Hi!
If you're reading this, it's because one day a LOOONG time I ago, I used to update this page regularly. Well, life got in the way and I kind of dropped the ball. But, you're in luck! I'm motivated and about to start a new 6 month trip to Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean. Six months of great pictures and stories guaranteed. So head on over to www.eyeditty.com and make sure to sign up on the blog page to get updates in your inbox! See you there!Jason 
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Hi all!
I'd like to tell you a bit about a project I'm working on with a rural community just north of Loja, where we’d like to build a school kitchen and cafeteria. The kids in this community are really reliant on school meals to satisfy more than half of their nutritional needs, since their parents must leave early in the morning to work in agricultural and construction-related jobs. The school’s current facility is a mere closet, with antiquated equipment and severe sanitation issues, making cooking very difficult and unsanitary. The children often receive an insufficient quantity of food, and many of the children are suffering from stunted growth and illness due to food contamination and nutrient deficiencies. Parents and teachers want to help eliminate these nutrition and health problems and are extremely motivated to build a new kitchen and cafeteria where nutritious meals can be prepared and served to their children. The facility will also serve as an educational center for hands-on classes to empower teachers, students and parents with new cooking, nutrition, and food safety information that can be integrated into school curriculums and home life. Two other volunteers and I built the community a potable water system a year and half ago and this kitchen/cafeteria is the next step in trying to eliminate nutrient deficiencies and other health problems in the community. If any of you would like to make a donation, the community would be very appreciative! And if you could send this link to family and friends and/or post it on your Facebook wall that would be awesome as well! https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=518-360 Thanks so much!Jason Katie, Andy and I with some of the kids in the community At the inauguration of the water system The community is located high above the city of Loja. This is a typical home in the community. The building site for the kitchen/cafeteria. The schoolhouse is the white building to the left and the current kitchen take up half of the wooden shack shown. The other half is for storage. Typical adobe block house in the community Community kids Part of the completed water system Kids at the inauguration of the water system Kids, parents and teachers at the inauguration of the water systemAgua Pura + Manos Limpias = Cuerpos Sanos! (Pure Water + Clean Hands = Healthy Bodies!) More community members at the inauguration 
Happy New Year!
This Christmas and New Years I headed down to Argentina with another volunteer to check out Mendoza (the outdoorsy wine growing region of the country) and Buenos Aires. Some kind of stomach bug crept up on me that apparently didn't want me to enjoy the vineyards and olive groves of Mendoza and instead took a liking to my hotel bed and back-to-back episodes of The Hard Times of RJ Berger and Teen Mom on MTV for 3 days straight. Other than that though, the trip was a blast. Enjoy the photos below! (Sorry there are 175 photos.. it was hard enough cutting it down to that from over 400!) The journey to Argentina first involved a 9 hour overnight bus from Loja to Piura, Peru. From there we flew to Lima, then to Santiago, and then finally to Mendoza! So, night 1 we slept on a bus and night 2 we slept in the Santiago airport. Not fun! Flying from Santiago to Mendoza over the Andes. This region is home to the highest peak in the western hemisphere - Aconcagua, 22,841 feet Park in Mendoza In both Mendoza and Buenos Aires, the number of really old cars in very reasonable (and not so great) shape was astounding! Due to some recent economic downturns, lots of folks tend to maintain old cards as long as possible. This one has some kind of fluid running from a bottle on the roof directly into the engine compartment, and we actually saw it driving by later that day. Plaza de Espana in Mendoza Common Jail - Perpetual and Effective! I didn't get to go to any vineyards, (boo) but I stumbled upon a wine museum in the city with some grape varieties growing. "The Falklands are part of Argentina"Bitterness over the war with Britain in 1982 over possession of the Falkland Islands Suckling pig is the big Christmas Eve and New Years Eve food Best Friends Argentina has the largest Jewish population in South America, and the 6th largest in the world. Buenos Aires.... Care to tango? La Recoleta Cemetary, where the richest and most influential Argentines are buried. Funeral at the cemetery complete with brand new Mercedes hearse Janet with ubiquitous Diet Coke laying on a coffin transporter... eww I was literally chased by one of these psycho cemetery cats Where Evita is buried Amazing filet mignon atop potatos au gratin with dijon mustard sauce - $10 Touristy Avenida Florida In front of the Casa Rosada, the Executive Branch of the Argentine Government The entrance to the B&B we stayed in for part of the time Supposedly dog walkers in Buenos Aires make more than teachers. This guy only has 5 dogs, but it's common for them to have 10 - 20 dogs! Outdoor Cafes are everywhere Lots of new construction near the river Tigre, about 45 minutes north of the city center is on the delta of the Rio de la Plata and has tons of water activities including lots of old school rowing clubs. Gigantic! Pizza is everywhere, in addition to amazing empanadas made with beef, onions, spices and olives. A large percentage of the population is Italian so Italian food in BA is pretty good. All coffee and espresso is served with a shot glass of water to cleanse the palate La Boca, one of the poorer areas of BA, has brightly colored building made out of corrugated metal Meat! Lots of tourists Old school restaurant with amazing food and wine. BA has an insane soccer rivalry between two teams, Boca Juniors and River Plate. Note the two banners on the wall describing the opponents - One has a bleeding chicken and says "the biggest crybaby chickens" and the other actually has a player with a paper bag and noose around his neck! Waiters that can't take photos Reflection with Janet and all-too-common penguin/snoopy looking wine pitchers Frozen in time The newest area of BA - Puerto Madero Subway Subway art "Filete porteño" is the type of artistic drawing, with stylised lines and flowered, climbing plants typically used in Buenos Aires for everything from store windows to buses. Everything is done by hand. 
No, Andy and Gina aren't dead, but we did almost die a year ago when we attempted to do this challenging hike the first time. Gina, who is normally an avid outdoors enthusiast, nearly broke down mentally and physically during the hurricane-like weather we endured for three straight days, while Andy enjoyed sleeping in an icy pool of water that collected at the bottom of his violently flapping tent for two nights. Needless to say, the weather was so horrible that we never made it to the lakes.
This time around, Angela and Janet decided to join me on this epic journey to the Lagunas del Compadre located in Podocarpus National Park, just 20 minutes south of Loja. This year, we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather, and we were treated to some amazing 20-mile views. I even took the plunge and jumped into the frigid waters of one of the lakes, all of which are located between 10 and 11 thousand feet above sea level. The trip would have been perfect if we hadn't listened to the advice of a park guard, who recommended leaving the park via a different route than we had entered. "Just head down at kilometer 6 towards Rumizshitana and you'll meet up with the highway where you can catch a bus back to Loja," said Enrique the guard. "Awesome," we thought since this would shorten our return trip significantly and it would be neat to see a new area. "And it's easy to follow the trail all the way down?" I asked Enrique. "Claro, no pasa nada," he replied which basically means, "Yeah, no worries, don't be silly, you've got to be a moron if you can't find your way down." OK.... Well, turns out after heading down over 3000 vertical feet on a 45-degree angle trail overgrown with exceptionally spiky plants, we ended up in a pine forest where the trail was obliterated due to piles of pine needles on the ground that killed the rest of the vegetation. The pine tree branches formed a thick wooden matrix making it virtually impossible to pass. Janet and Angela started to plan their funerals while I hunted around with my GPS for other possible ways to get down. No such luck. We would have to turn around and climb the 3000 feet we had just come down to meet up with the original trail so we could head back the same way we came in. Note that while we were heading down an hour earlier, upon seeing the highway and convinced that we'd be on a bus in less than 2 hours, we had tossed the last of our thoroughly smooshed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the woods. Not such a bright idea... Angela claimed that is was physically impossible to go back up, and Janet was freaking out since she had to be back in Loja early the next morning for a phone interview with a coffee cooperative back in the States. There was no other option, unfortunately, then back up. I strapped Angela's tent on my pack to lighten her load a bit and we began the grueling journey back up to 11,000 feet, each step a challenge as we blazed along at less then half a kilometer per hour, the sun blazing down on us and the thin air robbing our lungs of much-needed oxygen. Our water supply quickly dwindled to nothing and we were forced to fill our bottles from a muddy puddle we came across along the way. The water was an appetizing yellow color with an array of little swimmers, so we decided to double the iodine/chlorine tablet dosage in an effort to kill off the little buggers. Thirty minutes later and the micro-swimmers were all still swimming, but we were desperate and drank it down anyway! Luckily, I'm still alive now to tell this story. Angela, unluckily, didn't make it. Just kidding... After trudging along for 3 hours we finally found a spot to camp. Janet and Angela passed out immediately and I made a pot of powdered soup mix which really hit the spot. Second course was one of Angela's two-and-a-half-day old empanadas that we broke into pieces and heated on the camp stove hoping to kill off any bacteria. Then we finished off with some chamomile tea. I dropped a spoonful of soup and tea on the ground as a ceremonial "please get us out of here alive" offering to the Pacha Mama (the Kichwa Mother Earth), who then subsequently blessed us with a lovely coating of rime ice on our tents the next morning. The sun rose the next day and Pacha Mama did actually come through, blessing us with the fourth picture-perfect day in a row. To energize for the upcoming finale, we made a surprisingly delicious porridge consisting of 3-day old hard boiled eggs broken up into boiling water, corn meal, and leftover powdered soup mix. After packing up the camp, we hiked another 4 hours back to the ranger station where we had started, called a cab, devoured a piping hot rotisserie chicken and took the most blissful hot showers ever. For any Google Earth nerds out there (like me!) you can check out our route in Google Earth direct from my GPS by opening the file below. http://natureandculture.org/Lagunas2010.kmz Enjoy the pics below! And thanks to Janet for bringing her little pocket camera so I didn't have to lug my big SLR camera along with my 45lb pack. Oh, and a BIG thanks to Enrique! You can see a laguna and waterfall to the upper left and another to the right Dinner! Lakeside coffee using Andy's memorial mug The latest in Haute Couture... Day 4 breakfast porridge.. yum 
I spent the last few days touring around several sites in southern Ecuador with some of the board members from my organization and their families that were visiting from the States. First stop was Zamora in the upper Amazon basin where we saw some indigenous Shuar people performing their traditional dances. Then we were off to Saraguro in the Andes about an hour and a half north of Loja to check out the local market and weavings of the Saraguro indigenous group. The board members continued on to the city of Cuenca and I finished up the trip by visiting another Peace Corps volunteer, Jaime, who lives in a small town called Ñamarin just outside of Saraguro. Enjoy the photos below!
The good life Dense Jungle Bombuscaro River in Zamora Orchid Shuar Dancing Shuar Elder creating a bowl for drinking chicha, a fermented yucca drink Crowds watching the Shuar woman make the bowl Shuar child and Kichwa man Kichwa onlookers US Congressman, Jared Polis, who was part of the group giving a talk in broken Spanish Saraguro traditional dancing Roadside indigenous mother and child House in Lagunas, just outside of Saraguro Happy pig Traditional Sarguro weaving on a loom Making a belt Beautiful detail Weaving demonstration An 8-year-old weaving a belt Barefoot Sarguro woman heading to the market Church in the center of Saraguro Saraguro woman These traditional hats are made out of compressed wool, but feel more like concrete! Box o' chickens Lots of bananas Lunchtime Chit chat Saraguro Local kids + dog Local kids + 2 dogs Cutest little girl ever Her German dad, Felix, works with my organization and married a woman from Saraguro Saraguro house A little too much liquor... Baaa! Jamie's Peace Corps site One-eyed man in Jamie's town Moo Baaaa Jamie's town Corn hanging to dry 
Yesterday, Laura, Janet, and I took a walk through the clouds, over 10,000 feet up in the Podocarpus National Park located 20 minutes outside the city of Loja. The park is part of a UNESCO Biosphere reserve and is truly unique in the world. Enjoy the photos below...
Over the last two years I've been collecting some of the best photos of the areas where my organization, Nature & Culture International, carries out conservation and sustainable development work. So, I thought it would be nice to share them with you! Some were taken by me, and others by some of my coworkers. Enjoy!
Baskets woven by women in the Peruvian Amazon, now on sale at the San Diego Zoo and Natural History Museum Rural community members in southwestern Ecuador Look into my eyes Waterfall, Upper Amazon Basin, Ecuador Furry Friends Harvesting the fruit of the Palo Santo tree to make an internationally marketed perfume - Amor America Rural community health and nutrition program Fuzzy Caterpillar School kids in front of a giant Ceibo tree Hiking on top of the world Home in the deciduous forests of southwestern Ecuador Giant Ceibo Goats are the only livestock than can survive in this dry ecosystem (and they're super delicious when slow roasted underground in a dish called Chivo al hueco - Goat in a hole) Back away... sloooowly Indigenous Shuar kids out for a swim in southeastern Ecuador on the Peruvian border Sunset, Cacti and a Ceibo Indigenous Saraguro people north of the city of Loja Kids and a Ceibo Bright Bird Wispy moss growing on some more Ceibos SNAKE - It's what's for dinner. Bird watching with some school kids Ceibo seeds are encased in big cottony balls that blow away with the wind and litter the ground like snow Gulls on the coast Getting some sun Ribbit Flowering Guayacan tree Gray-cheeked parakeet smiling for the camera "Hey ladies, my croak is louder than all the other guys here..." Deciduous forest in northern Peru The making of a great goat farmer Ceibos have photosynthetic bark so they can continue producing food during the dry season when the tree loses all its leaves. Soaring sunset A family of monkeys Picture perfect cherimoya fruit Sunbathing lizard Shuar children in the Upper Amazon of Ecuador Hanging out in the flowers A Shuar woman offering up a big bowl of chicha - an alcoholic drink traditionally made by chewing up pieces of yucca and spitting them out into a pot to ferment over the course of several days. Bon Appetit! Above the clouds What are you looking at? Giant grasshopper Meow! Why hello there Shuar family Hummingbird in frozen flight 
Hi all,
Just got back from a great trip to Puerto Lopez, a fishing village on the Ecuadoian coast, with fellow volunteers Adam, Emily and Janet to check out some whales, have some delicious seafood, and have some relax time at the beach. It´s the dry season now in that area, which (unbeknownst to us) meant that all the trees have lost their leaves and the weather´s a bit overcast and cool, but no rain. So it wasn't exactly a sunbathing expedition, but we still had a great time. Enjoy the pics below! (Sorry went a little overboard with the number of pics this post) Janet, Emily and Adam outside the Hosteria Mandala where we stayed Gardens at the Mandala We stayed in the Seahorse cabana Outside the hut High end signage Beer and the Beach - the perfect combo Beachside Bar Seafood and Rice The smiling photographer Puerto Lopez street scene Let´s have a look... Kids at play Swarming frigate birds and pelicans trying to get their share of today´s catch Many fisherman here just have a simple canoe that they paddle out into the ocean to fish Gift of God The end of another day of fishing 1 2 3 Push! Four ugly feet Misty Beach Sea Pineapple Adam and Emily out for a stroll Out in front of the hosteria Janet showing off her new collection of sand dollars Manta Ray slaughter Holding up the doorframe Emily being an Ecua-mannequin Street scene Painting your own license plate should definitely be adopted in the States Local Taxi I´ll take a rooster hood ornament over a Rolls Royce flying lady anyday! Local store Fresh catch Eating your own feet - The cure for boredom Yummy seafood ceviche Humpback whales migrate up to this region from July - September to mate and play We´ve got a jumper! Whale Tail Bumpy whale head Nothing beats classic Sesame Street. I couldn´t stop thinking about "Heeere fishy fishy fishy!" the whole time we were whale watching. Quality life jackets A touch of sunset Janet´s newfound love - Jean Claude VanDamme Finally, I´ve found my dream property. Fresh shark catch Bird Sugars Banana pancakes and eggs.. mmmm Today´s activities will include: Sitting and Standing "Karaoke - Discover your talent" Cool tree tunnel on the way to Machalilla National Park - Ecuador´s only coastal national park Biking to the park Los Frailles Beach in Machalilla National Park Can you spot the crab? My last meal before heading on the 12 hour journey home Sea bass in a local coconut and peanut sauce - $4.50 
Fasten your seatbelts… this is my most exciting blog post yet. Well, not quite. For the past week I’ve been sick with a cold so I don’t really have much to write about, but my friend Emily has been pestering me to post something so I figured I could do a little food post.
