2 (where the symbol is)... on others it is Ctrl-Alt-2... but my personal favourite (or nemesis?) is the keyboards where you need to hit Alt-Gr-Q... yup THAT makes sense! (I still have no idea how to get an apostrophe!).
3) Do not bother carrying any bank notes larger than $20 here. No one really trusts them. In fact, outside of the cities, you will be struggling to use a $20 anywhere. Stock up on $10 notes or less if you are heading to the coast or the jungle! (Oh, whenever I talk about money, I am talking in US$, which is the currency here. Easy!)
4) Talking of money, not all cash machines are equal. Some you can get $400 out of, others you can only get $100 maximum (but you can do multiple transactions to get more cash). However every transaction comes with a NZ$5 bank fee. And a $5 exchange rate fee. So it is best to get a decent whack of money whenever you can, maybe a couple of weeks worth, and stash it somewhere safe, just to avoid the multiple charges! (Follow up - after a couple of months, I asked my Mum if she could visit my local bank in NZ and ask if these fees could be waived, as I was travelling doing volunteer work - and they agreed! Thanks ANZ for letting my money stretch a bit further :) )
5) Budget wise I am working on roughly $25/day. This easily covers accommodation, food and transport, and I also have a kitty for when I want to do activities. If I was going on a booze-fueled Montanita week, or an adventure packed jungle week i.e. white water rafting plus bungee plus kayaking etc etc, I would probably need to bump up the budget, but as it is I have been fine for the last 3 months and still seen and done everything I wanted to. Having said that, I did pre-pay the Galapagos before arriving, and the jungle trip was also pre-planned to come out of my kitty and not my budget.
6) The Spanish dialects are different from the mountains to the sea. I can muddle through in the mountains... but at the coast I am lost, they speak so fast there! I felt a little better when I found out the Andean Ecuadorians also have trouble understanding the coastal Ecuadorians though.
7) The buses from city to city are sooo easy... NZ could learn a few things about setting up central transport hubs in cities (I am talking about you, Auckland and Napier!). Plus I love the 'entertainment' - vendors jump on and off selling everything from food (yay! empanadas! chifles!) to jewellery to herbal remedies to... umm camera cases... You've never seen such dedicated salespeople as the ones that can give 15 minute speeches about a chocolate bar or a packet of chewing gum! I also love the lack of bus stops on intercity buses. Just stand on the side of the road. The bus will drive past, shouting it's destination, and if it is going where you want, just yell out, and it will stop for you! You're fairly obviously waiting for a bus, when you have a massive backpack.
23/5/14 - To the East...
So I finally got off my butt and moved on from Cuenca after an extended lazy week there. I will miss you Cuenca! You are one of my favourite places.
But it was time to follow up on my tip of a $25 white water rafting trip, as it is something I've always wanted to do, and at that price how could I refuse! So back north, up the Andes towards Banos I go. Banos is a bit like Rotorua and Queenstown combined, with scenic mountain views, adventure sports and thermal pools. Oh and a crazy adventure sport called Puenting - similar to bungee jumping... but with a rope, not a bungee cord! You can see a puenting video here.
I stayed at Hotel D'Mathias - $6/night and I got a double bed! Best value yet! Did a waterfall tour on day 1 (beautiful) but it was always all about day 2 and the white water rafting. Did not disappoint in the slightest and I am now hooked and will have to do it again. Crazy, crazy 16km in amazing Andes scenery - I think we actually finished at the edge of the Amazon! - and none of us on our raft wanted it to end. Finished the day soaking in the hot pools with a waterfall in the background. Bliss! However, due to my budget and the fact Banos will suck your bank account dry if you stay - you really will want to try everything! - I was strong and got on a bus after 2 days and headed off to Tena. To be honest, I was planning to bypass Banos altogether, as I has written it off as a major gringo tourist destination, but I'm glad I went there. It's a great place, and as Lonely Planet says, you can't help but leave with a smile on your face.
