We woke up around 7:30 to get ready for breakfast at 8. We had a choice between yogurt and granola or eggs. The eggs have become less popular by this time. We then got dressed in clothes that we didn't mind getting dirty, and walked across the street from the hostal to the botanical gardens. Rodrigo, the owner of the hostal, explained to us that we would be planting as many trees as we could in the hour and a half time we had available. It wasn't long before we developed a system. Some people were bringing in the trees to be planted, others were cutting the plastic containers that the trees were temporarily held in, and others were digging and filling in holes. There was, however, one special job held by Vivian. She was "The Pooper Scooper". She walked around the area looking for horse poop and shoveled it into the holes we were digging for trees. We ended up planting 57 trees within the hour and a half time.
We went to get cleaned up and began loading the bus. We were given a few minutes to look around Rodrigo's store. Everything inside was hand made by him or the other workers of the hostal.
After leaving Hostal Urbina, we were off to Banos. It was roughly an hour and a half drive. We arrived at our next stop unloaded our bags and went to lunch. Our lunch was similar to buffet style, but everything was on the table. So, it took about 20 minutes for them to have everything ready. While we were waiting, David and Javier took Michael, Mindy, Nicole, Chelsea, Shelli, Vivian and I to look for a place to have our laundry done. We found a place on the same street as our hostal and it was very inexpensive. We went back and had lunch with the rest of the group. We passed around rice, lamb stew, chicken, steamed vegetables, and pasta salad until we were all full... or all of the food was gone. For dessert, we were served helado de mora ( raspberry ice cream) It was all very good.
We were dismissed after lunch. This was our time to wander around Banos and buy souvenirs or just look around the shops. We were told to stay in at least groups of two and be back at the hostal by 6p.m. Michael Ann and I walked around bargaining with the shop owners for gifts we thought our family members and friends would like. We were also went to look for me a bathing suit, but we didn't have any luck with that. We walked the streets of Banos for about 3 hourse before we went back to get our laundry and head to the hostal.
We all got dressed in our bathing suits and followed Javier around the corner to the Hot Springs. The springs ran into 2 pools- hot and really hot. Most of us went to the really hot one only to turn and walk to the other. There was no joking when we were told really hot. Some of the others stayed in, but Nicole and I left and joined the Demerath family. The pools were very relaxing. After about 30 or 40 Minutes, Mindy, Nicole, Michael Ann, Chris, Derek, and Gabe headed back to the hostal to get dressed for dinner. The others followed soon after.
We went to a restaurant towards the center of town. We were given the choice of steak or chicken both in mushroom sauce. I got the chicken, which was very juicy and delicious. We were given crepes de chocolate (chocolate crepes) for dessert. There was a soccer game on in the restaurant-Ecuador Vs Mexico. A few of us left there and went to cabinas to make phone calls back the the U.S.- only 8 cents per minute. As we were leaving, there were several lines of cars going down the streets honking and cheering for the Ecuador soccer team.
After calling home, I went with the group I was with back to the hostal to get ready for bed.
Monday, June 9, 2008
June 6th, WHITE WATER RAFTING
Today was probably the highlight of the trip for most people. Early at 7:30 am we left the jungle lodge and drove to Tena, a city 20 min away from the lodge. We had breakfast in Tena and met our two guides for the rafting tour, Gino and George, as well as a girl from Australia who wanted to join us for the rafting. In two pick up trucks we left Tena to drive upstream the Rio Jatunyacu, which means "big river" in Kichua (the local language). After 45 min we stoppped and our guides unloaded the rafts and gave us our equipment, which consisted of helmets, paddles, life vests and a wet suit shirt. We had two rafts with eight people in each including a guide and a safety kayaker.
Gino was the guide in my raft and he taught us the different commands - forward, backward, sit on one side, and attack the other raft! We also learned how to float on the river in a safe position. The water looked really clean and was refreshing. As soon as we hit the first rapid everyone was thrown around in the raft and in the second rapid lightweight Chelsea was washed away. It was a lot of fun and everyone eventually fell into the river.
After about an hour and a half and a short break we had a longer stop. While lunch was prepared we played some games on the beach to warm up. We had to run as fast as we could, we crawled through the sand (and ate some), and we formed an enormous human knot that had to be untied. Then lunch was served by our guides. We had Ecaduadorian style burritos, fresh pineapple, watermelon and cookies.
Back on the river it got serious. We passed intense rapids and people fell out left and right. At one point our raft flipped. The safety kayaker always made sure we got our paddles back and helped people until they could get back into the raft. Measured on the "International Scale of River Difficulty" the part of the Rio Jatunyacu we were rafting on was classified as 3 out of 6, where 6 is impossible to raft on. Our raft went more difficult ways, so we did at least 3 and 1/2...
On passages without rapids our guide Gino made sure with his games that we all got into the water. When we got to the final stopping point everyone was sad it was over, but everyone had a smile on their face because it had been so much fun.
Of course our main focus during the rafting had been on how the Inkas managed to use the river as a means of transportation. I felt very sorry that they didn't have the fancy rafts we do now; they really missed out on a lot of fun;)
Gino was the guide in my raft and he taught us the different commands - forward, backward, sit on one side, and attack the other raft! We also learned how to float on the river in a safe position. The water looked really clean and was refreshing. As soon as we hit the first rapid everyone was thrown around in the raft and in the second rapid lightweight Chelsea was washed away. It was a lot of fun and everyone eventually fell into the river.
After about an hour and a half and a short break we had a longer stop. While lunch was prepared we played some games on the beach to warm up. We had to run as fast as we could, we crawled through the sand (and ate some), and we formed an enormous human knot that had to be untied. Then lunch was served by our guides. We had Ecaduadorian style burritos, fresh pineapple, watermelon and cookies.
Back on the river it got serious. We passed intense rapids and people fell out left and right. At one point our raft flipped. The safety kayaker always made sure we got our paddles back and helped people until they could get back into the raft. Measured on the "International Scale of River Difficulty" the part of the Rio Jatunyacu we were rafting on was classified as 3 out of 6, where 6 is impossible to raft on. Our raft went more difficult ways, so we did at least 3 and 1/2...
On passages without rapids our guide Gino made sure with his games that we all got into the water. When we got to the final stopping point everyone was sad it was over, but everyone had a smile on their face because it had been so much fun.
Of course our main focus during the rafting had been on how the Inkas managed to use the river as a means of transportation. I felt very sorry that they didn't have the fancy rafts we do now; they really missed out on a lot of fun;)
June 1, 2008
At around 10:00 last night the hostel turned off the power to conserve energy.
We all woke around 7:00 for an 8:00 breakfast of eggs, fruit, granola, pineapple juice and tea.
We then drove to Cotopaxi which has a refuge at a height of 4,800 meters.We climbed Cotopaxi bottom to top in about 2.5 hours. The climb was extremely rough and I still don't know how we did it. The weather of the whole climb was extremely cold and extremely windy. I could not feel my hands, feet or face the whole way. With the strong wind, you could not even stand straight up or else you would be blown backwards. Another reason the climb was so difficult was that every step I took forward, I would sink backwards in the ash a couple of centimeters. Also, my steps were very small: I went heel to toe the whole way as I climbed. I had to focus very hard on keeping my breathing and climbing constant ant or else I would not have made it to the top. Every time I glanced up, the refuge did not seem to be getting any closer. Just when I couldn't climb another step, we made it to the top. We took a picture and about a 15 minute break. The trip all the way down the mountain took only 40 minutes. WE "skied" down most of the way in the very loose ash and snow, pushing ourselves froward with our alternating back leg. I felt like a speed skater. WE were skidding about a yard each for step. I still can't believe we did it. Only 7 out of our groups of 16 made it up the mountain and I am so proud of all of us. (PS. That was 10 times harder than climbing the glacier!)