When I first started to sniffle, I thought it might be a good idea to pull out my Jewish grandmother card and make some chicken soup. Whenever I buy a chicken, I throw all the bones and guts in a big ziplock bag in the freezer. And when I have enough bones, I throw them all in a big pot with water, thyme, onions, carrots, parsley, oregano and a few peppercorns and let it all simmer for 4 or 5 hours. So I figured this was as good a time as any to break out the frozen block of guts. Into a big pot it went along with the veggies, spices and water, and 15 minutes later after everything had thawed I took a peak only to see the following… Cock a doodle doo Poor birdie! Coming up and gasping for air! (Yes, Ecuadorian chickens come with all the parts!) So here’s a thanks to Señorita Pollito for making my chicken stock taste so good. My diet for about three straight days consisted of lots of chicken soup and a spattering of toast and eggs. For the eggs I treated myself to Criollo eggs, which the Lojanos claim are far superior to the standard egg you can buy at any local tienda. The main difference is that the Criollo eggs come from chickens that just peck around the owner’s yard all day eating insects and a few kernels of corn, whereas the standard eggs come from chickens that are fed balanceado, or a blend of grains and powdered vitamins and minerals that you buy at the store. The Criollos can also hang out with a rooster so occasionally you get a recently fertilized egg from a knocked up hen! The Criollo eggs are supposedly higher in all kinds of vitamins and minerals and have a healthier fat profile. Plus, I think they taste better. The standard trademark of a Criollo is a deep orange yolk since all the insects in the hen’s diet make the yolk much higher in beta caroteine. The pics below were of the last Criollo egg I had, but the ones I cracked open before were a much deeper orange color, almost red. Criollo egg left, Standard egg right. The criollos actually come in all different colors from white, to brown, to taupe and even a pale turquoise. Criollo left, Standard right. The Criollos are typically an even deeper orange. Criollo left, Standard right Criollo left, Standard right To complement all that soup, toast and eggs I decided to make some Horchata, so I paid a visit to my five-foot tall organic farmer ladies at the Sunday outdoor market. For fifty cents Rosa filled a big bag with a whole variety of fresh cut herbs and flowers – ranging from rose petals and begonias to chamomile, mint, violets, lemon balm and even flaxseed. There are also some deep red leaves and fuzzy flowers in the mix that give the drink its signature almost artificial-looking deep magenta color. I have no idea what they’re called though. Horchata is the traditional drink of Loja, and it’s even hard to find in other areas of Ecuador. The climate here is perfect for growing all these herbs and flowers year-round. Back at my apartment I added the bag of goodness to a big pot of boiled water and let everything marinate for a few minutes before straining it and adding honey and a squeeze of lemon. Super good. And it’s also great cold after a night chilling in the fridge. The colorful blend of herbs, flowers and flaxseed "I'm melting, melting. Ohhhhh, what a world, what a world. Who would have thought that some little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness... " Squeeze of Lemon I feel better already Equally as good cold the next day Hopefully you’re not sleeping on your keyboard by now! I promise my next post will be a bit more riveting! Off to the beach tonight on a 9-hour bus to go whale watching. See you soon!
Sunday was a sad day in Southern Ecuador. My great friend Corrie just finished her Peace Corps service in the town of Yanzatza and is heading back home. Here's a little "Tribute to Corrie" video that I put together.
Ecuador's going to miss you!!
Just a brief, photo-free post for today... So I just went up to Quito for some Peace Corps meetings on the always-enjoyable 13 hour overnight bus ride. I'm sitting in my seat waiting for the bus to leave, when a man and woman board holding something that looks peculiar. If it were a rooster prepped for its next cock fight or a cardboard box filled with newborn chicks, I wouldn't have looked twice. But this thing is like 5 feet long and all wrapped up in plastic grocery store bags and clear packing tape. What is it?
A live male peacock! The body is wrapped up in paper and tape with its head sticking out through a little hole, and the 4-foot long feathers that it uses to impress the local female peacocks are all wrapped up like a big tail to ensure that that this Pavo Real (or Royal Turkey as it's called in Spanish) is not going to show off on this bus ride. The man is holding the body and the woman is following a few feet behind to support the "tail". They then proceed to put the thing in the overhead compartment above the seats! At this point all the Ecuadorians on the bus are staring and smirking, and you know if they're reacting to something like this then it's weird even for Ecuador! So at 3 in the morning I decide to head to use to the bathroom in the back of the bus. As I'm making my way down the dark aisle, some guy starts shining his cell phone screen light on the floor. I don't think anything of it until I hear a slight crinkle under my foot. Yes, I just stepped on a peacock tail. Apparently the royal turkey was not happy up above so the owner had moved it to the floor. Since it was so long, it went almost all the way across the bus, with it's wrapped up tail across the aisle. Luckily i didn't do any damage and the guy wasn't angry at all. Oh, and when I get to the bathroom, some other guy is sleeping in the back of the bus without a shirt on. Weird. Just thought I should share! 
I know I know. Where's Jason been all this time? But this time I have a valid excuse! I recently got back from a month in the States, enjoying the long summer days, good food, friends and family. So here's a couple of shots for you to view. Enjoy!
Leaving the rugged Andes And arriving in the flatter than flat Florida Everglades Miami MMM... Real New York Bagels! My friend Matt with his two Boston Terriers Is it a bat or a dog? You decide... NY country stream on Matt's farm Bug Blooming flowers everywhere Hoisting up the platform for the giant swing! Toga the dog Ready to jump Trembling as I climb up! AHHHH! AHHH! I survived! My old block in Albany, NY My scavenger hunt team at Sarah's 30th Bday Charlie's Angels pose Sampling the naturally carbonated Saratoga Spring Water Grand Central... Just like the bus terminal in Loja! :) Lunching at Bryant Park Merry-go-round The Flatiron Building NYC Street Scene Everything's in order Fresh Picked Sweet Cherries Oh Blueberries, how I miss you guys already! Street Food that doesn't make you sick (most of the time) Look into my crystal ball Escapes Refuge in the city Patterns 5th Avenue Half-brother, sis, me and little cousin Spencer A quick stop in the Congo Spencer and African antelope-like creatures Aunt Vee, Spencer and some hyenas NYC Aerial NYC Aerial with Central Park Frank and Liz's wedding near Dahlonega, Georgia Typical Frank face Riding off into the sunset Hallway of sparklers After too much wine... 
I know all of you have been camped out at your computers waiting for the next set of pictures from my recent Galapagos trip with my family, but alas, the wait is over! FYI all the pictures below were taken with a standard 50mm lens. No telephoto equipment whatsoever... that's how close you can get to the animals here! Enjoy the pics below!
Nice beach Sandy Sea Lion Wading Sea Lio Heron eyeing its next meal Frigate birds following our boat Fighter jet wings Frozen Flight Lizzie the Lizard's cousin Airy volcanic rock Cute sea lion sleeping next to her personal pool Aww! Look at those neck wrinkles! Our guide Marine Iguana Bright red crab Shoreline vista Smiling fatty Sundown on shore ET is buried here... Lounging Iguanas This could get R-rated... Small volcano Tweety bird More lounging iguanas that don't have any personal space issues! Another shoreline vista Close-up lizard Mommy feeding baby Our guide and a giant cactus Baby sea lion Baby and her friend Blue footed Booby! Curious bird More boobies! Dry islands with a hint of green where moisture condenses at the higher elevations. Oystercatcher Eerie Martian landscape with fragrant Palo Santo trees Land iguana crossing our path Friggin Frigate with puffy neck Posing land iguance Booby Young booby Trying to fly for the first time Here comes big daddy! Dad pointing out what sea lions like to do best... Happy Face The photographer hard at work A giant crater at the higher elevations of one of the islands Dew on a sapling Our group One of Darwin's famous finches taking a bath Finches on a railing The family A giant tortoise Mom, Dad and sis showing off their stylish rubber boots A basketball-sized pile of poop is two inches from my right foot! Steven Spielburg got the inspiration for ET from these giant tortoises I like grass! The most handsome tortoise of all! Weird Get any closer and I'll gobble you whole... Dad and his perpetual problem getting the life jacket on untwisted Adios! 
Amidst the Dark Ages of my blog (i.e. 2009) where I posted a whopping 3 entries the entire year, my family made their way down from NY for a two-week Ecuadorian visit. And now thinking back, I realized that I never posted any pictures for all you Eye Trip readers out there (there must be at least 3 or 4 of you!). So here's installment #1. We spent 5 days on a cruise around some of the Galapagos Islands, braving the buffet breakfasts and white-glove dinner service of the high seas, and saw some incredible sights. The pictures below are from the first day and half or so of the cruise. You'll have to wait for next week's post for the pics of all the cute and not-so-cute creatures that roam the islands! Enjoy.
Lounging Sea Lions Mom, Sis, and I on the ship (which we almost missed since our travel agent booked us the wrong flight!) Lots of volcanic rock Note age demographic! Count the gringo hats... Rocky beach with mini-volcano in the background Saltwater Lagoon Goats were introduced to the islands a long time ago and the Park Service is trying to kill them off so they don't outcompete the native wildlife Mom and a cactus. The islands are very dry and we were also here in the dry season when the trees don't have any leaves below a certain elevation. The warm light of sundown Sunset Happy sunbathing sea lion Weird gray plants growing on volcanic soil A lava cactus and our boat in the background. Lizzie the Lizard Pinnacle Rock on Bartalome Island Picture perfect beach where we later went snorkeling and were surrounded by thousands of brightly colored fish, seas turtles, and sea lions. Sorry no underwater camera! But it was like being in Finding Nemo! Mandatory cheesy tourist photo Dad, Mom, and Sis braving the wind The view from atop a small volcano with our ship and a cool underwater crater. 
Since I work with the best counterpart organization in Peace Corps Ecuador, two weeks ago I got a free 7-day trip to northern Peru. Granted this was no luxury retreat but free nonetheless!
Rather than bore you with the details here’s a quick summary of the trip in bullet form! Departure with 102 F fever. 5-hour journey to the border on winding mountain roads. Time to bring in the Swiss engineers to build Ecuador a few tunnels. :) Arrival at the border. Make what I think is some sort of shady deal with Peruvian immigration agent to allow our car to cross the border without the renewal of some paperwork. Feeling a bit better. Stop for Peruvian ceviche in the sort-of coastal city of Piura. Amazing! Huge 2.5 foot long platter filled with lobster, crab, shrimp, fish, clams, etc. Mystery white drink appears on table. Seeking refreshment, I take a big gulp. Eww! Turns out to be warm, salty fish broth. Luckily next comes the Chicha Morada, an ice cold, deep purple drink made from purple corn typical of the region (tastes just like purple Kool Aid) Piura is sweltering and the streets are buzzing with moto-taxis – motorcycles chopped in half with two seats in back for passengers, rickshaw style. Meetings are held at the Piura office of my organization for the rest of the day and part of the following day, and I’m drenched in sweat from the fever and the climate. Dengue Fever is a huge problem in the area, and the municipality is coming to individual homes to fumigate for mosquitos. I keep my fingers crossed that the Dengue mosquitoes don’t like the taste of gringo skin! I head to a local pharmacy and tell the woman that I’m not well. She cuts three mystery yellow pills from a blister pack, pops them in a little baggie and I head out. No questions, no prescription. Hopefully they’re not cyanide. In Piura I room with the Administration guy from my office and a fan/window war ensues throughout the night. Room is 95 degrees and feels like 120 with my fever. I turn on the fan, he turns it off, I turn it on, he turns it off... Bed is soaking wet from my sweat and I begin to do yoga breathing to calm down. How he is cold is beyond me! Grr! Luckily I wake up in much better condition. The mystery yellow pills worked! (Or I could have just sweat out the sickness during the night as my grandfather used to do… double shot of whiskey + electric blanket = new person in the AM) From Piura a two-day driving trek follows to the city of Chachapoyas, located in the Amazonas region of Peru. Scenery is totally different than Loja. Flat, scrub brush and pretty dry. Farmers growing passion fruit everywhere and living in homes built of mud and tree branches. We stop for the night in the town of Olmos, which “olmost” looks like a war zone to me. A gringa approaches at the hotel and it turns out to be her Peace Corps Peru site! And, I had already met her once at a Hanukkah party when she was traveling through Ecuador. Small world! Finally arrive in Chachapoyas after traveling on a crazy road through a high-walled canyon with a rushing river. Chach, as I will call it from this point on, is actually really nice. Lots of old Spanish architecture and history. We stay at an old Spanish home turned hotel for three nights. We have a few meetings at my organization’s Chach office. On the bumpiest dirt road ever, we head to check out a site that my organization is looking to conserve, which is highly threatened by encroaching cattle farmers. It’s a high-altitude palm forest, one-of-a-kind, and they already identified two new species of palms previously unknown to man. Next day involves lots of site seeing. The Chachapoyan people lived in this area for hundreds of years before being taken over by the Incans, and finally the Spanish, and many ruins have been found. We visit the Kuelap archaeological site (another dirt road on the side of a mountain for several hours to get there), some other archaeological sites I can’t remember, the Gocta waterfall – fifth highest in the world, some museums, some mummies, and the 3300 ft deep Sonche Canyon. Neat stuff. Finally, we make the journey back to Loja, which takes another two days. After 8 hours of driving on all dirt roads, I think some pieces of my brain have come loose and are now rattling around in my brain. The border crossing we take this time (south of the Ecuadorian city of Zumba) is seldom used and is basically a guy that needs to go look for the key to unlock the gate so we can drive across the bridge. The road here is full of potholes and not much more than a car width wide with thick jungle vegetation sprouting into the roadway. The occasional pineapple stand is a welcome break. When we hit the pavement about an hour and a half south of Loja, it’s like heaven. So smooth and wonderful. My head slowly begins to recover and the familiar sites of Loja soon appear. I enter my apartment, hit my bed, and sleep for the next 14 hours straight!Enjoy the photos... lots of them this post. Moving - The Peruvian way. Scrub brush landscape The town of Olmos - a Peace Corps Peru site Porcuya Pass - The lowest pass in the Andes that crosses the continental divide Mmm... roadside arroz con pollo for sale during a construction roadblock Construction crews using mules to carry equipment down the mountainside Roadside adobe homes My bird obsessed counterpart scanning the mountains during another roadblock Chachapoyas at night Chach Church Chach Street Chach buildings Chachapoyan mummies! They were buried in this position. The one on the left still has hair! A demonstration of the Peruvian dance called the Marinera, sometimes done with a horse "dancing" as well And then they decide to pull me into the mix! Checking out the Chachapoyan nightlife The Sonche Canyon - over 3000 ft deep The palm forest that we're trying to conserve. All those trees in the distance are palms. Local settler near the palm forest The road to the Kuelap ruins. Note hair pin turn to the right with no guardrails! Inside Kuelap. There are over a hundred of these circular homes remaining. Our 16 year old tour guide! My counterpart amongst the ruins House in excellent condition with reconstucted roof. The Chachapoyans used this diamond design in much of their art and architecture. One of only three entrances to the Kuelap complex. Only one person could fit through at a time for security reasons. Rock engravings They could see anyone coming for a long ways The Gocta Waterfall - Fifth highest in the world. Unfortunately is was extremely dry and there wasn't much water. No McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts out here! Instead freshly picked pineapples are the common roadside snack. This happy guy liked getting his picture taken and seeing it on the screen while his mom cut up a pineapple for us. The slow and bumpy ride home. Just one of many obstacles we encountered. 
If you haven't had a chance to taste this amazing fruit, also known as the custard apple, you need to! It's by far the best fruit I've ever had in my life, and Mark Twain once said that it's "the most delicious fruit known to men." Native to the Andean valleys of Ecuador and Peru, the cherimoya has the texture of a soft pear and the flavors are a blend of banana, pineapple, strawberry, papaya and a touch of bubblegum!
The problem with the cherimoya is that it's very susceptible to pests and the soft flesh is easily damaged during transport. Small farmers south of Loja have been growing cherimoyas for many years, but the quality has been pretty poor and no supermarkets were interested in the sub-par fruits. In local markets, the farmers could only get 12 or 13 cents for each kilogram of fruit, further exacerbating poverty in one of the poorest regions in Ecuador. To improve quality, my organization, Nature and Culture International, along with other regional organizations and the European Union, started the Cherla Project to teach farmers how to grow better quality fruits using better seed selection and germination techniques, pruning techniques for increasing the yield of each tree, improved transportation methods, and a technique in which a fine mesh enclosure is placed over each of the young fruits to protect them from insects while growing. The project was a great success and now major supermarkets have taken notice and are paying the farmers $1.25/kilogram for these high-quality cherimoyas - a ten-fold increase in the price! The farmers involved in the program are extremely motivated since they can now purchase basic goods for their families and invest in the education of their children. Cherimoya attacked by insects Sub-par cherimoyas before the Cherla Program Yuck! Cherimoya transport before the program with typical house in background Bags of cherimoyas heading to market (and getting smooshed along the way) New mesh coverings prevent insect damage and eliminate the need for any pesticides New transport crates prevent damage to the fruit 100% Premium Organic Cherimoyas ready for sale Picture perfect creamy white flesh Local child holding a new and improved cherimoya Making cherimoya preserves with a local community A local family with their new premium cherimoyas 
Four-hour parades with only 5 floats, canned spray foam attacks, water balloon drive-bys, eggs seemingly dropping out of thin air, dancing in the mud, getting water sprayed in your bus window, roadside foods fried in copious amounts of oil, awful sugar cane liquor, and of course hoochie-mamas with shiny gold boots pulled up above the knee and tighter-than-tight gold short-shorts doing synchronized dancing on stage to Ecuadorian folk mucic.
This, my friends, describes just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Carnaval in Ecuador. A country-wide four-day Mardis Gras-type celebration, Ecuadorians get REALLY into this holiday and water balloon attacks are as common from 10-year old kids as from 40-year old moms. In fact the festivities started out at my office, when after a company lunch, each of us was coerced into sitting in a plastic lawn chair out front fully-clothed. Then we were attacked with the hose and 5 gallon buckets of water until we were thoroughly drenched and walking like penguins due to our pant legs sticking to our bodies! From Loja I headed to Vilcabamba where two other volunteers (Andy and Janet) and I laid low since the Ecuadorians love attacking the gringos. We watched a few parades, had some dinner, and headed to a cool trout place where they pull the trout right out of the river and fry it up for you. Then I headed off to the jungle to meet up with some other folks, and this is where the real Carnaval began (unfortunately no photos due to the fact that my camera doesn't play well with lots of foam and water!). We spent the majority of the time in a town call Chicaña, where thousands of moderately inebriated people danced in a muddy field and bathed in a not-so-clean river. Very fun (in a white-trash trailer park kind of way)! And, yes, I couldn't resist the temptation and went through three cans of spray foam myself! Here are a few photos of the not-so-wet portion of Carnaval... Ready for the horse trotting part of the parade with traditional southern Ecuador hat Vilcabamba's old folks doing a dance. All nearing 100 years old! Vilcabamba is known as the Valley of Longevity, with a much higher than normal percentage of the population living into the triple digits. Niña de Carnaval Señorita de Carnaval (recently sprayed with foam) Traditional Dancing More Dancing There was a float for the Swine Flu! Literally, "Get out of here swine flu!" The gringos escaping to a safe area for dinner. The pinnacle of safety. Foamed! 
