The time had finally come. A while back, way before my trip to the United States, I was asked to do a presentation for a conference that was coming up. Most of my time in Ecuador working on monitoring active volcanoes in this country was dominated by making a database on explosion events at the Tungurahua Volcano. Once it was complete I was using the data that I had collected to perform a statistical analysis on this information - to understand better the distribution of explosions at this volcano and what it essentially tells us about the volcanic system in general. The presentation was to be on my results and findings from this analysis.
The conference was between the 24th - 26th November and was organised by SENACYT. They are basically an organisation which funds scientific and research projects in Ecuador, and this conference in particular was associated to natural hazards and risk management. The conference was taking place at a university down on Ecuador´s south coast, in between Salinas and Santa Elena.
On the 23rd of November, myself and few others took a flight from Quito to Quayaquil and then a short car ride to the conference area. We were staying in Salinas - its a beach town, but is different to any other coastal location that I had seen in Ecuador. It sits out on a peninsular, with tall high-rise hotels lining the beach-front - it looked more like Miami Beach than a coastal town in Ecuador. We were put up in a grand hotel, located on an Ecuadorian Naval Base. We were well protected out there. Our rooms were like mini apartments, looking out to the sea and everything was paid for. It was good living.
I stayed there for three nights - the duration of the conference. Others came and went - mostly just to do their bit and then head back to Quito. A few days before the conference, Tungurahua Volcano had started to show small signs of activity after a repose of about 4 months. Most therefore, made their contribution and left. I however stayed for the duration - as it was my first conference in this country and my boss, Mario, thought it would be a good experience to stay.
The conference was hardcore. It started every day at 8am and generally didnt finish until 8pm. There were many presentations and poster displays, obviously all in Spanish - but it was an interesting experience overall. I did my presentation on the first day. My talk was in English and it went well. I spoke in front of perhaps 200 Ecuadorians and all of them seemed to understand what I was saying - or at least they gave that impression. The talks are only 15 minutes so I wasn´t up there for too long. At the end of the day all the scientists who had presented had to go back up on stage as a panel and the audience would fire off questions to us.
The majority of people at the conference were scientists, military personel and government policy makers, and a whole host of students from the university. While there I was introduced to an Ecuadorian consultant who went to Southampton University in 1978. I had done my first (bachelor) degree at Southampton - although that was done a little after the 1970´s!!!
There were a number of presentations from the Instituto Geofisico, as many of my colleagues came and went over the three days. It was an interesting experience.
At lunch time we would often head to the town of Santa Elena, a small dusty town in this dry region, just 20 minutes ride from Salinas and the beach. At night, we would head back into salinas and stop for great restaurant food along the coast. We would often be eating at 9pm and so by the time we had polished off a few beers and made it back onto the Naval Base - most of us collapsed at 11pm.
On Friday afternoon I took a bus back to Ecuador´s big southern city - Guayaquil, and then took a flight from there back to the capital. It was a great three days - but the work wasn´t over for me. After a short weekend - it was back to the Institute on Monday.....................
Monday 29 November 2010
Santa Elena & Salinas - And The Presentation
Back In Banos For A Third Time
Just a few weeks after my trip out to Montanita, I was back on the road, this time to Banos - again. I went with Diana and one of her friends, Tania. She has a friend who owns a hostal in Banos and we were thus allowed to stay there for the weekend, for free. This is no simple hostal however, it was more like a Hotel. We had a huge room with satellite TV, there was a hot-tub in the hostal, a sauna and a great breakfast, as well as more - it was living in style.
We went down to Banos on Friday night and returned again on Sunday. On the Saturday we did the waterfall bike ride. You rent a mountain bike for $5 (for the day) and ride on the road out of Banos. Its mostly downhill and it takes you along the valley road, where waterfalls line the way and the jungle scenery dominates your view - its stunning. I had done it once before and was glad to be going again. We went as far as the Pailon del Diablo Waterfall - the highest in the area. Somehow I had totally missed it last time, riding straight past - but this time we stopped to take a proper look. It´s an amazing waterfall, its approximately 100 feet high and its powerfall. You first take a 30 minute walk from the road, throgh some pleasant jungle terrain, before reaching the falls. From there there are paths which essentially take you right behind part of the waterfall for an even more impressive display. You often find yourself standing in front of many waterfalls when you travel the world - and this one is definately worth a look.
We also managed to find time to sit in the Sauna and relax in the hot-tub, as well as have a good night on the town. The weekend was pleasant, and with my trip to the coast coming up, where I would have to do a presentation in front of a few hundred people, this was the perfect way to relax before the chaos that was to come..........and it came quickly!!!
Sunday 28 November 2010
Montanita For Halloween
Halloween is not that big in Ecuador. But around that time there are various religous festivals and also a public holiday - which I have no idea for what reason, and it appeared not many locals had any idea either. Still, it ultimately meant that I had from Saturday to Wednesday off work and so it was decided to do a big party in Ecuador´s beachy town of Montanita.
I went with a host of people. A little while ago I had met a young Ecuadorian girl, called Diana. Her and her work friend Milton, along with my hostal buddies Claudia and Mike all headed down to the coast. The last time I was in Montanita was for last New Years - that was actually the last time I was on a beach, and so after an overnight bus-ride for 8 hours and then another two buses of 4 hours - it was nice to finally be back in the hippy beach town of Montanita.
The place had actually changed quite a bit. Last time, the roads were dirt tracks and the whole place had a very grungy feel to it. Now though, the place seemed to of had a make-over. Paved roads now line the streets and many bars and clubs look new and pristine. Still the place has its grungy, hippy side to it, that I feel makes Montanita what it is. The beach is still big too and the surf is always good - and those things never change.
We stayed for three nights. The place is designed for partying so naturally all three nights were for two things only - drinking and dancing. We soon met up with some other friends that we knew - Nicki and Marie and some others from the Secret Garden Hostal in Quito that we would bump into now and again. The parties were great and although not many people dressed up for Halloween, it still didn´t stop us all having a good time. Our frind Claudia did however manage to get a costume - she went as the pregnant girl from the film Juno. No-one had any idea who she was but she did look pretty pregnant and many people would get out of her way during the night - she naturally played on it.
On most of the nights we would start off on Cocktail Alley - where all drinks are made with fresh fruits and a lot of alcohol. You kind of feel like you are being healthy and unhealthy at the same time. Then we would move to a club for dancing the night away, or relax on the beach where many people would light fires and sit around them with their bum firmly in the sand, chatting until the early hours of the night.
In the day we would chill on the beach, play in the waves and generally do very little. The weather was warm although for the entire time we were there we never once saw the sun, which was a shame.
The trip was great however and everyone had a good time of what they could remember. It was the last time I would see Claudia and my long term mate - Mike though, who were both leaving for different locations and not returning back to Quito. For the rest of us however, we headed back up to the capital and were soon back at work. It was nice to have a little holiday and nice to go back to a place which I had not been for so long. Now though - it was back to work and back to normal life - well for a while at least......................
Cotopaxi
So one weekend, shortly after returning from the United States, off I went with my Canadian buddy Mike to Cotopaxi. It doesn´t take long to get there form Quito, a few hours drive by bus and then an off-road vehicle for 40 minutes takes you right into the heart of basically - the middle of no-where.
Cotopaxi is a National Park but its center piece is the Cotopaxi Volcano. Its one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and its one of the Ecuadorian volcanoes I monitor. I had actually only been out this way once with work, when we were picking up equipment from one of the stations around here. That day, we worked out in the field, right on the flank of this impressive volcano - except clouds prevented us from even getting a glimpse.
Mike and I stayed out in the Secret Garden´s other hostal. Its right out in the heart of nature that dominates this part of the country. Its an amazing hostal too. They rear animals out here for food, use human waste for compost and run the whole place with basically no electricity. The food out here is tasty, the rooms or tents are comfortable and the beer in their hot-tub nicely rounds off a day spent in the mud. One of their toliets also has one hell of a view, as seen pretty much from anywhere at this location - the impressive Cotopaxi Volcano looming in the distance. In the foreground, the immediate surrounding area is dominated by lush, green rolling hills and on each a llama usually sits doing very little with its day. This place really is a brilliant location to get away from all your problems in the world. Personally I dont really have too many problems - but it was still nice just to be here!!!
Mike and I spent a lot of our time relaxing in the fire-lit hostal, drinking beers, being attacked by the four dogs that live here, and generally doing very little. We did find time to get out and about though. There is a nearby waterfall walk, where you trek along a river to some small but pleasant waterfalls. We did it in the pouring rain but also went solo, so we felt as though it was a mini adventure as most of the time we were basically lost.
