Páramo

After a good rest I am ready to continue the chronicle of my journey.

We left on Sunday morning on a journey to the volcano Cotopaxi. This volcano is huge with a total height of about 19,000 ft; during our hike we were able to get to the outpost (15,000 ft) located at the base of the glacier. Our hike started in a huge highland valley with a leisurely walk, the effects of thin air didn’t really bother me at this time. After the short walk our bus driver came to pick us up and we continued to the upper parking area. It was here that we began our ascent of the volcano. It was only a total of 300 meters elevation gain to the outpost but the lack of oxygen made it that much harder. It was a pretty incredible feeling, not being able to hike at my normal pace. While hiking a group of us came to find that when you pass gas at high altitudes, the scent is dispersed much faster than you would think.

The midway outpost was nice; there were no views as we were stuck in a hail storm cloud. While at the outpost I was able to catch my breath and have a quick power nap. The descent of the mountain was the best part by far. The soil that we were hiking on had the consistency of sand so if you frolic your way down the mountain it feels almost as if you are skiing. I was able to do this most of the way down until I almost planted my face on the ground. After the hike we went to get a huge lunch, which proved to be extremely overfilling. After the lunch everyone on the bus was feeling well below his or her game and so we were a bit late to our next destination.
That night we arrived late to an indigenous community where we were to spend the night. They had a very nice establishment with plenty of beds, nice people, and great food. The night was very cold so we decided to pile into one room so we could harness the power of body heat. This strategy proved to be all too effective because our room became a sauna. That night I did not get much sleep for many reasons: the heat, the loud snoring, lack of space, and the fact that I was having a hard time regulating my breath while sleeping.

The next morning we bid farewell to our hosts and embarked on another hike through the Páramo of the highlands. This hike was beautiful with rolling grasslands and a unique feel. The prize at the end of the hike was this wonderful forest located on the side of the mountain. This forest was special because it was one of the last remaining ecosystems of its type, this was due to the demand for lumber and fire wood. That afternoon we traveled to the city of Riobamba where we were given a tour of the area, and a chance to visit the local university. That night we all agreed to help with the local English students by facilitating a conversation session which was set up like a speed date service. We asked questions, answered questions, and helped them with their vocabulary.

That night we stayed in a hotel with heat and hot water, which was a wonderful thing. On this entire trip I have only been able to take cold showers, with the exception of a single luke warm shower. At the Riobamba hotel I was able to take a steamy hot shower, which was most refreshing. The next morning we packed our things, had a short class period then headed back to Quito. We leave for the Galapagos Islands this Sunday so my time on the mainland is dwindling. My professor told me that there is a large amount of trekking In the Riobamba area so I have decided to return to Riobamba after the program so that I can experience more of the mountains. As of right now I have met the photo limit of my Flickr account so I wont be able to post my photos until the 1st of Febuary.

Rain Forest Exposure

I close my eyes, the noise grows and continues to please the mind. there are songs of all forms, both beautiful and soothing. My mind begins to wander, then it settles into the flow and comes to rest. I wake and open my eyes to see only darkness. my senses are dancing and I am in the rain forest.

The past week and a half have been extremely busy for all of us here at the GAIAS program. Last Monday we traveled to a research station on the Tiputini River, which is completely immersed in tropical rain forest. We returned to Quito on Friday and we were given a days rest so that we could wash some laundry. Early Sunday we left for three days of travel around the Volcano alley south of Quito. Now I suppose I will go in depth about the trip details.

Tiputini Biodiversity Station
Leaving early Monday morning we were in for a full day of travel deep into the Amazon. Our itinerary consisted of a 30 min plane ride to Coca, 2 hour boat ride, 2 hour bus ride, then a final 2 hour boat ride to the station. On top of all that we were forced to wait in the town of Coca for an additional 2 hours. While we were waiting in Coca we decided to have a few beers and play cards. Eventually we were visited by a small group of about five spider monkeys that decided to cause a ruckus by throwing cards and tipping our beers over onto the table. We were able to distract them with some fruit and continue our game. The 2 hour boat ride after Coca was both long and painful as many of us had a few recreational beverages and were forced to hold our bladders.

We made it to the station at dusk and proceeded to consume a delicious prepared dinner. The rain forest during the night is probably the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. After dinner a group of us went down by the river and just listened to the forest symphony, completely content with silence. I was able to do this all four nights that we were at the station. One of the nights we heard what seemed to be a jaguar, which consisted of a loud noise then a series of low growls. I was fascinated with this experience but the other person I was with was very frightened and so we left. On site they had a designated hammock area with a roof and several hammocks I spent a good amount of the nights dozing of listening to the frogs, crickets, monkeys, and other assorted critters.

One of the purposes of this trip was to conduct an experiment for our tropical ecology class, which involved a study of dung beetles. We were looking at species abundance with relation to disturbed areas. In order to count the beetles we set up a series of traps with poo bait, sadly I was chosen to be the dung distributor on the first day. On most days we would go on long walks through the forest with the local guides who were able to point out insects on the underside of leaves, they had such a close relationship with the forest. We hike to a few canopy towers, which took us above the canopy for a better look at tree epiphytes and great views. Several times while in the treetops we were able to see large groups of wooly monkeys, which are fun to watch as they jump tree to tree.