I had never ridden a horse before coming to Ecuador (unless you count the 5 minute pony rides at Camp Crestwood when I was seven, and I certainly don't!).
So, when I was suddenly thrown on the saddle of a horse for the dedication of a new environmental education center with the full assumption that I was a midwestern cowboy, I attempted to play the part well. But Long Island Jews aren't supposed to know how to ride horses, and I ended up arriving at the top of the mountain 45 minutes after everyone else including four 16 year old "reinas" or local beauty queens - an essential part of any official Ecuadorian event. It's not my fault that all my horse wanted to do was nibble on grass and poop, but as the strange gringo from North America, everything's excusable and all anybody wanted me to do was pose for pictures with the reinas. After my first traumatic equine experience, I somehow voluntarily decided to go on a 2 day horseback riding trip with some friends in the Podocarpus National Park near Vilcabamba, about 45 minutes south of where I live. And, once again my horse was far from cooperative! At first he started galloping along with everyone, thoroughly disturbing my manhood with each stride, but after an hour of climbing in the Andes he decided that it sucks for him to be giving me a free ride and that it would be easier to turn around and head back down. Yes, he actually did a 180 and started going downhill! So, I ended up having to jump off the saddle and walk him up the mountain. Don't think I'll be entering any rodeos anytime soon! Here are a couple of photos... The 4th Livestock Fair Reina getting ready to saddle up! Me and the reinas Uncooperative horse #2 and gringo with floppy gringo hat Fording a river Andean views Heading the opposite direction on lazy horse #2 Gina and Holly after 2 days of riding 
Although the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Difuntos happened back in November, you're all aware that my 2009 blogging skills were a bit impaired. So, you're getting the post now!
At the beginning of November, Ecuadorians celebrate this holiday by heading to the cemeteries (which resemble apartment buildings for dead folks), cleaning the graves, decorating them with flowers and candles, and just spending the day close to their loved ones and "catching up" with the dead. Everyone also eats guagas de pan or bread babies, and colada morada or a thick, warm, dark purple drink. The guaguas represent the body of the deceased, while the coloda morada, which is made from blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, corn and a bunch of spices like cinnamon, cloves and lemon verbena, symbolizes the blood of the dead and the living. Some people also leave food at the grave sites, which goes back to an Incan tradition in which people would share food and anecdotes with the dead. Enjoy the photos below. "Here, vanity ends and equality begins" Typical Ecuadorian cemetery Decorating the graves Typical grave Childrens' graves Family spending the day with the deceased Baking guaguas Guaguas de pan 
Ecuadorians generally don't listen to Bob Barker. Very few pets are spayed or neutered and cats and dogs roam everywhere. The mostly black dog/bear featured here is named Capucho and belongs to Andy Hood, fellow Peace Corps volunteer. The other furry creatures are some of Capuchos friends from the neighborhood (San Pedro de Vilcabamba).
This post goes out to Doreen S; pet lover extraordinaire and owner of more cats, dogs, birds, and rodents than you can count on your fingers and toes. She sorely misses me jumping out from under her desk in NY, each time taking a year off her life due to the scare. Enjoy. Deep Thought Dog in the headlights Lassie's Ecuadorian brother Happy Dog Scaredy Cat Bedtime King of the hill Attack! Frozen Flight 
New Year. New blog.
2009 was not a good year for my blog. Three posts over 365 days is pretty sad, I agree. So, 2010 will be a whole new animal. Every week or two I'll post some photos I've taken for you to enjoy. Minimal text, lots to look at. A trip for your eyes. Enjoy.
50 mph winds, sideways rain, 10 inches of mud, and near zero visibility. That pretty much describes 3 days of my life two weekends ago when two other volunteers (Andy and Gina) and I went on an insane hike in Podocarpus National Park, about 20 minutes south of Loja.
Hiking at about 12,000 ft above sea level along the continental divide the winds were literally blowing us over as we attempted to make our way to a site called the Lagunas del Compadre, a series of almost surreal looking mountain lakes 14 kilometers from the park’s ranger station. The trail first climbs through some pretty impressive cloud forest with hundreds of type of orchids, ferns, epiphytes (air plants), etc. This park is actually known to have the highest plant diversity in the world… growing on one tree they counted over 120 different varieties of epiphytes! After climbing for a while the trail heads south along a ridgeline, which is the continental divide, and through the paramo ecosystem which consists of lots of weird looking miniature spiky plants, grasses, etc. uniquely adapted to the harsh winds and UV radiation at this altitude. It’s here that nature unleashed her wrath on us! Our first night it was a challenge just to find a site to stake down the tents where there wasn’t a big sea of mud and where the wind wasn’t going to blow us out to the Pacific Ocean during the night. The whole night the tent was flapping so hard that we literally thought it was going to snap! The next day we trudged along at a very sad pace, our feet soaking wet and cold inside our big rubber Wellington boots. The wind was nothing short of fierce and the rain pummeled our faces as if it were sand. At this point you’re probably asking why we didn’t turn around… and it was probably a combo of determination and stupidity! We finally reached a somewhat sheltered area where we set up the tents once again. Our original goal was to camp at the lagunas the second night but given our pace and the dwindling daylight we thought this was a better idea. Gina was on the verge of death so she decided to crawl in her sleeping bag for a nap, while Andy and I trudged along without all the weight of our backpacks towards the lagunas. We had already come this far so we HAD to make it! And it was worth it. Along the way, the skies opened up for a little bit, and although the wind was still whipping we had some incredible views, as if we were on top of the world. We didn’t make it all the way to the lagunas since the weather took a major turn for the worse, but we got close enough to see two of the lakes, one with some neat islands in the center and both with amazing 6-tiered waterfalls roaring down the hillside. The pictures do absolutely no justice, so you’ll just have to brave the conditions and see them for yourself next time you're in Ecuador ;-). Supposedly the weather is the best in November, but I think it’s pretty harsh all year round. That night we witnessed a phenomenal sunset, and had the best mac and cheese ever plus some hot chocolate mixed with whiskey. The tents flapped all night again but survived! The next day’s hike out was particularly painful since we were all pretty beat already, and the weather was on and off the whole time (mostly off!) but we were able to grab some good photos. The final descent through the cloud forest was excruciating and I literally thought my knees were going to give out. But we all made it back safe and sound, and I think I lost about 5 pounds on the trip due to all the exertion! Two weeks later, my knees still haven’t recovered 100% and I’m still popping anti-inflammatory pills…hopefully another couple days is all I need! Overall it was painful… but I think it was worth it! Next time though Mother Nature better be more cooperative. Enjoy the pics below, all taken during the 2 hours or so we were able to see! And as always click a few times to enlarge and then click Full Screen to view full screen.
Forgive me blog readers, for I have sinned! It’s been waaaay too long since I last posted something on here, but I think I’ve finally regained my inspiration and I’m going to give it my best effort to start up again!
Part 1 A while back I made 2 trips up to the central Andes of Ecuador to check out some other Peace Corps sites and local villages. This high and cold area of the “Sierra” is home to a whole bunch indigenous groups that speak both Spanish and the native Kichwa language. I met up with my friend Ari in the city of Ambato, where we hopped on a bus towards the city of Guaranda. The road between Ambato and Guaranda is the highest paved road in Ecuador, climbing to around 14,000 ft and passing right by the Chimborazo volcano as it curves its way through the “paramo” or highland grasslands. Because of the Earth’s equatorial “bulge” the top of Chimborazo at 20,702 ft is the closest point on the planet to the sun. It was pretty brisk up here and the rest of the people on the bus were probably loving me when I kept opening the window to take some pictures while filling the bus with icy bursts of mountain air. From Guaranda, we crammed into the back of a camioneta with 15 other people and headed up to a small village called Salinas. Salinas is probably one of the most prosperous little villages in the area. With some past international assistance, the small town now boasts a number of successful small businesses, including a yarn factory, a cheese factory that makes some of the only aged cheese in Ecuador, a chocolate factory, a dried mushroom operation, and even a soccer ball making facility. We met up with another volunteer that lived in the town to check out most of the places, got upset stomachs from eating way too much cheese, and then hunkered down under 6 blankets to brave the chilly night in the unheated hotel. After Salinas it was off to the city of Riobamba where we were planning on taking the famous Nariz del Diablo (Nose of the Devil) train to the town of Alausi, a few hours south. In Riobamba we were able to recover from our cheese-eating binge by having a great cheese-free meal at a really nice restaurant owned by the girlfriend of another volunteer. The contrast between the little mountain villages and the New York City-like restaurant was striking! In Riobamba we found out that the tracks between Riobamba and Alausi were shut down and that you could only take to the train from Alausi down the Devil’s Nose (a series of switchbacks down into a deep valley) and back to Alausi. That was kind of a bummer, but we had already come this far so we headed to Alausi via bus and then made our way to the train station from there. That’s where we learned the next disappointing fact – you can no longer ride on the roof of the train! One of the big attractions about this train is that you can sit on the roof while it’s moving to check out the scenery in all 360 degrees. But supposedly some Japanese tourists were unfortunate a few months prior – their heads encountering a low-hanging wire while on the roof (ouch!) – and now everyone has to stay inside the “train”. Why did I put train in quotes? Because that was disappointment #3! After paying the $11 for the ticket (which for Ecuador is super expensive) we waited for a while on the platform for the train to arrive. Finally, we could see the red dot approaching in the distance… it’s a bird, it’s a plane… no, it’s a school bus on train wheels! Not only could we no longer ride on the roof, but the old-fashioned steam engine train in the brochure had been replaced with a rosy red school bus! It was too late to turn back at that point so we hopped on with a senior citizen tour group for the thrilling (not so much) 1.5 hour ride. I can safely say that the scenery on the $3 bus ride from Riobamba to Alausi was far better than on the “train” so if you’re ever planning on coming to Ecuador, save your money and skip this tourist trap! From Alausi, the next stop was the city of Cuenca as we inched our way back to my apartment in Loja. We had been to the city before, but this time around we were able to spend some time in the Cajas National Park just to the north of the city. The park consists of lots of paramo areas and glacial lakes. Here we met up with 4 other volunteers (Mike and Mary who work outside of Cuenca, and Katie and Andy from Loja) for some hiking through the park, which was really nice. When it started to rain we headed back into Cuenca for some good and cheap Colombian food before calling it a day. Half the night was spent hurling Mike and Mary’s kitten from my head as it took a continual liking to making itself comfy on my neck and pawing my face with its little claws. (No animals were harmed during the making of this story) (Well maybe just a little... ) Part 2 My second venture up into the central Sierra was about a month ago, where I got to visit two other Peace Corps sites and a great indigenous market. After a Peace Corps conference in Quito (where a few of us went up Quito’s newest tourist trap attraction - a cable car that takes you up to see views of the city), two other volunteers (Matt and Katie) and I made our first stop at Craig and Lucy’s site a few hours west of Riobamba. Craig and Lucy are one of the older married couples in our group, and their site was really beautiful with very friendly people. The bus ride there alone set the tone for this indigenous Kichwa site, as we were the only non-indigenous people on the whole bus. Most of the people in the village are farmers, and Craig and Lucy are helping out with environmental and agricultural education here. The people at their site were some of the friendliest I’ve met, and every single person you pass leads to an elaborate handshake greeting and another conversation. We spent some time playing games with the kids at the site, checking out Craig’s smell-free composting toilet that he built and enjoying Lucy’s great cooking as we kept warm under thick ponchos. The houses here were mostly made out of cinder blocks which made them especially cold at night. I don’t think I would ever shower if I lived here since the air is always so cold! You can freeze your ass off (literally!) just sitting on the toilet here at night! From Craig and Lucy’s site we headed to the town of Guamote to check out the huge indigenous market that takes place every Thursday. Typically Guamote is a sleepy little town with not much going on, but on market days the streets are mobbed with people selling everything from fat, red bananas, to fresh cow heads, to screeching piglets and chickens poking their spastic heads out of burlap sacks. The market was completely non-touristy and a really neat place to go. Our last stop after Guamote was Lauren’s site, which is even higher than Craig and Lucy’s and therefore even colder! Luckily we were just there for the day though so we didn’t have to brave the frigid night. Lauren’s site was basically on the top of at mountain with incredible 360 degree views miles into the distance. The people here were much more reserved and shy, but still very friendly. After they treated us to a typical Ecuadorian lunch of soup, rice and meat, we spent some time playing with the kids and walking around the small town. My attempts at rounding up the cattle with my spot-on “Mooo!” cow call failed miserably and I knew then that it was time to head back down to Riobamba and wait for the bus back to my site. After an eleven hour bus ride from Riobamba, including a 4am “layover” in Cuenca’s freezing cold bus terminal and two 1987 kung fu movies complemented by a half-stale roll with mystery spread, I awoke to Loja’s lush, green valley and as the sun rose over the mountains it was nice to know my warm apartment was waiting for me. My body was almost thawed and it was comforting to know that that night I’d be able to feel my toes in bed once again! Enjoy the pictures below... click a few times to enlarge and then click “Slideshow” to view the photos full-screen. 
It’s official. I’m obsessed with the Sunday morning outdoor market in Loja.
Every Sunday morning, farmers from all around the province of Loja come in to the city to sell their produce, meat, and eggs at a street market spanning over 4 blocks. The stands are packed super tight along each street with vendors along both curbs and another set of back to back vendors along the center of each street. The array of colors and sounds is astounding. Piles of potatoes, bananas, and pineapples are everywhere, and heads of cauliflower, broccoli, and purple cabbage are heaped in pyramids of color. A man is yelling, “Cuatro Papayas, Un Dolar!” and an indigenous woman wearing thick wool stockings and a felt hat screams, “Queso, Queso, Queso, Queso, Queso, Baratoooooooo!!” (Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, Super Cheap!!) at that same speed as the guy from the micro-machine commercials. Eight-year-old kids are walking around selling green and yellow Jello topped with cream and fruit in plastic drinking cups and of course yelling, “Gelatina, Gelatina... a diez centavitos!!” (Jello, Jello... only 10 cents!!). Piles of dried fish and freshly slaughtered chickens showing off their glistening multi-colored organs are stacked on wooden tables, and some women at the perimeter are grilling up shiny sheets of pig skin and intestines. Some indigenous women on the fringes of the market have fallen asleep on burlap sacks of potatoes amidst seas of red onions and stubby carrots. The craziness of the whole scene makes a trip to your local supermarket seem like a visit to a nunnery! And the prices of everything are, in the words of felt hat lady, BARATOOOOO!! Here’s what I picked up this week: 1 head of organic green leaf lettuce – 25 cents 1 dozen pastured eggs - $2.40 (sounds expensive but these are the best eggs you’ll ever try) 1 pound of organic strawberries - $1.25 6 bananas – 24 cents 8 heads of garlic – 60 cents 1 pound of red onions – 30 cents 1 pound of wild blackberries - $1 2 cucumbers – 25 cents 3 small green peppers – 10 cents 2 giant mangos – 50 cents 1 bag of Horchata tea (a mix of 28 herbs and flowers grown in the region) – 40 cents 1 head of cauliflower – 30 cents 1 head of broccoli – 25 cents 3 avocados - $1 1 pound of purple grapes – 50 cents 1 pineapple – 50 cents 1 baggie of fennel seeds – 25 cents 2 pounds of camote (a purple sweet potato) – 25 cents 1 pound of beets – 30 cents 1 pound of organic tomatoes – 30 cents and a partridge in a pear tree – free Total Cost: $10.94! Didn't bring my camera to the market, but here's a pic of everything I got for $10.94. Click to enlarge. From Sunday Market
Alright, alright... Enough complaining about no blog entry for a while! I’ve received at least five formal complaints, so I figured it was time for me to hanker down and get something online.