We also went out to the Cotopaxi National Park. A group of us went out, taking the winding road up to the carpark. There we hiked up the steep sides of Cotopaxi towards the Refuge. It sits at about 4800m (asl) and the walk is by no means easy. From the car park to the refuge, it takes about 40 minutes using the average feet, but its altitude really means that every step is a struggle - especially in the breathing department. The views of the surrounding country up there are pretty spectacular though, so you quickly forget that its such a problem inhaling and exhaling!!!
Once at the refuge we had a quick rest before continuing up towards the start of the glacier. This walk was quicker and seemed a lot easier than before, even though by the time we stopped we were now at 5100m (asl). This was the highest I had ever been on land. In fact we were so high, that in terms of altitude this was higher than when I jumped out of a plane for my skydive in New Zealand - that puts things into a scary perspective.
We stopped at the glacier, as from this point on you need ice climbing gear (specifically crampons), so we all treked back down again after a short brake. One day, before I leave this country - im gonna attempt the climb to the summit, but for now it was good to see how I fared at the glacier. It wasn´t too bad - so I will definately give the top of this active volcano (at 5897m) a go sometime soon.
We walked back down towards the car park. From there however, four of us had hired mountain bikes to make the rest of the descent. Its a rough, rocky dirt track down - and a little dangerous at times. It was a bumpy ride but equally fun. Mike, messing about on his bike actually went over the handle bars in an acrobatic leap. It could have been serious but in the end he was fine and it bacam more a laughable affair than anything else. It took maybe an hour to go all the way down, where we were then picked up again and taken back to the hostal. We didnt make it back easily - the car broke down and so had to hitch rides with some local Ecuadorians - this is South America for you!!!
The trip out here was a perfect get-away from the smoggy city of Quito. Ecuador really is a beautiful country when you get out into the heart of their mountainous nature and there are not too many places to experience this beauty - as Cotopaxi. It was nice to fully see and climb this volcano too, as I had spent so many months monitoring this bubbling beast without actually too many glimpses it. Next time I have to try the climb to the top too - but thats for another day.
Mike and I jumped in the back of a pick-up truck and sat in the sun - taking our ride back home......................
Returning To My Temporary Home Of Quito (Ecuador)
Before I made it back to Ecuador, whilst still enjoying my time in the wonders of Los Angeles (USA), news was flooding through that an attempted coup was taking place in the capital city of Ecuador, Quito - where I had been living for the past 10 months and where in 3 days time I would be returning. President of Ecuador - Rafael Correa decided to change some polices making it harder for police in the country to gain promotions and recieve better wages & bonuses. This didn´t go down well with the Ecuadorian police and suddenly an uprising and attempted coup began to take place. Correa was trapped in a hospital, as loyal military members attempted to hold off the angry crowd. Reports suggested that the police surrounded the hospital and then proceded with a tear gas attack. Friends living in Quito later told me that the police were also burning objects in the streets and causing the kind of trouble which they are usually responsible for preventing. Such acts were taking place all over the country. After 12 hours Correa was rescued from the hospital, with the military and government taking back control of the situation but consequently with 8 police / military officers dead from gun fighting. Airports in Ecuador were closed for a few days and thus it was assumed that I would not be able to return to the fiasco taking place in the southern part of the Americas. In the end, the airports re-opened and my flight remained on schedule. I made it back to the madness of Quito - where streets were now filled with military officers, each a giant machine gun.
Quito was pretty much back to normal a few days later and my life back in South America picked up where it had eseentially left off. Unfortunately more long term friends were leaving. After 6 months here, my German buddy Jens finally finished up his work in forestry and departed these shores. I did have one very cool reunion though. When I first arrived in Ecuador I made good friends with Maha, a young German girl. We spent some months together traveling around or drinking on the terrace of the Secret Garden. I spent last new Years with her too. She returned back to Ecuador and we spent some time catching up. She didnt stay long and soon returned back to Germany - but has told me she would be back again after Christmas - she really does love this place.
Work was pretty hectic. I returned back and essentially started to plan my presentation. In a few months time, I would have to publically speak in front of a few hundred Ecuadorians on the explosions at the Tungurahua Volcano. A big conference was taking place at a university down on the coast of Ecuador and I was asked to do a 15 minute talk on volcanic activity. I was allowed to do the presentation in English, but I hadn´t yet finished my analysis or obtained all of my results and so it was a manic time for me at work.
I did manage to find some time to have fun. I went to a few great football matches. The first was my local team here in Ecuador - La Liga. They were playing a team from Argentina in the Quater Finals of essentially the South American version of the Champions League. There were fireworks, fights on the pitch, general mayhem and a win for the local team, which meant that La Liga were through to the Semi Finals. For the first time, after seeing hundreds of football matches, I also got a touch of the ball. It was looped high into the crowd and I leapt like a small cat to get a touch on it. I was happy about that.
The other game I went to see was an international friendly, Ecuador Vs Venezuela. Ecuador destroyed their South American counterparts 4-1 and it could have been more. It wasn´t a packed stadium but it was still nice to see an international friendly in this part of the world.
I hadn´t been back that long in Quito when I decided to do a few more trips out of the city. One of my good friends, Mike was soon leaving and he wanted to go to Cotopaxi and relax in the Secret Garden´s other hostal out there, and just be with nature. So the next weekend, I packed my bags again and off we went.............................
Sunday 7 November 2010
Last Days In LA & The United States Of America
We drove back from Santa Babara and into the big city of LA. On the way back Brenna wanted to take me to one of her favourite places in her home town - The Griffith Observatory. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, the observatory displays views of the Los Angeles Basin (including downtown LA) to the South-East, Hollywood to the South, and the Pacific Ocean to the South-West. The view from up there is extraordinary, and a good spot to see the Hollywood Sign, which so many people come to this city to see.
Its a beautiful park, with full 360 degree views from the top of the hill and we stayed there for sunset to really get the full affect. The showpiece however is the observatory. Its an amazingly crafted building and inside is a fabulous exhibition of all things space related, which includes a giant Faucault Pendulum to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth, a Zeiss refracting telescope and a machine which allows you to choose a meteorite of your design and then hurl at a planet also of your choosing . We spent a good few hours walking around and learning deep answers to the existence of our universe, but mostly just hurling meteorites at planets.
The masterpiece though, is the planetarium. It must be about 45 minutes long and was brilliantly done. As you lie back in your seat, the ceiling above turns into the night sky, and with a word-perfect narrator (wannabe hollywood actor) explained with precision all that we know about the universe we live in and the history of how we now come to such conclusions about it. I wanted to stay just to see it all again, but instead decided to buy Steven Hawkings book - "A Brief History Of Time" which is a mere doddle to read and understand but dont ask me to explain it, that would take about as long as the formation of the solar system!!!
On my last few days in LA, we based ourselves at Brennas student house in Claremont. Before I left, we visited the famous Venice Beach, where we were harassed by the usual nutcases that reside there. If you like to people watch - I cant think of a better place in the world to do it. We also took a ride on the also very famous Mulholland Drive and stopped off for view-point photos. Its a great road for cruising along and admiring the city of LA. We also passed through Beverly Hills, where huge houses and fancy sports cars dominate. Im sure many a person (aspiring actor / actress) has driven through this part of the world hoping their talents will take them all the way to the top (Beverly Hills). For me, its not really my thing and I would take a house in Southgate any day!!!
Our last few days for me were also filled with much eating. We went to as many amazing places to dine, as often as we could. The food portions are still ridiculously large and sometimes not of the healthiest standard, but the thing that makes food in the USA so brilliant - is that you can find anything you want and have it cooked any way you like. The options are so varied that I would often be eating things just to try them rather than to fill an apetite.
My last day in The States we actually spent in Inglewood - the notoriously dodgy part of town. It was close to LAX airport and it made our lives easier to stay in that part of the city. I had covered a lot in my short time to Los Angeles and had some wonderful experiences here and in Vegas. Unfortunately it was time to head back to Ecuador and resume my normal working life. It was sad to say goodbye to Brenna too - im not sure when or if I will ever see her again, but you never know I guess. I took my plane back to Quito - 11 hours later I was back in South America...................
Saturday 6 November 2010
Santa Babara
There are quicker ways to get to Santa Babara from LA, but none are quite as spectacular as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). We cruised a good few hours on this winding road that snakes along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean and only stopped off once - for the newly famous "In & Out Burger". I keep hearing about this joint from every American living in or around California - and the burgers didnt disappoint.
Santa Babara is a cool little town. Its small, lies along a beautiful stretch of the coast and has very a chilled vibe. There are not loads of things to do but thats not what this place is really about - its just nice to be there. We spent the few days that we had there walking the main road with its many small designer-like shops and endless amounts of world cuisine restaurants. The beach is a good place for a stroll and theres also a pier with the usual pier like things.
