Well, we'll be off again starting Jan 7...first to Belize & then to
Guatemala. If you'd rather not have all our blog writings filling up
your inbox...please let me know and I'll remove your name from our
list...really it won't offend us in anyway!! This list of email
addresses just seems to grow each year!
Hope you are enjoying the holidays and 2014 is filled with more blessings!
Roger and Jane
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Roger's Summary
Ecuador…Beautiful, Green, Friendly. Andes, Amazon, Coast, Galapagos and High Mountain Valleys.
As we have found in many other countries, most of the people we met were friendly and helpful. Often they would ask us, “ How do you like Ecuador? “ Their pride shows when we would say it is nice. Many Americans are relocating here to take advantage of the warm temperatures, low costs of food, fuel, and services, and beautiful surroundings. Some assumed we came to find a spot where we might stay but that is not in our plan. We enjoyed our visit but hope to be able to continue our adventures in a new place next year. Ecuador with its Holstein cows grazing on hillsides and families dressed in bright clothing and working together in fields too steep for tractors is now a part of our memories.
An unexpected but pleasant surprise was the camaraderie that developed among the visitors that traveled with us on the boat in the Galapagos Islands. They came from Texas, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and Scotland. All spoke English and we connected as we ate, hiked, jumped into dinghys together, spotted sharks and sea lions from the top deck, and sat in the dark equatorial night looking at the stars and naming constellations. I found it very reassuring that people with such different backgrounds can be thrown together and their differences become an asset to the group as we learn about each other. We had discussions on the end of The Wall in Germany and the current state of reunification there. The Swiss told us about living in Switzerland and still having to drive to get to the mountains (I thought Switzerland was all in the mountains). The group was exceptionally open and accepting of differences…Was it because we were all travelers and had some characteristics in common or was it because we spent 8 days together enjoying the wonders of Galapagos? That we all suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? I would like to think that many groups such as ours meet each week in the Galapagos and also in many other places around the world and they make connections that will forever change them for the better. They may see the individuals that make up a country as interesting, intelligent, caring people rather than grouping the people of any particular country into a harmful stereotype.
Jane's Summary
I don't feel like I have any words left to sum up this trip...surely I have written enough! The trip was a combination of so many wonderful trips: Machu Picchu, Bible Lessons/Home Stay, Beaches, Jungle, Highlands and Galapagos--the cherry on top! Each was crammed full. Each frosted with special people. My page of email addresses of new found friends is full. And...how lucky am I that I could share all of it with my great travel partner, Rog....and that I get to go home to my 8 darling grandkids!!! My life overflows with blessings!!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
We're home! Home, sweet, home!!! So this is the last update... at least until next year! We still need to write our summaries. Thanks to all of you for all your newsy emails and words of encouragement. Though we write the updates as our journal to savor when we get home, it is nice to get your comments and feedbacks! Hope to see many of you soon!!
Day 4 - Isabella Island
We began exploring the largest island--50% of Galapagos land mass--Isabella Island. We went on land and traveled by bus to see the world's 2nd largest crater part of which erupted last in 2005. Johan pointed out the large number of non-native guava trees and blackberry bushes which now cover almost 40% of the island--as he said--a big problem. Next we visited the Turtle Breeding Center...so necessary as only 2% of tortoises survive as there are now so many eggs are destroyed. It is a success story as the population has gone from 3000 to 15, 000. The center has received millions of donated money thanks to the recently deceased famed Lonesome George ..last of his species. Since "Galapagos" was named after the saddleback tortoise--their survival is important to the park. ElNino has also been very hard on all the animals. 75% of the flamingos died in the last one. We had a bit of beach time and also walked about the tiny village. The open church doors pulled me in and to my delight there was a detailed wall sized painting of the Galapagos which included so many animals we'd seen...right behind the altar made of drift wood...and above it all was a glorious risen Lord! The stain glass windows were also the Galapagos animals: tortoise, blue-footed boobie, penguin etc. As I knelt for a prayer, I realized that being in the Galapagos has actually reaffirmed my love and admiration of our world's masterful Creator! To actually hear and see evolution happening ...Just one example is the Darwin finch. Originally was one species...now 13...and two more are in the early stages...each changing as they are forced to migrate due to lack of food...and slowly adapting to eating the new food available to them! What a marvelous and miraculous plan!!! What an Awesome God!!! We jumped back in the dinghy and headed back to our boat...passing lots of playful sea lions...some jumping on and off a marooned boat...the budget cruise. After we got out of the dinghy, one sea lion crawled in for a free ride. The ok was given to dive off the top of our boat and so several younger ones, our guide & the captain enjoyed that thrill as Rog & I enjoyed the show from the deck as we did the rest of the evening loving another spectacular sunset.
The Galapagos Gang
As always, it is often the people that make or break the trip...and our gang certainly made it!! Here for our records:
Brian & Ann Marie-45- from Calgary Together for 3 yrs. Each with a 20 yr old daughter. He an electrician & formally dive & rescue team member...that was comforting to know...she an dialysis nurse.
Jordan & Jemma-23- from Australia. Both recent grads.
Anya-35- from Ireland. Army colonel
Connie-40- from Switzerland
Britta-40- from Germany. Recently lost engineer job. Did 15 dad cruise.
Britta-24 from Germany. Student
Tom-35 from England. Just quit his job as airline steward and now living with
Monica-35 from Switzerland. Just quit her job as project manager
Ron-65 from Texas. Businessman whose s/o is a workaholic and not traveler
Doug-60 from Scotland. The only "snag" in the bunch
Linda-60 from Canada. The loud, attention seeker who hooked up with Doug.
Joleen-25 from Holland. Whose heart was recently broken when her boyfriend of 5 yrs broke up with her
Most were traveling from 6 to 12 months. We spent many hours visiting and learning about each other and our countries. One example was while discussing the feeling between what use to be West/East Germany, Britta said "You know why the Chinese are always smiling? They still have their wall!" And Joleen told us Holland had recently slapped a sales tax on products with sugar or fat. She'd love to come to USA just to see our "super sized plates and drinks"--what does that say about what others think of us! Jordon said we all suffer from FOMO--Fear Of Mission Out. I agree. While talking under the millions of bright stars, Jemma summed it up saying, "When I spend time with others on trips, I don't even think about their age...we are all just fellow travelers!" See why we loved this gang!
Day 5 - Elizabeth Bay and Urbina Bay (Isabella Island)
Started the day with a dinghy ride into small inlets so we could find sea turtles gliding by, penguins twirling around and flightless cormorants in search of breakfast. One found an octopus which we watched wiggle all the way down his long throat. On land we trekked through a mangrove where we came upon 20 humongous, dome tortoises and 9 land iguana ..two staging a fight and two others courting. We spotted a few short eared owls who hunt in the day here, fly catchers and a friendly yellow warbler who sat on someone's boot. It is simply unreal how the animals don't even blink an eye or move away an inch when we get close. The water was too rough to snorkel so we got back to our boat in plenty of time for the evening party. The crew joined us for drinks and dancing. Jonah showed us how to do the salsa and the blue footed boobie dance. The Ecuadorians sure know how to move when they dance!
Day 6 Tagus Bay (Isabella Island) and Fernadina Island
The blue footed boobies provided my early morning excitement as by the dozens, they took air from about 200' and dove straight as an arrow into the water...it was like watching rapid firing war bombing! Boom, boom, boom! Later we'd get closer and see their robin egg colored feet almost glowing as they perched on the black rocks. We spent several hours today below the water surface, swimming with sea turtles, rays, score of fish over the fresh green urchins. Sea lions again came out to play with us--it is so hard not to laugh out loud and thus swallow seawater!! We even saw sea turtles mating. Their young only have a 1% survival rate. On land, we watched the alpha male sea lions fight over the females and territory. So what is different in the human world??? Many of the females patiently laid still as their pups nursed...sad to think that only 30% of their pups will survive. It was nearly impossible to keep the 2M distance required from the playful older pups who waddled up to you...so curious. Our land hike was literally walking through 100's of marine iguana all facing the sun or enroute to the sea for a swim. On our climb to see Darwin's Lake...a crater lake...we admired the mighty Galapagos hawk...top of the food chain. Jonah told us a story about the Judas goat. Years ago farmers brought goats to the island, a few escaped & soon their wild population grew causing lots of problems. So the rangers put a tracking device on one...they named him Judas...let it go and followed it by helicopter. Since goats are social animals, Judas would lead them to others and bang...all shot but Judas...who would soon lead them to another bunch & bang, etc, etc, etc. It took ten years to eliminate the goats. We all felt bad for poor Judas and hoped he'd at least got shipped to the mainland and freed so he could join a group that didn't get shot! Just before 6, we spotted a 4-5' spout of water--a whale! Rog saw the hump of it's back and we saw a couple more spouts but our imagination had to do the rest. Around 7, wearing my wind breaker, I stood on the bow as we crossed the equator at 0 degree latitude at sea level. Who'd thought you'd want a wind breaker!! And by the way, there is no red line on the ocean marking the spot!!