A few weeks ago I received my first visitor from the States for a 2 ½ week stay in Ecuador. You all should start planning your visits as well since I know all of you want to relish in the presence of roadside Virgin Mary figurines in every direction, an endless supply of arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), and the satisfaction of feeling tall if you’re 5’6” or more. Matt, or Mateo as he’s called in our circle of friends (or pain-in-the-ass as he’s called behind his back... just kidding (sort of)), arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador a few weeks ago. Like the self-sacrificing person I am, I endured the winding 14-hour overnight bus ride through the Andes to meet him at the airport. We checked into a nice hotel in the old section of the city (which is a United Nations World Heritage Site) and then set out to explore the sites. We passed through a couple of nice plazas complete with 10-year-old shoeshine boys trying to convince you that it’s possible to shine your Nike’s, and checked out a few churches including La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, which was constructed between 1605 and 1765 and has an insane amount of gold leaf covering just about every surface in the place (supposedly seven tons of gold was used). On the main plaza we randomly bumped into another Peace Corps volunteer and her visiting mother, and then things went downhill. Actually, we were walking uphill a couple of blocks away from the main plaza when Mateo felt a tug at his waist. It took a few seconds to actually process what just happened, but some delinquent (this is the PG version, but feel free to replace delinquent with more “potent” vocabulary) ripped the camera off his belt buckle that was hanging on his side with a carabineer. Mateo shot off after the guy but having just landed at 9400 ft above sea level from about 100 ft above sea level in NY, he was thoroughly out of breath after 4 blocks, and now his camera likely sits in the storefront of some electronics store in Quito. Needless to say, Mateo wasn’t in the best of moods after the incident, but we went to have a beer and some empanadas at a cool (and overpriced) restaurant up on a hill overlooking the city. Alcohol and fried food didn’t seem to make him any happier so we decided to head back to the hotel to relax for a bit before dinner. On the cab ride home we were stopped at a light in a crowded section of the city and we saw some crazy guy wearing eye shadow walking along the sidewalk. Mateo was still on full-alert after the camera incident, and quickly reached over to lock the two back doors in the car. Unfortunately, the front passenger door was still unlocked and guess who decided to get into our cab? Yup. The nut job started waving a $5 bill in the cab driver’s face while the cab driver tried ever more aggressively to get the guy out of the car. Finally the guy got out, the light turned green, and we continued down the road. But wait, what happened to the music that was playing in the car? After a block or two, the driver hit the steering wheel and cussed. Apparently the hijo de puta (look it up) stole the face off the cab driver’s radio while he was distracting the driver with the $5 bill. Unreal. At this point, Mateo’s really loving Quito. So I think to myself, what will make him happy? Cheese. Mateo is composed of at least 40% cheese (primarily blue) so I start thinking back to the days when I took the SATs. Italian Food = high percentage of dishes blanketed in cheese. High percentage of dishes blanketed in cheese = Happy Mateo. Therefore, Italian Food = Happy Mateo. And I think after his 6000 calorie 4-cheese and bacon/pool-of-oil pizza he was in a much better state of affairs (even though the pizza probably robbed him of a couple months of life). The next morning we were both happy to hightail it to the bus station and get out of Quito. In fact, the Peace Corps has made Quito off-limits for all volunteers for the entire month of December because it seems like almost everyone that goes there gets robbed. So, we walked to the bus station passing the women enthusiastically selling food from miniature storefronts and screaming MOROCHOOOOOO!!!! (a kind of thick, hot drink made from corn, milk, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and most likely some other items that are probably best left sans identity). From Quito we planned on heading to an eco-lodge high in the Andes at about 13,000 ft above sea level in an area consisting of almost all indigenous people that speak Kichwa in addition to Spanish. The lodge, called the Black Sheep Inn, was recently rated by Outside Magazine as one the top 10 eco-lodges in the world. On the way there, we changed buses in a small city called Latacunga where Mateo experienced his first $1.50 almuerzo (fixed lunch), which consisted of chicken soup (with lovely bits of chicken neck and foot), tree tomato juice (which has nothing to do with regular tomatoes), and a big plate of rice, rotisserie chicken and shredded beets. It was actually one of the better almuerzos I’ve had. From Latacunga, the $2, 4-hour bus ride up to the town of Chugchilan where the lodge is located was an adventure in itself. The bus was probably from about 1960 and was decorated in full Virgin Mary gear complete with pink fuzzy fabric outlining the rear view mirror and faux-mother-of-pearl accents. The contrast between us two gringos and the remainder of the bus dressed in full Andean-indigenous outfits was striking. Some women sat on sacks of rice and corn in the aisle while everyone else squeezed into the miniature seats for the journey. The scenery was spectacular and the road got narrower and bumpier the further along we traveled. At one point while I was silently fighting with the 80-year old woman behind me (I was hot and kept opening the window, while she was cold and kept closing it even though she was wearing thigh-high thick wool stockings and six sweaters), the driver’s helper, or ayudante, had to get out and direct the bus around a large chunk of missing road so we wouldn’t tumble down the cliff to our right. Finally, we got to the lodge and checked into the bunkhouse (which was a big mistake since Mateo snores like a Hoover and kept everyone up all night). We had a nice vegetarian dinner around a big communal table and then relaxed by the wood burning stove for a while. The next day, we headed out with some others at the lodge for a hike around the Quilotoa Crater Lake, a neat lake inside a dormant volcanic crater with eerie green alkaline water. Pregnant women sometimes bathe in the lake, which supposedly has some magical properties. The 5 hour hike was really nice, passing through some small indigenous villages along the way. The lack of oxygen at this elevation probably made everything seem a bit dreamier. Back at the lodge we relaxed with some beer and brownies, got light-headed in the wood-fired sauna with some other guests, enjoyed the panoramic views from the lodge’s composting toilets, and then called it an early night since the only bus out of Chugchilan leaves around 5AM. The next day we headed to a town called Baños, located at the foot of the active Tungurahua Volcano. The town is quite the tourist trap but nice nonetheless. We had lunch at a place called Café Good (which should be renamed Café Bad), and then decided to go on one of the many hikes around the town. This hike was actually a lot more enjoyable than the hike near Quilotoa since we weren’t freezing our asses off the whole time due to the much lower elevation. Along the way, we passed by the Hotel Luna Runtun (http://www.lunaruntun.com), which is apparently one of the nicest hotels in all of Ecuador (the series of small pools overlooking the surrounding mountains looked amazing), and made our way to an overlook to check out the volcano. Unfortunately we were facing the wrong direction at the overlook and the cloud-shrouded peak we thought was the volcano was actually just another mountain. On the way back to the town we stopped for food at the beautiful glass-enclosed restaurant perched on the side of the mountain at the Hotel Luna Runtun. I had the chocho ceviche (lupine beans in a lemony broth with red onions and tomatoes) and a glass of fresh strawberry juice, and regretted it for the next 36 hours. I don’t actually know if it was the chocho ceviche that gave me the enjoyable diarrhea, fever and chills for the next many hours, but it sounds like a dish that could potentially be tainted, so I'll continue to place all the blame on those little malicious beans. After enduring hell for the entire night I decided to call the Peace Corps nurse in a cry of desperation. She got me started on some antibiotics (which Mateo will proudly point out that he suggested the same thing hours before), and I started feeling a bit better after another 5 or 6 hours. From Baños, we were intending to do a supposedly spectacular 60 km downhill bike ride to the town of Puyo located in the jungle to the east, but because of my ghastly state of affairs we canceled that idea and hopped on the bus in the same direction. The road between Baños and Puyo is called the Ruta de las Cascadas, or Route of the Waterfalls since there are about a dozen big falls along the way, some of which you can swing past on a cable car over 300 ft above the gorge floor. We met up with another Peace Corps volunteer from Puyo (also Matt) in the town of Rio Verde to check out the massive Pailon del Diablo waterfall, had some empanadas with a bunch of Germans that Mateo met while I was making friends with the toilet seat in Baños, and then headed the rest of the way to Puyo, where I went to sleep in Matt’s apartment at 6PM and didn’t wake up until 8 or 9 in the morning. The next day we checked out the orchid garden just outside of town that Matt’s been helping out, which was very nice, and then headed to the city of Ambato where we were lucky enough to catch a 10-hr overnight bus back to Loja. The windows on the bus didn’t open and it was 500 degrees in the cabin – a truly pleasant experience, especially since we got seats right next to the fragrant bathroom with blue disinfectant liquid sloshing around all night. After the week and a half of traveling, Loja was nice and relaxing. We had some decent food, checked out the botanical gardens, headed to the town of Vilcabamba for a cheap full-body massage, and spent some time in Loja’s Jipiro Park. This park is considered by some to be one of best in Ecuador, and it’s certainly the most unique, resembling a giant-sized miniature golf course complete with somewhat cheesy replicas of Russia’s St Basil’s Cathedral, a Japanese Pagoda, the Eiffel Tower, and other famous international buildings. Mateo also came along to the orphanage twice and it was nice that I could take a break as human jungle gym for a while! We were also able to check out the amazing Sunday morning food market here, which has a phenomenal rainbow of hundreds of kinds of fruits and vegetables, fresh eggs brought in by local farmers, and other goodies. I convinced Mateo to try the local horchata as well. Horchata is a tea that’s made from 28 herbs and flowers that grow in the region around Loja with a bright red, almost Kool-Aid-like color. You can make it with just the herbs and flowers, but the real thing can only be found in the local markets. Women squeeze the thick juice out of giant aloe vera leaves and heat it up in a big pot with some sugar. They fill half your glass with the horchata tea and then add a big ladle of the aloe-sugar liquid, which has a striking resemblance to thick, clear mucous. The way they pour it into the glass from about 3 feet up in the air really highlights the mucous-like consistency of the stuff. But, if you can get past the slick texture of the resulting drink, it’s actually really good (and good for you). When Thanksgiving came along, volunteers started filtering into Loja (almost 40 in all) for a big potluck dinner at my apartment. It was quite the event and my landlord even opened up the private disco for us on the floor above my apartment (containing a light-up robot and star-painted ceiling, of course). There was a ton of food, but luckily a lot of people had a second wind around 11PM and we ended up with surprisingly few leftovers (other than the untouched store-bought Barney cake that someone thought was a good idea to bring!). And so that concludes Mateo’s two and half week visit. The Friday night after Thanksgiving he rode the night bus back to Quito to catch his flight back to the States on Saturday. Slots are filling up quickly for other Kreiselman Vacations, so book yours now! Happy Holidays to all and Live Well in 2009! Enjoy the pics and as usual click a few times to enlarge. Then click "slideshow" to view full screen.
The Shuar are one of several indigenous groups that still inhabit the Upper Amazon region of Ecuador. In the past they were actually known for shrinking the heads of their enemies, but that practice has since ended (lucky for me!). The organization I work with helps Shuar communities develop sustainable forms of income in addition to helping them to secure legal land titles in an effort to prevent outsiders from claiming land rights. The Upper Amazon region is extremely rich in biodiversity and indigenous cultures that date back many hundreds of years, but at the same time it’s also rich in minerals that wash down from the Andes and over time accumulate in these lower elevation areas. This brings mining companies, and oftentimes conflict, environmental damage and cultural degradation, which is why my organization is trying to assist these cultures; if they’re making a good living off of sustainable activities that don’t harm the surrounding environment, they’ll be less prone to sell out to the mining companies that want to excavate on their land.
A few weekends ago, one Shuar settlement, El Kiim, was having its annual festival so I headed out there (about 4 hours from Loja) with a few coworkers of mine. It was the day after my birthday so I was operating on 4 hours of sleep in a chuchaqui (hung over) state, which made the ride on the primitive unpaved roads very enjoyable! I was expecting the community to be a bit more “indigenous” with people wearing traditional clothing, banging drums, and dancing around a fire pit, but instead people were wearing Adidas shorts and T-shirts, playing soccer and volleyball, and dancing to Madonna remixes. So much for stepping back in time 500 years! The day was still interesting, with older members of the community telling stories (of which I understood about 5%), a wood chopping and a blow-dart contest for the men, a platano roasting and chicha (see below) making contest for the women, a lunch consisting of yucca, chicken and bits of wild fern wrapped up in a big leaf and steamed, and later in the day some traditional dances. There was also a chicha drinking contest, which one of the directors of my organization from California (Mike) decided to enter. Chicha is an alcoholic drink made from smashed yucca root. In the past the women would chew pieces of yucca and spit them out into a big pot. They’d then let this mixture ferment for a few days and then everyone in the village would drink it. Today the spit is left out of the equation, which I was thankful for when I had to try the stuff later in the day! However, you drink the chicha out of a big communal clay bowl (which I don’t think it washed very often) so you get a little bit of everyone’s spit instead. Yum! In the contest, Mike had to drink a whole bowl of chicha. He did it in 1 minute 40 seconds, and then proceeded to tell me the same stories 6 times over for the rest of the afternoon since it was a pretty strong batch. The Shuar guy after him drank the whole bowl in 18 seconds! The next day, most people from my organization went back to Loja, but Mike and I wanted to check out a more remote Shuar community so we headed another 2 hours into the jungle until the road ended. Then we hopped in a motorized canoe for another 2 hours until we got to a community called Shaime. The boat trip there was spectacular and we squeezed through an amazingly lush canyon with waterfalls, and tons of birds and plant life, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any good pictures of since there wasn’t enough light for the camera. This community was a bit more “rustic” but there was still electricity so it didn’t exactly mesh with the “indigenous” images I had conjured up in my head. Luckily, there were festivals going on here so a bunch of people were dressed up in their traditional clothing, which gives this area 10 points over the first village in my mind’s authenticity scale! (Apparently if you go way out into the jungle (i.e. days in a canoe) you can find the “real thing”.) In addition to the village, a Shuar guide took us for a walk in the forest which was pretty neat. Huge, buttressed trees, Tarzan vines, “authentic” jungle bird sounds, medicinal plants, strange roots hanging down from the sky and sweeping the forest floor, and knee-deep, boot-swallowing mud. We walked for a few hours and then headed back in the boat to where we left the car, picking up random folks along the riverbanks along the way. One family that got into the boat consisted of a mother and father and two small kids all wearing mud-covered rubber boots and holding nylon satchels of freshly picked wild berries and huge golf ball-sized wild grapes. They all smiled intently, greeting everyone else on the boat with a kiss on the cheek or a lighthearted handshake, and the kids leaned over the side of the boat trying to reach the light spray of water that danced off the worn metal hull of the boat. The sun was low in the sky, gently reflecting off the water and highlighting the trees along the riverbank in a pinkish shade of orange. The mother and father stood arm and arm at the front of boat looking out to the horizon and it was as if time stood still for a brief moment. Mike looked over at me and the corners of our mouths lifted ever so slightly forming subtly appreciative smiles. No one spoke. At this very moment on the Nangaritza River the complexities of the world seemed to fade away amongst the delicate ferns lining the riverbanks. Everything was good, and in this simple moment the world was at peace. Enjoy the pictures below and as usual click a few times to enlarge. Then click slide show to view full screen.
A few months ago, a couple of US board members from my organization were visiting Ecuador with a video camera. While in a remote village in southern Ecuador, an old woman suddenly approached them in distress. At one point she was frozen in tears and couldn't speak. This is one of the poorest areas of Ecuador with an average income of under $50 per month. There are no social services available of any kind. No one was able to help her, not even the local priest.So they decided her story must be told.
Yours truly, along with the help of another volunteer, translated pages and pages of country Spanish to potentially use in the video. The old womans name is Lastenia Correa Aponte. This video is HER STORY. This video shows a tropical forest in Ecuador with the highest biodiversity in the world with over 800 bird species. Unfortunately it could be gone in a few years. The video wasn't intended to be focused so much on corn ethanol, biofuel, renewable energy, E85, or congress' energy policy but thats where the story led us. It seems that when we burn food to run our cars it affects the whole world! (for more info see Energy Policy Act 2005, HR6 Energy Independence Security Act 2007)Here's a link to the video: http://ethanol-lie.com/ 
But it's not Superman.
It's Jason flying off his bike at 20 miles per hour... Unfortunately gravity took hold of me and I made a crash landing on the dirt trail. But I'm ok (mas o menos). Scraped up forearms, scraped up and bruised knees, and a scraped up stomach. (All good excuses to stay home yesterday and watch movies all day.) This past weekend about 10 other bikers and I headed to Zapotillo in the far southwestern corner of Ecuador for a mountain bike trip from the town of Pindal to Zapotillo, which unbeknownst to me until about 30 minutes before the start was actually a race. The map said that the route was 50 km, but using my GPS it actually turned out to be closer to 70 km! I flew off the bike after hitting a patch of sand on a downhill about 10 km into the journey, and then after walking it off I was able to go about another 30 km before having to be carried to the end in a van. I wasn't alone though... three others shared the van with me, one of which was a marathon runner that told me he's never had to quit a race before in his life and this was the first one. It was super tough and the initial ascent of over 1000 ft really tires you out for the rest of the route which consists of lots of little uphill portions which wear you out over and over again as time goes on. Over the course of the route, the total climb is about 4300 feet! Below is an elevation profile of the route. The route passes through several tiny towns where kids and parents were out sitting on fences, cheering people on and handing out bananas to passing cyclists. I have to say, I was definitely the oddball in the group, since as Mr. Fluorescent would pass little kids would be like, "Look mommy, a gringo!". When I stopped for the medic to wash out my wounds, 'tween' girls were standing around taking pictures of me with their cell phone cameras like I was from another planet! It was quite the experience, since in the city of Loja there are plenty of other gringos so I'm not that much of a novelty. :) The race was part of Zapotillo's fiestas (every town in Ecuador has fiestas for between a week and month every year to celebrate the town's foundation) and it's purpose was to raise awareness of the Bosque Seco (Dry Forest) ecosystem that exists in the area and the importance of protecting it. (There are only two or three other dry forests like this in the world.) There was a big trophy and medal ceremony at the end. I got third place in the "Master's" Category (even though only 1 of the 4 people in the Master's group actually finished the race), and then the mayor treated us all to a traditional meal of Chivo al Hueco, which was delicious. Chivos, or goats, are about the only animal that can survive in this super dry region so it's about the only meat that people eat here. The chivo is seasoned and then placed in a hole in the ground with hot coals, buried and left to sit for a few hours. Then it's dug out and served. Super tender and delicious. The worse part of the whole adventure was not the accident, but the 7 hour midnight to 7am bus ride back to Loja from Zapotillo. I was still covered in dirt from the race, my leg and arm was throbbing, and the whole bus smelled like rotten feet! Needless to say, my own shower and bed felt really good after the whole journey. Hopefully I'll be back on the bike in another week or two.