We did manage to head off to the missionary. All over this part of the world, the Spanish once and still do have a strong influence here. The history and the architecture at the Missionary was interesting to see, and I got to learn about a part of history that was somewhat unfamiliar to me.
Santa Babara is a very relaxed place so essentially we did basically very little. We drank a lot of coffee, ate many ice creams and visited as many of the amazing restaurants as we could. It was nice to do so little after the madness of LA. However, we only spent a few days here, so after a good look around we headed back to the big city - where our plans were packed and the time was short.................here we go!!!
Los Angeles
Brenna again kindly came to meet me at the bus station. I was in a bit of a bad way. Four nights in Vegas can take it out of you. But there was no time for feeling sorry for myself, I ws back in LA and we were off to Sunset Blvd to meet a relative of mine - Julie. I probably hadnt seen her for, well, I cant even remember in how long - but it was a fair few years.
Sunset Blvd naturally had the perfect sunset - we arrived just in time. We met Julie in an English style pub, complete with dishes such as sheperds pie & bangers and mash. She obviously choose it to make me feel at home. We had a good catch up. I knew it was going to be an interesting night when Julie decided she needed a tranquiliser to calm her down. She was a lot of fun though as she retailed stories of the many famous people she had met in this town.
She later took us to Hollywood. I got to skip from one star to the next, before we all put our hands in the many prints that reside at the world famous Graumans Chinese Movie Theatre. I have the exact same hand size as Tom Hanks if you were wondering. We also got to walk up the glamorous steps at the Kodak Theatre - I didnt feel out of place among the home of the stars, not even once!!! We naturally took a ton of photos as has the millions of people before us and the millions of people who will come to this part of the world after we leave.
Later that night we drove back to Brennas student house. She technically lives just outside West LA, in a place called Claremont. Its a small suburb town and mainly houses a series of small, interconnected universities, one of which Brenna attends. Her student house was nothing like the abode that I lived in when studying. For me, the biggest highlight in our house was the toasted sandwich maker, but this house is complete with egg producing chickens and a swimming pool. This is LA I guess.
In Claremont we got to check out Brennas universities before visiting some of her friends that I knew from Ecuador as well. It was odd seeing them all out here because I only knew them from my time in South America. I think it was even weirder for them though - each person becoming quite emotional as my presence brought back memories of their time in Ecuador. Later that night we all got together for dinner and a little reunion. It was also in Claremont where I really remembered how good American food is. I mean the food in Vegas was amazing but I was often too ill to enjoy it properly. Here, I rediscovered my apetite and over the next 6 days I would eat more food than I had done in a long time. I started on the Bagels.
We left Claremont and headed off to another part of LA, Irvine, to visit Brennas parents. On the way we stopped off in Los Angeles Little India, where we had great curry and I picked up English Tetleys Tea and two tins of Heinze Baked Beans - amazing find. Irvine is one of the oddest places I have ever been. Voted the number one, safest city in the United States of America its essentially a planned suburb town, with fake but always beautiful lakes, immaculate roads and perfect houses. It felt like stepping into the Truman Show. Homeless people here are picked up by authorities and dumped outside the boundaries of Irvine, as it spoils the look of the place. Only in America!!! The streets here all look eaxactly the same and while you can decorate the inside of your house more or less however you like, the outside must comply with a thousand rules and regulations.
It was nice to see Brennas parents again, and I also got to meet her cool younger sister too. Around Irvine they also have public hot-tubs which you can go and use whenever you desire, so naturally after dinner thats exactly what we did. Brenna always told me about Irvine. I guess some people really love it but she said it was incredibly boring growing up there. I really didnt know what to make of it, I have never seen a place like this before!!!
Brenna and I left her family and headed off to the beach. I hadnt been to the beach for a long time (last New Years in Montañita, Ecuador) - so I was glad to be heading back to the Pacific. We went to the famous Laguna Beach. Its pretty much exactly how you would imagine it. Rich young kids hang about on the pristine sandy playa, where the sun always shines. The shops are all cute, generally selling delicious ice-creams and milkshakes and every car you see is worth more than I will ever earn in my entire life.
It was now the weekend, and we decided to leave LA for a few days and head up the coast. We rocked into Brennas motor and started to cruise up the PCH. We were off to Santa Babara......................
Saying Goodbye To My Boys...... And Vegas
We had one night left. Luckily we made the most of it. We ended up in the club of The Ceasars Palace, named "Pure". Naturally we had our VIP table and beautiful women serving us drinks all night. Maybe I didnt explain this before, but you are also given a giant bouncer who looks after you all night. For example, if you put a cigarette to you mouth, he will light it for you before it touches your lips. He also disappears now and again and returns with a handful of women. If you dont like them you tell your bouncer and off he goes to find you more. The whole thing is completely ridiculous. Most of the women he brought us were typically from England, as naturally most of Vegas is filled with people from the British Isles.
This last night was probably the best. We partied long and hard into the night and made the most of what was to be our final fling in Vegas. The next day I said some long and sad goodbyes. We certainly had fun out there and I have no idea when I will see this beautiful lot again so leaving was a pretty sad affair.
I have to say I liked Las Vegas. I mean I dont know if I could have spent any more than four nights there. I would have had to mortgage a house to afford it and there would have been so much alcohol flowing through my body I probably would have been diagnosed as medically dead!!! But still, when your with your boys and your in a place as frantic and fun as Vegas - its hard not to have a good time.
With just being glad to still be alive, I slept on the bus all the way back to LA. Here I would spend six days with Brenna - and I couldnt wait......
Friday 5 November 2010
The Grand Canyon
Im not sure how I did it really. After going out all night with my boys in Vegas, I took a brief two hour nap before getting up at 7am for an eleven hour day trip to the Grand Canyon. I always knew I was going to do it. I mean you cant come to Vegas and not go to one of the natural wonders of the world. Thats like Neil Armstrong taking a spaceship ride all the way to the moon and just before he puts his foot on the surface he thinks to himself - "ah no, I cant be bothered - lets just go home"!!!
None of my boys ended up going, I guess they were just happy to soak up the desert sun and evapourate all the alcohol that was still flowing through their bodies. But for a geologist - it just had to be done.
I was picked up in the most bizarre transportation. It was bright pink, and looked like a cross between a Limo and an off road vehicle. It was very stylish - pink doesnt normally suit me but I could have definately driven around the streets of London in that beast!!! Our group consisted of four French-Canadians, two guys from Austrtalia and a couple from Colombia (who I had great fun chatting to in my broken Spanish). Our guide was nice enough and always very informative too.
It was about 2-3 hours to get out there. Along the way we passed along desert roads and through Joshua tree forests. The scenery out there is pretty spectacular. We also drove over the Hoover Dam, probably the most famous of its kind in the world. We were given a few brief facts about it as we drove past. The dam is massive and the amount of water it holds back (within Lake Mead) is astonishing. The newly built arch bridge had just been finished too - it opens in a few months or so I believe.
Eventually we stop, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Here we were taking a helicopter ride into the canyon. It wasnt long ago that I had just taken my first chopper ride, that time around an active volcano (Reventador) in Ecuador, but now I would get to go again within the geological wonder of the Grand Canyon. It didnt disappoint. The ride was spectacular as we headed out to the canyon and then descended into it. The Colorado River snaking its way through the deep canyon walls really is a site to see, and its this river that is pretty much responsible for the whole formation that lies in front of you.
When we landed, we were quickly off again, but this time on a boat ride down the Colorado River. We were given a brief description of the canyons formation, but as I pretty much knew everything our guide was saying, I was more interested in taking in the view and naturally, in steering the boat. My boat captain skills unfortunately were not much to be desired im sad to say so I instead decided it was better just to be awestruck!!!
We then took another helicopter flight out of the canyon and back onto safe ground. From here it was a short drive to some look-out points. The first was by Eagle Point - aptly named for a specific rock formation nestled within the canyon that looks exactly like an Eagle with spread wings. Its located in Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation and its now home to the incredible Skywalk.
Built in 2007, the Skywalk is a U-shaped glass, open-air bridge that hangs 70 feet passed the edge of the canyon and approximately 4000 feet above the ground. I had to take a walk around this marvel, for most definately the ultimate views of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon West. Its amzing to walk around it, with 720 degree views. Built with layer upon layer of glass, this bridge is actually capable of supporting twelve 747 jet airliners. With this in mind - I felt pretty safe.
We later had lunch at another look-out point (I cant think of many better locations to take a bite to eat) before taking the 3 hour drive back to Las Vegas. This time we stopped off at the Hoover Dam, just so we could get a proper look before continuing back to Sin City. The whole day was an unbelievable experience and an adventure I will certainly never forget.
When I returned back to Vegas, I was just in time to see The Bellagio musical water fountain show, which in its own right is up there with the Grand Canyon (well almost). But for me there was no time to waste. I had just one night left in Vegas - and there was some serious partying to do...................