We also did a 6 mile hike through the hills to see some Inca ruins. We got to see the fortress they strategically built in between all the mountains. The Incas were one of the successful people when it came to use of land and running an empire. Our guide shared the history of the location with the groups.
- Nicole Turner-
Sunday, June 8, 2008
May 30, 2208 (Friday)
Today started out with some eggs, like most days so far. Today we would be heading up to the glacier that we would be climbing. We got together our warm clothes and met the guides out front. We all loaded up on the truck to head out long journey up a mountain. The terrain changed as we went higher and higher, from trees and brush, to shorter trees and brush to bushes to rocks and snow, and then finally to snow only with some bigger rocks seen in the distance. As we traveled through the tiny farm towns that were clinging to the mountain side we saw a minga, which is where people in the community get together and harvest crops, or as in this case, move pips to another location. Several of us helped move the incredibly heavy pipe to where the rest were. The people still had a lot more pipes to move, but we had to be on our way to the glacier. The bus could not make it all the way up the mountain, so we all had to load up in jeeps to take us the rest of the way up the mountain.
When we finally arrived to the lodge, we went up and put all of our warm socks, gloves, jackets, long underwear, etc. We met the guides that would be taking us on our glacier climbing experience. Then we got our gear: boots, ice axes, harnesses, etc. Then we hiked over rocks and dirt (which used to be glacier, but due to global warming was not longer ice). Finally ending up at the glacier we learned how to walk with our clampons in the snow and ice. We learned how to go up and down and side ways, and of course, how to fall. Then we went and had a snack and got our ice axes. Several people got sick from the altitude change and had to take is a bit slower, others, got to experience ropes and such. Mindy and I climbed to a beautiful ice cave using our clampons and our ice axes. It was beautiful. It was a very tough climb, but so rewarding to finally make it.
Then we went back, had lunch with the guides, turned our equipment in, and loaded up the jeeps and headed back down the mountain. As we headed down the mountain the people that were feeling under the weather began to feel better as the altitude got lower. We met the bus and said, good-bye to the guides and went the rest of the way down back to our hotel.
-Michael Anne-
When we finally arrived to the lodge, we went up and put all of our warm socks, gloves, jackets, long underwear, etc. We met the guides that would be taking us on our glacier climbing experience. Then we got our gear: boots, ice axes, harnesses, etc. Then we hiked over rocks and dirt (which used to be glacier, but due to global warming was not longer ice). Finally ending up at the glacier we learned how to walk with our clampons in the snow and ice. We learned how to go up and down and side ways, and of course, how to fall. Then we went and had a snack and got our ice axes. Several people got sick from the altitude change and had to take is a bit slower, others, got to experience ropes and such. Mindy and I climbed to a beautiful ice cave using our clampons and our ice axes. It was beautiful. It was a very tough climb, but so rewarding to finally make it.
Then we went back, had lunch with the guides, turned our equipment in, and loaded up the jeeps and headed back down the mountain. As we headed down the mountain the people that were feeling under the weather began to feel better as the altitude got lower. We met the bus and said, good-bye to the guides and went the rest of the way down back to our hotel.
-Michael Anne-
Saturday, June 7, 2008
June 2nd, 2008 (Monday)
Today, I woke up in our Hostal Urbina to take a shower before my roommate Shellie. I gather my things and got undress to learn that the water nor electricity worked. I checked the faucet and the light but nothing comes on. I get dress to go find out if they just turned it off and when it might be turned back on. I find out that the electricity and water is out all over town including the Hostal. So I decided to shower-bath with my brown water bottle that I had filled up from the night before from the sink. I put in my iodine tablets but the water seemed a little bit scary to drink but was at least clean. One of my roommates, Michael Anne, let me borrow her wet wipes and a bottle of water because two of the girls were able to take a bath the night before. I washed my hair, body and shaved with two wet wipes and a bottle and half of water. The rest we used to brush our teeth with.
We ate breakfast without electricity and then we packed up and headed to Urbina. The place that we are staying at is an old train station. But before we get there, we stopped on the way at a local market in Latatunga to buy fruit and school supplies to give to the local community. Michale Anne bought two soccer balls, Kristen bought soccer balls too and I had help from Derek to pick out a basketball for the community. Between the eleven of us students and two professors, we ended up raising over $140. We bought enough for this community and for the one in the jungle that we were headed to after this stop.
When we arrived at Urbina, something happened and they could not feed us lunch. So, we headed to the nearest town for lunch to eat pizza at !Uno Momento Pizza! While we waited on our food, we roamed around the city, Rio Bamba. I walked with Senora and then we meet up with the other wanderers. After eating, we headed back. On the way back, we saw the peak of Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador. Also, we saw an active volcano that was erupting ash (Tungurahua).
As we arrive back to Urbina we meet with the owner, Rodrigo. He talked about the history and showed us around the Hostal. We took pictures with the llamas, played with the guinea pigs and learned all of the vegetation that they had and their crafts. After that we loaded up and headed down the street to visit the local community. There we meet the kids to give them the toys, school supplies and fruits. We arrived there and they came out and we introduced ourselves. We got out the soccer balls and started to play with them. We went in the church once we had played for a while and meet the leader of the community to tell him why we were here. We passed out everything and they loved it even the parents. The children ate the food right then and there. The women came around to us and thanked us personally. Seeing this happen moved me completely even to the point of tears several times throughout this event. One lady even brought us a liter of coke, two blocks of cheese and lima beans to thank us for what we have done. This community has so little but are yet so courteous. We ended up eating the cheese with our dinner and lima beans as part of our breakfast the next day. While inside the church, I went and got my basketball from the bus and brought it in. One little boy really took to it. He had a white puma cap on and had to be like 7 or 8 years old. He did pretty well with it, maybe he will be the next Mugsey Bogus according to Derek and myself.
We all definitely wanted to stay and help. It broke my heart but I am glad that we could help them in some way. Those people touched us all. Their warming smiles, eyes, hand shakes and hugs will be with me always.
We ate breakfast without electricity and then we packed up and headed to Urbina. The place that we are staying at is an old train station. But before we get there, we stopped on the way at a local market in Latatunga to buy fruit and school supplies to give to the local community. Michale Anne bought two soccer balls, Kristen bought soccer balls too and I had help from Derek to pick out a basketball for the community. Between the eleven of us students and two professors, we ended up raising over $140. We bought enough for this community and for the one in the jungle that we were headed to after this stop.
When we arrived at Urbina, something happened and they could not feed us lunch. So, we headed to the nearest town for lunch to eat pizza at !Uno Momento Pizza! While we waited on our food, we roamed around the city, Rio Bamba. I walked with Senora and then we meet up with the other wanderers. After eating, we headed back. On the way back, we saw the peak of Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador. Also, we saw an active volcano that was erupting ash (Tungurahua).