Growing up, my sister Elyse would often refer to me in not so favorable terms. “Uch… you’re such a nerd Jason,” she’d say in a typical Long Island accent. Well after this post, I’m sad to say that I think I may have provided enough evidence to support that claim.
For the past several weeks I’ve been building all my own living room furniture since the Peace Corps doesn’t exactly provide a six-figure salary (or even five-figures for that matter). Just 4 blocks from my apartment there’s a place called Placa Centro, a Chilean company that sells big sheets of particleboard covered with a wood-looking finish just like the furniture you can buy at Ikea. Hmm.. I thought. Could I build an entire living room from 2.5 meter by 2 meter particleboard sheets? Of course! So, like a good nerd I broke out some 3D modeling software and started to design. I measured the heights of some chairs in my office and a sofa at a friend’s house and even found out that through a lot of research, Herman Miller, the company that designed the famous $700 mesh-backed Aeron office chair, determined that the most comfortable seatback angle is 25 degrees. After about a week (and after several passionate uses of the arctangent function to determine the best locations to mount the seatbacks), I had models of a chair, a side table, a coffee table, and – most challenging – a working futon, all made from 1.8 centimeter thick particleboard (a tad less than 3/4 inch for those of you still stuck in the Stone Ages). I then broke apart all the models to create a list of all the pieces I’d need to build all the furniture. At Placa Centro, you give the list to a woman at a computer, and after entering all the dimensions the computer optimizes the layout of the cuts on the board to minimize the amount of wasted wood. The computer then prints out a diagram of the board with all the cuts on it, which then gets passed on to the guys that operate a big wall saw. Here, they cut the board into all the rectangular pieces you need for free. They’ll even glue a wood-looking border on the sides of the pieces you request so you don’t see the particleboard innards. Most people get a few big cuts, so I think the guys cutting the boards wanted to kill me when they saw my list of lots of tiny cuts. Usually it takes an hour or two… I was told to come back tomorrow by a guy clenching his jaw and shaking his head back and forth. :) The next day I headed back there and immediately spotted my order resembling a giant-sized pile of cards during a game of 52-card pickup. Back at home I began the construction process, and three weeks later after installing well over 300 screws I had my very own living room. I even used the scrap wood from my order to build a floor lamp complete with a 99-cent paper shade supported by 4 strings. Coming soon to an Ikea near you… the latest line of flat-pack furniture by Kreiselman Designs. There may be an ounce or two of dork in me, but for $150 I’ve got a pretty damn cool living room! Check out the pics at the bottom of this post. Besides my venture into the world of furniture-making, this past week was a BIG one for Loja. All the offices closed at noon on Wednesday and many people didn’t come to work at all. Why? Because The Queen was coming. Not the type of queen you typically think of though. This one’s less than 3 feet tall, made out of wood and lives in a glass box. She’s the Queen of Cisne, or La Reina del Cisne. All throughout the province of Loja in southern Ecuador, you see stickers, shrines, pendants, figurines, and business names all dedicated to this Virgin Queen. (I’d imagine it would be pretty hard for her to have sex trapped in her little glass box.) Even the stadium here is called Estadio Reina del Cisne. Most of the year she sits in the town of El Cisne about 45 miles from Loja in an enormous, Gothic-style church, but from August 16 – 20 she’s carried from El Cisne to Loja by an enormous procession of 500,000 people (yes, half a million people!) from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. This is by far the largest religious procession in the country. According to local lore, the ancestors of the people in this area made the long and difficult journey to Quito in the late 16th century to find a fitting religious statue. They returned in 1594 with the carving of La Reina del Cisne, and since then she’s been the ‘Queen’ of the people here. (Thank you ‘Lonely Planet’ for filling in the blanks in this story!) When she finally arrives in Loja, there’s a lot of fanfare to say the least. Dancing troupes, military salutes, marching bands, fireworks, thousands of rose petals released from balconies, doves released from paper mache bells, a concert and a huge outdoor mass on the main plaza in the city. I didn’t do the whole 3 day walk, but I did walk against “traffic” for an hour or so and then turned around and walked with everyone else back to Loja, which was good enough for me to get a feel for it! The number of people walking was astounding and there were tons of people selling everything from sunglasses and umbrellas to freshly grilled pork skin and bags of cotton candy, each stuffed with a fake $100 bill. It was definitely something to see! On November 1st, the whole process is repeated in reverse and the Reina will rest in El Cisne again until the following August. Enjoy the pictures below and as usual click a few times to make them bigger. Then click “Slideshow” to view them full screen.
For the first three months of service, the Peace Corps wants you to stay in your site (more or less) and become familiar with the town and its people. So, as soon as we hit the 3-month mark, nearly half of my group converged at Mompiche Beach in the province of Esmeraldas in northern Ecuador for a little break from our sites. The place is very “tranquilo” as they would say here, consisting of two sand streets and a handful of open-air bars and restaurants serving about 40 different types of batidos, or fresh-squeezed juices mixed with ice and milk, and all kinds of seafood that the local fisherman pull out of the Pacific Ocean early each morning. The coast of Ecuador in general is a lot more laid back than the Sierra, or mountain areas, where the people tend to be a bit more conservative (and work a lot more!). It was a nice change from the “big city” life in Loja. There aren’t many places to stay at the beach, but we lucked out and were able to get a big thatched roof cabana that was able to fit a bunch of us. There’s not much to do here except relax, which we didn’t have any problem with! A few of us arrived early and paid some fisherman to take us out to an island that we had heard about. After about 30 minutes of flying (literally) over some huge swells we arrived at the island which didn’t really have much to offer except an unbelievably wide beach, lots of birds and tons of giant-sized sand dollars covering the sand. We hung out here and talked with the super-friendly fisherman for an hour or two, and then headed back to Mompiche. On the way back we stopped to watch some surfers do their thing for a while which was pretty impressive. Mompiche is known to have some of the best/longest surfing waves in the world, and a bunch of international surfing competitions have taken place in the area. Back at Mompiche, we didn’t do much but swing in the hammock, sit around a campfire, wade in the ocean and sip Caipiriñas at the bar. Speaking of which, the electricity here isn’t too reliable! We lost power about 3 times during the weekend and one night at the bar, the blender wasn’t working so well so the bartender proceeded to unscrew the two light bulbs and turn off the CD player so that more juice could flow to the blender! (and it worked!) One of the coolest parts about the beach was going into the ocean at night. There are lots of tiny organisms called bioluminescent dinoflagelettes (say that 10 times fast) in the water here, and whenever you swing your arms through the water they light up like little stars. Very neat! There’s also a black sand beach within a 20-minute walk from Mompiche with silky smooth pitch black sand that was pretty cool too. After 3 relaxing days at the beach I decided to check out two other volunteer’s sites in northern Ecuador. The journey started with a bus from Mompiche to Atacames, a bigger city on the coast a bit north of Mompiche. The ride is only an hour and a half, but of course the bus driver and his ayudante (or helper that does everything from collecting the fare to hanging outside the bus and washing the windshield with powdered laundry detergent and his hand) had to stop for a sit-down lunch mid-way through. Why they couldn’t wait the 45 minutes to have lunch in Atacames is beyond me! From Atacames, we were able to hop on a chartered bus to the city of Ibarra that would get us there in 6 hours instead of 8 on the regular bus. The only catch was that the five of us heading that direction couldn’t sit in the regular seats with the folks that chartered the bus. Instead we were relegated to the front compartment with the driver and his ayudante, Pepe, who proved to be quite the character and liked hanging out the door train-conductor-“All Aboard!”-style and informing us of the areas where it was and wasn’t safe for the bus to stop for us to take a leak on the side of the road. Ari and I sat on the sweltering seats above the engine compartment, while Chris manned the dashboard and Shelley and Gaby sat on the floor on the top step. And of course the people that chartered the bus had to stop at every roadside stand selling everything from mamacita's coconut candies to strings of grapefruits in yard-long mesh bags. When we finally made it to Ibarra, we ended up spending the night at another volunteer’s house before continuing on our way. In the morning, Ari and I continued further north to her site in the province of Carchi, adjacent to the Colombian border. This was another nice 4-hour bus ride, but at least we had seats this time around! Ari’s site is located at the end of a painfully bumpy dirt road that any bus driver in the States would refuse to drive on. The Ecuadorian bus driver, however, navigated the hair-pin turns with streams running across the road with ease. Ari’s village is an Afro-Ecuadorian community of a few hundred people with a nearly perfect climate. I think my initial reaction to the site was, “Wow this is a real Peace Corps site.” It couldn’t be more different from Loja. All that was there were a few houses, a volleyball court, an overgrown soccer field, and a tienda selling a few drinks and snacks that opened a month or two earlier. Ari’s host family’s house was rustic to say the least, complete with newspaper wallpaper. There was electricity but the only running water was an outdoor pipe diverted from the river for washing dishes and clothing. The kitchen looked like something out of colonial times in the US with a wood burning fire inside for cooking and walls coated with black soot. It was a gathering place, not just for Ari and the family, but for the three dogs, one cat, two ducks, and the plethora of chickens and chicks that roamed the property. Thankfully the pig had to stay in his pen outside. Armadillos are pretty common here and outside on the rafters of the porch was the family’s armadillo shell collection from all the ones that they’ve eaten recently. The difference between this place and my host mom’s “palace” in Loja was shocking. As rustic as the place was though, it was kind of nice to live the “simple country life” for two days. All the kids were a ton of fun (and were pleading with me to stay another day… I think I gave them too much attention since they were a novelty and Ari was sick of them already!). After two nights in the world’s most uncomfortable bed, I headed 4 hours back to Ibarra, another hour to Cotacachi and then another half hour to Shelley’s site. Her site is a small farming community in the mountains with neat views of the Imbabura volcano. Many of the people at her site speak Kichwaa, which was/is the language spoken in the Andes long before the Spaniards arrived. Most of the women and girls dress in traditional clothing as well. I only had time for an hour or so here, so I just got a quick tour of the town and her house, which like Ari’s is also pretty rustic compared with my posh Loja life! From here, I really wanted to spend some more time on a bus so I headed back to Cotacachi, on to Otavallo (one hour) and then to my old host family’s house in Cayambe (1.5 hours). It was good to see them and this was the first time I felt that my Spanish had improved tremendously. When I left there three months ago I could still only understand about 50% of what was going on. Now I think it was up to 80 or 90%! After a night in Cayambe, I headed back to Quito (2 hours) and then toured around the city for a few hours (the center of which is a United Nations World Heritage Site) before heading back to Loja on the always-enjoyable 13 hour overnight bus ride (which turned into 14 hours because of the landslide we hit along the way that some of the bus/truck drivers collectively shoveled a path through so that vehicles could pass). It was awesome to see some other parts of the country and a bunch of other volunteers from my group, but I was pretty happy to be back in my own bed after the countless hours of bussing watching dubbed jackie chan and steven segal movies and listening to hours and hours of bachata music about everlasting love and aching "corazoncitos" (little hearts). And just remember, next time your toaster-oven isn’t working too well, all you need to do is unscrew a few light bulbs and all your problems will be solved! Enjoy the pics below and as usual click a few times to enlarge. Then click “slideshow” for the full screen pics.
To protect the sort-of-innocent, some information in this blog post has been modified...
Two weekends ago, my host mom invited another Peace Corps volunteer and me to an Inti Raymi ceremony to celebrate the summer solstice. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Because the Incans were sun worshippers, the summer solstice is a pretty huge affair. I thought it was going to be a big parade/festival type event, but it turned out that there were only 8 of us plus a shaman. The ceremony started at 9:30PM when all of us crossed a gushing river on the sketchiest suspension bridge I've ever seen and hiked up the side of a mountain to a small cleared area. The shaman had set up a a small circular seating area and in the center was a firepit with hot coals arranged in all sorts of patterns. North, south, east and west were marked off around the circle and the shaman sat on a ceremonial lion-shaped stool in front of the fire. In front of him was a blanket on top of which he had laid out all kinds of rocks, crystals, herbs, powders, drums, bells, flowers, and bottles of interesting looking liquids, all of which were used at some point during the night. We got up to the cleared area at about 10:30PM and the ceremony lasted until 10AM!!! Unfortunately pictures were not allowed. A (very) abridged list of events if as follows:1" diameter tobacco pipes hand rolled in corn husks passed around the circle all night long Drinking a thick green bitter drink called San Pedro made from a cactus in the area that's supposed to cause hallucinations and allow you to talk to the gods (my friend and I decided to sit out on this one) Having to listen and watch everyone else in the circle gagging and vomiting from the hallucinogenic drink that apparently affected them quite a bit The shaman drinking firewater (100 proof) mixed with jungle herbs and then walking around the circle and spraying it out of his mouth all over us Having to see my mom sit on a ocelot skin in front of the fire, lift up her shirt exposing everything and then watch the shaman encircle her with burning branches. This was followed by more alcohol mouth spraying on her stomach, and body slapping with branches and grasses.... all in an attempt to cure her gastritis. Watching others pour alcohol mixed with tobacco juice into their nostrils from a conch shell and then gagging and puking some more to 'cleanse' themselves (we politely declined, once again) Burning corn, fruit, and flowers as an offering to the gods Being pelted with colored sprinkles in the morning Laughing uncontrollably after being awake for 28 hours when I saw a white carnation in the back pocket of my friend's jeans and thought she was wearing a bunny costume Sneaking a banana and cheese doodles out of my backpack at 3AM and trying not to crinkle the bag so the shaman wouldn't scold me Being asked to return to my "place" in the circle when I went to stand on the other side of the fire to avoid passing out from excessive smoke inhalation Lots of drum banging, bell ringing, conch horn blowing, and chanting Freezing my ass off since it was drizzling half the night Getting 6 mosquito bites on my forehead The guest list only made this event even more interesting: One Shaman, age approx 40, fond of hand rolled tobacco Two Ecuadorians, mid-20's, nearly mute One host mom, age 60, needs to reduce white rice and cheese intake and increase fiber consumption One 6'5" skinny German guy, age approx 58, claimed that the Finnish are so drunk that they fall over while pushing their kids in strollers One English guy, age aprox 50, did way too much acid and shrooms in his life and now speech is permanently slurred. chronic chain smoker coughing up phlegm all night long Wife of English guy, age approx 50, ex-PeaceCorps volunteer, chain smoker, strong believer in the power of the woman Two Peace Corps volunteers, age 23 and 28, freaked out The next ceremony is for the fall equinox... not sure if I'll make it to that one! Aside from this experience I've decided to move out of my host mom's house and get my own place. After looking at about 10 places I finally came across a good one. It is by far the strangest building I've ever seen in my life, complete with robot statues in the fence, an observatory on the roof, lighting bolt doors, and hexagon-shaped windows. I'll probably be moving over there this weekend and I'll let you know if there's an alien dissection room in the basement. A few pics are below. Hope everyone is doing well! The Spaceship Inside The View From My Hexa-Window
Things are still going really well down here and I spent the last two weekends in Podocarpus National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet! The first weekend I headed into the western entrance to the Park which is only 15 minutes south of Loja. This area is at almost 10,000 ft above sea level and is mostly small trees and paramo, or highland grasslands. I recently bought a bike from a guy named Rodrigo and he and I are going to be working on the bike trail project I mentioned in my last post. We headed up to the park early on a Saturday morning to map out one of the potential bike trails and enjoy the awesome views. On the way down we saw an incredible rainbow, which was definitely the highlight of the trip.