On the second day, after collecting dung beetle data we hopped into a boat and traveled a few kilometers up stream. With life vests on we all jumped into the river for a long float back to the station. The cool part about this experience is that you get to see and hear the forest without the roar of a boat engine. During this float we saw a lot of birds and some of us were fortunate enough to spot a family of giant river otters before they ran into the woods. One of the biggest problems with this float was the fact that there is a type of parasite which will swim into your urethra if you pee in the water, this caused a lot of pain for some because as soon as they jumped into the river they had to pee really bad. We floated for about 2 hours so by the time we got back to the station these people were about to explode with urine.

The last night we spent in Tiputini the guides took us out on a night hike where we were able to see snakes, spiders, frogs, and all kinds of insects. Friday morning we had an early start once again. On Saturday I was able to find a cheap place to get my laundry done. Saturday night I took a cab to the airport in order to welcome Molly to Quito, I wasn’t sure which flight she was on but I had a rough guess of the arrival time. When I got there she was with her new host family and I surprised her with a big hug. It was so good to see her even if it was for a short time. Sunday morning we set out for the Cotopaxi Volcano. I’m tired of typing so I will talk about that trip some time soon. I will post the photos soon.

Quito Impression

I have been getting more and more comfortable in this city, I feel as though I can work with the chaotic flow of Quito life. When I first arrived I was completely out of my element and didn't really know how to handle it all. Now that I have had several days to observe the people and get a deeper feel for the city, I feel settled in. Next week we will be traveling to the Tiputini Research Station located in the amazon river basin. I am most excited about this trip.

Class on Ilalo

Yesterday for class our teacher took us on a hike up one of the local mountains. It was amazing to have an entire class period outside, applying the concepts learned in previous classes. The mountain was called Ilalo and consisted of volcaninc ash bed soils. Our professor taught us about all the exotic and invasive plant species and how They have adapted so well to the Andean highlands. For example there is an invasive grass that was able to take hold when the side of this mountain was cleared for development. Now that the development has halted the invasive early successive species are moving in and occupying vast amounts of soil and covering entire forrest beds. The hike itself consisted mostly of bushwacking as there are not many organized hiking trails, this gave me a taste of what it will be like when I decide to do some trekking on my own time. During this hike I was able to talk with my professor about photography and our shared love for the mountains, we talked alot about Newengland geography and hiking. Overall a great morning for a hike, as soon as we returned to campus we all proceeded to have a team naptime next to the pond. I will attempt to upload the photos soon.

Los Baños

Hello All, These past days have been quite wholesome here in Ecuador. First off, we started classes this past Wednesday. I thought it would be hard to get back into the academic mood but I actually found it to be easy. My professor grew up in Ecuador and is very knowledgeable about the tropics, as he is teaching us Tropical Ecology. So far our classes are filled with in depth discussions and lectures, this Tuesday we will be going on a hike up a local mountain, which can be seen, from our beautiful campus (see photos if posted).
This past weekend a bunch of us from the program decided to take a little vacation and travel to Baños, Ecuador, which is a small tourist town located at the foot of an active volcano. We left early Saturday morning by taking a taxi to the bus terminal. The bus ride was about 3.5 hours but I was able to speak with some of the Ecuadorian locals about how beautiful their country was. We arrived in Baños during the early afternoon and found a hostel at the center of town. Walking down the main street we were spoken to by many tour operators until we found a reasonably priced one, and so we decided to go white water rafting while there was still light. The guides were very high energy and the rapids were huge. After rafting at about 9pm we hitched a ride to the top of one of the mountains for a view of the glowing volcano. Once we arrived at the viewpoint we were engulfed by a thick cloud, where vision was very minimal. Defeated by nature we decided to head down the mountain and fall asleep after the long active day.
The next morning we all decided to wake up before sunrise and visit the hot spring baths for a relaxing view. The baths were located at the foot of a large waterfall where small showers were set up for a taste of both extreme temperatures. The spring was very hot and the waterfall was very cold, both we very refreshing. Once again we were defeated by nature when the clouds blocked any possible sunrise view. After a short nap we all piled onto the bus and headed back to Quito. I would very much like to return to Baños so that I can try out rope jumping and to enjoy the various hikes around the area.
I hope to get some more photos posted soon but the internet is once again quite problematic.

Inro to Quito

I have been here for three days now and I am still in awe as to how beautiful the landscape is. The flowers are in full bloom and the city is full of many forms of art. there are about 27 of us currently staying in a hotel, which is located two blocks from a huge central park where there are gardens fields to walk and play in. Today we commuted to the USFQ campus in Cumbya for our first orientation session, it was a long ride but there is a shuttle bus every day for us to get us to class. I will try to upload my photos but the transfer rate here at the hotel is rather low so any uploading or downloading takes significantly longer.