Day 7 - Buconeer Cove and Espormilla Beach (Santiago Island) and Rabida Island
At 6:30 a.m. we plunged into the chilly water though within minutes, the sight of string rays the size of our kitchen table and white tip sharks about 5-6' made me forget about the chill quickly. Massive #'s of small fish gave you the impression of a brick wall though driving in the middle of them created a hole just bi enough to fit through. A dark lavender octopus floated over the mustard colored, deep red and lilac colored starfish. All this while tiny glowing red and blue plankton were everywhere. Gorgeous! Later we'd snorkel again...in a different area...with another unique view of the fascinating sea. Just jumping in and out of our dinghy between the crashing waves was a blast. On our land hike on Rabida Island we felt like the temp soared to 120 degrees. We watched baby pelicans spread their wings as tiny streams of sand flowed down from the tall cliffs...erosion in action. Baby sea lions played in the waves. Made us think of our grandkids playing as they crawled over each other and seemed to kiss! We took a long dinghy ride to get a closer look at those bombing blue footed boobies and find storm petrels bird hiding along the tall cliffs. Also cheered for a struggling Galapagos hawk chick trying to escape from the crashing waves. He made it!!! Just before dinner, Jonah rand the bell & yelled "Dolphins!" We all crawled up on the bow and watched the dolphins perform high jumps and flips...dinner had to wait. We had our final evening briefing. Johan had listed all the major animals we'd seen--over 60 species ...not counting the endless fish... and most indigenous to Galapagos!! And we'd only visited about half of the places allowed to visit. We took turns talking about our week. Spectacular! Amazing! Best Week Ever! Unbelievable! Fantastic! etc. Praise for Johan over flowed to which he responded by telling us we had been a great group, eager to do what he loved best...snorkel and find animals! With teary eyes, he said, "I am living my dream! My Dad (also a guide) would be proud of me." No one wanted the day to end so we just hung over the side of the boat watching...and as usual....the ocean came alive. Five huge sharks were circling our boat and sea lions started racing and catching flying fish. Jonah pulled out a spotlight and it was just like Hollywood. In spit of knowing what was under our boat...we slept well.
Day 8 Mosquero Beach
Sunrise found us walking quietly along Mosquero Beach and saying good bye to the Galapagos. We walked on the black & white speckled beach thinking back on the black, brown, red and white beaches we'd visited. We stopped to gaze out at the sea...so many shades of blue and so full of life. Sea lions were everywhere waddling close to us as if they too were saying goodbye. We'd taken over 1000 pictures and hope together with the updates, we can relive this most incredible trip again and again. It truly deserves the name the locals call it...the Enchanted Islands.
Day 4 - Isabella Island
We began exploring the largest island--50% of Galapagos land mass--Isabella Island. We went on land and traveled by bus to see the world's 2nd largest crater part of which erupted last in 2005. Johan pointed out the large number of non-native guava trees and blackberry bushes which now cover almost 40% of the island--as he said--a big problem. Next we visited the Turtle Breeding Center...so necessary as only 2% of tortoises survive as there are now so many eggs are destroyed. It is a success story as the population has gone from 3000 to 15, 000. The center has received millions of donated money thanks to the recently deceased famed Lonesome George ..last of his species. Since "Galapagos" was named after the saddleback tortoise--their survival is important to the park. ElNino has also been very hard on all the animals. 75% of the flamingos died in the last one. We had a bit of beach time and also walked about the tiny village. The open church doors pulled me in and to my delight there was a detailed wall sized painting of the Galapagos which included so many animals we'd seen...right behind the altar made of drift wood...and above it all was a glorious risen Lord! The stain glass windows were also the Galapagos animals: tortoise, blue-footed boobie, penguin etc. As I knelt for a prayer, I realized that being in the Galapagos has actually reaffirmed my love and admiration of our world's masterful Creator! To actually hear and see evolution happening ...Just one example is the Darwin finch. Originally was one species...now 13...and two more are in the early stages...each changing as they are forced to migrate due to lack of food...and slowly adapting to eating the new food available to them! What a marvelous and miraculous plan!!! What an Awesome God!!! We jumped back in the dinghy and headed back to our boat...passing lots of playful sea lions...some jumping on and off a marooned boat...the budget cruise. After we got out of the dinghy, one sea lion crawled in for a free ride. The ok was given to dive off the top of our boat and so several younger ones, our guide & the captain enjoyed that thrill as Rog & I enjoyed the show from the deck as we did the rest of the evening loving another spectacular sunset.
The Galapagos Gang
As always, it is often the people that make or break the trip...and our gang certainly made it!! Here for our records:
Brian & Ann Marie-45- from Calgary Together for 3 yrs. Each with a 20 yr old daughter. He an electrician & formally dive & rescue team member...that was comforting to know...she an dialysis nurse.
Jordan & Jemma-23- from Australia. Both recent grads.
Anya-35- from Ireland. Army colonel
Connie-40- from Switzerland
Britta-40- from Germany. Recently lost engineer job. Did 15 dad cruise.
Britta-24 from Germany. Student
Tom-35 from England. Just quit his job as airline steward and now living with
Monica-35 from Switzerland. Just quit her job as project manager
Ron-65 from Texas. Businessman whose s/o is a workaholic and not traveler
Doug-60 from Scotland. The only "snag" in the bunch
Linda-60 from Canada. The loud, attention seeker who hooked up with Doug.
Joleen-25 from Holland. Whose heart was recently broken when her boyfriend of 5 yrs broke up with her
Most were traveling from 6 to 12 months. We spent many hours visiting and learning about each other and our countries. One example was while discussing the feeling between what use to be West/East Germany, Britta said "You know why the Chinese are always smiling? They still have their wall!" And Joleen told us Holland had recently slapped a sales tax on products with sugar or fat. She'd love to come to USA just to see our "super sized plates and drinks"--what does that say about what others think of us! Jordon said we all suffer from FOMO--Fear Of Mission Out. I agree. While talking under the millions of bright stars, Jemma summed it up saying, "When I spend time with others on trips, I don't even think about their age...we are all just fellow travelers!" See why we loved this gang!
Day 5 - Elizabeth Bay and Urbina Bay (Isabella Island)
Started the day with a dinghy ride into small inlets so we could find sea turtles gliding by, penguins twirling around and flightless cormorants in search of breakfast. One found an octopus which we watched wiggle all the way down his long throat. On land we trekked through a mangrove where we came upon 20 humongous, dome tortoises and 9 land iguana ..two staging a fight and two others courting. We spotted a few short eared owls who hunt in the day here, fly catchers and a friendly yellow warbler who sat on someone's boot. It is simply unreal how the animals don't even blink an eye or move away an inch when we get close. The water was too rough to snorkel so we got back to our boat in plenty of time for the evening party. The crew joined us for drinks and dancing. Jonah showed us how to do the salsa and the blue footed boobie dance. The Ecuadorians sure know how to move when they dance!
Day 6 Tagus Bay (Isabella Island) and Fernadina Island
The blue footed boobies provided my early morning excitement as by the dozens, they took air from about 200' and dove straight as an arrow into the water...it was like watching rapid firing war bombing! Boom, boom, boom! Later we'd get closer and see their robin egg colored feet almost glowing as they perched on the black rocks. We spent several hours today below the water surface, swimming with sea turtles, rays, score of fish over the fresh green urchins. Sea lions again came out to play with us--it is so hard not to laugh out loud and thus swallow seawater!! We even saw sea turtles mating. Their young only have a 1% survival rate. On land, we watched the alpha male sea lions fight over the females and territory. So what is different in the human world??? Many of the females patiently laid still as their pups nursed...sad to think that only 30% of their pups will survive. It was nearly impossible to keep the 2M distance required from the playful older pups who waddled up to you...so curious. Our land hike was literally walking through 100's of marine iguana all facing the sun or enroute to the sea for a swim. On our climb to see Darwin's Lake...a crater lake...we admired the mighty Galapagos hawk...top of the food chain. Jonah told us a story about the Judas goat. Years ago farmers brought goats to the island, a few escaped & soon their wild population grew causing lots of problems. So the rangers put a tracking device on one...they named him Judas...let it go and followed it by helicopter. Since goats are social animals, Judas would lead them to others and bang...all shot but Judas...who would soon lead them to another bunch & bang, etc, etc, etc. It took ten years to eliminate the goats. We all felt bad for poor Judas and hoped he'd at least got shipped to the mainland and freed so he could join a group that didn't get shot! Just before 6, we spotted a 4-5' spout of water--a whale! Rog saw the hump of it's back and we saw a couple more spouts but our imagination had to do the rest. Around 7, wearing my wind breaker, I stood on the bow as we crossed the equator at 0 degree latitude at sea level. Who'd thought you'd want a wind breaker!! And by the way, there is no red line on the ocean marking the spot!!