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Las Vegas (USA)......."I Had A Dream I Could Buy My Way To Heaven - When I Awoke I Spent That All In Vegas!!!"
Getting out of Quito almost went perfectly. I thought it was going to be a real hassle but initially appeared to go very smoothly. That was until we were in the plane and on the tarmac ready to leave. Then the notorious mist came into the Quito valley and there we proceeded to sit on the runway for an hour. I had connecting flights and a bus journey from LA to Vegas, so this was not good news for me. After an hour we were allowed to leave and in the end - it luckily all worked out.
I first had a flight to Atlanta and then onto LA. From there I was met by Brenna, who I had met in Ecuador and spent 4 months with. She lives in LA and kindly agreed to pick me up from LAX. I have been to the States before but never to the West Coast,so I was pretty excited. I had about 3 hours until my bus up to Vegas so Brenna and I grabbed some lunch in downtown before having a wonder about. LA is big. People always tell me that but it really is sprawling. How people get around without a car is well.....well its not possible really. Luckily Brenna did have transportation so getting around wasnt a problem - although it did always take a while.
After a good catch up with her I caught my bus to Vegas. I was seeing Brenna properly when I was returning back, but for now - it was time for some serious partying. The bus ride from LA to Vegas took 6 hours through the desert. Its an interesting ride although my excitment was stopping me from really appreciating it all. I hadnt seen my boys for 10 months and now I would get my reunion in Sin City. Oh how I couldnt wait.
I arrived into Vegas at night and when you finally see all the lights and the hotels, it kind of blows you away. Everything is so massive and bright, its hard to keep your eyes focused. I eventually found my hotel for the next 4 nights - The Ceasars Palace, probably one of the biggest hotels in Vegas and certainly that I had ever seen. When I walked in it felt like stepping onto the set of "The Hangover", just as I hoped it would. There I stood with my giant backpack looking more out-of-place than anyone else around me. They were all dressed in suits with neatly packed suitcases. Not that I cared in the slightest!!!
It didnt take long before I was with all my boys, drinking and getting lost within the maze that is The Ceasars Palace. It was incredible to see them all. Non of them had changed as I had expected and hoped. Everyone that I would of wanted to see was out there, except Michael who couldnt make it because of an operation. He was sorely missed. Within an hour it had felt like I had never left them all though and thats always how I want it.
Our nights in Vegas were done in style. The boys had found some guy who basically arranges your entire party for you. We were picked up in limos every night and taken to a club of one of the major hotels where we skipped any lines and walked staright through. We had our own table in every club with beautiful women serving us drinks all night. If you can imagine a party in Vegas then we were living and partying right in the heart of it.
On the first night we partied in the club of The Venician. The party was pumping and the Jagermiester was certainly flowing. I cant remember drinking so much for a long time. There isnt too much I can really divulge about our nights out in Vegas but we all certainly had fun.
In the day you really get to see Vegas. Some of us would head onto Las Vegas Blvd and check out the other hotels. All of them are amazing. Each of them are massive but all have their own individual style. Ceasars Palace is pretty incredible to see, but equally The Bellagio for its class, New York New York for its roller coaster and The Venician for its gondolas. They all transport you to a different part of the world and all somehow within the confines of four walls. Some people in our group barely left The Ceasars Palace however, not because they didnt want or need to, but because they couldnt find the exit. Those of us with a sense of adventure managed to get out now and again.
The gambling was a bit of a novelty for me. The sheer number of places to gamble is staggering and people do it all day and all night, always hoping for that bit of luck or that bit of skill which they all believe they posses to take the house. Most come away very disappointed. The other boys did a lot more gambling than I did, although all of them had a fair amount more money. By the end of Vegas I ended up down by about US$100. I only played blackjack a few times and the odd slot machine. However I did put US$50 on black at the roulette with my friend Chris on our last day there......naturally it came in red!!! I dont think gambling is for me!!!
Others in my group lost over 15x more than I did, and some even more still.
For me however, earning Ecuadorian wages and living on Ecuadorian prices and then coming to Vegas was a bit of a shock. I really traveled from one extreme of spending to the other. In Ecuador I would spend maybe US$20 a day on normal living, including my accomodation, three meals and a few beers in the evening. So naturally I was a bit shocked when one bottle of water cost US$5 instead of the normal 30 cents. You can therefore imagine how much I spent each night on getting a VIP table at the night club of The Bellagio for example. Most people there often looked at me with utter confusion when I asked them where I could get my US$2 almuerzo (three course Ecuadorian lunch)!!!
Despite the costs, the entire city is mental in every other way too. The parties never end and the sheer number of model style-looking women is unbelievable. Most of them are on the arms of generally ugly, but clearly wealthy men and most of the time the whole thing looks completely ridiculous and certainly a little fake. Still, I dont remember anyone complaining at the time.
On our other days we sat by The Ceasars Palace pool, (or number of pools) which were quite simply - amazing. There, when we wernt too hungover, most continued drinking and lying in the heat of the desert, which was always scorching!!!
My room in The Ceasars Palace hotel certainly filled all my desires, with a flat screen TV, a double bed complete with 39 pillows, and a hot-tub. I shared my room with the legend that is Mr McCluskey, although we were both always in other rooms most of the time and I think we only spent one night in there at the same moment.
The food out in Vegas also has to be mentioned. We always ate well and out there its hard not too. On one night we really did it properly, all ordering steak and a few bottles of wine. I spent more on that meal than a weeks living in Ecuador.....although the steak was very tasty.
Vegas had definately lived up to everthing I had imagined, especially with seeing all my boys out there. I mean I probably would have had just as much fun with them all in Blackpool as its definaetly not the place that makes a place but the people that your with at the time. Okay, not Blckpool, but you know what I mean. Before I departed though there was one more thing to do, it was only a few hours drive outside of Vegas and for a geologist its a must. So with the boys all too hungover to go, off I went on my own to see one of the natural wonders of the world - known simply as..............The Grand Canyon!!!
Turning 27 In Ecuador
Ecuador is not a bad place to celebrate your 27 birthday, especially when you have a ton of friends with you and a party bus. When the 18th of September (2010) rolled around I was a pretty happy man. I had hired a Chiva Bus, essentially an opened top vehicle complete with DJ, disco lights and as much alcohol as you can put down your throat. It drives around Quito for 2 hours while you dance the night away and it ended up becoming a pretty messy affair.
Before this bus madness however, we first had some drinks on the terrace of the Secret Garden Hostal, above the twinkling lights of Quito. I have some amazing friends here and they had treated me to a whole host of suprises. The terrace was decorated with birthday banners, then I was give a number of brilliant presents, including an "I love Quito" t-shirt with all the names of the guys who had helped create it on the back. I also got a giant bottle of Jagermiester - which was finished by us all in about 40 minutes, and the entire DVD box set of 24, season 8. Yay. Amazingly these guys had also made me a brilliant hand drawn card by Dom (a very talented Australian who had been volunteering at the Secret Garden for some time) and an incredible cake in the shape of a volcano, complete with dripping lava. It wouldnt be until two days later when we actually ate it but I can tell you it was delicious. I was also given presents by my Ecua-brothers (Jefferson and Santo), by Jaqui, Mike and by Diana. I was a bit overwhelmed by it all!!!
As people started to gather on the terrace we continued to party and drink ourselves stupid. Eventually we all left for the party bus. I had 35 people on it. Most were friends from the Secret Garden, but equally I had work mates there, some of my other Ecuadorian buddies and a number of all their friends. The party bus was brilliant. I dont remember most of it but I do remember enjoying it if those two things together are possible. Half way through the night the bus stopped by a park and we all got off for some sort of drinking games. I had to dance with three people and the rest would vote on who was the winner. I would then be the king of the party and the winner would be the queen. It was no suprise that everyone picked Dom as my queen!!! We were given crowns and prizes.
We continued on the bus before eventually being dropped off in the Mariscal. There 35 drunk people headed off to a club for more dancing madness. I was pulled up on stage at one point and an entire bottle of champagne was poured over me. By the end I could barely stand. I woke up the next morning a little hung-over.
It was a fantastic night which I enjoyed immensly. Its nice being in another country surrounded by amazing people, especially who you have only just met say a few months before. It really shows you how brilliant most people in this world can be. Two years ago I was celebrateing my birthday in New Zealand by jumping off a large bridge. Last year I was back with my boys in London, an amazing reunion after not seeing them all for a year and a half, and this year im getting drunk with 35 people on a party bus around Ecuador. I wonder where I will be next year.......???