But it was time to follow up on my tip of a $25 white water rafting trip, as it is something I've always wanted to do, and at that price how could I refuse! So back north, up the Andes towards Banos I go. Banos is a bit like Rotorua and Queenstown combined, with scenic mountain views, adventure sports and thermal pools. Oh and a crazy adventure sport called Puenting - similar to bungee jumping... but with a rope, not a bungee cord! You can see a puenting video here.
I stayed at Hotel D'Mathias - $6/night and I got a double bed! Best value yet! Did a waterfall tour on day 1 (beautiful) but it was always all about day 2 and the white water rafting. Did not disappoint in the slightest and I am now hooked and will have to do it again. Crazy, crazy 16km in amazing Andes scenery - I think we actually finished at the edge of the Amazon! - and none of us on our raft wanted it to end. Finished the day soaking in the hot pools with a waterfall in the background. Bliss! However, due to my budget and the fact Banos will suck your bank account dry if you stay - you really will want to try everything! - I was strong and got on a bus after 2 days and headed off to Tena. To be honest, I was planning to bypass Banos altogether, as I has written it off as a major gringo tourist destination, but I'm glad I went there. It's a great place, and as Lonely Planet says, you can't help but leave with a smile on your face.
I came to Tena specifically to go visit Amazoonico. It's an animal rescue centre that raises money by doing tours of the Amazon wildlife. Unfortunately I am not going to recommend any hostels in Tena - I went to 2 different ones in 2 nights. The first was beautiful... but was in the wop wops with no food grrr... unlike the website which said dinner provided... so moved to town on day 2. Hostel was a bit better, but Tena really is not geared up for tourists (well, budget travellers anyway - maybe package tour people get a better experience!). Anyway, after an adventure getting to the wildlife centre (wild goose chase around 3 bus stations until I lost the plot when they tried to send me back to the first one - apparently my Spanish is that good now! - and suddenly mysteriously it turned out I WAS in the right place) - I finally got a bus out to the canoe... which promptly ripped me off as I was the only person at the jetty. And the zoo could not have showed more lack of interest when I turned up. Anyways, it all worked out in the end, I got to see ocelots!!! And got a better canoe back that took me an hour down the river, as opposed to the 4 minute trip up the river originally for the same price, and I ended up in a small town (Misahualli) with free range monkeys wandering around the bus stop. So all ended up well! Having said that, tourism services might be sh*t in Tena, but the locals couldn't have been more friendly and helpful.
I have currently come full circle now and am back in Quito for a week. Finished my FINAL EVER ASSIGNMENT for uni today! (fingers crossed!) and have my exam in a couple of weeks, so I am going to base myself here for a week for study time, then head back to Puerto Lopez for the exam (and some more turtles!). Also I need to recover some of my budget which has blown out this month due to the need for new clothes... all my skirts and trousers are falling off me! Oh, such problems us travellers have...
Also I got a hot tip for volunteer work at an Amazon bio-research station, so I applied and... I start on the 20th of June! I could be there anywhere from a week to a month. And everyone always asked me what use a geography degree was!
Also I got a hot tip for volunteer work at an Amazon bio-research station, so I applied and... I start on the 20th of June! I could be there anywhere from a week to a month. And everyone always asked me what use a geography degree was!
30/5/14 - An educational week in Quito
I'm mainly here for an intensive study week for my upcoming exam, but I have still found time to do a few urban things as well - bought some new clothes! Went to the movies! (X-Men Days of Future Past - yup I am a geek... I have been waiting to see it ever since they announced they were making it!). Went to a MALL! Do not mistake Quito as being Third World... I have not seen Armani stores in any malls in NZ...