Day 7 - Buconeer Cove and Espormilla Beach (Santiago Island) and Rabida Island
At 6:30 a.m. we plunged into the chilly water though within minutes, the sight of string rays the size of our kitchen table and white tip sharks about 5-6' made me forget about the chill quickly. Massive #'s of small fish gave you the impression of a brick wall though driving in the middle of them created a hole just bi enough to fit through. A dark lavender octopus floated over the mustard colored, deep red and lilac colored starfish. All this while tiny glowing red and blue plankton were everywhere. Gorgeous! Later we'd snorkel again...in a different area...with another unique view of the fascinating sea. Just jumping in and out of our dinghy between the crashing waves was a blast. On our land hike on Rabida Island we felt like the temp soared to 120 degrees. We watched baby pelicans spread their wings as tiny streams of sand flowed down from the tall cliffs...erosion in action. Baby sea lions played in the waves. Made us think of our grandkids playing as they crawled over each other and seemed to kiss! We took a long dinghy ride to get a closer look at those bombing blue footed boobies and find storm petrels bird hiding along the tall cliffs. Also cheered for a struggling Galapagos hawk chick trying to escape from the crashing waves. He made it!!! Just before dinner, Jonah rand the bell & yelled "Dolphins!" We all crawled up on the bow and watched the dolphins perform high jumps and flips...dinner had to wait. We had our final evening briefing. Johan had listed all the major animals we'd seen--over 60 species ...not counting the endless fish... and most indigenous to Galapagos!! And we'd only visited about half of the places allowed to visit. We took turns talking about our week. Spectacular! Amazing! Best Week Ever! Unbelievable! Fantastic! etc. Praise for Johan over flowed to which he responded by telling us we had been a great group, eager to do what he loved best...snorkel and find animals! With teary eyes, he said, "I am living my dream! My Dad (also a guide) would be proud of me." No one wanted the day to end so we just hung over the side of the boat watching...and as usual....the ocean came alive. Five huge sharks were circling our boat and sea lions started racing and catching flying fish. Jonah pulled out a spotlight and it was just like Hollywood. In spit of knowing what was under our boat...we slept well.
Day 8 Mosquero Beach
Sunrise found us walking quietly along Mosquero Beach and saying good bye to the Galapagos. We walked on the black & white speckled beach thinking back on the black, brown, red and white beaches we'd visited. We stopped to gaze out at the sea...so many shades of blue and so full of life. Sea lions were everywhere waddling close to us as if they too were saying goodbye. We'd taken over 1000 pictures and hope together with the updates, we can relive this most incredible trip again and again. It truly deserves the name the locals call it...the Enchanted Islands.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Galápagos Islands!
Galapagos
Imagine waking up each day and finding yourself on a different planet...seeing Genesis 1 happening before your very eyes...God creating the sea, the land and animals. That's the only way I can even begin to describe the Galapagos. Landscapes...each island boasting its uniqueness both on land and in the sea...only here....only here.
Day 1- Santa Cruz Island
We flew from Guayaquil to Santa Cruz island...about 600 miles off shore and our guide, Johan met us at the airport and quickly we were on our ship, The Guantanamera, home for the next week. The ship with a crew of 8 and 15 passengers sailed to a nearby sparking white beach where we saw the first of hundreds of scarlet red crabs, black lizards, flamingoes and frigate birds with their flaming red throat blown up like balloons. We put on our fins & mask to see what was in the gorgeous turquoise sea...fish in all sizes and colors instantly appeared! A bountiful buffet...which was set 3 days a day every day...was ready when we got back on board. Johan recapped the day and gave us the plan for the next day...as he would each evening. We went to bed in our cozy little cabin, rocked to sleep by the waves and completely in awe.
Day 2 -Genovesa Island
Day began at 6:30 with our first view of Genovesa Island, breakfast at 7 and snorkeling by 8...again at 11...and again at 3...all in different bays and each like a peep hole into a uniquely secret world. We swam with small damsel fish who seem to have a tiny LED light attached to their fins, parrot fish chomping on coral, brightly colored puffer fish, clown fish, and countless others I can't name but enjoyed company with. But it was the 4' hammerhead sharks that circled below me and the rays that waved as it flew past me...that made my heart stop. Between snorkeling, we hiked the beaches where a mom sea lion slept with her 2 day old cub...later we passed frigate birds munching on the placenta. Nazca and red footed boobies (bird) watched as we snapped photos of their fluffy white chicks. Coal black marine iguanas rested on the lava rocks...almost invisible...blue & yellow crown heron fished in small pools where sea lions played and the Galapagos doves called to the passing swallow tailed gulls. Sound surreal??? It was.
Day 3 - Bartolome Island & Santiago Island
When I looked out our cabin window, I was amazed again...during the night we'd sailed to Bartolome Island...truly another world! The blues of the water & sky contrasted with the deepest black lava shoreline with a massive pinnacle shooting up! The water around us was crystal clear so we could easily spot the black tip sharks circling our boat. By 8, we were snorkeling in a large crater surrounded by a rainbow of fish and below me were glowing red & blue starfish...like looking at the night sky in living color...reef sharks peeked out from the caves and spotted rays floated by. It was the playful penguins...only about 1 ft tall...spinning around and hopping up on the rocks and the sea lions about 5 ft mimicking the moves of Jordan (another passenger) right in front of me that made me laugh (and that is hard to do with a snorkel in your mouth!) What a joyful time! After lunch we climbed to the top of a volcanic mountain for an extraordinary view of the area ...surrounded by 66 craters...all which had exploded years ago at the same time. Unimaginable! Here we took a mass of photos including one with the Foggy Bottom Coffee Ship flag and a group shot of all our traveling buddies. Before we left the island, we saw the first of many Darwin land lizards and the blue footed boobies perched on a small island of lava rocks. Later we cruised to Santiago Island ...a mass of lave that from a distance looked flat but once ashore we could see the diverse designs left by the 1910 eruptions that created them... marvelously minute and massive swirls...chunks, some smooth as glass and others ragged as broken glass...ridges that looked just like long lengths of ropes...frozen bubbles. Overall, it was like the mountain took a huge dump. And then it dried & cracked, heaving up section and leaving craters and holes. The heat from the hot sun was absorbed in the lava so we felt like we were in a 350 degree oven! And yet, we saw a few tiny green plants bravely taking root...beginning the huge job of creating sand so that someday...in the far distant future...this island would flourish! No way could I remember let alone write all the info that Johan shares with us. He seems to know not only the names, numbers & dates, but habits, causes and problems of the plants and animals we encounter. He knows the history and has hope for the future. He is not just a guide. He is not just a native of Galapagos. He is a part of Galapagos. You could hear it in his voice as he pointed out the different islands from the top of the volcano...saying each island's name...then saying...my islands...the enchanted islands.
Galapagos History Lesson
Learning bits and pieces about the Galapagos history each day has truly enriched our experience. Darwin visited the island for 5 weeks in 1835 and then fisherman & pirates came ashore for a bit. In 1929, the first inhabitants...from Germany...settled here and the very first native was born in 1931...in a cave. He only recently died. In the early 40's, the German Angermeyer brothers came here to escape Nazi Germany. Their story is in My Father's Island, the book Rog & I are reading aloud....also friends of a woman we met earlier in Canoa. A few islands served as a USA military base in WWII and the famous pinnacle is the results of the bombs dropped during military practice here. Galapagos became a National Park in 1959 but strict rules were not enforced until 1997. In 1998, the Ecuadorian army had to come and stop the Isabellion islanders from attacking the National Park headquarters. Many islands are now closed to visitors...only a few scientists are allowed to visit...to allow them to evolve naturally. All tours must be led by a licensed, Galapagos born guide and the tours & cruise routes are set up and strictly enforced by the National Park. Scientist & volunteers are working furiously to eradicate non-native plants and animals. Let nature take its course was the theme loudly and adamantly proclaimed. But ironically, the scientist have discovered similar islands below the ocean surface just 200 mi. from the mainland and they know that the Galapagos islands are moving 5 to 7 cm a year so will probably one day also sink into the vast ocean only to be replace by new volcanic action over the hot spot where the current Galapagos islands sit. Amazing!!!
Imagine waking up each day and finding yourself on a different planet...seeing Genesis 1 happening before your very eyes...God creating the sea, the land and animals. That's the only way I can even begin to describe the Galapagos.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Ethnic Clothing
If you elimanate the really large cities, about 50 % of the adults we see are wearing some ethnic clothing which is quite amazing to me that they have ignored fashion for so many years. They must be proud of their heritage. We heard that about 70% of all Ecuadorians are indigenous. No wonder this country has such diverse and colorful people!
Diet
Almost all places we had basically the same diet: rice and fried yucca, green bananas, ...best of all...potatoes. Can you imagine so much starch...it does catch up with them as they get older as many were not thin.
Speed Bump Vendors
So often, when the bus came to a speed bump...a vendor would jump on as the bus slowed down. He would be selling ice cream, drinks, breads, fried potatoes or green bananas, candy, or fruit. Then when the bus came to another speed bump, off he'd hop. Great plan!
Back in Cuenca
It was nice to get bacl to quaint Cuenca. This time we visited several museums. The museum of culture had a display of about 10 shrunken heads! There were also many displays showing how people in different indigenous tribes lived. The cultural museum reminded us of how much we have seen in Ecuador as it seemed that every exhibit was a review of much that we already have seen through our experiences around the country.
We were surprised that there seemed to be no security except for a few video cameras in another museum that displayed thousands of artifacts...most were ancient (one stone head was dated 13,000 BC) and priceless. Many items were positioned precariously and seemed to be in danger of falling over.
We visited with the friends, Peter and Chris, that we met in Alausi and they invited us to have dinner with them at their house...Tom and Linda, also from Portland, Maine, joined us for dinner and visiting. There was much talk of grandkids, kids, and the expat community in Cuenca that is growing rapidly because International Living magazine has named Cuenca the best place in the world to retire. Many Americans are moving here to take advantage of the low cost of fuel, services, food, and also the great weather which averages about 60 degrees F. The next morning, we headed off for three more sites. A cloistered convent built in 1599 was full of items some of which were the dowries paid when daughters entered the convent. Since girls as young as 12 entered, many toys and music boxes were also there. Cuena's most famous church had a 3D last supper scene with life size statues. The last place we checked out had many detailed mask on display. Then it was time to head for the bus station.