As we arrive back to Urbina we meet with the owner, Rodrigo. He talked about the history and showed us around the Hostal. We took pictures with the llamas, played with the guinea pigs and learned all of the vegetation that they had and their crafts. After that we loaded up and headed down the street to visit the local community. There we meet the kids to give them the toys, school supplies and fruits. We arrived there and they came out and we introduced ourselves. We got out the soccer balls and started to play with them. We went in the church once we had played for a while and meet the leader of the community to tell him why we were here. We passed out everything and they loved it even the parents. The children ate the food right then and there. The women came around to us and thanked us personally. Seeing this happen moved me completely even to the point of tears several times throughout this event. One lady even brought us a liter of coke, two blocks of cheese and lima beans to thank us for what we have done. This community has so little but are yet so courteous. We ended up eating the cheese with our dinner and lima beans as part of our breakfast the next day. While inside the church, I went and got my basketball from the bus and brought it in. One little boy really took to it. He had a white puma cap on and had to be like 7 or 8 years old. He did pretty well with it, maybe he will be the next Mugsey Bogus according to Derek and myself.
We all definitely wanted to stay and help. It broke my heart but I am glad that we could help them in some way. Those people touched us all. Their warming smiles, eyes, hand shakes and hugs will be with me always.
- Mindy McKoin-
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Saturday, May 31st, Caymbe National Park
Today, we woke up around 7. We had breakfast at Hacienda Gauchala at 8 am. Some of us had eggs, while others had granola and yogurt. Overall the breakfast was good! After breakfast we loaded up the bus with all our bags. Then Javier told us we were going to met the owner of Hacienda Gauchala. The owner was Gabriella Bonitaz. Gabriella told us about the history of the Hacienda and what is going on today with the hacienda.
Hacienda Gauchala is the oldest hacienda in Ecuador. The hacienda was built in the 1580´s. There is a ton of history within the hacienda. The PreInca people were known as Camibe Caiki. The Incas traveled up through the South to take over the area. It took the Incas 17 years to conquer these people. The Incas only stayed for 30 years, before they were conquered by the Spainards. The Spainards built temples over the prexsisting structures. The Spainards made all the people work at the hacienda for no money. The people received a small amount of land to grow crops, however there was no other stipen for their work.
The hacienda today looks mostly the same as it did in the 1600´s. With minor changes in paint, and materials of the walls and ceilings. Today, most of the structures are made of wood, however back in the day the wood was very expensive. They used straw instead of wood. The condtions today are very luxurious, compared to the 1600´s. The French wrote frequently about the really bad conditions especially in the Obrahi, or church.
Throughout the years the hacienda has had many owners. However around 1892, the first person from Gabriella´s family bought the hacienda. Today, UCLA and Columbia University archelogists are doing research within the hacienda and local area. After much research they have decided this year to excavate under the original church and walls. Gabriella is very excited for this research.
After the tour of the hacienda we drove in the bus for about 30 minutes. Then we arrived at the middle of the world. The spot that we stopped at was located on the equator. There was a giant sun dial carved into the ground. Along with a large tower with a mirror to cast shadows. At this location we met with Gabriella´s husband Cristobal. He has a degree in Business Administration. However he gave a short speach about how the sun dial worked. He used a smaller model to help explain it. Because of the Earth´s tilt at 23 degrees, Louisiana will never have the sun directly overhead. However, on two days out of the year, Ecuador does. Those days are March 21st and September 23rd. The days are referred to as the Equinox. The Equinox is when the sun is directly overhead. The Sun Dial represents the world. We were located in the middle of the world for two reasons. One we were standing on the Equator. But also because we were on the highest point on the equator. The highest elevation from the center of the world is Chimborso, located in Ecuador. Although the talk with Cristobal was alittle confusing it was very interesting. I think all of us really enjoyed taking pictures on and near the equator.
After many pictures, we loaded back into the bus for another hour drive. Our next stop was San Luis shopping mall. This is the first place that looks like the United States. Many of the stores were the same as back home. This was a very short stop for lunch. Although this may disappoint some of you most of us ate Pizza Hut for lunch. I have to admit that it tasted just like home. Don´t be too upset as this was our first meal from a typical United States resteraunt.
After a very quick lunch we piled back into the bus for about a 2 hour drive. The drive was very scenic. We saw many mountains, rivers, and waterfalls that were beautiful. We drove into Caymbe National Park. This is one of the most scenic places we have stayed. Our lodge is located on the top of a hill with views of many volcanoes and mountains including Cotopaxi. We all really enjoy it.
Once we unpacked the bus, we buddled up with warm clothes and went down to ride horses. Javier and the others helped us all up onto the horses and off we went. The ride was beautiful and so much fun. Many of our horses did a slow gallop and trotted most of the time. This is for many of us our favorite activity of the day. We saw wild horses and llamas. Although it was very cold, we all had a great time. After riding for two hours we had a nice dinner and snuggled up in bed. Overall, it was a very good day, we learned alot and had fun!
Hacienda Gauchala is the oldest hacienda in Ecuador. The hacienda was built in the 1580´s. There is a ton of history within the hacienda. The PreInca people were known as Camibe Caiki. The Incas traveled up through the South to take over the area. It took the Incas 17 years to conquer these people. The Incas only stayed for 30 years, before they were conquered by the Spainards. The Spainards built temples over the prexsisting structures. The Spainards made all the people work at the hacienda for no money. The people received a small amount of land to grow crops, however there was no other stipen for their work.
The hacienda today looks mostly the same as it did in the 1600´s. With minor changes in paint, and materials of the walls and ceilings. Today, most of the structures are made of wood, however back in the day the wood was very expensive. They used straw instead of wood. The condtions today are very luxurious, compared to the 1600´s. The French wrote frequently about the really bad conditions especially in the Obrahi, or church.
Throughout the years the hacienda has had many owners. However around 1892, the first person from Gabriella´s family bought the hacienda. Today, UCLA and Columbia University archelogists are doing research within the hacienda and local area. After much research they have decided this year to excavate under the original church and walls. Gabriella is very excited for this research.
After the tour of the hacienda we drove in the bus for about 30 minutes. Then we arrived at the middle of the world. The spot that we stopped at was located on the equator. There was a giant sun dial carved into the ground. Along with a large tower with a mirror to cast shadows. At this location we met with Gabriella´s husband Cristobal. He has a degree in Business Administration. However he gave a short speach about how the sun dial worked. He used a smaller model to help explain it. Because of the Earth´s tilt at 23 degrees, Louisiana will never have the sun directly overhead. However, on two days out of the year, Ecuador does. Those days are March 21st and September 23rd. The days are referred to as the Equinox. The Equinox is when the sun is directly overhead. The Sun Dial represents the world. We were located in the middle of the world for two reasons. One we were standing on the Equator. But also because we were on the highest point on the equator. The highest elevation from the center of the world is Chimborso, located in Ecuador. Although the talk with Cristobal was alittle confusing it was very interesting. I think all of us really enjoyed taking pictures on and near the equator.
After many pictures, we loaded back into the bus for another hour drive. Our next stop was San Luis shopping mall. This is the first place that looks like the United States. Many of the stores were the same as back home. This was a very short stop for lunch. Although this may disappoint some of you most of us ate Pizza Hut for lunch. I have to admit that it tasted just like home. Don´t be too upset as this was our first meal from a typical United States resteraunt.
After a very quick lunch we piled back into the bus for about a 2 hour drive. The drive was very scenic. We saw many mountains, rivers, and waterfalls that were beautiful. We drove into Caymbe National Park. This is one of the most scenic places we have stayed. Our lodge is located on the top of a hill with views of many volcanoes and mountains including Cotopaxi. We all really enjoy it.