Oh, and I went to the Equator. What's that you say? I have been there before? Ahh yes... but that was the OTHER Equator! Confused? Well this time I went to the Equator at Intinan ($4 entry, 40c each way on the buses)... which is the Equator as defined by GPS. It is about 200m up the road from Mitad del Mundo - or what I will now call Equator Number One. Actually, the exact position of this Equator is flexible, as they explained to us that a small amount of time discrepancy between satellites and the earth can result in the position of the GPS defined equator moving maybe 20 metres north or south... or further, depending on the time difference. Which randomly was a topic covered in my uni paper a couple of weeks ago! Ahh geography, you apply to everything!
A cool thing was that I got my passport stamped for the Equator. Even though it is not a border, the stamp is still official! (More real-world geopolitical applications!). Saw some cute experiments, including a demonstration of the Coriolis effect of what happens when water drains exactly on, to the north, and to the south of the Equator... and I failed to balance an egg on a nail. Also I found out that at the Equator you can see the stars of both the northern and southern hemisphere, and learned that "hurricanes" are northern hemisphere (anticlockwise spinning) and "cyclones" are southern hemisphere (clockwise spinning) phenomenons, as that is the direction that each hemisphere spins. A very educational day!
Oh, and I went to the Equator. What's that you say? I have been there before? Ahh yes... but that was the OTHER Equator! Confused? Well this time I went to the Equator at Intinan ($4 entry, 40c each way on the buses)... which is the Equator as defined by GPS. It is about 200m up the road from Mitad del Mundo - or what I will now call Equator Number One. Actually, the exact position of this Equator is flexible, as they explained to us that a small amount of time discrepancy between satellites and the earth can result in the position of the GPS defined equator moving maybe 20 metres north or south... or further, depending on the time difference. Which randomly was a topic covered in my uni paper a couple of weeks ago! Ahh geography, you apply to everything!
A cool thing was that I got my passport stamped for the Equator. Even though it is not a border, the stamp is still official! (More real-world geopolitical applications!). Saw some cute experiments, including a demonstration of the Coriolis effect of what happens when water drains exactly on, to the north, and to the south of the Equator... and I failed to balance an egg on a nail. Also I found out that at the Equator you can see the stars of both the northern and southern hemisphere, and learned that "hurricanes" are northern hemisphere (anticlockwise spinning) and "cyclones" are southern hemisphere (clockwise spinning) phenomenons, as that is the direction that each hemisphere spins. A very educational day!
10/6/14 - Lisa, BSc (Geography)
1989-2014, via Auckland University, a detour to a NZCSD at Carrington Polytechnic (now Unitec), Massey University, Auckland, Ireland, Auckland again, Napier and Ecuador!
And that´s about all I have to say today!
And that´s about all I have to say today!
18/6/14 - Circling...
I am back with the turtles in Puerto Lopez for a week (as that is where I was sitting my exam) via a couple of nights in Canoa. I lucked out as I got a lift to Canoa with Santiago that owns Vibes Hosel in Quito, so that saved a lonnnnnng bus ride! A beautiful beach there, but on day 2 the hostel toilets broke (they run off the town power supply - weird! - and there was an 8 hour power cut!) so that was me pretty quickly on a bus outta there!
In Puerto Lopez, there are no turtle babies at this time of year :( but still saw a few green turtles out in the harbour. I had a well deserved uni graduation celebration night in Montanita, and watched Ecuador vs Switzerland for the Football World Cup in a scenic location in beachside cabana.
Then I caught the night bus back to Quito to catch up with Ben who I worked with 10 years ago. He was here with some friends for a day on the way through to the Galapagos, so what better place to go than... the Equator! Yes... it is my 3rd time. On a sucky note, my luck ran out on the bus there, and after 4 months I finally got pickpocketed :( But on the positive all they got was $30, and I was kind of wanting a new cute Ecuador wallet anyway... so now I have one! Although an expensive way to get it grrr.
And now it is time for my next stint of volunteer work to start, so I am all packed and ready to head off to the jungle tomorrow for the next 4 weeks!!! You can find out about it at www.timburi.org. Chao for now!