Our Final Bus Ride
We actually savored our last bus ride heading for Guayaquil. We never tire of watching the clouds creep up the mountains or the passing farms or small villages. Seeing a kid tending his flock do a cartwheel, another chasing a tire, and another playing with pop bottle caps brings the gorgeous landscapes to life. We have traveled by bus for about 60 hours...not counting short city bus rides. It has been a great (and cheap) way to see so much of Ecuador!
If you elimanate the really large cities, about 50 % of the adults we see are wearing some ethnic clothing which is quite amazing to me that they have ignored fashion for so many years. They must be proud of their heritage. We heard that about 70% of all Ecuadorians are indigenous. No wonder this country has such diverse and colorful people!
Diet
Almost all places we had basically the same diet: rice and fried yucca, green bananas, ...best of all...potatoes. Can you imagine so much starch...it does catch up with them as they get older as many were not thin.
Speed Bump Vendors
So often, when the bus came to a speed bump...a vendor would jump on as the bus slowed down. He would be selling ice cream, drinks, breads, fried potatoes or green bananas, candy, or fruit. Then when the bus came to another speed bump, off he'd hop. Great plan!
Back in Cuenca
It was nice to get bacl to quaint Cuenca. This time we visited several museums. The museum of culture had a display of about 10 shrunken heads! There were also many displays showing how people in different indigenous tribes lived. The cultural museum reminded us of how much we have seen in Ecuador as it seemed that every exhibit was a review of much that we already have seen through our experiences around the country.
We were surprised that there seemed to be no security except for a few video cameras in another museum that displayed thousands of artifacts...most were ancient (one stone head was dated 13,000 BC) and priceless. Many items were positioned precariously and seemed to be in danger of falling over.
We visited with the friends, Peter and Chris, that we met in Alausi and they invited us to have dinner with them at their house...Tom and Linda, also from Portland, Maine, joined us for dinner and visiting. There was much talk of grandkids, kids, and the expat community in Cuenca that is growing rapidly because International Living magazine has named Cuenca the best place in the world to retire. Many Americans are moving here to take advantage of the low cost of fuel, services, food, and also the great weather which averages about 60 degrees F. The next morning, we headed off for three more sites. A cloistered convent built in 1599 was full of items some of which were the dowries paid when daughters entered the convent. Since girls as young as 12 entered, many toys and music boxes were also there. Cuena's most famous church had a 3D last supper scene with life size statues. The last place we checked out had many detailed mask on display. Then it was time to head for the bus station.
Our Final Bus Ride
We actually savored our last bus ride heading for Guayaquil. We never tire of watching the clouds creep up the mountains or the passing farms or small villages. Seeing a kid tending his flock do a cartwheel, another chasing a tire, and another playing with pop bottle caps brings the gorgeous landscapes to life. We have traveled by bus for about 60 hours...not counting short city bus rides. It has been a great (and cheap) way to see so much of Ecuador!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Top of the World
Our bus trip to Guaranda took us within 5 km of Mt.Chimborazo... an inactive volcano which is the furthest point from the center of the earth due to the earth's bulge at the equator! The clouds completely hid it on the way to Guaranda so we had to just be glad we had seen lots of farming on the highlands, herds of picuna (smaller than llama) shepherded by shawled locals and dairy cows tethered on the grassy higher slopes where they were milked into cans carefully carried down by the farmer. As we got higher, the bus windows fogged over and dripped with water so we had to keep wiping the window to peek out at a barren land covered with ash. The only homes we saw up there were dug into the mountain. We went down hill to get to Guaranda which was quite a large town filled with shawled and hatted locals. It rained as we walked around town checking out the markets and finding a bit of lunch...which we ate in a center park and the whole time some guy talked to Rog in Spanish (probably the town's goofball) and another stared at me. When Rog had eaten a much as he wanted, he handed the dish to the man staring at me...and he gladly ate it. Around 2 we got back on the bus to head back...and the sky opened up for us and we got great views of Mt. Chimborazo!! As you can imagine, it was majestic. Snow covered much of it ... the clouds eventually decided we'd been lucky long enough!
Chicken & Fries & Rolls
Have I mentioned that the most common meal around here...and we devoured lots of...is grilled chicken and fries. Mmmm. There is a grill on most every corner. And the fresh baked smell of bread is on every block...and those rolls melt in your mouth! (Joyce you would be in heaven!)
Museum Of Religious Article
We sought out the #1 sight (according to Lonely Planet) in Riabomba...the Museo del Convento de la Concepcion. It was housed in an old convent and filled with ornate statues, art works and religious articles. Such riches. Glass cabinets crowded with tiny dishes, animals, clothing, household furnishing, etc, etc, etc with a baby Jesus in the center. Statue of Mary laying in a bed wearing a gold crown & pearled necklace in jeweled gown (all the real thing). Life size crosses with Christ dripping with blood. Priest robes embroidered with gold and silver and jewels. And the most prized- a monstrance (to hold host) adorned with 1500 precious jewels and casted with solid gold weighing 797 lbs.
Rich exhibit!! And no guards anywhere! But then, who could dare try to carry that out! Once again, a reporter happened to be there and took our picture & interviewed us! She was from the Ecuador public TV station and told us to watch for us on Tv. We won't know how to act when we become ¨common folk¨again!
Train Museum
Next we headed for the train museum where we could also get tickets for a train ride we hope to take tomorrow. Got the tickets but the museum was closed...guess they felt sorry for us...or our ¨celebrity status¨ shone through....because they unlocked the museum and let us tour it! Free!
On to Alausi
Our train trip starts in Alausi, so we bussed there passing panormic views of farm plots that made a gorgeous quilt like view. Our photos just can't capture the immensity or beauty of the view. A huge statue of St. Peter sits on a hill overlooking this quaint town. We took a walking tour noticing that they seem to be doing lots of repairs on many of the older buildings. Evidently, they are resurrecting the train from Riobambo which will connect again to the section still in operation here...so it will become more of a tourist destination. We met two couples from Maine who winter 6 months in Cuenca. They love it! No way could we be that far from family & friends that long...this is long enough!
Our bus trip to Guaranda took us within 5 km of Mt.Chimborazo... an inactive volcano which is the furthest point from the center of the earth due to the earth's bulge at the equator! The clouds completely hid it on the way to Guaranda so we had to just be glad we had seen lots of farming on the highlands, herds of picuna (smaller than llama) shepherded by shawled locals and dairy cows tethered on the grassy higher slopes where they were milked into cans carefully carried down by the farmer. As we got higher, the bus windows fogged over and dripped with water so we had to keep wiping the window to peek out at a barren land covered with ash. The only homes we saw up there were dug into the mountain. We went down hill to get to Guaranda which was quite a large town filled with shawled and hatted locals. It rained as we walked around town checking out the markets and finding a bit of lunch...which we ate in a center park and the whole time some guy talked to Rog in Spanish (probably the town's goofball) and another stared at me. When Rog had eaten a much as he wanted, he handed the dish to the man staring at me...and he gladly ate it. Around 2 we got back on the bus to head back...and the sky opened up for us and we got great views of Mt. Chimborazo!! As you can imagine, it was majestic. Snow covered much of it ... the clouds eventually decided we'd been lucky long enough!
Chicken & Fries & Rolls
Have I mentioned that the most common meal around here...and we devoured lots of...is grilled chicken and fries. Mmmm. There is a grill on most every corner. And the fresh baked smell of bread is on every block...and those rolls melt in your mouth! (Joyce you would be in heaven!)
Museum Of Religious Article
We sought out the #1 sight (according to Lonely Planet) in Riabomba...the Museo del Convento de la Concepcion. It was housed in an old convent and filled with ornate statues, art works and religious articles. Such riches. Glass cabinets crowded with tiny dishes, animals, clothing, household furnishing, etc, etc, etc with a baby Jesus in the center. Statue of Mary laying in a bed wearing a gold crown & pearled necklace in jeweled gown (all the real thing). Life size crosses with Christ dripping with blood. Priest robes embroidered with gold and silver and jewels. And the most prized- a monstrance (to hold host) adorned with 1500 precious jewels and casted with solid gold weighing 797 lbs.
Rich exhibit!! And no guards anywhere! But then, who could dare try to carry that out! Once again, a reporter happened to be there and took our picture & interviewed us! She was from the Ecuador public TV station and told us to watch for us on Tv. We won't know how to act when we become ¨common folk¨again!
Train Museum
Next we headed for the train museum where we could also get tickets for a train ride we hope to take tomorrow. Got the tickets but the museum was closed...guess they felt sorry for us...or our ¨celebrity status¨ shone through....because they unlocked the museum and let us tour it! Free!