Last week a bunch of volunteers and two of our Ecuadorian friends headed to the eastern entrance of the park near Zamora, an hour and a half bus ride east of Loja. Zamora is much lower than Loja and the area is a mix of cloud forest and thick jungle. The plant life, birds, butterflies, waterfalls, rivers, etc. here were pretty neat. (check out the pics) We got rained on pretty heavily, but that only added to the atmosphere. We spent the night in the park and then on Sunday crowded into one of the bars back in Loja to watch the Ecuador-Argentina World Cup qualifier soccer game. Ecuador was predicted to lose 0-4, but they came through with a 1-1 tie so it was pretty exciting. They would have won 1-0 if Argentina didn't score in the last 50 seconds of the game. The bar had girafas (giraffes) of beer which are basically really tall beakers on stands with spigots at the bottom, which made the game even more fun. Outside of our adventures in the park, I’ve had a couple of urban “adventures” as well. The first was when I came home the other day for lunch. I opened the front and back doors for some ventilation and then went out front to fix something on my bike. Then all of a sudden a gust of wind blew the front door closed and of course my keys were inside the house. So now I was trapped in the little courtyard in front of the house, and I couldn’t get out to the street since you need a key to open the door in the gate as well. I didn’t feel like sitting in the courtyard for 6 hours for my host mom to come home, so I put my MacGyver skills to the test. Luckily there was a pile of paper clips, some nitroglycerin tablets, a Q-tip, a chewing gum wrapper and a coffee can in the courtyard which I used to create a small bomb to blow a hole through the side of the house just in the nick of time before the organized crime agents attempted to assassinate me. Well, not actually… But I did finally figure out how to remove the metal bar security door from its hinges and then use it as a ladder to climb onto the roof of the house. I then managed to climb over the house across the piping hot clay tiles and then jump 8 feet down into the back courtyard of the house using one of my host mom’s flower pots to break my fall. Luckily the back door was still open and I was able to get into the house. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the security door back on the hinges so I ended up having to pay some handyman $5 to get it back on. Other than the house traverse, I had a great time picking up a package at the post office the other day. Who knew it would be such a process! First I waited on line at the post office window and then they told me I had to go to the back entrance. I waited on line there and after typing on the computer for 5 minutes he asked me to go make two copies of my passport and one copy of a customs form. (There’s no copy machine there so you have to find a store to make copies for you.) Then I went back to the post office and gave him the copies and a dollar (not sure why he needed that... maybe lunch money) and then another guy opened the package and sorted through it. Then he re-taped it and I thought I was set. But no. He gave me another form that I had to take to some municipal building 6 blocks away which of course was closed from 12 -3 for lunch. So I bought an ice cream and looked for new sunglasses for 45 minutes since mine cracked. Finally the building opened and I went to the 5th floor (after signing in with the security guard) and sat down with a woman at some Customs company that the government uses to collect taxes on imported items. After she pecked at her calculator for 5 minutes she told me that the tax would be $6.50. So I started to get out my wallet, but no... she gave me three more forms and told me I have to take them to the Banco Bolivariano to deposit the money in Ecuador's bank account (more or less). So I walked another 6 blocks to this bank, waited on line for 10 minutes and paid the $6.50. I got a nice stamp on one of the forms and then walked back to the post office and finally (after then having to look for the package again) got the box! Next time you get home-delivery of a package from UPS think about how lucky you are! :) Enjoy the pics and click a couple of times to enlarge. Once enlarged click slideshow on the right side of the screen for full screen photos…
Hi all,
It’s been a while, so I thought I’d post something up here. The past couple of weeks have been great, and I think my Spanish is slowly starting to get better. I was actually able to have a conversation about social security and US taxes with my counterpart in Spanish. My work at Nature and Culture has been picking up a bit and I’ve written a couple of articles and press releases for them about everything from Ecuador’s first place science project winners, to the Podocarpus National Park, to a cherimoya (a type of fruit) project that the organization is working on. In the next few weeks, I’ll be starting to work with the environmental education department to help develop some new programs and help out the city’s Eco-clubs. Outside of NCI, I started working at an orphanage in the city with another volunteer, which has been a blast. So far, we’ve just played a bunch of games, but in the upcoming weeks I’m going to start doing some basic science projects with the kids (like mixing vinegar and baking soda to make volcanoes… Ooo!) The kids are super fun and it’s definitely a nice change from my work at NCI. My arm hair is a novelty for them and, like the kids in my family in Cayambe, they all love pulling on it! In food news, I experimented with making some whole wheat English muffins from scratch, and they actually came out really good. Holly (another volunteer) and I made pizza the other night together which turned into a fiery experience… You have to light the ovens here with a match, so I did and let the oven preheat for about 20 min. When we opened the oven to put the pizza in, the inside was still ice cold. Apparently a breeze blew out the flame (the oven is outside) and the gas had been filling up the oven the whole time. We let the oven air out for a few minutes to let all the gas escape, and then I lit the match to light her up again. Well, apparently all the gas wasn’t gone and a huge fireball exploded out of the oven. Now I’m lacking arm hair on the first couple of inches on my right arm. At least the kids at the orphanage will have less hair to pull this week! :) Finally, in more food news, a bunch of volunteers met up in Vilcabamba at the Hosteria Izychaluma (highly recommended!) for dinner two weekends ago. I decided to splurge and get the bacon wrapped filet mignon. For $5.80, you can’t go wrong and it was super tasty! Life in Loja is still going well, although the weather was a bit chillier the past couple of days. I went on a little hike this past weekend which was pretty nice. A 20-min walk from my house and you can be up in the mountains. I also met up with the “bike guy” in Loja who is pretty hardcore, and I think I’m going to buy a bike in the next couple of days. We also got talking about how there are lots of trails surrounding the city of Loja but there are no maps, brochures or signage anywhere. So, I’m thinking that another side project could be biking all the trails with a GPS and then creating some bike maps and brochures for the tourism office here. My counterpart here at NCI thinks it’s a good idea too and we might even make it into a book with all the plant and animal species you can pass along the way on each trail. Being able to go mountain biking for half the week will definitely be pretty cool! The end of last week was an unexpected funeral for the father of one of my coworkers in Catamayo, about 40 min outside of Loja. It turned out to actually just be the wake, so we basically all just sat around for a couple of hours and chatted. I was talking with some coworkers, including the director of the organization, about how funerals are different in various cultures and religions. They asked me how Jewish funerals are different, and I said one of the differences is that Jews don’t get buried with preservatives (since I didn’t know the word for embalming fluid) or, “Los judíos no van al suelo con preservativos.” They all made the strangest face and then started laughing hysterically. I had no idea what was going on. Were they making fun of Jews? I don’t think I said anything funny. Well, it turns out that I should have said “preservantes”. Apparently, preservativos are condoms in Spanish… not very useful when you’re six feet under! My face turned a shade of red that upstaged any stop sign in the city of Loja and the laughter continued for another 5 minutes. And, of course, everyone else in the office now knows the story and continues to make fun of me. :) PS: Check out the following link to help provide scholarships to young Ecuadorian women and combat sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Peace Corps Ecuador is selling raffle tickets for only $1.50 and the prizes are awesome! http://kidsatartnyc.com/PC/GADTIPS.htm Enjoy the pics and as usual click a few times to enlarge. Once the large picture size loads, click "Slideshow" on the right-hand side of the screen to see the images at full-screen size.
More like Posh Corps! They say every Peace Corps experience is different, and my case is certainly not an exception. I came to Ecuador expecting to live in a bamboo hut in the jungle and carry my water from the river each morning, and now I’m living in what seems like Beverly Hills. The “barrio” I’m living in (called Zamora Huayco) is pretty high-end and instead of the broken glass on top of the walls like in Cayambe, many of the folks here have electric fences! My host mom’s house is pretty nice, complete with marble and parquet floors, a gas water heater, great shower pressure, washing machine, etc. (Other volunteers reading this, please don’t kill me! :) ) Some of the other houses in the neighborhood are ridiculous as far as Ecuadorian standards go (check out the pictures). The climate here is beautiful too. We’re at about 6900 feet above sea level and the weather has been about 75 degrees and sunny virtually everyday. There are two rivers that run through the city, a bunch of parks, a supermarket, movie theater, several really nice squares, and to top it off they even sell my favorite cookies and cream ice cream at several scoop shops around the city (a cone is 80 cents!). The city is surrounded by lush green mountains, and there was even an article in a local magazine today titled, “Loja casi un paraíso,” (Loja, Almost a Paradise). As far as Ecuadorian cities go, this place is definitely nice. All in all, I can’t say I’m having too tough of a time living here!
The organization I’m working with (www.natureandculture.org) has kept me busy over the past two weeks or so, and some of the projects they’re involved with are pretty interesting. Unlike national parks in the States where the mindset is to keep people and development activities out, my organization is trying to preserve both the amazing natural resources found in the region and the culture of the numerous indigenous peoples that live within the reserves through sustainable small business activities. The thought is that if the people living in and around these areas can sustain themselves through environmentally friendly, yet profitable, practices they’ll be more prone to protect and defend these areas while preserving their own centuries old cultures at the same time. One of the first events I went to was a meeting at the Banco del Estado. This bank invests in many of the activities of the local governments in the region, and my organization was giving some presentations stressing the importance of investing in land preservation for watershed protection, erosion control, etc. The next day, we went to a huge event within the El Carmen watershed, which was attended by the mayor, close to 1000 school kids and university students, and a slew of other important folks. Nature and Culture Int’l (NCI), using money primarily from donors in the States, purchased all the land that encompasses this watershed to ensure that it’s preserved in its natural state hence helping to protect the city’s water supply. At this event, NCI was signing the land over to the city to manage and protect, since NCI likes to empower local people and governments. It was quite the event (complete with marching band), and was followed by a huge tree-planting campaign by the school kids. Unfortunately, the tree planting ended pretty abruptly when some kids knocked over a giant wasp nest and the thousands of swarming wasps sent the kids screaming and running down the road! The other big event these past two weeks was a trip down to Zapotillo in the southwest corner of the country. The scenery along the way was amazing, and it was super neat how much the climate and vegetation changed as we headed from 6900 feet down to about 500 feet in Zapotillo. This area is super hot, and for a good part of the year pretty dry. The notable feature here is something called a Tumbesian Dry Forest that extends from southern Ecuador into northern Peru. There are only four of these types of forests in the world, and NCI has purchased large areas to protect. Many of the trees here actually lose their leaves during the hot, dry summer to preserve water, and some, like the extremely weird looking Ceiba tree, have green, photosynthetic bark. NCI will be helping to strengthen local capacity and manage the use of natural resources to benefit about 30 rural communities. Some of the projects currently underway are the commercialization of the fruits of the Palo Santo tree (whose essence is now being used in a new perfume - "Amor America"), and the production of a bunch of goat’s milk products, like cheese and yogurt. (There are probably more goats than people in this region!) There are two other volunteers working with NCI in Zapotillo from my group (Levi and Mandy) so it was good to see them. Zapotillo is a pretty small town (about 1500 people), so it was a big change from Loja! The city is located on the banks of a river, and on the other side of the river is Peru. There’s a bunch of illegal smuggling that goes on between countries here, especially when it comes to gas. The Ecuadorian government highly subsidizes gas here and the cost of a gallon is fixed at $1.48 for regular. On the other side of the river, however, Peruvians are paying $5 to $6 for a gallon. You can see why the Peruvians are always trying to sneak gas across the border from Ecuador to sell at home! Besides gas smuggling, they have some really good ceviche (fish “cooked” in lime juice and cilantro) in Zapotillo, and it was also nice to just sit and sip some coconut milk from coconuts freshly opened with a machete. Levi and Mandy ended up coming back to Loja with me (Levi and I got to ride in the back of the pickup truck with a beer for the 5 hour trip back, which was pretty nice) since there are no ATMs in Zapotillo and they needed $. They also have to travel all the way to Loja to pick up their mail! Other than work, the weekends have been a blast spending time with the other volunteers and their Ecuadorian friends. Last weekend, a few of us headed down to Vilcabamba for a few hours (40 min south of Loja), which is the massage and facial capital of Ecuador. The place is very tranquilo, as the locals would say, with some awesome scenery. A 75-minute full body massage can be had for $18! We also went to a salsa/reggaeton club in Loja to dance and sip some Espiritu Lojana, a really strong, hot, yellow, spiced drink made with sugar cane liquor (I think). It’s pretty gross, but it’s only a dollar so people drink it! And to finish off the past weekend, we went to a U2 cover band concert (how Ecuadorian!). Enjoy the pics below and as usual click a few times to enlarge...
Hi all,
It’s been a while since I last posted, so I thought it was time to throw something up here. The last two weeks or so were pretty action packed so I won’t bore you with all the details! I’m finally in Loja and I’m now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! We all said goodbye to our host families on the 14th after a family appreciation day party the day before. Everyone was a bit emotional but I’m going to try to visit sometime in the next couple of months. After leaving Cayambe (and happily escaping the incessant cold and rain) we all headed to Quito for some final presentations, including the much-talked-about Breaks and Escapes class with some US Marines where we learned some techniques for getting out of hairy situations! On the 17th we all headed to the US Embassy / Ambassador’s Residence for our swear-in ceremony. The house was super nice and the weather was awesome. We had a clear view of the 19,000 ft Cayambe volcano from the backyard. After some speeches, we all took the PC oath and finally became Volunteers after the 10 weeks of training. After swear-in, it was a non-stop party until about 2AM. We started with a party bus that drove around Quito for 2 hours. About half of us were on the roof with a band that played the same song over and over again the whole time. The roof was “interesting” as well since we had to duck 10 or 20 times to avoid being decapitated/electrocuted by wires that ran across the street! The bus also decided to go through a tunnel where we literally had to squat down to avoid hitting our heads! After the bus, we rented out a place and had an all-night party that a whole bunch of current volunteers came to as well. The next day was kind of sad as people slowly left for their sites and the size of the group dwindled one by one. Luckily the Peace Corps gave us all cell phones so it’ll be a little easier to keep in touch. Andy, Katie and I took a 13.5 hour night bus from Quito to Loja which was insanely long but luckily I slept for most of it. The 4 hour stretch between Cuenca and Loja though was a mess with tons of potholes and landslides so that part was definitely not comfortable! When I arrived at the bus station, I met my new host mom (Ruth) who I can only describe as a little Italian mother (even though she’s Ecuadorian). She loves to sing in the kitchen and I have no idea what she’s saying half the time. The place I’m in now is pretty different than the place I lived at in Cayambe since it’s just me and her without 3 kids running around and throwing couch cushions at me all night. :) It’s kind of a nice change to have some time to myself, but it’s definitely not as fun. The neighborhood I’m in is super nice and looks like a high-end neighborhood in the States, so this is definitely not what I expected PC to be like! I’ll be living with Ruth for 3 months and then I’ll find a place of my own (at that point I expect all of you to come visit!). I haven’t been able to take many pictures here yet, but in my next post I’ll try to post as many as I can. On Monday I headed to the office of Nature and Culture International (my counterpart here) to see what it’s all about. It’s definitely a well put together organization (with offices in several countries and even one in San Diego), which is definitely not what I expected PC to be like! For the first few hours I waited for my new “boss” to show up and then he finally asked me to come into the conference room. The whole company (about 30 people) was in there and I was asked to give a presentation about Peace Corps, my background, etc. in Spanish. Whoa! Not fun! The past few days here I’ve just been reading some literature and trying to get a better feel for the place. I’ll probably be working in the area of Communication (website stuff, outreach, press releases in English that can be released in the US to try to get more donors, etc.) and Environmental Education (school programs, eco-clubs, program development, etc.). There’s also a UNESCO Biosphere reserve here (Podocarpus – El Condor) that they’d like me to help promote as well. We’ll see how things pan out since everything is still pretty new. Last night I met some of the PC volunteers that live in and around Loja. It’s a pretty fun group so I think the next two years will be a good time! That’s it for now… more about Loja and the job in the next post. My new contact info is below so feel free to send goodies / call anytime :)! Jason Kreiselman Cuerpo de Paz Casilla 11-01-211 Loja, Loja Ecuador Cell (from the States): 011-593-9-795-6226 Enjoy the pics (click a few times to enlarge)
Hello!