In Puerto Lopez, there are no turtle babies at this time of year :( but still saw a few green turtles out in the harbour. I had a well deserved uni graduation celebration night in Montanita, and watched Ecuador vs Switzerland for the Football World Cup in a scenic location in beachside cabana.
Then I caught the night bus back to Quito to catch up with Ben who I worked with 10 years ago. He was here with some friends for a day on the way through to the Galapagos, so what better place to go than... the Equator! Yes... it is my 3rd time. On a sucky note, my luck ran out on the bus there, and after 4 months I finally got pickpocketed :( But on the positive all they got was $30, and I was kind of wanting a new cute Ecuador wallet anyway... so now I have one! Although an expensive way to get it grrr.
And now it is time for my next stint of volunteer work to start, so I am all packed and ready to head off to the jungle tomorrow for the next 4 weeks!!! You can find out about it at www.timburi.org. Chao for now!
7/7/14 - Jungle Research Station, Part 1!
Well you do not get much more remote than Timburi Cocha, near San Jose de Payamino, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The location is exceptionally beautiful, right beside the Payamino River... that feeds into the Napo River... that feeds into the Amazon River. Wildlife is abundant - even if I am the only person not to see a snake yet! And I am fast developing a love of frogs. Especially the tree frogs! So cute! (The sandflies can bugger off though...). Though one of the chickens bit the dust my first night... but he was delicious... and I can now confirm a chicken can run around for about 2 minutes with its head cut off...
The nearest shop is in Loreto, a tiny town 30km away, and involves getting up at 4am to walk 40 minutes through the jungle to catch the 5.30am bus to town - the only bus out all day, and it takes 1 1/2 hours. The only bus back all day is at 2.30pm... so it's a long day in town if you need to go to the supermarket. Oh and when I say walk, it is not a nice stroll through the bush... well it IS a nice stroll, but also pitch black, and mud up to your knees! Do not leave home without a flashlight and gumboots! The more expensive transport options include taxis to town from the village bus stop (around $20), or canoe from the village bus stop to the station... but we are budget travellers so those are not options for us!
Three days after I arrived there was a station influx. Instead of the 7 of us regulars (me, a student (Caroline), and the 5 placement researchers there (Javier - forestry/station manager, Dani - mammals/camera trapping, Alejandra and Tom - frogs, and Rachel who lives up the 'road' (i.e. jungle track) - also frogs)), we suddenly had 40 people for the next 2 weeks, as the Manchester University (station co-owner) Tropical Biology field course arrived. So it has been an exciting few weeks and I have learned a LOT about field research techniques! However everyone left yesterday, and also Caroline and Dani, and the station is empty for the next 4 days as people are going about chores such as visa applications (sheesh I know what that entails!) so I am back in Quito via Coca (Hotel Rio Napo, usually $35/night but FREE as part of Manchester Uni group! Yay!) again for a couple of days until people return to the station. Then I go back for my last 2 weeks, which should be quite a different experience with now only 6 of us there (me, Alej and Tom, Rachel, Javier, and Ciara - monkeys)!
I am also running my own small project at the station, measuring river level changes. I think the most dramatic change was a 1.5m rise overnight after some heavy rain - the river can be up, down, and back up again within 24 hours! The fast water, from rapid rises, moving downstream has some serious power, as evidenced by all the tall trees (15-20m) being ripped out from the river edges. And river widening can lead to river shallowing. So an interesting project... which I have called Project String, after my measuring implement - string with knots tied every 10cm, tied to a tree branch overhanging the river, and weighted with a large stone to ensure it hangs straight. Ahh Kiwi ingenuity!
Anyways, here are some photos from the cameras out in the jungle... an armadillo, a tapir, and an ocelot! And check out this armadillo *plus other videos* on youtube!