On to Alausi
Our train trip starts in Alausi, so we bussed there passing panormic views of farm plots that made a gorgeous quilt like view. Our photos just can't capture the immensity or beauty of the view. A huge statue of St. Peter sits on a hill overlooking this quaint town. We took a walking tour noticing that they seem to be doing lots of repairs on many of the older buildings. Evidently, they are resurrecting the train from Riobambo which will connect again to the section still in operation here...so it will become more of a tourist destination. We met two couples from Maine who winter 6 months in Cuenca. They love it! No way could we be that far from family & friends that long...this is long enough!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Riobamba
Moving on to Riobamba
Got outta Quito before 8 and headed to Riobamba. It sits in the high valley between the Andes. Most of the women here wear ponchos and wear their hair very long and bound with embroidered ribbon making a loooong ponytail. Both men and women wear hats with birdfeathers...some are like bowlers and others stetsons. Most women also carry a baby or basket on their backs. We have seen so many young kids here...so diferent than China!! We took a hike in the nearby hills and saw lot of volcanic rock & dust and a good view of a nearby inactive volcano. We met a girl from TelAviv who is coming to teach English in Riobamba as a volunteer. She says it is very popular in her country for the youth to take time to volunteer abroad. I asked what life was like in TelAviv...she said very safe and nice. Not the picture I had in my mind.
Strange Sites
-people eating chicken at KFC with plastic gloves
-if a store is selling TP (and we have only seen one brand)...it will be displayed in their front window
-beware...just because you find a drink in a cooler...doesn't mean it will be cold as many are not plugged in
Day Care
Many small children and babies are behind counters, under carts, between shelves, on mom's back, nursing in mom's arms or playing in front of store or streetside cart...no need for day care!
Kindness
Had to point out just two kind acts that happened to us yesterday...as we were hailing a taxi, a gray car pulled up and waved us in. We hesitated...and then a man on the street came over and said ¨No, no!¨ and proceeded to hail us down a marked, yellow taxi. A storekeeper whom we had just bought a drink from spoke to us in English. So in our conversation, we said we wanted to find a trail in the nearby hills...he left his store...hailed down a taxi and told him exactly where to take us! So many times, so many people have gone out of there way to be kind and helpful to us...it's like we are surrounded by guardian angels!!!
Got outta Quito before 8 and headed to Riobamba. It sits in the high valley between the Andes. Most of the women here wear ponchos and wear their hair very long and bound with embroidered ribbon making a loooong ponytail. Both men and women wear hats with birdfeathers...some are like bowlers and others stetsons. Most women also carry a baby or basket on their backs. We have seen so many young kids here...so diferent than China!! We took a hike in the nearby hills and saw lot of volcanic rock & dust and a good view of a nearby inactive volcano. We met a girl from TelAviv who is coming to teach English in Riobamba as a volunteer. She says it is very popular in her country for the youth to take time to volunteer abroad. I asked what life was like in TelAviv...she said very safe and nice. Not the picture I had in my mind.
Strange Sites
-people eating chicken at KFC with plastic gloves
-if a store is selling TP (and we have only seen one brand)...it will be displayed in their front window
-beware...just because you find a drink in a cooler...doesn't mean it will be cold as many are not plugged in
Day Care
Many small children and babies are behind counters, under carts, between shelves, on mom's back, nursing in mom's arms or playing in front of store or streetside cart...no need for day care!
Kindness
Had to point out just two kind acts that happened to us yesterday...as we were hailing a taxi, a gray car pulled up and waved us in. We hesitated...and then a man on the street came over and said ¨No, no!¨ and proceeded to hail us down a marked, yellow taxi. A storekeeper whom we had just bought a drink from spoke to us in English. So in our conversation, we said we wanted to find a trail in the nearby hills...he left his store...hailed down a taxi and told him exactly where to take us! So many times, so many people have gone out of there way to be kind and helpful to us...it's like we are surrounded by guardian angels!!!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Rainforest, Ann Curry, Oil Wars, and more
Plastic Bottle Uses
Here we ways we have seen plastic bottles used:
Christmas trees
Christmas ornaments
lamp shades
made into a barrel to discard other plastic bottles
filled with who knows what for sale on the street
collected by children probably to get $$
Cost of Drinks
16 oz water usually 50 cents
12 oz Coke usually 80 cents
30 oz Pilsener beer usually $1
So why don't we see more drunks??
Coca - Gateway to the Jungle
After a couple hours of horizontal sleep in our hotel (no way could we sleep on that overnight bus)...we got direction to the church. It was Catholic and suppose to start in five minutes after we arrived. The church was full ...but as it seems is normal...we all just sat there patiently for almost 30 minutes. Later we walked around taking in more of the Flora Carnival celebration. Lots of foamy spray and water being dumped. Our hotel has a pool so that and some bridge filled the day.
Amazon Rainforest
Strange...I only connected extinction with the Ice Age. How wrong. It was also the miraculous birth of the amazing Amazon Rainforest as the ice and cold on the poles squeezed multitudes of plants and animals toward the equator. Surrounded by gigantic flora that towered above us, an array of birds flying over us while huge spiders and insects crawled near me and howling monkeys and a chorus of creatures creating a musical masterpiece...I could on thank God, the master creator....and also wonder if I was on the movie set of Honey I Shrunk the Kids! At Coca we loaded a long speed boat alone with Ann Curry, and a NBC film crew and headed down the wide and muddy Napo River toward the Sani Lodge. For 3 hours we passed lush landscape with tiny openings for homes and large gashed out holes in the jungle dug out by an oil company (originally Texaco...not sure who bought them out) where we slowed down so the film crew could get good footage. So not only were we enormously blessed to spend time in the jungle, but also in the middle of a mounting war between the oil company and the indigenous Kichwa and Huarani tribes...previously not friendly but now united for strength in this war. A cold lemonade and many of the Kichwa staff welcomed us and after a 3 course meal, we joined up with two young couples and took our first of many canoe rides in the black lagoon and its tributaries near the lodge. Our native guide (Humberto) and our English speaking & also native guide (Fredy) skillfully pointed out, identified and filled us with facts about the flora and fauna we passed. The vast depth of their knowledge and respect & love of their jungle seemed to have no end. This rainforest is unique because it relies on only the nearby abundant Andes mountains streams and the intense heat of the sun here on the equator which causes much evaporation thus creating an amazing water cycle. This allows millions of species...many found only here...to flourish. One 700 year old tree alone housed over a million insects. Its root system was about 500 m and it is surrounded by walking trees all competing for the nutrients in the meager 30 cm of soil. The clay sub soil is another reason for the huge evaporation rate and the high Andres trap the clouds causing much rain. We sat quietly and very still as our canoes glided over the lagoon where we spotted black caiman and were told hid anacondas, electric eels and piranha. There seemed always another bird to spot...over 500 species...and it was especially fun watching the parakeets chat at their community center at the salt lick and thou we had to wait a long time, the site of vividly colored macaws and toucans awed us. The noisy and slow stinky turkeys gave us lots of laughs. We never tired of watching the antics of the monkeys...we saw 4 species…as the frolicked in the tree canopies, jumped across the streams right in front of us and shook branches to try to scare us away. We tracked a tapir and peccary (wild pig) but only got a glimpse of the peccary. Rog got coaxed into letting a huge, black tarantula walk up his arm and munched on lemon ants. We learned how to tickle a frog and multiple uses of the many plants. After hours on the trail in tall rubber boots, in canoes and in the viewing tower, we too could spot and even name some species! The conch shell called us to extravagant meals and around 9 p.m., we took a quick cold shower and crawled into our tent plopping down on the rather hard mattress and fell asleep quickly in the pitch black to the sounds of the jungle. At 5:15 a.m. we were walking the plank dock (think of Peter Pan...tick tock) at the edge of the lagoon ready to catch our canoe ride to breakfast. One after noon we visited the Kichwa Sani community center where about 500 gather for events and 125 kids go to school bussed via canoe. We got a tour of a typical home completely built of material found in the jungle. We participated in their traditional dance and some of us ate heartily the fish, green bananas, coca beans and big fat roasted grubs (Yup, Rog did & Jane didn't) that they had prepared for us ...all found locally. Fredy (our guide) had not been feeling well and so a few of the woman performed a cleansing ritual that included smacking him with leaves that left large welts on him and then rubbed him with a strong smelling (like Ben Gay) ointment. It occurred to us that if some world disaster happened...the indigenous tribes would probably be far better off than the rest of us.
All I can say is ...twenty six alphabet letters and a ream of paper would not be enough to even begin to justly describe the rainforest and how I felt there. (The 200 plus photos we took might help.) What a glorious world God gave us!!
Oil Co. vs the Rainforest
As I said earlier, the same time we were experiences the wonders of the rainforest, we found ourselves at the epicenter of a boiling fight. Though we knew a bit, we learned much more in the few days we were there talking to Ann Curry, the NBC crew, an UK freelance writer, the spokesperson for the Kichwa and many of the natives themselves. The fight is obvious. Big money against a rare and unspoiled rainforest and the people who live there and love it. Malaria kept the Spaniards out...but how will they keep the oil company out? Here are a few facts we learned:
1. the oil they could get would last the world a mere 7 days
2. Ecuadorian indigenous tribes have few rights & the gov't can take the land &/or oil "for the good of the people"
3. many of the species in the rainforest have not been ID let alone tested for possible benefits
4. much of the profit made at several of the lodges is being used to fund the fight
We felt privileged to have An spend time talking with Rog and I about this battle that was obviously dear to her. She spoke of a God who created so many species that we have not even discovered them yet and talked of the importance of all of us to connect the dots...we drive the cars. She said our stay at the lodge was helping the fight and the spread of support hopefully. She hoped we were not experiencing "The Last Days". Finally, she shared a statement by the Kichwa spokesperson: We have never lost a battle and we are prepared to do whatever we need to win. We are sharpening our spears. Ann purchased a spears to give to her 18 year old son and as she stood on the dock...dressed in her jungle gear and holding that spear...it struck me how symbolic...there stood a warrior ready for the battle.