With my birthday over for another year I only had a week left of work before my big trip away. My friend Ricky was getting married in London in February (2011) but his bachelor party was taking place in Las Vegas in one weeks time and I would be leaving Ecuador for the first time in 10 months to share in this holiday of chaos. I couldn´t wait. I would spend 4 nights with my boys in Vegas (after not seeing them all for almost a year) and then spend 6 nights in Los Angeles with Brenna. It would be amazing, but leaving brought some mixed emotions. The amazing group of friends that had been with me here in Ecuador for the last few months were all leaving. Most would be gone when I returned in 10 days and that was sad.
The week before I left, Ella and Nina had gone to Colombia. Elena (my work buddy and good friend) had headed back home to England and slowly others were soon disappearing. I put these sad thoughts to the back of my mind - for my trip had arrived. I was off. I packed my bag and prepared myself for a bachelor party in Vegas. 12 boys from London, spending 4 nights going mental in the Sin City of the United States Of America. Only one thing passed through my mind.............god help me!!!!
Sunday 17 October 2010
Visiting Some Friends In Tena
It had been quite a while since I last went to the jungly realm of Tena. It had been at least 6 months or so ago, when I travelled out with a big group of American´s, which included Brenna.
Skip forward half a year though, and my German friend, Jens, had been working on an internship in Quito. However, he specialised in forestry and so he was delighted to finally get out and work in the jungle. He was based in Tena and loved it out there. His girlfriend Marie had also applied to do an internship in Ecuador and ended up getting a job in a hospital, also in Tena. Myself and three amigas decided that a weekend trip out to see them was a must.
Tena is hot. I mean its jungle so you have to expect that, but coming from the mountainous climate of Quito, it really hits you when you arrive, especially the humidity. It´s a 6 hour windy bus ride to Tena and we didn´t arrive until late on the Friday night. It was thus not until the following day that we met up with Jens and Marie.
Our first excursion was to the caves. I had actually done this last time I came to Tena but its a pretty cool activity to do out here so it didn´t bother me at all. The cave trip takes about an hour, walking past stalactites and stalagmites, around columns and often over a lot of bat poo!!! They take you to parts were you have to swim in the underground rivers, lie in the (good-for-your-skin) mud and stand under cave waterfalls. It´s completely dark in the caves save for your headlamps, and so the trip mostly involved scaring the more vulnerable in our group - all in good nature of course.
On our second day (minus Ella and Nina who were not keen), the group headed out to do some White Water Rafting. It was only my second opportunity attempting this activity and the first time was only attempted a few months previously. Tena is a renowned spot for this water sport and so it had to be done while we were all here. Six weeks earlier, a tourist in Baños (where I had done it for my first time) died during a White Water Rafting trip, by not following some crucial instructions. We thus first had a detailed briefing on keeping safe.
It was a full day of adventure. We set out early and hit the river for about 2 hours in the morning. The rapids came in stages, interspersed by periods of quiet, where we would all have a chat before hitting the next set of waves. We later pulled over at the side of the bank for a delicious lunch. First we took a walk throug the jungle though, to a huge waterfall. The walk involved wading through a river and rock climbing before we eventually reached our destination. At the falls we all swam in the freezing water and covered ourselves in more therapeutic mud.
In the afternoon we hit the water again for more rapid action. This included our guide tipping the raft on purpose, before we all climbed back on and eventually floating our way back to Tena. The whole day out was a lot of fun, though for about three days after I didn´t want to be wet again.
On the rest of our trip out there, we spent our time eating in the amazing restaurants they have on the river and drinking cocktails. Tena is a great spot for escaping work and the hectic life of Quito - despite the fact I generally filled my time doing very unrelaxing activities. It´s certainly nice to be around nature after weeks of a big city though. I think most people feel that.
We left Jens and Marie in Tena and headed back to the Capital. It was only a week until my birthday and rumours of a party bus had spread like wild-fire...............................
Fireworks Madness, A Bus With A Smoke Machine & An Animal Massacre - It Can Only Be Quito!!!
Between Quilotoa and my next trip out of the city - I actually spent a fair amount of time in Quito..........doing very Quito things. I amassed an amazing group of friends during this time. Sometimes with volunteers at the Secret Garden - who I usually make my buddies, it comes a bit in waves. You will often get a great group who stay for a while and then they all tend to leave at the same time and you have to start all over again. I have my even longer term friends who are not volunteers which is amazing too - but mostly my time is spent hanging out amongst the Secret Garden chaos that quickly develops.
During this period of time, Ella and Nina, two young English ladies had come over to work as volunteers and in the end, stayed for almost three months. Joining them was an amazing Australian couple, Dom and Georgie as well as another Dom from England, Elena (my work compañera) and some other guys who stayed for a long period of time just for the sake of the others. Together our group had some brilliant times and did some bizarre yet always fun activities.
One of my other good friends, Jens - likes to play a joke or two and his ability to keep a straight face during the whole procedure only adds to its realism. So when he told us that there was a water museum in Quito and that it contained bottles of some of the oldest water in the world - half the hostel believed him. Of course this is not true and I quickly realised this, yet we would continue to convice the newbies to Quito that they had to check it out for its sheer historical value. Later Jens had to move to the Jungle for his work, where his girlfriend from Germany (Marie) had come over to join him. The next time I left the city, it would be to join up with the two of them.
However, there is actually a water museum in Quito (despite not containg old water) and so, bored one Saturday - Ella and I had to check it out, if nothing else - for pure comedy value. Its an odd place, describing about water in this area - the river systems, irrigation etc, etc. It also has a bubble room where you can make bubbles about the size of your head. We laughed most of the way around the museum despite its interesting exhibits.
Within the months that passed, the group often headed out on the town for a bit of partying. This included a trip to the Guapulo street festival, which mainly involved drinking traditional Ecuadorian alcohol called canelazo and watching fireworks fly passed your head as they are not aimed up to the sky but instead into the crowd. It was most odd.
On one weekend, there was a three day bull-fighting event taking place. On my very road in which I live, is actually a bull-fighting stadium. Its meant to be one of the oldest in the country and in my 9 months here, I had never actually been inside. A bunch of us went as the event was free on the first two nights. The last time I went to a bull fight it was a kids show and no bulls were harmed. This however, was a whole different affair. As one bull was brought on after another, each matador would tease the animal before staking it in the back, through the heart, where it would stumble for a few seconds before collapsing to the floor. If the matador was poor the animal would suffer terribly. The whole ordeal was pretty hard to watch and I along with many friends only stayed for 25 minutes before walking out in horror. We later got talking to the guy who arranged the event and he explained the full rules of it and how it was part of tradition in the country. Some rules to know about:
1. If the bull runs straight under the cloth and does not turn away at the end, they are considered a perfect bull and it is not allowed to be killed - it gets sent back to the field to eat grass for the rest of its life. This happened only once during the event.
2. When the sound horns, the matador has three minutes to kill the bull. The horn sounds on two minutes and finally on one. If the matador does not kill the bull in three minutes they will never be a matador again.
3. When the matador is poor and the bull is suffering the crowd will boo and show their disapproval - apparently the audience does not like witnessing animal suffering as much as anyone else. If the bull is killed correctly the animal supposedly does not feel pain.
Despite this I dont personally feel that killing a bull for sport is particularly enjoyable and so when we saw a huge anti-bullfight street protest the following day from our terrace (which ended up getting quite violent) and resulted in the following two nights being cancelled - many of us were quite happy about it!!! It is part of the tradition here so I am not going to judge, but it also appears that new generations of Ecuadorians are also against the whole activity.
A far more enjoyable sport in my opinion is football. Its huge here and naturally I am a major fan. My team in Ecador is La Liga, although I had not been to a match for a while. Then a game came up which I just had to go to. In South America there are two main competitions, like that of the Champions League and the Europa Cup in Europe. Last season La Liga won the Champions league version and some Argentinian team (who Veron now plays for) one the other major trophy. As the new season starts they have a two legged game between the two teams - like a cup winners cup. Myself and about 9 others decided we had to see the home tie.
After some chaos getting in (many angry fans due to police incompetence and a few arrests) we finally entered. The stadium was packed and the noise was immense. There were a few thousand Argentinians around adding to that. The fireworks that were let off in the stadium was extraordinary. I have never seen anything quite like it at a football game. By the end you couldnt see the pitch for the amount of smoke which filled the air. The game was thus postponed for 15 minutes. Eventually we got under way, winning the game 2-1. A few weeks later, we ended up drawing 0-0 in Argentina and ultimatley becoming the best team around.