So... the past two weeks involved a lot of time on buses (over 40 hours total!), but the travel time was well worth it, and I was able to see some other incredible areas of the country. Two Fridays ago was Good Friday so we all had the day off from training. Everyone in Ecuador makes a dish called Fanesca for Good Friday/Easter so most of the day was spent making this chunky soup. It contains 12 different types of grains/beans (all of which must be peeled individually = super time-consuming), some type of broth, milk, pieces of hard boiled egg, and optionally pieces of salt cod, which my family luckily left out of the mix. The Fanesca is served with an enormous mound of pura de papa (mashed potatoes) and a few cut up vegetables. Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is served for dessert, which is basically like a drinkable, hot, rice pudding with clove and star anise flavoring (and a ton of sugar). It doesn’t sound like much food for a holiday feast, but after ingesting the bowl of fiber followed by the lead weight of potatoes (and the seconds that are usually forced upon you), you’re lucky if you can get out of the chair. Our first Fanesca meal was lunch on Good Friday. Then, at the last minute, my family decided that we were all going to Quito for dinner with other members of the family, and that we’d be sleeping over. Since all the trainees were leaving for Puerto Quito on Saturday at 2PM, I was a little leery that we’d be back in time on Saturday for me to pack and get to the bus in time. They assured me, however, that it wouldn’t be a problem. When we got there, a ton of family members (like 40 – 50) were playing “Coco” in the street. I think it’s similar to Baci in that everyone has a metal ball and you try to hit other people’s metal balls that are lying in the street. Every time you hit someone’s ball, they’re out of the game. The basic goal is for your ball to be the last ball in the street. It was 5 cents to enter the game, and whoever wins gets all the money in the pot. I lost 4 times in a row. :) The family was really into the game and kept yelling, “Matale, Matale!” (Kill him, kill him!). Once it got dark, we all headed inside to have another meal of Fanesca, mashed potatoes and arroz con leche. It’s very common for extended families to live together here, and all 50 family members had small apartments in the complex. I’m not sure if they all always eat together, but tonight everyone piled in the grandparents place for dinner. Four guys were watching the Passion of Christ on TV, there were three groups of people playing Rummy and the plethora of kids were running around like mad. And this was just my host mother’s side of the family (she has 8 sisters)... crazy! That night I bunked up in the grandparent’s bedroom. I was in one bed, they were in another about 2 feet away from my bed, and the entire perimeter of the room was covered with Virgin Mary and Jesus statues. The sleeping arrangement was a little weird, but the 4 hours of Rummy tired me out so I slept pretty well. In the morning, we had breakfast (twice – once at the grandparent´s apt and again at what I think was one of the brother-in-law’s apts downstairs). I thought it might be a good idea to start heading back to Cayambe, but instead I was handed a pair of really short shorts and an Argentinean soccer jersey – It was time for futbol. The trip back to Cayambe is about 1.5 hours without traffic and it was already 10:00, so I was a bit concerned. We played for about an hour trying to avoid the two pigs that were sifting through a pile of garbage next to the right goal post, and then we finally ended up leaving Quito at 11:00. On the way out, however, my host father asked if we could stop at his mother’s house at the opposite end of Quito just to say hello. Oy! I reluctantly agreed, and long story short we ended up arriving in Cayambe at 1:30PM. I packed in about a minute and a half and then my host father rushed me back to the training center to catch the bus with 5 minutes to spare! The bus ride to Puerto Quito took about 5 hours and we dropped quite a bit in elevation as we headed down the western slope of the Andes. The vegetation changed dramatically, and the scenery was much more lush and tropical. The place we stayed at for the week was really nice. It had a bar, two pools, a bunch of hammocks, soccer, volleyball, a river, etc. We had the weekend off, which was great, and a couple of us headed into the town of Puerto Quito and had some really good shrimp ceviche. The climate here is totally different that in the mountains, and it was about 85 degrees everyday and super humid. The training activities during the week were pretty good and included a conflict resolution workshop, a value-added products workshop (i.e. instead of selling raw fruit, turn it into jelly and sell it for 4 times the price), how to best work with NGO’s, how to build irrigation systems and terraced farming areas, a trip to a cacao processing plant, a visit to a small town where a Peace Corps volunteer had started a jewelry workshop with the women, and a trip to a cloud forest reserve called Macchikapuna. The jewelry workshop was located in a super small town where the school kids collect local seeds and then the women transform the seeds into necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc. It was a neat little operation. At the cloud forest reserve we got super lucky and spotted a spectacled bear in one of the trees. This is the only type of bear in South America (it has white rings around its eyes, hence the name), and the guides at the park said they only see them once or twice a year. At the end of the week, we had a big party and a talent show which was hysterical. I imitated one of the trainers in a fake dating game skit where we poked fun at all the quirky characteristics of the trainers. At the end of the week, after a lot of pool/river time, the trainees split up into groups, and I went with the three other IT trainees down to a small 1500 person town in the southeast of the country called San Juan Bosco. Since the total trip is about 20 hours from Puerto Quito, we broke it up into two legs and spent the night in the city of Cuenca, which is really nice and historic. On the Quito to Cuenca leg we hit a big landslide at about 5AM and ended up having to wait 3 hours for some guys with shovels to clear a path. It was pretty crazy and buses were sliding all over the place. A bunch of guys were trying to push the buses in the right direction, and the whole scene was somewhat comical. After a nice night in Cuenca we started on a 6 hour bus journey to San Juan Bosco on a super narrow dirt road with a cliff on one side and no guard rail. The town was really nice, and I think the people there receive quite a bit of money from family members that are living in the States. The climate was perfect here and was much less humid than in Puerto Quito. In this town, we spent the week working with the IT guy from the Peace Corps office and two locals named Angel and Carlos that set the town up with Internet via a radio signal. It was pretty interesting to see how different things are in such a small town. We spent some time checking out problems with a cable drop in the municipio (county offices), checked out the computer lab in the school, attempted to use a Linux box to place bandwidth limits on each computer in the municipio, etc. We also piled in a Toyota 4Runner one day and headed an additional hour into the jungle on an extremely bumpy dirt road with several stream crossings to a 150 person town called Pananza. It took two attempts to get there since in the morning there was a landslide that blocked the whole road. Finally, when we arrived in the afternoon the people there thought we were miners wanting to dig on their land and it took a bit of work to convince them that we were only there to help network four of their computers that Angel had sold to them a month or two prior. On the second to last day, the mayor invited us to have lunch at his house. His wife served rabbit, which we were all a bit leery of but it was actually really good. I lucked out and got what I think was the rabbit ass since it was a lot more tender than the legs that everyone else got! Finally on the last day, after tinkering with some computers, we headed out to the local river to go “fishing” with Angel. Fishing here entailed throwing a piece of dynamite in the water and then harvesting the dead fish that float down stream after the explosion! Unfortunately we only caught two fish that were about 3 inches long, so the fishing experience wasn’t too fruitful. Instead we ended up grilling up some T-bone steaks next to the river along with some plantains, potatoes, yucca, and veggies – all of which were really good. The steaks were huge and were 10 for $18 – not bad! Finally after an action packed week, we headed back to Cayambe on yet another 20 hour bus ride where we sat through 3 painfully bad Antonio Banderas movies. My host family was excited to see me and said the two-year old was saying my name the whole time I was gone. We had some potted chicken and potatoes for dinner and that was the end of the two week adventure. I’ll be here in Cayambe for another week, and then I’m in Quito for one week before I finally swear in as a volunteer. By then, I’ll hopefully be ready for another super long bus ride to Loja! Hope you enjoy the pictures below (click to enlarge - you may have to click a few times).
Hola,
All is well here and it looks like this Saturday we’ll be able to head to Puerto Quito for our week-long technical training session. Afterwards, the IT folks will be heading to San Juan Bosco in the southern rainforest area of Ecuador for another week of training. We’re all looking forward to a change of scenery from the training center in Tabacundo. This past week we had to give our first presentation in Spanish, which actually went pretty well. We also had another oral language proficiency exam and I moved up a level to Intermedio-Alto (High Intermediate), so I guess I sound better now than a month ago! In other news, there were a couple of incidents with “ladrones” (robbers) recently. The first (and most interesting!) was when some thieves tried to steal the car computer out of our around-the-block neighbor’s car which is also where two other trainees live. The father heard some noises, so he opened the gate and the three robbers pointed guns at him. He quickly closed the gate and called the police. He also called my family. After my father hung up he was like, “Hay ladrones, ladrones! Vamos!” (Robbers, robbers, let’s go!). I was thinking to myself, “Oh man this is going to be interesting.” He then pulled a rifle out of the closet that looked like it was from WW I and the two of us ran down the stairs to his car. On the way down, he put a stick in my hand that’s about 2.5 feet long and about an inch thick. I’m thinking, “Right… I’m going to defend myself against 3 armed ladrones with a palo flaco (thin stick).” On the car ride there I was getting ready to duck down to avoid the crossfire, but luckily when the neighbor had called the robbers had already run away. When we got there, a bunch of other neighbors were there and we helped push the family’s car into a gated area. The police came but couldn’t do much, and that really was the end of incident. The second incident was super sad. The Internet store that I’ve been sending all these blog entries from was robbed of all their computers, so now I’ve had to move to another store that’s not nearly as great. We had all become friends with the owners of the place and had even interviewed them for a small business project the day before the robbery. They had only been open for 2 months and had taken out a $6000 loan to buy the equipment (which is huge when people in my neighborhood make $500 a month and oftentimes much less). Hardly anyone has insurance here for something like this so now the owners are in bad shape. :( We’re trying to help them out somehow, but it looks like the chances of them being able to reopen are pretty slim. Besides the robberies, things are going well here. This past weekend I went with the family to the market since they wanted to make crabs. However they were 10 for 6 bucks which is super expensive so they ended up making some seafood soup instead with octopus, calamari, conch, and some other mystery seafood pieces. We bought a cherimoya at the market as well which is probably one of the best fruits I’ve ever had. It tastes kind of like a cross between a pear, a banana and cotton candy. Highly recommended! We also went for a boat ride on the Laguna San Pablo north of Cayambe and attempted to go fishing as well (which was unsuccessful). Sunday night was a big two-hour episode of “Bailando por La Boda de Mis Sueños” (Dancing for the Wedding of My Dreams). One “famous” person (none of which I’ve ever heard of) dances with their fiancée and the winning couple after many weeks of competition wins the wedding of their dreams. The dancing is pretty shoddy, but people are pretty obsessed with the show here and the results are even recapped in the news every night. My family claims that the dancing gets better as the show progresses, but we’ll see how it goes! On Tuesday, we all headed to Lake Cuicocha near the town of Cotacachi to hike the 15 km around the crater. The weather turned out to be beautiful and it was a nice change from the daily grind at the training center. There’s an active volcano beneath the lake, and 3000 years ago when it last erupted, the lava formed two islands in the middle of lake. The water in the lake is an awesome turquoise color, and in certain areas you can see bubbles floating up from the steam vents way below the surface. I probably won’t be making any posts for the next two weeks, but I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories when I get back from two weeks of traveling. Enjoy the pics below and click to enlarge.
Just a quick update... because of the nonstop rain in the country there have been several hundred landslides which have closed many of the roads in the country. Since over half of us were not going to be able to reach our sites because of the road conditions (including me), Peace Corps decided to cancel all the site visits. :( Now, we´ll be in Tabacundo all this week instead. We should be able to head to Puerto Quito next week though, which is good since we´re all looking forward to see some new places.
Hello!
Today we got our site assignments and I’ll be living in Loja, Ecuador starting April 20th! The site assignment presentation was great, complete with music, cheering, and cheesy PowerPoint animations. Although this site probably won’t be as adventurous as working with the Shwar tribe in the jungle, every site is what you make of it so I think it’ll be great. I’ll probably have better living conditions compared to most of the other volunteers so I’m not going to complain about that! Everyone keeps telling me how beautiful the city is, so I’m pretty excited. My host family and someone else told me they eat a lot of dog in Loja, so I’m not sure how psyched I am about that! One of the language facilitators said they eat donkey down there too... whoa. I guess both options are better than the capybaras (pig-sized rodents) that people eat in the jungle! This coming Sunday, I leave for my site visit to meet my counterpart (Nature & Culture International) and to get a feel for the city. I think it’s close to a 16 hour bus ride from Quito so hopefully the bus will stop for a bathroom break or two! I’ll be in Loja all next week, and then next Saturday I head to Puerto Quito, which is located in a transitional zone between the Andes and the coast about 2 hours northwest of Quito (so probably 18 hours on the bus). Here, everyone reconnects and we have some technical training day trips (i.e. trips to a cloud forest, an aquaculture facility, a trip to the coast, etc.). After that week, we split up again for another week-long technical training trip. The four IT volunteers will be going to a place called San Juan Bosco which is in the jungle to the east of Cuenca (another super long bus ride!). We’re heading there with the IT guy that works in the Peace Corps office in Quito. There, we’ll be meeting a marginally-crazy current volunteer that is now entering his 3rd or 4th year of service named “Jungle” Dave. He just married an Ecuadorian and we’ll probably be arriving during his honeymoon! He has a foot-long goatee and that’s as much as I know! We’re all pretty excited. After the trip to the jungle, we all head back to our host families for about another week. Then we head to Quito for the week before we swear-in on April 19th. In other news, this past week we spent a bunch of time learning about non-formal education techniques and some other safety and security info. On Saturday we had a full-day session to become certified in Project Learning Tree, which is an environmental education program put out by the American Forest Association. A lot of the lesson plans are really geared for a US-based audience but can be adapted to the Ecuadorian culture pretty easily. On Thursday, we had a nice break from language classes and had an EcuaVolley tournament at the training center. EcuaVolley is similar to volleyball, but it’s 3 on 3, you can almost catch the ball before hitting it, and the ball they use is basically a soccer ball so your wrists get nice and sore if you bump a lot! Each of the 11 community groups formed a team and played each other for most of the afternoon. Before the tournament began, each team paraded around the "princess" of the town (one of the female trainees) and then the judges voted on the best EcuaVolley princess. We then sang the Ecuadorian national anthem, and afterwards the tournament began complete with Reggaeton music playing in the background. Apparently the parade and princesses are commonplace at Ecuadorian sporting events. On Sunday, even though I had some major stomach issues, I forced myself to get out of bed and go to my 8-year old Ecuadorian brother's soccer game. This was the first game, and he was super excited about his new uniform so I couldn't pass it up. Like at our EcuaVolley tournament there was a long parade with a princess on each team, speeches, and the singing of the national anthem. Jordan's team ended up winning 2 - 1. This week we also had some more mystery meat called “molleja” (mo-ye-cha), which I tried and politely declined! I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s some part of a chicken that has something to do with digestion. The taste wasn’t horrible (probably because it had lots of salt on it), but just the look of it wasn’t for me! I’m not sure how much web access I’ll have for the next 3 weeks, so if you don’t hear from me I’m likely still alive! Enjoy the pics below…. (as always click them to enlarge)
Hola,
Things are still going well here and on the 6th of March I will have officially been in Ecuador for a month – 26 more months to go! This week was rainy again, but we’re all getting used to it. Standing out in the rain and laundry that takes 5 days to dry on the line somehow seems normal! Last Monday, the Natural Resources group took a trip to Pifo to visit a tree nursery where we got some hands on experience with plant propagation, grafting, seed beds, etc. My group ended up having to stuff soil in plastic bags or “fundas” for an hour and we were happy we didn’t have to do the 1200 bags that the workers there fill everyday! Even though it was pretty monotonous we had fun learning some jokes in Spanish from some of the facilitators. As a follow up later in the week we learned about a bunch of organic remedies for crop pests that you can make at home using everything from garlic to beer. The crazy nurse paid us a visit again later in the week - dressed in a chicken suit - and spoke about the avian flu for a while. When the roosters outside the classroom saw the chicken suit they got a bit excited and started cock a doodling like mad. Of course, the nurse played along and flapped her wings, which was interesting to say the least! We also went over a bunch of first aid information, discussed some case studies (i.e. your foot gets run over by a tractor – what do you do?), and talked a little bit about poisonous snakes in Ecuador even though there’s never been a Peace Corps Volunteer bitten by a snake in the country. At the end of the day, the language facilitators hooked up some speakers and we had a blast putting our dancing skills to the test, trying out merengue, salsa, cumbia, and a bunch of other common local dances. On Friday, Ambassador Jewel visited our group at the training center and talked a bunch about US-Ecuadorian relations, which was pretty interesting. In the afternoon, we learned about starting up community banks at our sites, which is a pretty neat and easy to implement concept. Every week, the bank members would meet and would all deposit the same amount into the safe (i.e. one dollar). Members can take out small loans (to buy raw materials for their products, for example) at a 10% interest rate and the loans need to be paid back by the end of the month. 10% sounds like a lot, but it’s not that much on a $30 loan, and is especially worth it if it allows the borrower to produce products he/she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to produce. At the end of a specified period of time – usually a year – all the money in the safe (deposits + interest) is distributed to the bank members. The members can then decide if they want to start the bank over again. We ended the week with a language simulation test where we went to 5 stations and chose a card at each station with a different scenario that we had to talk about for 5 minutes. I did pretty well and had fun fighting with the “bank teller” when my ATM card got trapped in the machine. This past weekend was pretty low key. A bunch of us hung out at another trainee’s house on Friday night, and I went to the SuperMaxi (supermarket) with my family in Ibarra on Saturday. We made pizza both Saturday night and Sunday night, since the family is now obsessed with my dough. Saturday was a flop since the fire wasn’t hot enough, so on Sunday we used the oven for the first time since I moved into the house! On Sunday, I went to Café Aroma (AKA Gringo Café) for breakfast with some other trainees, and then walked around the town of Ayora just north of Cayambe, which was nice. On March 11th, I officially find out where my site will be. Right now, the two natural resources IT sites are Loja in mountains or Macas in the jungle. Loja (pop about 120,000) is one of the oldest cities in the country and was founded in 1548. This site would be the most city-living of any of the sites available to volunteers. The city sounds pretty nice and is known as the “Garden City”. It’s also supposedly the cleanest city in Ecuador, and the people speak the best Spanish. It’s located at about 7300 ft above sea level so the weather is a bit warmer than where I am now. My counterpart at this site would be an organization called Nature and Culture. Some activities I’d be involved with include promotion (radio and mass media), upkeep and management of some kind of Biosphere declaration, website design and maintenance, environmental education in local schools, school gardens, eco-clubs, and assistance with the design of a hydroelectric project to the south of Loja. Macas is located in eastern Ecuador in the jungle. It’s a smaller town of about 15 or 20,000 people. Here I’d be working with the Amazonian Forest Service. Although I’d be living in Macas, most of the work would be way out in the rainforest and I’d get to work with the indigenous Shwar tribe (formerly famous for shrinking heads!), which sounds pretty neat. Some activities I’d be involved with at this site are sustainable forest management, zoning of farms for forest management, elaboration of materials and curriculum for forest management techniques, and a bunch of GIS and GPS work, including teaching the Shwar tribe GPS skills so they can better manage their land and make more informed decisions when, for example, an oil company approaches them wanting to drill on their land. Let me know your thoughts as to which job you think is better!! I have the ability to lobby for one or the other, but the decision is up to the tech trainers in the end. Click on the pics below to enlarge...
A quick update... Today I found out that my volunteer position will be based out of the city of Macas in the jungle, or the city of Loja in the southern Sierra... more news to come soon...