Our Rainforest Groupies
My writing about our Sani Lodge days would not be complete without including the two couples we spent much of our time with. Rhory and Katie are from Vancouver and both are archaeologists who work for an oil company doing field research. They were between assignments so had till May to travel. They were excited about everything and willing to do anything! Rajiv and Caitlin are both New York lawyers. Rajiv (born in India) was specializing in the ecology field and Caitlin was in private practice. Rajiv was enthusiastic and had traveled a lot. He loved the bugs. Caitlin was quiet and pleasant. Everyone was agreeable and we never heard a complaint and never had to wait for anyone. We all agreed the Danish and English birding people were way too serious and much more patient. We had several discussions about the oil fight. Since Rhory & Katie worked for one, they shared much background information. Katie said she heard an oil guy telling someone, "We have more money than God and we get what we want." Rajiv hopes he can someday have the prestige and experience to help. At the end, we exchanged emails and warm hugs. What a bonus!!!
Papallacta Hot Springs
We made a dash to the bus station when we got off the boat and caught the next bus to Papallacta...unfortunately the wrong one as it stopped often, passed close to the Columbia border so had a border check and we waited almost an hour at another bus station...and it was two hours late in arrived in Papallacta. Oh well, luckily the first hotel had a room and by 9:30 pm we were in a steamy thermal bath pool relaxing! We spent the next day in and out of the various pools, Rog went hiking in the mountains discovering waterfalls and seeing lots of cows & the first milk truck...while I got caught up with my writing. Our hotel room had a thermal hot tub and a fireplace. Luxury!!
Failed Attempt
We took the bus to Quito and then followed a lead I had found on the internet to locate the Missionaries of Charity. After several stops and asking many locals, none was found. Guess God had other plans for us.
Here we ways we have seen plastic bottles used:
Christmas trees
Christmas ornaments
lamp shades
made into a barrel to discard other plastic bottles
filled with who knows what for sale on the street
collected by children probably to get $$
Cost of Drinks
16 oz water usually 50 cents
12 oz Coke usually 80 cents
30 oz Pilsener beer usually $1
So why don't we see more drunks??
Coca - Gateway to the Jungle
After a couple hours of horizontal sleep in our hotel (no way could we sleep on that overnight bus)...we got direction to the church. It was Catholic and suppose to start in five minutes after we arrived. The church was full ...but as it seems is normal...we all just sat there patiently for almost 30 minutes. Later we walked around taking in more of the Flora Carnival celebration. Lots of foamy spray and water being dumped. Our hotel has a pool so that and some bridge filled the day.
Amazon Rainforest
Strange...I only connected extinction with the Ice Age. How wrong. It was also the miraculous birth of the amazing Amazon Rainforest as the ice and cold on the poles squeezed multitudes of plants and animals toward the equator. Surrounded by gigantic flora that towered above us, an array of birds flying over us while huge spiders and insects crawled near me and howling monkeys and a chorus of creatures creating a musical masterpiece...I could on thank God, the master creator....and also wonder if I was on the movie set of Honey I Shrunk the Kids! At Coca we loaded a long speed boat alone with Ann Curry, and a NBC film crew and headed down the wide and muddy Napo River toward the Sani Lodge. For 3 hours we passed lush landscape with tiny openings for homes and large gashed out holes in the jungle dug out by an oil company (originally Texaco...not sure who bought them out) where we slowed down so the film crew could get good footage. So not only were we enormously blessed to spend time in the jungle, but also in the middle of a mounting war between the oil company and the indigenous Kichwa and Huarani tribes...previously not friendly but now united for strength in this war. A cold lemonade and many of the Kichwa staff welcomed us and after a 3 course meal, we joined up with two young couples and took our first of many canoe rides in the black lagoon and its tributaries near the lodge. Our native guide (Humberto) and our English speaking & also native guide (Fredy) skillfully pointed out, identified and filled us with facts about the flora and fauna we passed. The vast depth of their knowledge and respect & love of their jungle seemed to have no end. This rainforest is unique because it relies on only the nearby abundant Andes mountains streams and the intense heat of the sun here on the equator which causes much evaporation thus creating an amazing water cycle. This allows millions of species...many found only here...to flourish. One 700 year old tree alone housed over a million insects. Its root system was about 500 m and it is surrounded by walking trees all competing for the nutrients in the meager 30 cm of soil. The clay sub soil is another reason for the huge evaporation rate and the high Andres trap the clouds causing much rain. We sat quietly and very still as our canoes glided over the lagoon where we spotted black caiman and were told hid anacondas, electric eels and piranha. There seemed always another bird to spot...over 500 species...and it was especially fun watching the parakeets chat at their community center at the salt lick and thou we had to wait a long time, the site of vividly colored macaws and toucans awed us. The noisy and slow stinky turkeys gave us lots of laughs. We never tired of watching the antics of the monkeys...we saw 4 species…as the frolicked in the tree canopies, jumped across the streams right in front of us and shook branches to try to scare us away. We tracked a tapir and peccary (wild pig) but only got a glimpse of the peccary. Rog got coaxed into letting a huge, black tarantula walk up his arm and munched on lemon ants. We learned how to tickle a frog and multiple uses of the many plants. After hours on the trail in tall rubber boots, in canoes and in the viewing tower, we too could spot and even name some species! The conch shell called us to extravagant meals and around 9 p.m., we took a quick cold shower and crawled into our tent plopping down on the rather hard mattress and fell asleep quickly in the pitch black to the sounds of the jungle. At 5:15 a.m. we were walking the plank dock (think of Peter Pan...tick tock) at the edge of the lagoon ready to catch our canoe ride to breakfast. One after noon we visited the Kichwa Sani community center where about 500 gather for events and 125 kids go to school bussed via canoe. We got a tour of a typical home completely built of material found in the jungle. We participated in their traditional dance and some of us ate heartily the fish, green bananas, coca beans and big fat roasted grubs (Yup, Rog did & Jane didn't) that they had prepared for us ...all found locally. Fredy (our guide) had not been feeling well and so a few of the woman performed a cleansing ritual that included smacking him with leaves that left large welts on him and then rubbed him with a strong smelling (like Ben Gay) ointment. It occurred to us that if some world disaster happened...the indigenous tribes would probably be far better off than the rest of us.
All I can say is ...twenty six alphabet letters and a ream of paper would not be enough to even begin to justly describe the rainforest and how I felt there. (The 200 plus photos we took might help.) What a glorious world God gave us!!
Oil Co. vs the Rainforest
As I said earlier, the same time we were experiences the wonders of the rainforest, we found ourselves at the epicenter of a boiling fight. Though we knew a bit, we learned much more in the few days we were there talking to Ann Curry, the NBC crew, an UK freelance writer, the spokesperson for the Kichwa and many of the natives themselves. The fight is obvious. Big money against a rare and unspoiled rainforest and the people who live there and love it. Malaria kept the Spaniards out...but how will they keep the oil company out? Here are a few facts we learned:
1. the oil they could get would last the world a mere 7 days
2. Ecuadorian indigenous tribes have few rights & the gov't can take the land &/or oil "for the good of the people"
3. many of the species in the rainforest have not been ID let alone tested for possible benefits
4. much of the profit made at several of the lodges is being used to fund the fight
We felt privileged to have An spend time talking with Rog and I about this battle that was obviously dear to her. She spoke of a God who created so many species that we have not even discovered them yet and talked of the importance of all of us to connect the dots...we drive the cars. She said our stay at the lodge was helping the fight and the spread of support hopefully. She hoped we were not experiencing "The Last Days". Finally, she shared a statement by the Kichwa spokesperson: We have never lost a battle and we are prepared to do whatever we need to win. We are sharpening our spears. Ann purchased a spears to give to her 18 year old son and as she stood on the dock...dressed in her jungle gear and holding that spear...it struck me how symbolic...there stood a warrior ready for the battle.
Our Rainforest Groupies
My writing about our Sani Lodge days would not be complete without including the two couples we spent much of our time with. Rhory and Katie are from Vancouver and both are archaeologists who work for an oil company doing field research. They were between assignments so had till May to travel. They were excited about everything and willing to do anything! Rajiv and Caitlin are both New York lawyers. Rajiv (born in India) was specializing in the ecology field and Caitlin was in private practice. Rajiv was enthusiastic and had traveled a lot. He loved the bugs. Caitlin was quiet and pleasant. Everyone was agreeable and we never heard a complaint and never had to wait for anyone. We all agreed the Danish and English birding people were way too serious and much more patient. We had several discussions about the oil fight. Since Rhory & Katie worked for one, they shared much background information. Katie said she heard an oil guy telling someone, "We have more money than God and we get what we want." Rajiv hopes he can someday have the prestige and experience to help. At the end, we exchanged emails and warm hugs. What a bonus!!!