As work continued to plod along, the other most notable activity of fun during this time, was a party that we had been invited to. It was on a Chiva Bus, a tradition in many parts of South America. I had been on one, last December, when I first arrived and so was very happy to get a second opportunity. A birthday girl from America had hired out this open bus, which also has disco lights, a DJ, a smoke machine and canelazo alcohol for the entire time your on it. It drives around the city for two hours during which time you dance, drink and wave to people in the street. Everyone also gets given a whistle for maximum noise pollution. It also makes one stop in the historic old town of Quito for birthday photos, before continuing around the city. The trick is to manage to stay standing on a moving bus while drinking and dancing at the same time. By the end no-one really remembers anything of whether standing was an issue or not so it doesnt really matter. It then drops the group off (which can be up to 45 people - we were about 30) in the party area of the Mariscal for more clubbing mayhem. There were only 5 or 6 people that I actually knew but we all had such an amazing time. It was at that moment, with my birthday only a month away, that a Chiva Bus with all my friends on it would have to be done. Three days later it was booked.
Before this birthday to remember (or not), I had to make a trip out to see Jens and Marie in the Jungle. So one weekend, I dragged Ella, Nina and Elena out with me, for my second trip - to Tena........................
Thursday 26 August 2010
The Quilotoa Loop
After some time back at work, all of a sudden one week, Ecuador´s independance day sprang up without me really noticing. The country kindly moved the public holiday to a Friday and luckily for me, as well as a few million Ecuadorian´s, we all suddenly had a 3 day weekend. Decisions on what to do came and went like England´s aspirations of winning a world cup, before it was finally decided that we should all head for the Quilotoa Loop.
The Quilotoa Loop is a bumpy ring-shaped road that travles from the Panamericana far into the backcountry of the Cotopaxi Province, in the central part of the Andes. The road passes a number of indigenous towns with colourful markets and local fiestas, but essentially, the road loops around Quilotoa - a huge and spectacular volcanic crater lake. I headed off with Elena and many of the guys from the hostal for a fun packed adventure. We only had a few days so we couldnt do everything on the loop - but we were going to cram a fair amount in, at least as much as we could.
The first part of the journey was to bus it down from Quito to a rather loud and smoggy city, Latacunga, which if nothing else has done remarkably well at surviving several eruptions from the ever-looming Cotopaxi Volcano. Latacunga is the access point to the Quilotoa loop, so from here we then took the stunningly beautiful scenic bus ride onto the small and windy road that reaches our destination.
We eventually reached a small town where we stocked up on our supplies and then took a pick-up truck taxi onto the start of one part of the loop where you can trek. It was going to take a few hours but eventually we would end up at the town of Quilotoa, perched above the crater lake. Immediately after setting off on our trek though, one of our amigos got into a spot of trouble with a local. This part of Ecuador is home to one of the largest numbers of indeginous locals. Here they dont speak Spanish but their ancient language of Quichua. Each is dressed in very traditional clothes, and most of them out on the farms here often have a small llama attached to their arm. Here, the people conform to centuries-old ways of life. If you want to see some real South America - this is a good place to start. Unfortunately Chase decided to take a photo of one of these llamas and apparently, also ended up taking a snap of one of the locals by mistake too. Immediately we have two old ladies chasing after us demanding money for the photo. When Chase refused, they grabbed him and wouldn´t let go. We eventually managed to escape but only just, after one of them managed to through a large stick at him. They followed us on our trek for maybe an hour after that incident.
After some amount of time walking, we eventually reached a small town. It´s not on any map that we could find but I remember it being called Cocha or something similar to that. Due to the festival period, the entire town were out having a huge town fiesta. It was quite amazing. Horse parades and dancing, lots of eating of weird local dishes and much consuming of alcohol was generally the main activities on show. In fact most of the town was completely drunk by the time we got there. We joined in with the festivities mainly by also drinking. Eventually everyone crowded round a large fenced off area before letting out some bulls. It wasn´t a bull fight, i.e. they didn´t have matadors nor did they kill the bulls. It was purely for entertainment, in which they would let a bull into the arena and then drunk locals would test their nerves by teasing and mostly running from the bull. To get into the spirit of the whole thing, myself, Chase and Nate (another American we were with) decided to give it a go. I can tell you, it was pretty scary getting in with a two ton bull. At one point it came straight for us, and I can honestly say that I have never run so fast in all my life. The locals took great amusement in watching us foreigners running from their bull. After enough scary encounters we carried on with our trek.
It was another good two hours walking, on dried up river beds and through the lush countryside of the Andean mountain range. The views were stunning, before we eventually we made it to the town of Quilotoa. Perched above the crater lake, Quilotoa is a small town (population just 150) with stacks of hostals, though most are ramshackle type places. We stayed in an old looking building, which was part of a farm, but which had a large enough room to house us all and a fireplace, which was much needed. At 3900m above sea level (almost half the height of Mount Everest), this place gets cold, especially at night. Most of that night we spent huddled around the fire, eating and drinking hardy food to warm the bones.
The following morning we went to check out the crater lake. Its a gasp-inducing sight. This once was a dominating volcano that eventually blew its top. Its sides collapsed in on itself and all that was left was a large deep crater. Over time it filled up with water, now leaving a huge crater lake. The locals call it the eye to the sky and if you ask them how deep the lake is, they will tell you its bottomless. I would believe them too, except I work for the Instituto Geofisico, who constantly study this lake, so I know it is 240m deep!!! The lake is full of dangerous gases too, as they continue to seep up through the water from the depths below. The rim of the crater is about 400m above the lake, but feeling young and fit, we took the trek down to the water. Rocks here are naturally volcanic and ash in places makes your journey down some what hazardous. At the bottom, its an awesome sight, and equally peacful. It was nice just to rest on a volcanic rock in the sun and look out on the lake. Climbing round the side of the abyss and you can see some parts of the lake still bubbling with gas. This volcano certainly still has some life in it.
All of us are by no means young or fit people so there was no way that we were going to walk back up to the rim. Instead we decided to take horses to the top. Naturally I got the horse with the dodgy saddle, so most of my time was spent trying to stay on my horse as the saddle wobbled from side to side at the amusement of everyone around me. It was a windy road up and the horses certainly like to get close to the edge when-ever they can, I think just to scare the hell out of their load. It was a fun ride up nontheless and definately more relaxing than going up on foot.
After more photos from the top it was finally time to head home. We took the bus back to Latacunga and eventually on to Quito. It had been another great trip, full of danger, excitment and volcanoes. This country is definately built for someone like me. However, it was time to stay in Quito for a while. I think my weekend trips would have to come to an end, just for now. For I had many things planned in this capital city, and I was sure that each of them would be as exciting as the last........
Mindo x 4
When I headed back to Mindo for my fourth time, it was pretty similar to the previous encounters. I went with a great bunch of people, did some amazing things and generally had a really good time. One of the long term volunteers at the Secret Garden Hostal (Esme) was leaving and she wanted to go somewhere for the weekend, to say a final goodbye. It was decided that Mindo would be the ideal weekend get-away. Along with us came a host of people from the hostal, Jens and his girlfriend (who had just arrived from Germany) and my work companions Elena and Jan, plus a host of all their friends.
Mindo was its usual sleepy (and slightly hippy) self. We arrived there on Friday night to get a full weekend of fun cramed in. Canopy swinging was top of everyones list and a forth time round actually didnt disappoint. Its always a very different experience, usually because of the different people you end up going with. During the weekend we also found time to head back to the butterfly farm where I have now become quite a pro at attracting the colourful flying insects to bury themselves somewhere on my body. The walk to the butterfly farm, through cloud forests and past rivers is always stunning so going back to the zoo of butterflies is always an easy decision.
As a little joke, Jens and I also persuaded everyone to go to the frog concert. Last time, the two of us had visited this interesting show and while it was kind of interesting and equally kind of fun, we were not really that bothered to view the whole event for a second time. Unfortunatley, our sarcastic jokes of telling everyone how amazing a frog concert really is wasnt taken so sarcastically and in the end it was me and Jens who were being persuaded to return. The joke would eventually end up on all of us. The frog concert was pretty rubbish. The last time Jens and I headed there we were only joined by perhaps 10 other people. That was perfect numbers for the show, especially when you have to take the night time trek around the lake with your guide. Unfortunately this time about 60 people turned up so the concert became somewhat chaotic and out of control. Screaming kids blocked out most of the frogs beautiful singing voices and the guide struggled to deal with so many people when trying to explain frog behaviour whilst walking us all around a small lake. By the end of it all, the others wanted to kill Jens and I.
We did make up for it however, by taking everyone to the waterfalls. Actually, I had only ventured to the waterfalls on my first visit to Mindo so I was quite excited to go back. You have to take a very high cable-car across a cloud forest valley which is pretty amazing to see. When you reach the other end there are two paths, each leading to different waterfalls. We decided to go for one of the waterfalls that I had never been to before and this one you can swim in. After a 20 minute walk through some jungly terrain we arrived at the waterfall, not so high but certainly powerful. At its base was a perfect, yet freezing swimming pool, for everyone to splash about in. You could also pay a dollar, to climb a ladder and jump off a high rock ledge into the pool, an activity know around the world as cliff jumping. Everyone forgave us after that!!!