Once we unpacked the bus, we buddled up with warm clothes and went down to ride horses. Javier and the others helped us all up onto the horses and off we went. The ride was beautiful and so much fun. Many of our horses did a slow gallop and trotted most of the time. This is for many of us our favorite activity of the day. We saw wild horses and llamas. Although it was very cold, we all had a great time. After riding for two hours we had a nice dinner and snuggled up in bed. Overall, it was a very good day, we learned alot and had fun!
Wednesday, May 28. Otavalo
Last night was the last night we stayed in Quito. After meeting our tour guide Javier, we picked Senora up from her sister´s house, which was very nice. We drove to Otavalo and visited the open air market. There were so many Ecuadorians with small tables and tarps in case of rain. Products included clothes, artwork, jewelry, and kids´ toys. Prices were extremely cheap, and most costs were negotiable. Teamwork seemed important in the market. If one seller needed change, he or she would get it from another seller, and many would help each other out with selling goods. We ate at a nice restaurant near the market.
After leaving the market, we drove to Cotacachi mountain. There was a crater lake there, and the view from the lodge was awesome. Before dark, we all went on about a 1-hour hike. It rained so everybody got soaked. For dinner, we ate trout, french fries, rice, veggies, and soup. It is tradition here to eat popcorn in the soup. We were also served some sort of cinammon, apple cider. It was served hot and tasted very good. We then called it a night. Tomorrow, the plan is to drive to Cayambe.
After leaving the market, we drove to Cotacachi mountain. There was a crater lake there, and the view from the lodge was awesome. Before dark, we all went on about a 1-hour hike. It rained so everybody got soaked. For dinner, we ate trout, french fries, rice, veggies, and soup. It is tradition here to eat popcorn in the soup. We were also served some sort of cinammon, apple cider. It was served hot and tasted very good. We then called it a night. Tomorrow, the plan is to drive to Cayambe.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Cotacachi-Cayapas
We were at the Cotacachi-Cayapas, which is a large volcano that has collapsed and has a giant lake in the middle. We woke up at 5:00am so that we could go hiking around the lake. The air was very frigid when we were woke up. It was pretty cold the entire time that we were hiking. We wouldn´t be able to walk around the entire ridge of the volcano because the hike would take around 5 hours and we were going to leave at 8:00am. It was still dark when we started walking, so we had to use flashlights until the sun started to rise. It was foggy during most of the hike, so it was hard to get good pictures. We hike for an hour and a half and then walked back down to have breakfast. We had a small jeep take our luggage down to the bus because it was too muddy to come pick us up.
We drove around 5 hours to the valley where Senora Demerath's parents live. The climate change from the mountains to the valley was incredible. By the time we had reached the farm most of us on the bus had opened up the windows all of the way because most of us were sweating. We had to get off the bus and make our way to the farm because it was too muddy to ford the small river. In order to cross the river we walked across a small plank that that had a wire to hold on to. When we reached the farm we took a tour of the farm and saw what kinds of fruit and animals they had. We ate talapia for lunch provided by her family. There they raise talapia in fish farms and grow many types of fruits. After lunch we walked down to the river and some people decided to jump in and cool off. On the way there we stopped and ate some sugar cane. After the farm we drove to Cayambe, and that ended our day.
We drove around 5 hours to the valley where Senora Demerath's parents live. The climate change from the mountains to the valley was incredible. By the time we had reached the farm most of us on the bus had opened up the windows all of the way because most of us were sweating. We had to get off the bus and make our way to the farm because it was too muddy to ford the small river. In order to cross the river we walked across a small plank that that had a wire to hold on to. When we reached the farm we took a tour of the farm and saw what kinds of fruit and animals they had. We ate talapia for lunch provided by her family. There they raise talapia in fish farms and grow many types of fruits. After lunch we walked down to the river and some people decided to jump in and cool off. On the way there we stopped and ate some sugar cane. After the farm we drove to Cayambe, and that ended our day.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A tour around town
Today was a fairly slow day for us. We did not have any major plans tell 11am today so we got to sleep in a little today. Although some people did travel to the local supermarket to shop a little before our ride arrived. But even still we did not leave the hostal tell around 11:30 because of Dr. Demerath being a little late getting back.
At around 12:15 we visted the Virgin statue, which is a giant statue of the virgin mary that 0verlooks Quito. But before that the ride to the statue was fairly interesting. To get to the statue we had to drive through an older part of Quito and I must say that it was in fairly poor shape compared to the part of town we are staying at (even though it is not the best place in the world either). The amount of people walking the streets was a lot higher, many more stray dogs were around, the roads were crawling with street vendors, even the air smelled horribly of exhaust and believe me as a native Houstonian I have a fair amount of resistance to this kind of stuff but it made me even gag. The buildings were also more cramped and they looked a fair deal older as well. Aside from this the statue was fairly nice, the statue itself as I said is of the virgin mary, she is standing on the world and the moon and interestingly enough a snake as well. I was told that the snake symbolizes the virgin mary to be someone who has tamed the snake that had forced Adam and Eve down, marking the virgin mary to be someone who does not even have original sin. Only a few people climbed the statue while the rest of us took in the surroundings to view the city. It was a remarkable view, the spots that we had stopped from the previous day could be seen in the distance. Quite is a fairly large city that covers the land as far as I could see even from the mountain we climbed the day before.
After our statue viewing, we hoped in our van and headed to a restaurant where we were going to meet a man named Mark for lunch. The lunch was the most suprising lunch so far, the first dish was a type of fish soup that we all enjoyed, but the second dish we had a choice of either a beef dish or cow utter! Yes, cow utter (yummy). I ate the beef but I was told that the cow was alright, seems that its texture is that of squid and has a fairly bland taste to it. Aside from lunch, Mark was a fairly nice guy we met, from what I was told he is in Quito working as a leader for a group of volunteers who are helping out Quito. From what I understood, people pay $7000 to cover their own living expenses and come and work in Quito for a whole year helping out by working on projects (the average yearly salery in Quito is said to be only $6000 so they dont have a hard time with money) After lunch we walked together with Mark to his home, along the way he would hug and kiss the local children, it seems he has built a very good relationship with the locals that he is always trying to improve. As we reached his home it started to rain. Inside we took a tour and saw how he was living together with his fellow volunteers. After the tour we hoped in our van and drove to a couple of the local schools that Marks group have been helping out in. They are teaching children english and literature to them. It seemed that the kids were very happy and were having fun. The drive back to Mark´s was a bit rough in that the rain made the road pretty difficult because the part the schools were in had fairly undeveloped roads, even pipeline had never been laid down yet.
After we said our goodbyes to Mark we made our way to dinner. Along the way Dr. Demerath told us some interesting facts about the trees in Quito. None of them are native to Ecuador because a long time ago when the land was mostly used for farming, small time farmers who could not build farms in the valley because of rich land owners would have to go up the mountains and clear out all the trees to create farms for themselves. But this caused all the vegetation to be wiped out. After this happened, the people became worried about the soil due to lack of vegetation keeping it from eroding by planting foriegn trees. This helped the erosing problem but caused a few others as well. The trees used sucked a lot of water from the soil and caused other plant life to die out even more because their was just not enough for them to survive. Anyway, the ride to the resteraunt for dinner took almost an hour to get to (seems we took a special way this time), As we went I noticed that we were heading into a better part of Quito because my surroundings began to improve a lot. Spaces between the buildings began to appear, cars were not driving around like maniacs, a lot more stop lights appeared, even some old school favorites like Mcdonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut were seen. This was really a better and more upscale part of town because it was starting to remind me of home in America.