The nearest shop is in Loreto, a tiny town 30km away, and involves getting up at 4am to walk 40 minutes through the jungle to catch the 5.30am bus to town - the only bus out all day, and it takes 1 1/2 hours. The only bus back all day is at 2.30pm... so it's a long day in town if you need to go to the supermarket. Oh and when I say walk, it is not a nice stroll through the bush... well it IS a nice stroll, but also pitch black, and mud up to your knees! Do not leave home without a flashlight and gumboots! The more expensive transport options include taxis to town from the village bus stop (around $20), or canoe from the village bus stop to the station... but we are budget travellers so those are not options for us!
Three days after I arrived there was a station influx. Instead of the 7 of us regulars (me, a student (Caroline), and the 5 placement researchers there (Javier - forestry/station manager, Dani - mammals/camera trapping, Alejandra and Tom - frogs, and Rachel who lives up the 'road' (i.e. jungle track) - also frogs)), we suddenly had 40 people for the next 2 weeks, as the Manchester University (station co-owner) Tropical Biology field course arrived. So it has been an exciting few weeks and I have learned a LOT about field research techniques! However everyone left yesterday, and also Caroline and Dani, and the station is empty for the next 4 days as people are going about chores such as visa applications (sheesh I know what that entails!) so I am back in Quito via Coca (Hotel Rio Napo, usually $35/night but FREE as part of Manchester Uni group! Yay!) again for a couple of days until people return to the station. Then I go back for my last 2 weeks, which should be quite a different experience with now only 6 of us there (me, Alej and Tom, Rachel, Javier, and Ciara - monkeys)!
I am also running my own small project at the station, measuring river level changes. I think the most dramatic change was a 1.5m rise overnight after some heavy rain - the river can be up, down, and back up again within 24 hours! The fast water, from rapid rises, moving downstream has some serious power, as evidenced by all the tall trees (15-20m) being ripped out from the river edges. And river widening can lead to river shallowing. So an interesting project... which I have called Project String, after my measuring implement - string with knots tied every 10cm, tied to a tree branch overhanging the river, and weighted with a large stone to ensure it hangs straight. Ahh Kiwi ingenuity!
Anyways, here are some photos from the cameras out in the jungle... an armadillo, a tapir, and an ocelot! And check out this armadillo *plus other videos* on youtube!
9/7/14 - Assistant Vet with Fondo Tueri!
We were soooo lucky today as we had an invitation to visit Fondo Tueri, an animal rescue centre attached to the University of San Francisco, Quito, Vet school. They have an amazing array of animals that they are nursing back to health, mostly rescued from the illegal pet trade. We saw harpy eagles, tropical birds, monkeys, jungle tortoises, and my favourite, ocelots! Fondo Tueri operates purely with volunteer staff and we are incredibly excited about the work they are doing there. Thanks to everyone that helped us become assistant vets today! And LIKE them on Facebook!
23/7/14 - Jungle Research Station, Part 2!
OK so because I had such an amazing time and got to do so many great things, I am going to divide this post into jungle yays, nays, and ´no se´s´ (which is Spanish for I don´t know... as in I cannot decide if they are good or bad experiences!)
YAYS!
YAYS!
- The location. Sooo beautiful! The view is to die for and the hammocks are perfectly placed to take advantage of it.
- The people. Couldn´t have asked for a better bunch of people! Everyone is so happy!
- The Kichwa guys that helped us out. What are the remote jungle communities like that you read about? Well... pretty much like being on the East Coast of the North Island. There's not a lot of money, but people are happy doing their own thing.
- Payamino bakery. Who knew you could make such good cakes on a bbq? And Edmonds chocolate fudge comes out pretty good as well...
- Inventive cooking due to lack of food supplies. Pancakes, potato fritters, jungle soup, sausage fajitas...
- Payamino cinema. Well, laptop anyway. Entertainment consisting of Season 1 Games of Thrones and Brit comedies, from bootleg CDs sold in Loreto. Thanks to Top Gear I now know what a jam boy is...
- The FROGS! so cute!
- Paddling across the river in the blow up boat
- My camera trap where we filmed an agouti!
- The night walk through the jungle to the neighbours for dinner (a yay because I made it!)