We finished our adventures by eating as much pizza as our bellies could handle, lying in hammocks and drinking in the chill-out bars that are sctattered around town. It was another perfect weekend in Mindo and is certainly the reason that I keep returning here. However, I do think its time to go for a different weekend spot next time. I mean, Im sure ill be back here - its inevitable but maybe not for a little while now, well, maybe not for a little while now!!!
Volcan Reventador
During the very weekend that I was splashing around in rivers and insanely jumping off of bridges in Baños, a young English student was flying into Quito. Her name was Elena. Elena is currently studying Geology back in London and had contacted the Instituto Geofisico way back in January about doing some work experience here in Ecuador. Mario, my boss read her email and thought that she could certainly help out for a couple of months, but because she was English speaking, as is often the case here when that other popular language other than Spanish seems to come around, I was put in charge of overseeing the whole thing. Over the next few months I planned Elena's two month internship - essentially, I would be her boss. You know something in the world has gone very wrong when it comes to be that I have become a boss, but still I took the opportunity with relish.
During Elena's first week at work there was an opportunity to get her out in the field for a day, a trip with one of the geologists to visit a crater lake. I have been trying to get out in the field for a while now as I have only been on a few scattered trips here and there. Seismic data processing needs to be done so it's sometimes difficult to get out and up close and personal with the volcanoes. However, after weeks of bugging my boss to let me get out of the office and with Elena off on a field trip on her first week, I think Mario felt he should let me stretch my legs, and there just happened to be a trip going out that week too, to the volcano - Reventador.
Reventador means "The Exploder" in english and its quite aptly named, for in 2002, with just a few hours of precursory activity, this volatile volcano sprang into life with massive force. It was the largest eruption to take place at Reventador in historical times. The eruption created a 17km high ash plume and sent pyroclastic flows surging up to 7km from the cone, while andesitic lava flowed out of its U-shaped crater. It last erupted in 2009, continuing to create some hefty bangs whilst sending a stream of different lava flows down its flank. Yet this 3562m high stratovolcano, has actually done very little damage over its past eruptions. For Reventador is located in the Reventador National Park, out in the Eastern Andes. Lying some 5 hours drive north east of Quito on the edge of the Amazon Jungle, its remote location means that when it does live up to it's name, there are very few people there to witness it. Nevertheless, it's an important volcano for us volcanologists, and so monitoring it's current state is a continuous process. A group were being assembled to head out to Reventador for a number of reasons. One part of the group were going to fix a seismic station on the volcanoes flank. Another was off to instal a camera, which would take constant snaps of the volcano action, whilst another part of the group were going to take gas samples. I was going along for the ride and to naturally help out where-ever I could. For the general public, most people dont venture too near to reventador. Its remote location means it's pretty difficult to get to and there are only a few places to stay nearby. This means that over the last 10 years there has been almost no notable cases of damage or loss of life. I mean, you would have to be fool to get close to this exploding beast, this unpredicatble fiery chamber - so as true volcanologists............off we went!!!
There were nine of us in all. The two vehicles took the 5 our drive through pretty amazing Andes and Oreinte scenery. At first we stopped off at a communications tower where we had to make some checks regarding our seismometers out on the volcanoes flanks. We were some miles away from the volcano, but even from here we can tell if the data is being sent correctly. We later headed off to the Reventador National Park and our base camp - Hosteria Reventador. The hotel was pretty nice, with great big bedrooms and a tv / pool room close at hand. Yet it was the hammocks and swimming pool complete with slide that dominated proceedings while we were not working. Every now and again cockerels would barge their way through the dining area too, or being out on the edge of the jungle, a parrot would come and sit by your side. You could say it was a good working environment. However this hostel also had another suprise that would help out our work situation even better, but I didn't even realise this until the next morning.
A bright 5am start marked the beginning of the one day that I would get to spend out on Reventador. It was going to be a good day though - one I will certainly never forget. From the hotel, the volcano is a good 4 hour trek, and being on a tight work schedule, we didn't really have time for that. So, hidden around the back of the hotel is a small gravely area which I would soon realise was our landing pad. There were so many of us and all doing completely differnt things on different parts of the volcano, the Institute, like it often does in these situations, hired out a helicopter and pilot. It wasn't long before the helicopter was darting to and fro between the hotel landing pad and the volcano. Dropping people off in one place and collecting others in another.
Soon it was my turn for a ride. I have never been on a helicopter before and I doubt I will get to go on one again under such unusual circumstances. For I went with Silvana, a geochemist and volcanologist who was there measuring gas samples from the volcano. I was asked to hold a small piece of equipment called a spectrometer. Essentially what would happen is; the helicopter only has one side closed on it, the other is completely open. I would have to half hang out of this side holding the spectrometer up to the sky while we flew around the active volcano. The spectrometer had a cord connected to a computer which Silvana was holding in the front seat and taking the readings that were being produced. The spectrometer can detect gases in the air as well as their quantity and this was a useful measure for us volcanologists. The flight was incredible. While I was perched on the side of this helicopter with just a small car sealtbelt holding me in, we sailed high above the clouds. The views of the Amazon and Andes combined were very special, and as we soared up and around the flanks of the volcano we could see far off peaks, like the volcano Cayambe, which peaked its snow capped summit through the clouds. The helicopter flew right into the crater and around the still very active cone. Smoke and ash rose from its top. Below you could clearly see the numerous old lava flows that had swept down the volcanoes flanks in years gone by. Above the clouds and half hanging out the chopper, tightly gripping this small and very expensive devise became more problematic. It was freezing up there and the wind continuously pushes your arm back, making the whole thing very tiring. Yet it was the unbelieveable views of forests, waterfalls, and volcanoes which kept my attention firmly off the arm aching activity. Im not sure that I will ever have a better helicopter flight than that in my life.
Later that day I headed off again, this time with Pablo. He was being sent onto one of the old lava flows to instal a camera. When set up, the device would take a picture of the volcano every 5 minutes. It would be left there for a few months and then all the data (thousands of photos) would be collected. We got back on the helicopter and set off for Reventador once more. The helicopter cant land on jagged and rough lava terrain, so it meant that it had to hover a meter from the ground so we could jump down, hopefully without twisting or breaking an ankle. We landed onto one of the 2002 lava flows just fine and began to work. The camera doesnt take too long to instal and the plan was it would all be done in 20 minutes at which time the chopper would come back round and pick us up. During our installation we were suddenly both very startled. Reventador lived up to its name. A huge loud thuderous noise was heard coming from the volcanoes crater. A few seconds later this was followed by a large ash column rising high into the air. The volcano wasnt erupting but it was certainly clearing its throat. The worrying thing about it all though, was that just a few hours earlier I had been seated in a helicopter almost brushing past that cone where the explosion had initiated. If that had happened while we were still up there flying around, things could have turned out quite badly. That explosion certainly wasn't expected and it definately makes you think what might have been. Still, we were fine so we carried on with the task at hand.
We continued installing the camera. Unfortunately by the time we had finished clouds had swept in and there was now no chance of the helicopter coming to get us from our current position. Luckily, volcanologists come prepared, so we radioed our intentions in and with our GPS device - we set off. The idea was to walk over the old lava flows down to an open clearing where there was a seismic station currently being fixed by two of our colleagues. We would meet them there before radioing in to get picked up. We could even see the site we were aiming for, but getting over lava is no easy process. Its hard, jagged, often loose boulders and spikes that make for a very slow and careful footed walk. It took an hour and a half to reach our destination. This probably would have taken just 20 minutes if we were trekking on flat land, but here the lava flows swayed up and down so it was a constant scramble across. It certainly reminded me of Frodo and Sam in The Lord Of The Rings, walking over endless mounds and pillars of volcanic rock. It was a moody place out here too especially as little could be seen with the ever dropping clouds.
We finally reached the station and our friends and we were soon back on the helicopter and in the comfort of the hotel. It was a job well done and a fantastic day, though for now - my work was over. We stayed that night in the hotel and a few of the others went out that morning to finish off their jobs. Yet by 10am everything was complete so we packed up and took the slow ride back to Quito. It was a field trip I will never forget and a good learning experience. I hope I get to continue seeing and doing such amazing things through work, as really, thats why I'm out here. And if it's taught me one thing more than the anything else............it's that I will bug Mario just that little bit more now!!!
Friday 13 August 2010
Back In Baños
As the World Cup slipped away for another 4 years, my life in Quito started to return back to its familiar routine. This generally involved volcano work during the week and either going out in Quito or literally going out of Quito, for the weekend. With quite a few long-termers hanging around and so many of them getting itchy feet to see other places besides the capital, we all grouped together and headed off to Baños for the weekend. There was a pretty big group of us, all ready for some jungle fun and we would meet even more people that we knew when we arrived. It was going to be a good weekend.