Our dinner tonight was very nice, every meal we eat we have a $10 limit on our order including drink, but the food is always so cheap we have never had a problem (that lunch from earlier I was shocked to find costed $2.15 total each and it was a fairly big meal too). I had a glass of lemonaid with a cheese steak sandwich. It was fairly good and I had a fun time playing around with Gus and Ela (The Demerath kids, I like picking on them wherever we go) After dinner the rain had finally settled down (but the girls sure hadnt because they started singing Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys for the whole ride). It has gotten a little colder here now that it has rained. We are all in good health still and are enjoying our trip, tomorrow we leave this Hostal to go to our next destination for our trip. (although im told tomorrow is a shopping day...)
P.S. This has nothing really to do with the blog but because I know she will read this so I would just like to say Happy Birthday Mom! (Yes it is on May 28th no joke) Sorry I cant be their for you but I promise I will get you something nice!
At around 12:15 we visted the Virgin statue, which is a giant statue of the virgin mary that 0verlooks Quito. But before that the ride to the statue was fairly interesting. To get to the statue we had to drive through an older part of Quito and I must say that it was in fairly poor shape compared to the part of town we are staying at (even though it is not the best place in the world either). The amount of people walking the streets was a lot higher, many more stray dogs were around, the roads were crawling with street vendors, even the air smelled horribly of exhaust and believe me as a native Houstonian I have a fair amount of resistance to this kind of stuff but it made me even gag. The buildings were also more cramped and they looked a fair deal older as well. Aside from this the statue was fairly nice, the statue itself as I said is of the virgin mary, she is standing on the world and the moon and interestingly enough a snake as well. I was told that the snake symbolizes the virgin mary to be someone who has tamed the snake that had forced Adam and Eve down, marking the virgin mary to be someone who does not even have original sin. Only a few people climbed the statue while the rest of us took in the surroundings to view the city. It was a remarkable view, the spots that we had stopped from the previous day could be seen in the distance. Quite is a fairly large city that covers the land as far as I could see even from the mountain we climbed the day before.
After our statue viewing, we hoped in our van and headed to a restaurant where we were going to meet a man named Mark for lunch. The lunch was the most suprising lunch so far, the first dish was a type of fish soup that we all enjoyed, but the second dish we had a choice of either a beef dish or cow utter! Yes, cow utter (yummy). I ate the beef but I was told that the cow was alright, seems that its texture is that of squid and has a fairly bland taste to it. Aside from lunch, Mark was a fairly nice guy we met, from what I was told he is in Quito working as a leader for a group of volunteers who are helping out Quito. From what I understood, people pay $7000 to cover their own living expenses and come and work in Quito for a whole year helping out by working on projects (the average yearly salery in Quito is said to be only $6000 so they dont have a hard time with money) After lunch we walked together with Mark to his home, along the way he would hug and kiss the local children, it seems he has built a very good relationship with the locals that he is always trying to improve. As we reached his home it started to rain. Inside we took a tour and saw how he was living together with his fellow volunteers. After the tour we hoped in our van and drove to a couple of the local schools that Marks group have been helping out in. They are teaching children english and literature to them. It seemed that the kids were very happy and were having fun. The drive back to Mark´s was a bit rough in that the rain made the road pretty difficult because the part the schools were in had fairly undeveloped roads, even pipeline had never been laid down yet.
After we said our goodbyes to Mark we made our way to dinner. Along the way Dr. Demerath told us some interesting facts about the trees in Quito. None of them are native to Ecuador because a long time ago when the land was mostly used for farming, small time farmers who could not build farms in the valley because of rich land owners would have to go up the mountains and clear out all the trees to create farms for themselves. But this caused all the vegetation to be wiped out. After this happened, the people became worried about the soil due to lack of vegetation keeping it from eroding by planting foriegn trees. This helped the erosing problem but caused a few others as well. The trees used sucked a lot of water from the soil and caused other plant life to die out even more because their was just not enough for them to survive. Anyway, the ride to the resteraunt for dinner took almost an hour to get to (seems we took a special way this time), As we went I noticed that we were heading into a better part of Quito because my surroundings began to improve a lot. Spaces between the buildings began to appear, cars were not driving around like maniacs, a lot more stop lights appeared, even some old school favorites like Mcdonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut were seen. This was really a better and more upscale part of town because it was starting to remind me of home in America.
Our dinner tonight was very nice, every meal we eat we have a $10 limit on our order including drink, but the food is always so cheap we have never had a problem (that lunch from earlier I was shocked to find costed $2.15 total each and it was a fairly big meal too). I had a glass of lemonaid with a cheese steak sandwich. It was fairly good and I had a fun time playing around with Gus and Ela (The Demerath kids, I like picking on them wherever we go) After dinner the rain had finally settled down (but the girls sure hadnt because they started singing Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys for the whole ride). It has gotten a little colder here now that it has rained. We are all in good health still and are enjoying our trip, tomorrow we leave this Hostal to go to our next destination for our trip. (although im told tomorrow is a shopping day...)
P.S. This has nothing really to do with the blog but because I know she will read this so I would just like to say Happy Birthday Mom! (Yes it is on May 28th no joke) Sorry I cant be their for you but I promise I will get you something nice!
The Streets of Old Quito
We made it through our first day in Ecuador!
Yesterday, as Dr. Demerath said, the breakfast was very delicious. Once we got going, we made our first stop at a hiking gear store so that we could try on boots for our glacier climb later this week. I must admit, I´m pretty excited about it. ;)
While we were all waiting outside of the store on the sidewalk, which was extremely close to the street, mind you, I made a few early observations about traffic and the street system here in Quito. My first observance dealt with the cars. In America, just about wherever you go, the vehicles that everyone drives are generally newer and the latest model. We tend to get tired with a car after 2-3 years, and seek to upgrade our daily transportation. That is not the case here. The cars are a complete mismatch of older cars that seem to belong in the junk yard, many of them producing so much carbon dioxide due to their aged or missing catalytic converters that it makes it harder to breathe. The nicer cars are the taxi cabs, which are commonly tiny cars like a Ford Focus or a Hyundai Accent. It felt strange to see my car that I drive at home painted yellow with a taxi cab light on top.
After we were finished at the hiking gear store, we squeezed into three taxi cabs and made our way to the Teleferiqo, the cable car up the mountain. The air was hard to breathe, but the view was amazing. The city of Quito was spread out beneath us as everyone tried to snap a picture before we disappeared into the clouds. At the top, there was a small bakery and a few other shops. This whole tourist attraction had many stores and outlets, but it was very sad to see that it did not do so well, and most places were not occupied. Some returned down the mountain fairly quickly because the altitude was not working so well with them. I will admit that it was very hard to breathe, but it has made it easier to breathe down in the city.
The taxi cab ride was almost as scary as the cable car ride! The people here are not as worried about or respectful of pedestrians. If someone is crossing the street, they just give a little "beep beep" of the horn and don´t even slow down. It`s pretty scary when you´re that pedestrian. We did some walking to the Magic Bean for lunch, and then walked to the Trole (trolly). This was an interesting experience because you just had to hurry up and RUN onto the trole and try to grab a seat before it got going and knocked you down! We got off at the Plaza Grande and walked a good distance to the cities capitol and their president`s home. It was very interesting to see the gorgeous catholic churches, because there was one on just about every corner. The capitol was more like a courtyard with little shopping centers all around. There were tons of people in the courtyard, shining shoes, reading the paper, or just spending a nice evening outside. The little shops were fun, and the grocery store was priced very low.