- Seeing snakes in the jungle! And finally seeing one in the hammock hut on my last day!
- The music of Los Ponnys Amazonicos. The Exponents of Loreto...
- Becoming worshiped by a bunch of baby chickens (I am their goddess...)
- Hotel Grand Loreto, $20/night. It is like the Hilton! I'm serious!
NAYS...
- The muddy path. I´m ok with mud, but not gumboot high mud! And I always seemed to slip off the branches that serves as secure footing across the mud... though it looks beautiful in the photos...
- Hairy canoe rides. Yes we always made it, but the canoe with a hole in the bottom always freaked me out... especially over the rapids!
- Smelly clothes. It´s the jungle, it´s humid, and clothes washing has never been my favourite task anyway!
- Giant insects...
- ... and little ones. Argh sandflies!
- Venticinco. The local moonshine. Tastes like... white meths?
NO SE´S?
- Cane toads in the bathroom at 3am
- Bolshy chickens. But they tasted good... revenge!
- The rain (I know... rain? in a rainforest? what is this madness!?!). Great when you are inside, but not so great when you need to walk anywhere!
- Driving 25km to town on the side/in the back of a ute on unsealed road with 5 other people and 3 gas bottles...
- My gumboots. I kinda grew to love them though, as they became my second skin...
So overall I had a fantastic time in the jungle, put myself out of my comfort zone and learned a few things about myself. Namely, that rainforest field researcher is not the job for me (all that mud!)... but lab assistant definitely could be! And I have gained skills in operating water pumps and power generators...
Final say then, if anyone is in the region, I recommend a visit if you can spare a week minimum :) You won´t regret it!
Final say then, if anyone is in the region, I recommend a visit if you can spare a week minimum :) You won´t regret it!
26/7/14 - Goodbye Amazon Rainforest :(
We went to Coca (Hostel San Fermin, $8/night) for a bit of a farewell drink... and also because it was Coca party week! All the jungle towns appear to have a fiesta week every year (we missed the one in Loreto due to being rained in and the path to the station and the ranchera being flooded...). So I would like to think that the big fireworks display was in my honour haha.
Oh and we went to the Coca Zoo and saw coatis, agoutis, an olinguito, more ocelots, and squirrel monkeys! And a jaguarundi! AAAANND A BABY TAPIR!!!!
Oh and we went to the Coca Zoo and saw coatis, agoutis, an olinguito, more ocelots, and squirrel monkeys! And a jaguarundi! AAAANND A BABY TAPIR!!!!
So I´m currently back in Banos for a soak in the hot pools after 5 weeks of cold showers. Literally got off the bus, dumped my bag at the hostel, changed into my togs, and went straight to the hot pools. Ahhh bliss! (Although in my rush I forgot to bring underwear to change back into after my soak, so I had to walk back across town commando...). Also my back is starting to shout at me after 6 months of awkward positions on long bus rides, so treated myself to a back massage as well. Yes everyone knows I loathe massages, but for this one time I made an exception, and it was TOTALLY worth it. In fact, I think I will head back to the hot pools again tonight... I'm definitely taking advantage of the spa side of Banos this trip, as opposed to the adventure sport/scenic side of Banos!
31/7/14 - Hump Day
Oh did I say hump day? I meant Humpback Day... totally worth the 10 hours/3 buses to get back to Puerto Lopez, because whale watching season is now underway, and I'm not leaving Ecuador without seeing them!
5/8/14 - Otavalo, and Adios Ecuador
My 180 day/6 month Visa is on the verge of expiring. I know! The time went soooo fast! And although I am sad to be leaving, at the same time I feel I have achieved everything I wanted to in Ecuador and more. I got to know the country and travelled a fair portion of it. I got to see some really special things through the volunteer work, and met some great people, both locals and backpackers.