Baños is an amazing place. Out on the edge of the Amazon, its a small touristy town of waterfalls, natural hot-pools (fed by the Tungurahua Volcano), great food and an extreme sports paradise. It also has a pretty good night life scene too. As you can imagine I was pretty happy to return here for only my second time.
On the Saturday, we started proceedings by jumping off a bridge. I had already done it here twice but couldn't resist just one more go. So, attached by just a couple of climbing ropes, I lept off of the San Francisco Bridge on the outskirts of Baños and plummeted some meters before conforming into a big swing under the structure. Nothing quite clears a hangover than Bungee Jumping. A few of the others had a go too (some dared not to do it), before we continued our adventurous day.
Later that afternoon, we all headed off to the next extreme sports challenge. Actually I was really excited about this one. In the whole time that I have been travelling so far (for the last 2 and a half years pretty much), its probably the one extreme thing that I have never managed to do. I had opportunities to do it. In fact some of the places I have travelled through were some of the best locations in the world for it, but for some reason or another - it just never happened. So, that afternoon in Baños a group of perhaps 10 of us took the hour drive out of town, hit the river and went White Water Rafting.
We first got some brief instructions from our guide, before splitting into two groups, boarding our rafts and taking to the water. I believe most of the River was grade 3 which is about somewhere in the middle for the violence of rapids. It was a bit worrying however as we did have one young English woman in our group (Ella) who couldnt actually swim and no one bothered to mention that to the guide. The usually non-stop talking Ella was silent the entire trip, I believe just praying that it would all be over as quickly as possible. In total the event last about an hour as we wound our way through rocks and rapids downstream. The rest of the time involved cruising on the gentler river sections and trying immensly to soak people in the other raft with our paddles. The best parts for me were obviously fighting the giant rapids and trying to stay in the raft at the same time. Actually no-one fell out during the entire trip. Overall, it was a lot of fun and everyone had a good laugh, including Ella in the end. I will certainly go for another round at some point but certainly I'll need to move up to a grade 4 at least.
The rest of our time in Baños was moslty spent eating and drinking in the restaurants and bars around town. The only downside to the whole trip was I came back with a scar on my nose. Essentially, someone through a skull at me. It's on odd way to obtain a scar I'll grant you but it happened nontheless. In a bar in Baños, there is a huge out-door garden complete with raging fire in the middle, where locals and tourists alike spend their hours hugging the warm fire and drinking a cold beer. Around this bar though is the most odd collection of memorabilia, including an old tv set, a bicycle, a trumpet and an old skull. We also had in our group a hilarious young Irish woman who above all likes nothing better than to swig out of a whiskey bottle at most points during the day. The combination of a drunken Irish woman and a garden full of funky memorabilia can only end in disaster - as it did. It all happened when she decided she just had to play the trumpet. She grabs the instrument with immense vigour but without realising that one of the horns from the skull was wrapped around the trumpet at the time. The result was to fling this animals head half-way across the garden and straight onto my nose. I guess accidents do happen and often more frequently when a drunk Irish woman is involved, but still we all took it in fun and I just added it to the collection of the many scars that I seem to be collecting lately.
Overall, It was a great weekend with a great group of people. In a way it was a shame I would have to return back to Quito. It would be nice just to hang out here for a while. But still, volcano work needed to be done and I dont know anyone else around town who can process seismic data from volcanoes - so, off we all headed back to the capital to begin a new week. Actually, I would later find out there was a nice suprise for me. I had no idea at the time but I was going out in the field. At last, after such a long time stuck in the office, I would get the chance to see some more volcanoes close up, and as it turned out, it would end up being the best field trip i've ever been on.............................................
Tuesday 10 August 2010
World Cup 2010 Comes To End And As Usual My National Team Bow Out Early
So far in the 2010 World Cup, my national team, England, have done pretty terribly in the competition. We have some so-called world class footballers, but as is so often the case for England, they dont play together as a world class team. So when England were drawn up against Germany in the last 16 I went into that game with a lot of hope and pride but little confidence. The night before the game, my German buddy, Jens, popped over to the Secret Garden Hostal with his lap-top and on the terrace, above the twinkling lights of Quito's historic 'old town' we sat there reliving some of the England Vs Germany games of old, which he had been downloading ever since our nation's fates were tied together. I had the great 1966 final to enjoy and he had some other, less memorable games - ones in which I dont believe anyone really cares or worries about.
We watched the game in the Mariscal with a mixture of English and German fanatics. I dont need to describe the horror that then proceeded. I can complain that we had a goal disallowed that was so clear cut, the incident became more laughable than that of annoyance. The Germans around me said that was revenge for the 1966 final, in which England had a little help from a Russian linesman. But Russians or not, the point is, no England fan could really complain - we wernt good enough. Our players throughout the tournament didnt show enough fight. If I was playing for my nation, if I was representing 51 million people I would be bleeding and sick on the touchline before that final whistle sounded, if that was required. I saw nothing of that from these over payed morons that were gracing the worlds biggest football stage in the name of my country. As I walked back through the Mariscal, before me lay a sea of German fans, cheering, singing and waving flags. For me, it can only be described as walking through the gates of hell. I went back to my room and straight to bed.
The rest of the World Cup at least was a joy to watch. I was actually more upset when Ghana were so brutally kicked out of the competition than that of England. Here in Ecuador, the locals were cheering all the South American teams and so were delighted when the quater-finals came around. Unfortunately, like me, they were also very disappointed at the later stages.
I watched the final - also in the heart of Quito's bar district. There were many Spanish shirts out on display but orange was generally the colour on view. It wasnt a great final but without doubt the best footballing team won, so I have to say a big well done to Spain. They are full of world class players who actually combine to create a world class team. They deserved it all. A good job also by South Africa too - the hosts did a pretty damn good job. Of course it will take about 3 months to stop the ringing from my ears after those damn Vuvuzelas were blasted out of every tv set in Ecuador, but still I will have good memories of the tournament overall. Its a shame my nation were so utterly useless - but still, theres only 4 years to wait.................................
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Mindo.................Again!!!
Just a few days after the incident, the story - involving myself, Leanne and the night of the taxi kidknapping had now spread across a number of hostals and probably most of Quito. People would come up to me saying "hey, did you hear about those two people who got kidnapped in a taxi the other day". Sometimes I would tell them that one of those people was me, on other occassions I would just pretend I knew nothing about it. It became pretty boring and quite a chore for both me and Leanne to relive the whole event, answering the same questions, so as the weekend approached we decided to skip town. The choice to get out of Quito for the weekend was easy, and the choice of our destination was perhaps even easier still, for a third time, I headed off to Mindo.
Along with Leanne and myself, came Jens, a very cool German friend who has been living in Quito for maybe 4 months now. He's doing an internship in Forestry, but for some reason which I have never really understood (I dont think he knows either), they wont let him go off to the Jungle (where the trees are), and instead keep him locked away in Quito with me. He's one of my longer term buddies and in a week or so, I would have to endure alongside him, a game of football between my nation and his, in the 2010 World Cup last 16. Oh how I couldnt wait for that!!!
In Mindo, the three of us later met up with some other guys that we knew and all of us spent a great few days together. Naturally everyone wanted to go canopy swinging, and so for the third time, off I went to swing above the trees. I love doing it so there was no need to ever complain. We also found time to head back to the butterfly farm which is always nice for a relaxing afternoon. On our first evening too - we went to a frog concert. At least this is how it was described to us. The whole thing was a bit bizarre. Here I was, expecting to see frogs lined up in a row while a conducter waved his stick around and yet - it wasnt quite to be. Actually it was pretty interesting. By the side of a large lake, hundreds of frogs were bellowing out thier distinctive sounds. The guide walked us round this lake at night and gave us an explanation of all the frogs and their behaviour. We also saw other night time wildlife as Mindo is in the heart of the cloud forests, so as you can imagine - the place is full of strange creatures, especially bugs. Apart from those delightful activities, we just ate a lot of pizza & home-grown chocolate in the shape of brownies and swang about in hammocks. It was the perfect get-away. I know I will be back in Mindo again - it's inevitable. This place really has become my second home, and with being just a few hours away from Quito - why not???
We all returned to the countries capital and continued pretty much where we had left off - answering questions about the taxi night. A few days later, Leanne left, continuing her travels on to Colombia. We certainly went through a lot together and which I for one will never forget. I hope I get to see her again some time - though I doubt I ever will. If we do ever bump into each other out on the road though - we will certainly be sure to get in the right taxi!!!
Well, I guess I still have Jens - oh and that game of football - which had now, all of a sudden, crept up on us both............................