After we had dinner at a nice restaurant (about $8 a meal) we called some taxis in the rain and made our way back to the Hostal Alcada. Then we all had some much needed sleep!
Yesterday, as Dr. Demerath said, the breakfast was very delicious. Once we got going, we made our first stop at a hiking gear store so that we could try on boots for our glacier climb later this week. I must admit, I´m pretty excited about it. ;)
While we were all waiting outside of the store on the sidewalk, which was extremely close to the street, mind you, I made a few early observations about traffic and the street system here in Quito. My first observance dealt with the cars. In America, just about wherever you go, the vehicles that everyone drives are generally newer and the latest model. We tend to get tired with a car after 2-3 years, and seek to upgrade our daily transportation. That is not the case here. The cars are a complete mismatch of older cars that seem to belong in the junk yard, many of them producing so much carbon dioxide due to their aged or missing catalytic converters that it makes it harder to breathe. The nicer cars are the taxi cabs, which are commonly tiny cars like a Ford Focus or a Hyundai Accent. It felt strange to see my car that I drive at home painted yellow with a taxi cab light on top.
After we were finished at the hiking gear store, we squeezed into three taxi cabs and made our way to the Teleferiqo, the cable car up the mountain. The air was hard to breathe, but the view was amazing. The city of Quito was spread out beneath us as everyone tried to snap a picture before we disappeared into the clouds. At the top, there was a small bakery and a few other shops. This whole tourist attraction had many stores and outlets, but it was very sad to see that it did not do so well, and most places were not occupied. Some returned down the mountain fairly quickly because the altitude was not working so well with them. I will admit that it was very hard to breathe, but it has made it easier to breathe down in the city.
The taxi cab ride was almost as scary as the cable car ride! The people here are not as worried about or respectful of pedestrians. If someone is crossing the street, they just give a little "beep beep" of the horn and don´t even slow down. It`s pretty scary when you´re that pedestrian. We did some walking to the Magic Bean for lunch, and then walked to the Trole (trolly). This was an interesting experience because you just had to hurry up and RUN onto the trole and try to grab a seat before it got going and knocked you down! We got off at the Plaza Grande and walked a good distance to the cities capitol and their president`s home. It was very interesting to see the gorgeous catholic churches, because there was one on just about every corner. The capitol was more like a courtyard with little shopping centers all around. There were tons of people in the courtyard, shining shoes, reading the paper, or just spending a nice evening outside. The little shops were fun, and the grocery store was priced very low.
After we had dinner at a nice restaurant (about $8 a meal) we called some taxis in the rain and made our way back to the Hostal Alcada. Then we all had some much needed sleep!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Arrived Safe and Sound Last Night, Explore Central Quito Today
We´ve arrived safe and sound! No problems on our flights or going through customs last night. Got into bed by 11:00 last night. Had a nice breakfast of eggs, bread, jam, a banana, freshly squeezed tree tomato juice (like tart papaya, or a mix of tomato and orange?) and coffee. Chatted during breakfast with an NYU Primatologist and her graduate students who were about to leave for the amazon basin where they´ll be studying monkeys.
We're planning to spend today roaming the center of the city, which is the old colonial part of Quito, then, if we have time and it´s not too cloudy (it´s not now, but who knows) we´ll take the "Teliferico," a gondola system, up to the saddle of the mountain"Guagua Pichincha," which is the active volcano right over Quito. We won´t be going to the top, but there a bunch of restaurants and little stores that have been built recently for visitors. The city itself is at about 9000 feet, and this is quite a bit higher, perhaps 12,000 or 13,000. In keeping with our theme of examining how culture intersects with envirnoment, we`ll pass right over the little farms using the mountain in the old way, as use it in the newer ecotourist way ourselves.
We're planning to spend today roaming the center of the city, which is the old colonial part of Quito, then, if we have time and it´s not too cloudy (it´s not now, but who knows) we´ll take the "Teliferico," a gondola system, up to the saddle of the mountain"Guagua Pichincha," which is the active volcano right over Quito. We won´t be going to the top, but there a bunch of restaurants and little stores that have been built recently for visitors. The city itself is at about 9000 feet, and this is quite a bit higher, perhaps 12,000 or 13,000. In keeping with our theme of examining how culture intersects with envirnoment, we`ll pass right over the little farms using the mountain in the old way, as use it in the newer ecotourist way ourselves.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Airline Allowances
Carry-On
Cuticle Cutters, Glasses Repair Kits, Safety Razors (Including Disposable Razors), Tweezers, Knitting/Crochet Needles, Nail Clippers, Nail Files, Umbrellas, Walking Canes, Camcorders, Cameras, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Pagers, PDAs, Camera Equipment, Scissors (4” or less), Screwdrivers (7” or less), Wrenches (7” or less), Pliers (7” or less), Small Compressed Gas Cartridges (limit 2), Beverages Purchased after Screening, Prescription Medications, Juice (reasonable quantity),
Carry-On 3oz or Less
Creams, Lotions, Ointments, Moisturizers, Bath Oils, Gel Deodorant, Hair Gel, Bug Repellent, Eye Drops, Saline Solution, Lip Gloss, Liquid Foundation, Sanitizers, Liquid Soap, Liquid Mascara, Makeup Remover, Mouthwash, Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, Non-Prescription Liquid or Gel Medication, Beverages from Home, Canned / Jarred Foods, Gel Supplements,
Checked Only
Box Cutters, Knives, Sporting / Martial Arts Equipment, Ammunition / Firearms (Including Non-Lethal), Mace / Pepper Spray (4oz or less w/ safety), Gel Shoe Inserts, Snow Globes
Not Allowed
Flares, Aerosol, Fuels, Lighters, Chlorine, Bleach, Spillable Batteries
Note: Checked Baggage Screening Equipment will Destroy Film.
Note: Any Sharp Objects in Checked Baggage Should Be Sheathed or Securely Wrapped
Cuticle Cutters, Glasses Repair Kits, Safety Razors (Including Disposable Razors), Tweezers, Knitting/Crochet Needles, Nail Clippers, Nail Files, Umbrellas, Walking Canes, Camcorders, Cameras, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Pagers, PDAs, Camera Equipment, Scissors (4” or less), Screwdrivers (7” or less), Wrenches (7” or less), Pliers (7” or less), Small Compressed Gas Cartridges (limit 2), Beverages Purchased after Screening, Prescription Medications, Juice (reasonable quantity),
Carry-On 3oz or Less
Creams, Lotions, Ointments, Moisturizers, Bath Oils, Gel Deodorant, Hair Gel, Bug Repellent, Eye Drops, Saline Solution, Lip Gloss, Liquid Foundation, Sanitizers, Liquid Soap, Liquid Mascara, Makeup Remover, Mouthwash, Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, Non-Prescription Liquid or Gel Medication, Beverages from Home, Canned / Jarred Foods, Gel Supplements,
Checked Only
Box Cutters, Knives, Sporting / Martial Arts Equipment, Ammunition / Firearms (Including Non-Lethal), Mace / Pepper Spray (4oz or less w/ safety), Gel Shoe Inserts, Snow Globes
Not Allowed
Flares, Aerosol, Fuels, Lighters, Chlorine, Bleach, Spillable Batteries
Note: Checked Baggage Screening Equipment will Destroy Film.
