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.
Friday, May 30, 2008
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
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