Hello!,
It’s been raining here non-stop for the last 10 days and the President of Ecuador declared a state of emergency since there have been a lot of landslides and roads washed out. The flooding hasn’t affected the area where I am, but much of the area in the southwest part of the country is in pretty bad shape. The sun popped out this past weekend finally, which was a nice change from the thick clouds that we had the rest of the week. Other than the rain, last week involved a bunch of cooking, which was fun. My language group cooked lunch at one of our host family’s houses and even though we were supposed to make Ecuadorian food, we were so tired of soup and rice that I think 75% of what we made was Mexican (Guacamole, tortillas, sautéed peppers and onions, queso fresco, blackberry/lime juice, fried plantains, and caca de perro). The caca de perro is a dessert/snack that's made from maize, panela (sugar cane) and a bit of oil. On Friday, we spent the morning learning about how to stay healthy by eating the local foods. One of the current Peace Corps volunteers is a former chef, so he showed us a bunch of recipes and techniques in the kitchen at the training center. It looks like I still may be able to bake something now and then since he showed us how to make a “campo” oven that works on the stovetop. All it is is a huge pot with a brick at the bottom and a tight fitting lid. You put the cake pan on top of the brick, light up the burner, and bake away. We made a carrot cake in it that came out pretty good. We also had a pot luck lunch on Friday and each of the 11 community groups made something. My group made patacones (fried green plantains) yet again. The night before, I went to the local market to pick up the plantains and decided to put my bargaining skills to work. I ended up getting 7 plantains for 50 cents. Plus, we learned recently in our language class about “La Yapa” or the “freebie” so I decided to work that into the deal as well. If you’re buying a couple of just about any fruit or vegetable, just ask for La Yapa before the deal is done and usually the vender will throw something else in for free. This time around I ended up getting a dozen of the mini-bananas as my yapa. Seven plantains and a dozen mini-bananas for 50 cents… not bad! Besides the good eating this week, we went on two trips. The first was just about 10 of us that were selected to go up to a school in Cangahua, which is about a 40-minute bus ride from Tabacundo. The school was located way up in the mountains at about 12,000 feet above sea level. The way the bus driver navigated the dirt and stone roads was pretty amazing. At the school (called La Escuela de 29 de Octubre… for some reason lots of things in Ecuador are named after dates), we observed an environmental education session by the Fondo para la proteccion de agua (FONAG). Many schools have little or no environmental education, so FONAG travels from school to school and does a monthly workshop for the kids. We watched and helped out with two activities in a class of 10 year olds. In the first, the kids watched a movie about deforestation and then were given two sheets of paper - one that had lots of trees and the other one with lots of tree stumps. On both sheets there were several bunnies with different facial expressions, and the kids had to color in the bunny with the facial expression that applied to each scenario (i.e. happy bunny with trees, sad bunny without trees). I’m not sure how effective that activity was, since half the kids just wanted to color the whole sheet. After a morning recess (there are like 4 recesses during the day!), the kids got into groups and used colored clay to create some scenes on pieces of cardboard showing a healthy forest, an unhealthy forest, etc. The kids were pretty engaged in this activity which was good. The recess before the activity was pretty crazy… Some kids brought bulk bags of candy with them to school and were trying to sell the candy to us and other kids during the recess. In talking with the FONDO people, we learned that the quality of education here (and many other places) is pretty poor. The teachers are often more babysitters than anything else, and the kids have recess for about half the day. The trip was a good way to see what’s in store for us if we end up helping out with environmental education sessions at our sites. For the second trip, we were divided up into 5 groups. My group ended up going to Cotacatchi which is about an hour and a half north of Cayambe. The weather turned out to be great, which made the trip much more enjoyable. Cotacatchi is known for its leather artisans and the stuff on display was pretty nice (belts, handbags, briefcases, jackets, etc.) The stuff was relatively expensive by Ecuadorian standards, but pretty cheap by US standards ($25 for a handmade leather handbag). It was nice to see the stuff being made right in front of you from cows that grazed right down the road, rather than some Made in China bag in the States that probably costs 4 times as much. Besides touring around the markets and shops in Cotacatchi, we also piled into the back of a camioneta (pick up truck) and drove to the Cuicochi crater, which is now a lake with two small islands in the middle of it. The scenery was awesome and the roller coaster ride there was a blast too. We all went for a mini-hike to check out the crater from above, and a couple of us are planning on going back next week to do a longer hike. At one point on the road, two mini-grandmas (both of which topped out at maybe 4 feet) had a string attached to a tree on the other side of the road. As our truck was about to pass, they pulled up on the string in an attempt to make us stop. Our truck just ran through the string, but our language facilitators told us that some people do this in an attempt to make cars stop and give some pocket change. These women, on the other hand, definitely had a few looses screws. After we passed, they started laughing hysterically, waving and pointing. We think it was just some weekend entertainment for them. The whole scene was quite the site! One other exciting/scary event this week was during a transportation safety training session. We all piled into a bus, and about 10 minutes down the road 3 undercover police officers posing as thieves got out of their seats and started waving their guns around screaming and yelling for everyone to put their heads down. They stole 5 trainees’ backpacks and then ran off the bus. The whole event was pretty unexpected and definitely a bit scary! We were all glad it was a training event and not the real thing! Finally, on Sunday my host family and I went to the nearby park to hang out. We played some basketball and volley (a variation on volleyball) and then I pedaled the 8 year-old around on his bmx bike while he stood on the pegs on the rear wheel. I can’t believe how much the elevation here (9300 ft) can affect you. I was totally out of breath in about 5 minutes. Some others trainees that jogged frequently in the States have said that they can now only go about 6 blocks before their hearts are pounding out of their chests. The nurses said it will take about 1 – 3 months to fully adapt. At that point I’ll be Rocky! After the park, we went out for lunch and basically ate a variation on the same thing that we eat in the house most days (soup, rice, a fried egg, a little piece of steak, a quarter of an avocado, fresh squeezed pineapple juice and a grease-bomb empanada for dessert. Even though it’s the same thing we always eat, it’s not too shabby for $1.80! Finally we came back home and eventually made some pizzas in the fireplace for dinner. I took over the dough making process and my host family now calls me “maestro” since they were pretty impressed with my rolling pin capabilities. :) Next time, I told them that I’d make some sauce from scratch though since the “bagged” tomato sauce here is absolutely hideous. It’s more like a very acidic ketchup than tomato sauce. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic that there was no rice on my plate for the first time in about two weeks! Click on the pictures below to see them larger... 
Hola!
My second week in Ecuador was chock full of events, sleep not being one of them! I've been lucky enough to not have any stomach issues yet. My family's been pretty good at boiling all the water and cooking/peeling all of the fruits and veggies. About 6 people weren't as lucky last week though and spent most of the week affixed to the toilet sipping rehydration salts. The nurses have assured us all that it’s coming though, so I’m awaiting my gastrointestinal fate! On Thursday, we spent the whole day in training going over every type of gastrointestinal issue, mosquito-transmitted illness, and skin disease that we could potentially expect. Who knew there were so many distinct types of diarrhea! Everyone’s favorite by far was the 20+ daily bathroom visits and rotten egg smell emanating from your skin that comes with a giardia infection. The four types of worms that you could get and the fungal skin infections sounded appetizing as well. All were described in extremely graphic detail. Yum! Dengue fever sounds like a blast too. 10 days straight of fever, aches and light sensitivity – They basically described it as the flu times ten. We also got out malaria meds that we’ll be required to take if we end up living below 1500 meters above sea level. These are the once-a-week pills that are known for causing extremely vivid dreams and nightmares. The once-a-day Malarone pills that don’t have many side effects aren’t prescribed since they’re reserved as a treatment in case anyone was to get malaria. The other classes this week consisted mostly of a ton of Spanish and cultural training. I feel like I’m not getting any better at the Spanish, but everyone else feels the same way, which is good. The trainers claim that it will just come at some point, so we’ll see. On Friday, we had our first full-day technical training session, which was a ton of work but also a bunch of fun. My group built an A-frame greenhouse, learned a bunch about agriforestry and soils, planted an organic garden, and learned about some plant propagation techniques. We ended the day with some lukewarm beer at a local joint in Tabacundo. The food last week was good, although I’m definitely getting sick of rice already. This past weekend, my family made some Patacones, which are basically slices of plantains that are fried, smooshed with the bottom of a mug, and then fried again (because they didn’t absorb enough oil during the first fry!). We also made some banana fritters, roasted choclo (a starchy corn) on the fireplace, and some sort of steamed beef, tomato, and onion dish that was made from beef that was cut right off the unrefrigerated carcass of the cow hanging behind the counter in the butcher shop. The variety of fruits and vegetables that are available at the outdoor markets in town is unbelievable. I’ll try to grab some pictures next time I’m there. The mutant heads of cabbage that are about 2 feet in diameter are pretty crazy. Today for lunch, I had a whole trout, rice, lentils and some unknown exotic fruit juice for $1.25. The “guata” that my family made one night though, does not rank highly on my list of great food experiences… My host mother put the plate in front of me and I asked what it was. “Guata,” she replied. Hmm… “What is guata,” I asked while picking over the unknown chunks smothered with a yellowish brown sauce. She said it was “oveja” (sheep). I thought, “Ok, I can do this… it’s just mutton. I’ve had this before.” So I started to eat it, but couldn’t get over the squishy, rubbery texture. I asked again what is was and again she said guata. So, I ran to my room quickly and looked it up in the dictionary. “Andes - Belly,” it said. At that point my gag reflex kicked in when I found out my plate had a pile of diced sheep stomach lining on it. I returned to the table, and attempted to eat more of it, but I was literally gagging on every bite, and just concentrated on the rice and oregano tea she had made. The whole time I was thinking, “OK, what am I going to do with this guata?” The dogs were on the roof, so that option was out. Then when my host mom finally got up, I did it. I swiped the remaining guata off the plate with some napkins and shoved it into my pocket! Later when I returned to my room, I put it in a plastic bag, tied it up, and disposed of it at class the next morning! I made sure to leave two little pieces of it on the plate though. When I brought the plate into the kitchen my host mom asked why I didn’t finish the last two pieces. I told her that the texture was different than what I was used to. After some more polite back and forth, I think she got the hint that I don’t like guata! Aside from the guata, the rest of the week was pretty benign. I showed my host family iTunes on my laptop and they now think my favorite band is ABBA since that’s the first album that popped up when I opened it. On Thursday I had to sit through a whole DVD music video of ABBA’s Greatest Hits! Other than that I learned how to trim the front lawn with a machete and how to wash my clothes on the family’s washing stone (which stretches clothing out to about twice its original length). On Saturday night a bunch of us went out to a club in Cayambe called Recuerdos (Memories) which plays 70’s and 80’s tunes mixed in with salsa and merengue. We had a blast and it was nice to be able to interact with people that are not in the 11 and under demographic like the kids in my host family. (I think we’ve watched Toy Story in Spanish about 4 times already.) Hope you enjoy the pictures below! Building a small A-frame greenhouse Setting up a small organic farm Enjoying lukewarm beer after a long week
Hi all,
I made it through the first week without getting killed! It was good to meet the other 42 people in my group at the staging event in DC – all of whom are environmental conservation or agriculture volunteers. Everyone’s extremely friendly with a good sense of humor, and even though it’s only been a few days we all feel like we’ve known each other for weeks. There are a bunch of folks fresh out of school, and also a good number in their later 20’s and early 30’s. Our group also has 5 married couples, 2 of which are in their 50’s/60’s. People come from all over the country which is pretty neat. The staging event consisted of lots of icebreakers, skits, cross-cultural case studies, and role-playing. There was a bunch of time in the evenings to hang out in Georgetown where everyone got to know each other better. We arrived in Quito Wednesday night and checked into a hostel located a couple of blocks away from the Peace Corps Office. We were all pretty exhausted and headed to bed soon after we arrived, only to be awoken by an incessant banging noise followed by “reggaeton” drum beats for the next 2 hours. Hooray for ear plugs. In the morning, we had some breakfast and headed to the Peace Corps office where we were introduced to all the staff members, language facilitators, and the Country Director, “Cisco”. We had some presentations and then filled out a ton of paperwork and got some vaccinations. Luckily I only needed the rabies vaccine so my arm was in much better condition than the people that had to get 4 or 5 shots with the “highly energetic” medical officers. I also had my language competency interview, and although I thought I bombed the thing since I was staring blankly at the woman for half of it, I ended up getting placed in the intermedio medio (mid-intermediate) level class. This is the minimum level everyone needs to achieve to get sworn is as a volunteer at the end of training, so unless I somehow get worse I should be good to go as far as the language requirement. After lunch some current volunteers had a panel discussion about everything from only having electricity three days out of the month at their site and having to take an hour bus ride to get water, to intestinal parasites and all the goodness that follows… Whoa! At the end of the day we all got on a bus and headed to Tabacundo where we stayed at the Hostal Centro Mensaje and had a whole bunch of orientation classes for the rest of the week. The food has been pretty good so far. Breakfast is usually some kind of bread, yogurt, an unidentifiable cheese that tastes similar to mozzarella, hard boiled or fried eggs, and some kind of crazy fruit juice that nobody has ever heard of before (i.e. tree tomato). Lunch and dinner always start with some kind of soup and then we have chicken or beef, rice, potatoes, and some kind of vegetable. There’s always a sauce called ají on the table as well which has hot pepper, cilantro, garlic, and citrus in it. At night, there’s a little bar across the street where you can get a wine bottle sized bottle of “Pilsener” (the national beer) for $1.20. On Friday, we found out who our host families are. I’m staying with the Liseth Atiaga family in Cayambe. The husband (William – pronounced weeyem) is some type of “vendedor” (seller) and the wife (Linseth) is an “ama de la casa” (literally lover of the house, or housewife). They have three kids – a 12 year old girl (Kelley), an 8 year old boy (Jordan) and a 2 year old boy (Ronny). Before heading to the house, we had a final little treasure hunt/language practice where we had to ask random people on the street where the post office/police station/etc. is, and once at the location ask the workers a bunch of other questions. We also had to take a city bus to the open-air market (22 cents for a 20 minute ride), and each of us was responsible for buying certain items and not getting ripped off! The bus gets insanely packed and some people are literally hanging out the doors when the bus is moving down the street. People will also get on and off the bus while it’s still moving! At the market, my little group was able to buy 2 amazing pineapples and a guaba (a 2-foot long bean pod with white furry seeds inside that taste like a cross between a banana and a mild pineapple) for $1.00! The prices of fruits and vegetables are insane (i.e. 20 oranges for a buck). “Luxury items” like a bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo or a TV, however, are the same price or even more expensive than in the States. Finally, on Saturday we all made it to our host family houses. Everyone is super nice so far and the house is pretty nice. When I got there, they gave me a big hunk of watermelon and an orange Tang-like drink. Then I helped William and Linseth out in the front yard with a rowboat that they were fixing. After that, the whole family and I piled into the car and went to some unknown destination with vicious barking dogs to hang up a “Se Vende” (for sale) sign. Una abuelita (a little granny) was milking a cow next to the property and I got the impression that the “for sale” property belonged to William’s sister, but he speaks so fast that I have no idea what he’s staying. I’m getting very good at smiling-and-nodding! Pet dogs are totally different here than in the States. They all mostly live outside and it’s common for people to throw rocks and poke them with sticks if they’re not behaving (which is most of the time). The PC trainers recommended that we carry a rock with us in case a dog attacks! After escaping from the barking dogs, we went to the “supermarket” to pick up some items. It felt good to be a few inches taller than nearly everyone in the store! Back at the casa we had some dinner (soup, chicken, rice, veggies and hot chocolate) and then we sat around and I showed them some pictures of the States which I attempted to describe in mangled Spanish. Kelley is my savior since she can always sense when I have no clue what’s going on, and she tries to explain it to me in other words! After looking through a bunch of their family photos, I headed to bed. On Sunday, we left the house at 7:30AM and headed to one of the churches in town. I think I picked up about 5% of what they were saying. The service ended with a rousing rock ballad of “No hay nadie como tu” (There’s nobody like you (Jesus)). After that we hung out on the roof of the house for a while and had some more watermelon. Then we all piled into the car and went to Otavallo to check out the crafts there. We had lunch at a restaurant in town (soup, a hamburger without the bun, rice, and peas, with lovely yellow Jello for dessert and a glass of guabana? juice). Then we headed back to the house and I watched Narnia in Spanish with the kids and ate some kind of extremely hard bean/nut that they gave me and some chocolate wafer cookies. Jordon was awesome during the movie and taught me about 20 new words. Ronny is like a little jumping bean and is continually throwing himself onto the couch, climbing onto my lap and crumbling cookies on my shirt! That´s it for now! Hope you enjoy some of the pictures at the link below! http://picasaweb.google.com/jkreiselman/PCWeek1
Hi all,
Well the time is finally here, and on Monday I begin my Ecuadorian adventures in the Peace Corps! On Monday morning, I fly from NYC to DC for a two day staging event in Georgetown. Then on Wednesday morning, February 6th, my group will head to Quito, Ecuador via Miami. From Quito, we'll be taking an hour and half bus ride to a town called Tabacundo, which is located to the northeast of Quito at about 9000 ft above sea level in the Andes. Supposedly, Tabacundo is the flower export capital of Ecuador so it should smell nice and will be a bit more colorful than NY is right now! Here I'll be living with a host family and going through a 10-week training program that covers language, technical, cultural and health issues. Provided that I don't die during the 10 weeks of training :) , I'll be sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer at the ambassador's residence in Quito. Then I'll begin a 2-year volunteer program where I'll be assisting with natural resources information technology (basically making technology more accesible to people so they can use it as a tool to solve environmental problems). I won't find out where I'll be living in the country until midway through the training program. My cell phone will stop working on the 6th and email is probably the best way to keep in touch. During training, any mail can be sent to the Peace Corps office in Quito at the following address: Cuerpo de Paz Casilla 17-08-8624 Quito, Ecuador During training the Peace Corps advises against sending any packages because of Customs issues. Normal letters and small padded envelopes are OK. Once I get my own place after training I'll forward my address along to everyone. Even then, however, any packages should be sent in padded envelopes and should be less than 4.5 pounds. I guess Customs sifts through anything larger, and I'd have to travel to a big city to pick up the package. I hope to update this blog somewhat regularly while I'm in Ecuador so you all can check out pictures and find out how my pet chickens are doing. :) Best wishes and let's hope the guinea pigs are seasoned well! Jason 
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