Papallacta Hot Springs
We made a dash to the bus station when we got off the boat and caught the next bus to Papallacta...unfortunately the wrong one as it stopped often, passed close to the Columbia border so had a border check and we waited almost an hour at another bus station...and it was two hours late in arrived in Papallacta. Oh well, luckily the first hotel had a room and by 9:30 pm we were in a steamy thermal bath pool relaxing! We spent the next day in and out of the various pools, Rog went hiking in the mountains discovering waterfalls and seeing lots of cows & the first milk truck...while I got caught up with my writing. Our hotel room had a thermal hot tub and a fireplace. Luxury!!
Failed Attempt
We took the bus to Quito and then followed a lead I had found on the internet to locate the Missionaries of Charity. After several stops and asking many locals, none was found. Guess God had other plans for us.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Pedernales then Santa Domingo
Bus to Pedernales then Santa Domingo
We made up some peanut butter sandwiches and drank on more pineapple juice then started for our bus to another bus to another bus to arrive at Santa Domingo de Los Colorado...about undefined hour bus ride on really good roads. The first bus had pretty dirty windows...and right away the symbolism hit me....only if you look beyond the dirt will you see the true beauty. This lesson we have felt in all our travels. As always, we get to see many scenes that in USA are hid behind closed doors: tossing wash water, brushing teeth, butchering chickens & pigs, kids riding sticks as horses, a lady riding the bus with two live chicks on her lap, locals peering out the openings in their homes as we pass, laundry being hung and some cute little piggies eating the scraps outside a restaurant. We pass many homes we would consider shacks but with breathtaking views or right on the beach. Location, location, location! Most villages are about the same as the last...with very few autos but lots of horses as the terrain is very mountainous... and all are plastered with election posters. Here and there...seems like in no where land...there are little restrurants with big steaming pots and a table or two...they too are plastered with election posters. Lots of cows around and since we see milk cans by the road and being carried by horses, guess they are dairy cows. The bus is a constant flow of people as it seems to stop where ever people want on or off. Quite often, a vendor or two will hop on the bus selling various food items...and hop off at the next stop. When we got into the area with lots of banana and cocoa farms, the houses were better constructed...with cement and blue glass in the windows and we saw more and more autos. Obviously more money. The only part that bugs me is when they are showing a movie as it is usually very violent or full of sex...why do we feed minds with such junk? But overall, we have really enjoyed our many bus rides. And the price is right...from 25 cents for short ones, $1 or $2 for 2or 3 hours to $10 for our 9 hour ride. Wish it was this easy and cheap to travel by bus in USA!
Templor
While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor- in Spanish). It lasted about 10 to 20 seconds and later we spoke with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere.
Santa Domingo & Mucho Help
When we got off the bus at Santa Domingo, we noticed an info center so we went in. What luck! An extremely helpful, English speaking girl not only got us lined up for a visit to a nearby Tsachitas Village, but also loaded all our photos onto a flash drive, directed us to the local Flora celebration, helped us get the next bus tickets we needed and gave us a map of Quito marking the bus station we will need to find there!
Tsachitas Village
The Tsachitas are the indigious people in the are around Santa Domingo de Los Colorados. We think Colorado might mean color as this tribe's custom includes wearing skirts with many bright colors and head pieces with colored ribbons hanging. The men have red dyed bowl cut hair cuts and wear a ring of sheep wool on top. All have black lines on their faces and black rings on their legs and arms. Our personal guide was none other than the village shaman. She walked us through the forest showing us various plants used for medicine, mood altering and body painting. She also performed various rituals over Rog...so if he acts different when we get home...you will know why. She must be well respected as she is also running for some political position and her face is on several election posters! We were treated to a music and dance demonstration and watched as they prepared a fish meal in banana leaves. A TV crew was there as well...and we got interviewed by them. How do we rate!!!!
We made up some peanut butter sandwiches and drank on more pineapple juice then started for our bus to another bus to another bus to arrive at Santa Domingo de Los Colorado...about undefined hour bus ride on really good roads. The first bus had pretty dirty windows...and right away the symbolism hit me....only if you look beyond the dirt will you see the true beauty. This lesson we have felt in all our travels. As always, we get to see many scenes that in USA are hid behind closed doors: tossing wash water, brushing teeth, butchering chickens & pigs, kids riding sticks as horses, a lady riding the bus with two live chicks on her lap, locals peering out the openings in their homes as we pass, laundry being hung and some cute little piggies eating the scraps outside a restaurant. We pass many homes we would consider shacks but with breathtaking views or right on the beach. Location, location, location! Most villages are about the same as the last...with very few autos but lots of horses as the terrain is very mountainous... and all are plastered with election posters. Here and there...seems like in no where land...there are little restrurants with big steaming pots and a table or two...they too are plastered with election posters. Lots of cows around and since we see milk cans by the road and being carried by horses, guess they are dairy cows. The bus is a constant flow of people as it seems to stop where ever people want on or off. Quite often, a vendor or two will hop on the bus selling various food items...and hop off at the next stop. When we got into the area with lots of banana and cocoa farms, the houses were better constructed...with cement and blue glass in the windows and we saw more and more autos. Obviously more money. The only part that bugs me is when they are showing a movie as it is usually very violent or full of sex...why do we feed minds with such junk? But overall, we have really enjoyed our many bus rides. And the price is right...from 25 cents for short ones, $1 or $2 for 2or 3 hours to $10 for our 9 hour ride. Wish it was this easy and cheap to travel by bus in USA!
Templor
While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor- in Spanish). It lasted about 10 to 20 seconds and later we spoke with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere.
Santa Domingo & Mucho Help
When we got off the bus at Santa Domingo, we noticed an info center so we went in. What luck! An extremely helpful, English speaking girl not only got us lined up for a visit to a nearby Tsachitas Village, but also loaded all our photos onto a flash drive, directed us to the local Flora celebration, helped us get the next bus tickets we needed and gave us a map of Quito marking the bus station we will need to find there!
Tsachitas Village
The Tsachitas are the indigious people in the are around Santa Domingo de Los Colorados. We think Colorado might mean color as this tribe's custom includes wearing skirts with many bright colors and head pieces with colored ribbons hanging. The men have red dyed bowl cut hair cuts and wear a ring of sheep wool on top. All have black lines on their faces and black rings on their legs and arms. Our personal guide was none other than the village shaman. She walked us through the forest showing us various plants used for medicine, mood altering and body painting. She also performed various rituals over Rog...so if he acts different when we get home...you will know why. She must be well respected as she is also running for some political position and her face is on several election posters! We were treated to a music and dance demonstration and watched as they prepared a fish meal in banana leaves. A TV crew was there as well...and we got interviewed by them. How do we rate!!!!
Earthquake
Yup we felt the earthquake today--we were in a taxi and the whole car started to wobble and all the wire around us were swaying. We heard it was in Columbia and registered at 7.0....wow...another experience!!! We just got to Quito and are leaving for the jungle tonight via an all night bus ride. Can't seem to pass on any of the great adventures in Equador! Not sure where the next computer will be...we will be in the jungle 4 or 5 days...take care! And Bek, enjoy the Bahamas...like I needed to tell you that! The rest, enjoy the snow!
Love ya lots,
Mom
While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor) in Spanish. It lasted about 15-20 seconds and later we spole with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere. Now in Quito at the very modern bus station (Quitumbe Station) using their computers but will soon leave Quito for Coca where our jungle trip is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Love Dad
Love ya lots,
Mom
While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor) in Spanish. It lasted about 15-20 seconds and later we spole with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere. Now in Quito at the very modern bus station (Quitumbe Station) using their computers but will soon leave Quito for Coca where our jungle trip is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Love Dad
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Mompiche
Bus to Mompiche
Looking out the bus window is like watching a documentary. You see lots of landscape and snippets of the daily life. Here are a few: freshly washed green everywhere; balsa trees with thick, smooth mossy green trucks & canopy of leaves on top; rolling hillsides pastured by cows who are herded by cowboys; scores of isolated bamboo or board houses with rusted tin roofs on stilts with hammocks strung under them and lines and lines of clothing drying all around them; children playing in mud puddles that often surround these houses; scores of small towns with tiny stores made of rough cement or homemade red bricks covered with tin roofs; all in slow motion and peaceful. My favorite site was right beside me on the bus...the face of a 13 day old infant in her mother's arms. He little whimpers, content expression after nursing and then as she slept deeply on the over crowded bus as the worn tasseled curtains flapped above her. I wondered what her life would be like. I reflected back on all the precious infants I have cradled...my children & grandchildren...and I could almost feel the wind of time blast by me!
Mompiche
We are awed by the beauty of this bay and the quiet village of Mompiche. It has everything that gorgeous beach resort have...except high rise hotel, large gift shops, lots of tourist and diet coke. Our hotel is mostly bamboo and thatched roof with a large veranda and a panoramic view of the bay where frigates and pelicans swoop...for $30. Several young surfers have found this place and we watch as them as they ride the waves. One of the couples...Dan and Michele...we met in Canoa followed us here so we have shared laughs, stories and meals...one where they had ordered grilled chicken before we arrived and found out there was pizza...so we shared both meals. The pizza was cooked in a portable oven on the beach and topped with fresh peaches and pineapple ... the costliest meal so far $22! For breakfast we all got crepes with rich bananas and a thick caramel topping.l We also have sucked down more delicious juices. Today Rog was encouraged to smell a variety of fruit before it was put in the blender. He found another great tasting juice, araza. Mostly we dine on fish and shrimp served with rice and deep fried fresh cut potatoes. Not losing any weight! Our long beach walks hopefully help me from gaining weight!!