Note: Any Sharp Objects in Checked Baggage Should Be Sheathed or Securely Wrapped
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Location of Caddo Health Unit
Here's a map of the Caddo Health Unit where you get the vaccinations quickly and cheaply.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
World Health Organization information on Ecuador vaccinations
Here's some World Health Organization information on they recommend for vaccinations if you're going to Ecuador. The essence of it is Yellow Fever, yes; Malaria, no.
http://www.who.int/ith/countries/ecu/en/
And for more detail, here's the link from the Center for Disease Control. Yellow fever is a must, and the others are recommended, but not required. Err on the side of caution, as they say, so when in doubt, get the shot.
http://www.who.int/ith/countries/ecu/en/
And for more detail, here's the link from the Center for Disease Control. Yellow fever is a must, and the others are recommended, but not required. Err on the side of caution, as they say, so when in doubt, get the shot.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
New York Times report "Colombia Is Flashpoint in Chávez’s Feud With U.S."
Of course, if we think there's any unusual danger for us because there's a war going on, we'll do a serious reconsideration of our plans, but so far we don't think this will develop into anything. That said, it sure is interesting. Sure to be a conversation topic when we get down there!
CARACAS, Venezuela — In the four days since Colombian forces crossed into Ecuador and killed a guerrilla leader taking refuge there, tensions between Colombia — Washington’s top regional ally — and its leftist neighbors have erupted, highlighting the fact that Colombia and its policies are increasingly viewed here as American proxies.
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela called Colombia the “Israel of Latin America” saying both countries bombed and invaded neighbors by invoking “a supposed right to defense” that he said was ordered by the United States. He has sent troops to the border and expelled Colombia’s ambassador. His agriculture minister said Tuesday that the frontier with Colombia would be closed to stop commerce.
CARACAS, Venezuela — In the four days since Colombian forces crossed into Ecuador and killed a guerrilla leader taking refuge there, tensions between Colombia — Washington’s top regional ally — and its leftist neighbors have erupted, highlighting the fact that Colombia and its policies are increasingly viewed here as American proxies.
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela called Colombia the “Israel of Latin America” saying both countries bombed and invaded neighbors by invoking “a supposed right to defense” that he said was ordered by the United States. He has sent troops to the border and expelled Colombia’s ambassador. His agriculture minister said Tuesday that the frontier with Colombia would be closed to stop commerce.
In turn, Colombia said it would file charges against Mr. Chávez with the International Criminal Court, accusing him of assisting Colombia’s largest rebel group.
Mr. Ospina said that, in addition to the alleged payment by Mr. Chavez, the information found on the laptops that Colombian troops seized indicated that President Rafael Correa’s government had met several times with the FARC and allowed them to set up permanent bases in Ecuadorean territory. He said Colombia would seek charges against President Chávez at the International Criminal Court.“There is not the least doubt that the governments of Venezuela and Ecuador have been negotiating with terrorists,” Mr. Ospina said. “Allowing terrorist groups to keep camps on their territory border for the planning and execution of terrorist acts is a crime and a clear violation of international treaties.” Television in Venezuela also broadcast images of tank battalions heading to the border, following a threat by Mr. Chávez on Sunday that Colombia would be inviting war if it carried out an incursion in Venezuela similar to the one on Saturday in a remote Amazonian province of Ecuador that killed 21 guerrillas.
Mr. Chávez’s threat, which included a taunt that Venezuela would use its Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets to attack Colombia, has been interpreted here as a sign that Mr. Chávez stands ready to defend the FARC, a group classified as terrorists in the United States and Europe that is reported to operate without hindrance along Venezuela’s porous 1,300-mile border with Colombia.
Contrasting the FARC’s image in Colombia as a group that finances itself through cocaine trafficking and abductions and still plants land mines in rural areas, documentaries on state television here in Venezuela portray the FARC as an insurgency born out of efforts to combat Colombia’s moneyed elite.
On his Sunday television program, Mr. Chávez went further by calling for a minute of silence to mourn for Mr. Reyes, the fallen guerrilla leader whose real name was Luis Édgar Devia.
“Chávez is effectively supporting narcoterrorists who take refuge in Venezuela and Ecuador while saying a democratically elected leader of Colombia cannot fight back,” said Diego Arria, a former Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations who is a vocal critic of Mr. Chávez.
Still, Mr. Uribe, Colombia’s president, is struggling to convince other countries in the region of Colombia’s need to carry out the foray into Ecuador. Even if they might agree with Mr. Uribe in private, leaders are hesitant to publicly back him, given sensitivities over territorial sovereignty.
“Uribe hasn’t developed much of a foreign policy strategy beyond depending on the United States,” said Michael Shifter, vice president for policy at Inter-American Dialogue, a research group in Washington. “This puts him into a bit of a bind.”
Indeed, few places can profess such longstanding support for the United States as Colombia, which sent battalions to fight alongside American troops in the Korean War.
Despite remaining the largest supplier of cocaine to the United States, Colombia has emerged as a top ally of the Bush administration, with hundreds of American military advisers welcomed there to assist Colombian security forces in counterinsurgency and antinarcotics operations.
But just as Mr. Uribe may be suffering because of his close ties to the United States, he may also be fortunate to have Mr. Chávez as his main adversary. Other countries in the region are increasingly uncomfortable with Mr. Chávez’s belligerence as concern emerges over Venezuela’s intervention in a matter involving Colombia and Ecuador.
“South America is not prepared for conflicts, and we do not want conflicts,” Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, told reporters in Brazil on Tuesday, explaining that his government would try to negotiate a solution to the dispute along with other countries.
Meanwhile, President Bush fiercely defended Colombia, which receives $600 million a year in American aid to fight the leftist rebels and drug trafficking. He used the diplomatic crisis to push Congress to approve a Colombia trade deal that has languished for more than a year because of concerns among senior Democrats over human rights abuses there.Mr. Bush, who telephoned Colombia’s president, Álvaro Uribe, on Tuesday morning, told reporters at the White House, “I told the president that America fully supports Colombia’s democracy, and that we firmly oppose any acts of aggression that could destabilize the region.”
Employing a new strategy to portray the trade agreement with Colombia as an issue of national security, Mr. Bush used the occasion to call on Congress to ratify the deal as a way of countering leaders like Mr. Chávez who had emerged as scourges of American policies in the region.
“If we fail to approve this agreement, we will let down our close ally, we will damage our credibility in the region and we will embolden the demagogues in our hemisphere,” Mr. Bush said.
Although Colombia violated the sovereignty of Ecuador, not Venezuela, in its raid, Mr. Chávez, an ally of Ecuador, has taken the lead in accusing Colombia of being an American stooge. That has been a favorite theme of his, especially since November, when Colombia abruptly withdrew support for Mr. Chávez’s mediation with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Adding to the tensions on Tuesday, Colombia’s vice president, Francisco Santos, said Colombian forces had found evidence that the FARC had been seeking the ingredients to make a radioactive dirty bomb.
Material found on a laptop computer recovered in the raid into Ecuador provided the basis for Mr. Santos’s accusations about a dirty bomb, a weapon that combines highly radioactive material with conventional explosives to disperse deadly dust that people would inhale.
“This shows that these terrorist groups, supported by the economic power provided by drug trafficking, constitute a grave threat not just to our country but to the entire Andean region and Latin America,” Mr. Santos said at a United Nations disarmament meeting in Geneva, in a statement that was posted in Spanish on the conference’s Web site. The rebels were “negotiating to get radioactive material, the primary base for making dirty weapons of destruction and terrorism,” he said.