So there were only 2 things that I still had to do before I left. One (parents, look away now!...) was get a tattoo as a reminder of good times... so thought I may as well combine it with my favorite saying, 'not my monkeys, not my circus' ('circus' now amended to 'rainforest', a bit more apt!)... so I am the proud owner of a new monkey tattoo, courtesy of the art in Tarzan Cafe, near Plaza Foch, Quito :). The second was a bit more parent friendly, and that was to do some shopping at the Saturday markets in Otavalo before jumping the border. So I succumbed to commercialism and am now the proud owner of a llama jersey (of course with llama pictures on it!). Oh and a llama wool blanket... which I have no idea how I am going to carry, but it was just too soft and beautiful to pass up. (Hostel Ricon del Viajero, $12.50/night)
So there were only 2 things that I still had to do before I left. One (parents, look away now!...) was get a tattoo as a reminder of good times... so thought I may as well combine it with my favorite saying, 'not my monkeys, not my circus' ('circus' now amended to 'rainforest', a bit more apt!)... so I am the proud owner of a new monkey tattoo, courtesy of the art in Tarzan Cafe, near Plaza Foch, Quito :). The second was a bit more parent friendly, and that was to do some shopping at the Saturday markets in Otavalo before jumping the border. So I succumbed to commercialism and am now the proud owner of a llama jersey (of course with llama pictures on it!). Oh and a llama wool blanket... which I have no idea how I am going to carry, but it was just too soft and beautiful to pass up. (Hostel Ricon del Viajero, $12.50/night)
Final Ecuador observations...
Just a few things I noticed!
I loved my time in Ecuador, and highly recommend people come visit, travel around, do the touristy stuff, hang out at the street food stalls with the locals, and get on board with 'Ecuador time'!
- Weird shop combinations (coming from an ex-shop designer...). The fridge shop that also sells... motorbikes?! And the internet cafe that also sells... nappies?! Obviously things I need when I go to buy a fridge, or use the internet!
- Brand copyrights appear to not be an issue... internet cafe *Net Flanders* covered in Simpsons pictures... the *Androiphone* shop (nice combination there!)... the giant statue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves outside a jungle town... etc etc!
- NZ food delicacies that are cheap street food here, specifically, quails eggs, sold by the dozen at the fishermans markets in the morning, and my personal favourite, chozo, or chorizo sausage on a stick.
- The *lone female travelling alone* conversation with men on buses. Not just me, all the other solo females have it as well, and it is not an age dependant thing either. This is how it goes: Are you married? No. Do you have a boyfriend? Yes (the default answer!). Where is he? In New Zealand. So we can be together then? NO!!!! (Though I did kind of admire the audacity of the toothless 60+ year old that offered me his lap to sit on in a full bus!)
- As discussed at Timburi Cocha - 'chaulafan'. It is fried rice and pretty much all that is sold in Chinese restaurants (Chifas). Where did the word chaulafan come from? There is no translation for it in Spanish! Technically, fried rice would be *arroz frito*. For that matter, why are Chinese restaurants called Chifas? The direct translation would be Chinos?! It is a mystery... Note - I later discovered 'agridulce' was sweet and sour.
- Telenovelas and game shows. Totally in love with Desavio.. it is kind of like Survivor, where one person from each team competes in challenges against another person from another team... but at the end of each challenge, the whole of the winners team comes running out and they do a kind of line-dancing salsa for a minute or so! And Prisionera... set in a womens prison (as all the best prison dramas are!). I have never seen such good eyebrow acting in all my life - 3 minutes of waking up, hmm something is strange, hmm something doesn't feel right, OMG THAT CRAZY WOMAN FROM LAST NIGHT IS HERE, hmm how do I get away, noooo Im trapped, helllllllllp! Or the woman bashing the car with a baseball bat... except there apparently wasnt much budget, as the camera cut away just as she was about to strike, and in the actual bashing angle she appears to be a good few metres from the car!
I loved my time in Ecuador, and highly recommend people come visit, travel around, do the touristy stuff, hang out at the street food stalls with the locals, and get on board with 'Ecuador time'!