Looking out the bus window is like watching a documentary. You see lots of landscape and snippets of the daily life. Here are a few: freshly washed green everywhere; balsa trees with thick, smooth mossy green trucks & canopy of leaves on top; rolling hillsides pastured by cows who are herded by cowboys; scores of isolated bamboo or board houses with rusted tin roofs on stilts with hammocks strung under them and lines and lines of clothing drying all around them; children playing in mud puddles that often surround these houses; scores of small towns with tiny stores made of rough cement or homemade red bricks covered with tin roofs; all in slow motion and peaceful. My favorite site was right beside me on the bus...the face of a 13 day old infant in her mother's arms. He little whimpers, content expression after nursing and then as she slept deeply on the over crowded bus as the worn tasseled curtains flapped above her. I wondered what her life would be like. I reflected back on all the precious infants I have cradled...my children & grandchildren...and I could almost feel the wind of time blast by me!
Mompiche
We are awed by the beauty of this bay and the quiet village of Mompiche. It has everything that gorgeous beach resort have...except high rise hotel, large gift shops, lots of tourist and diet coke. Our hotel is mostly bamboo and thatched roof with a large veranda and a panoramic view of the bay where frigates and pelicans swoop...for $30. Several young surfers have found this place and we watch as them as they ride the waves. One of the couples...Dan and Michele...we met in Canoa followed us here so we have shared laughs, stories and meals...one where they had ordered grilled chicken before we arrived and found out there was pizza...so we shared both meals. The pizza was cooked in a portable oven on the beach and topped with fresh peaches and pineapple ... the costliest meal so far $22! For breakfast we all got crepes with rich bananas and a thick caramel topping.l We also have sucked down more delicious juices. Today Rog was encouraged to smell a variety of fruit before it was put in the blender. He found another great tasting juice, araza. Mostly we dine on fish and shrimp served with rice and deep fried fresh cut potatoes. Not losing any weight! Our long beach walks hopefully help me from gaining weight!!
Monday, February 4, 2013
San Jacinto Beach Days
Why leave? We dragged this stop to 3 days...reading, playing Bridge on the veranda, taking dips in the pool and walking the beach. We admired the pelicans vigilant hunt for food as they skimmed the waves the the fishermen's skill in getting their boats from dry land, over the breaking waves and to calm sea. In short, we just relaxed.
Weekend Crowd
On Sat, the weekend crowd came in with bathing suits on (locals just wear clothing= and even saw one kid with muscles (floaties). Also saw the first car seat since leaving USA. Two soccer games played on the low tide beach drew a crowd...and tarps and hammocks were strung on the bamboo poles stuck in the sand. The sun came out strong and turned the ocean from gray to a sparkling turquoise. Loving it!
On to Canoa
We hopped buses until we got to Canoa...another beach town though bigger than the last and busier. We arrived on Sunday so the beach was loaded with people chasing the waves or eating at the beachside bamboo stands. Rog found a beachside hotel for $25 and soon we met 3 couples from Vancouver. We ate dinner...shrimp in coconut sauce...with one couple who like us love the adventure of traveling. The woman lived on the Galapagos Is for several years and actually knew the Angermeyers...the family that the book we are reading, My Father's Island, is all about! Another couple also combined their travels with missions. They are connected with gfs.org (I'll have to research that later). We plan to eat dinner with them tonight. The other couple are newlyweds. She is an online teacher (so I got her info for Bek & Jake) and he is going to take a leap of careers...from nursing to scuba diving instructor. It is comforting to spend time talking in English to kindred spirits...as we sat in the ocean breeze with the crashing waves as a background.
Why leave? We dragged this stop to 3 days...reading, playing Bridge on the veranda, taking dips in the pool and walking the beach. We admired the pelicans vigilant hunt for food as they skimmed the waves the the fishermen's skill in getting their boats from dry land, over the breaking waves and to calm sea. In short, we just relaxed.
Weekend Crowd
On Sat, the weekend crowd came in with bathing suits on (locals just wear clothing= and even saw one kid with muscles (floaties). Also saw the first car seat since leaving USA. Two soccer games played on the low tide beach drew a crowd...and tarps and hammocks were strung on the bamboo poles stuck in the sand. The sun came out strong and turned the ocean from gray to a sparkling turquoise. Loving it!
On to Canoa
We hopped buses until we got to Canoa...another beach town though bigger than the last and busier. We arrived on Sunday so the beach was loaded with people chasing the waves or eating at the beachside bamboo stands. Rog found a beachside hotel for $25 and soon we met 3 couples from Vancouver. We ate dinner...shrimp in coconut sauce...with one couple who like us love the adventure of traveling. The woman lived on the Galapagos Is for several years and actually knew the Angermeyers...the family that the book we are reading, My Father's Island, is all about! Another couple also combined their travels with missions. They are connected with gfs.org (I'll have to research that later). We plan to eat dinner with them tonight. The other couple are newlyweds. She is an online teacher (so I got her info for Bek & Jake) and he is going to take a leap of careers...from nursing to scuba diving instructor. It is comforting to spend time talking in English to kindred spirits...as we sat in the ocean breeze with the crashing waves as a background.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Ecuador
String of Photos and Resume
The young Spanish girl that I wrote about who is looking for an American husband must have stayed up all night because the next day, she gave me a string of photos and her resume...giggling the whole time. So I am looking for her match...any ideas?
Tanzania Connects to Guayaquil
The more we travel...the more connected the world becomes for me. Who would ever imagine our Tansania trip would ever connect to Guayaquil! And yet, I am using the same set of felt bible story pieces here as I cut out while gazing at Mt. Kilamajaro...made by the same USA company. It feels like another comforting nod from God.
Last Day in Guayquil
When we left USA a month ago, I really thought we'd be working and living in an orphanage...wrong. Instead God...cause we sure had little say in it...gratiously placed us in the home and hearts of the Orellana family. And through Sonnia, we met with over 250 kids mostly whose parents were squatters. Using our teaching skills, we could create lessons ... hopefully foundation blocks for solid Christian lives...using crafts, games and storytelling that adjusted to the space, time frame and # of kids ...as we never knew anything for sure when we walked in the door. And God also gave us Tatiana...an able and spirt filled translator. The last group of kids were worked with were filled with kind and thoughtful kids. We got so many long, loving hugs as we said goodbye to the kids and the staff and the pastors...all thanking us over and over and wishing blessings on us as they walked us to the door. My warmest and biggest hug came from Sonnia....with tears racing down our cheeks, we whispered "Amigo" to each other. Tatiana insisted on driving us to the bus station, helping us buy our tickets and then walking us to our bus line. How lucky can you get?
Two Gringos on their Own
For the first time since we left USA...we're alone with just our loaded backpacks, peanut butter (and a few m&m's) and the survival skills we have learned...two gringos in a sea of Ecuadorians. We took the bus to Manta...transferred to another....and then later another and finally arrived in San Jacinto...a small fishing village with miles of almost empty beach very close to the equator. We are in probably the nicest hotel here right on the beach with a pool, hammocks and a full breaKfast for $40. We strolled down the dirt road that lines the shore thinking how valuable these homes would be in the USA. Local kids played in the waves...did they realize how lucky they were? We sure knew how lucky we were!!
The young Spanish girl that I wrote about who is looking for an American husband must have stayed up all night because the next day, she gave me a string of photos and her resume...giggling the whole time. So I am looking for her match...any ideas?
Tanzania Connects to Guayaquil
The more we travel...the more connected the world becomes for me. Who would ever imagine our Tansania trip would ever connect to Guayaquil! And yet, I am using the same set of felt bible story pieces here as I cut out while gazing at Mt. Kilamajaro...made by the same USA company. It feels like another comforting nod from God.
Last Day in Guayquil
When we left USA a month ago, I really thought we'd be working and living in an orphanage...wrong. Instead God...cause we sure had little say in it...gratiously placed us in the home and hearts of the Orellana family. And through Sonnia, we met with over 250 kids mostly whose parents were squatters. Using our teaching skills, we could create lessons ... hopefully foundation blocks for solid Christian lives...using crafts, games and storytelling that adjusted to the space, time frame and # of kids ...as we never knew anything for sure when we walked in the door. And God also gave us Tatiana...an able and spirt filled translator. The last group of kids were worked with were filled with kind and thoughtful kids. We got so many long, loving hugs as we said goodbye to the kids and the staff and the pastors...all thanking us over and over and wishing blessings on us as they walked us to the door. My warmest and biggest hug came from Sonnia....with tears racing down our cheeks, we whispered "Amigo" to each other. Tatiana insisted on driving us to the bus station, helping us buy our tickets and then walking us to our bus line. How lucky can you get?
Two Gringos on their Own
For the first time since we left USA...we're alone with just our loaded backpacks, peanut butter (and a few m&m's) and the survival skills we have learned...two gringos in a sea of Ecuadorians. We took the bus to Manta...transferred to another....and then later another and finally arrived in San Jacinto...a small fishing village with miles of almost empty beach very close to the equator. We are in probably the nicest hotel here right on the beach with a pool, hammocks and a full breaKfast for $40. We strolled down the dirt road that lines the shore thinking how valuable these homes would be in the USA. Local kids played in the waves...did they realize how lucky they were? We sure knew how lucky we were!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
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