It was unclear from Mr. Santos’s statement with whom the rebels were negotiating.
Mr. Santos made his claim based on information provided Monday in Bogotá by Colombia’s national police chief about the FARC’s negotiations for 110 pounds of uranium, obtained from the laptop computer of Raúl Reyes, the senior FARC commander killed Saturday in Ecuador.
Colombia’s government also said this week that it had obtained information on the computer showing that Mr. Chávez was channeling $300 million to the FARC. The information is the basis for its plan to file charges against Mr. Chávez in the International Criminal Court, Mr. Uribe said Tuesday in Bogotá.
The tensions produced a heated diplomatic exchange during an emergency meeting convened Tuesday by the Organization of American States in Washington, during which several countries denounced Colombia’s actions as a violation of Ecuadorean sovereignty.
Foreign Minister María Isabel Salvador of Ecuador demanded that the O.A.S. formally condemn the actions by Colombia, dispatch a fact-finding mission to investigate the events on its border, and call a meeting of regional foreign ministers to consider further action.
“Ecuador rejects any effort by Colombia to avoid responsibility for violating its sovereignty, which is a right that secures the peaceful coexistence of all nations,” Ms. Salvador said. “Diplomatic apologies are not enough.”
An apology was not all she got. Ambassador Camilo Ospina of Colombia strongly denied accusations that Colombian troops used military force on Ecuadorean territory, saying that aircraft fired into Ecuador from the Colombian side of the border.
He acknowledged that after the bombing, Colombian forces entered Ecuador to examine the FARC camp. And what they found, he said, was evidence that Ecuador had been harboring members of the FARC.
That's it. See the next post for a commentary on what it all means.Ecuador's recent clash with Columbia
A New York Times Editorial, from today:
South America has had more than its share of border conflicts. Still, it is hard to believe that in the 21st century the democratically elected governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela would be talking about war.
Colombia’s decision to send forces into Ecuador on Saturday to kill a Colombian guerrilla commander was an infringement of Ecuador’s sovereignty — a sensitive issue anywhere, but especially in Latin America. Ecuador immediately severed diplomatic ties and said it would move troops to its northern border with Colombia. Venezuela — whose territory wasn’t violated — jumped in. President Hugo Chávez, who thrives on such crises, expelled Colombia’s ambassador, ordered forces to his border and threatened to block trade. Colombia then accused both Venezuela and Ecuador of aiding and abetting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group known as FARC.
South America has had more than its share of border conflicts. Still, it is hard to believe that in the 21st century the democratically elected governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela would be talking about war.
Colombia’s decision to send forces into Ecuador on Saturday to kill a Colombian guerrilla commander was an infringement of Ecuador’s sovereignty — a sensitive issue anywhere, but especially in Latin America. Ecuador immediately severed diplomatic ties and said it would move troops to its northern border with Colombia. Venezuela — whose territory wasn’t violated — jumped in. President Hugo Chávez, who thrives on such crises, expelled Colombia’s ambassador, ordered forces to his border and threatened to block trade. Colombia then accused both Venezuela and Ecuador of aiding and abetting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group known as FARC.
We were reassured Wednesday that the Organization of American States has now decided to send a commission to investigate the raid and convene a meeting of foreign ministers to consider the results.
Ecuador and Colombia must settle their differences through diplomatic means. As a first step, Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, and Álvaro Uribe, the president of Colombia, should reject the Venezuelan leader’s meddling and manipulation. They should recognize that he is cynically, and dangerously, trying to use their dispute to revive his own flagging political fortunes.
Despite the personal mistrust between the left-leaning Mr. Correa and the right-leaning Mr. Uribe, Ecuador and Colombia have cooperated in the past. Mr. Correa says that Ecuadorean forces have already dismantled many FARC camps.
Colombia must provide reassurances that it will respect Ecuador’s border and that such forays will not be repeated. Ecuador, in turn, must satisfy Colombia that it is not assisting the brutal guerrilla group that has terrorized Colombians for decades.
Colombia’s government claims that during the raid, its troops captured a FARC computer that contained evidence that Mr. Chávez’s government had given $300 million to the guerrilla group. Colombia said files on the computer also indicated Mr. Correa’s government had been harboring FARC members.
Ecuador and Venezuela have denied the charges, but the claims are very worrisome. The two governments should be condemned by the O.A.S. if the information proves to be true. Before that can be addressed, Colombia must share the computer and its data with the O.A.S.
For now, Mr. Correa and Mr. Uribe should cool their rhetoric and begin a serious discussion about how they can jointly secure their borders against the FARC.
Mr. Chávez should just keep quiet. The more he meddles, the easier it is to believe that the charges against him are true.
These kinds of things flare up from time to time, and from what I've heard and read war is not expected. It's probably just Ecuador's President Correa showing an allignment with Chavez that helps him with the poor, but Chavez would be unlikely to be successful in manipulating Correa to begin a war. It's probably much more likely, is that Correa will be thrown out of office when and if they show that he really did harbor FARC. Ecuador as had a lot of instability in that office, with few (if any?) Presidents serving a full term in the last ten years or so.
Post anything you anything you like, things you run across, relevant thoughts, etc.
If anyone runs across any news item, like the one above, or would like to share any relevant thoughts on our trip, Ecuador, or how your interests might relate to either.
One interest of mine is how societies differ in their experience of life and the natural environment that begot it, so to speak. One way I think we don't is by driving as much as we do, so I'm always interested in cheap or public forms of alternative transportation, from walking to biking to riding to scootering to paddling or rowing (just got an idea for the Oakley to Peirmont stretch of Pierre Bayou between Fern and Gilbert).
I'll put in some links to maps in another post.
I think Shellie might be posting some Spanish phrases and vocab, and maybe a website or two.
Stay tuned for our itinerary, as well.
One interest of mine is how societies differ in their experience of life and the natural environment that begot it, so to speak. One way I think we don't is by driving as much as we do, so I'm always interested in cheap or public forms of alternative transportation, from walking to biking to riding to scootering to paddling or rowing (just got an idea for the Oakley to Peirmont stretch of Pierre Bayou between Fern and Gilbert).
I'll put in some links to maps in another post.
I think Shellie might be posting some Spanish phrases and vocab, and maybe a website or two.
Stay tuned for our itinerary, as well.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Flight itinerary
Here a link to our flight itinerary, but the basics are that we leave at 7 a.m. from Shreveport, Sunday the 25th, and go through Atlanta to arrive in Quito at 8 p.m. On the way back, though, we got the "red-eye flight," as they say. We leave at 9:40 p.m. on Sunday the 8th, and arrive in Shreveport at noon the next day. Ah, the jet set life!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Immunization Information
Below is a letter from a health care provider than can give you the immunizations you'll need before we go. You could also go to your regular doctor as well, most likely.
Dear Centenary College Student:
CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System is pleased to provide the immunizations required by Centenary College for residence in the campus resident halls as well as any travel medicine for your trips abroad. We are aware that your education expenses are a primary concern. To that end, we are pleased to provide the health care in our Occupational Health Clinic at a discounted rate.
Attached are the key points in obtaining the immunizations. We wish you the best of luck in your educational endeavors. Please call (318) 681-6500 should you have questions.
Sincerely,
Dana SmelserBusiness DevelopmentCHRISTUS Schumpert Occupational Health
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