I know I have blogged about this before but it really is an extraordinary thing to observe. Most of us all learn to walk at a young age and usually the average person manages it quite comfortably for the rest of their lives. Ecuadorians however, are different. Firstly, they walk so unbelievably slowly it actually defies normal belief. I am sure on one occassion I walked past someone who was making their way to the same bank as myself. A week later when collecting money out again I walked past that same person still wearing the same clothes as the week before and still heading to the bank. For this poor Ecuadorian, they hadn't yet made the first round - I had essentially lapped them. Secondly, they find it immensely difficult to walk down the road in a straight line. With not a sole around them they feel it is necessary to swerve across the pavement in some sort of snake like motion. This generally leads to me getting very frustrated that I can't get around them, or me bumping into them at some point during the overtaking procedure. I have since started a "carry a compass while walking" scheme, where I hand out free compasses to those who cannot move forward in a straight line!!! Consequently, over the past 6 months, profits from compass sales within Ecuador have risen by 200%. Now, I know I have explained Ecuadorian walking habits before, but, here's the thing - I have now figured out why this slow walking culture has evolved. Just last Thursday it was, as I took my daily route to work - there, all of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning out of the sky - it hit me. It was a revelation, my scientific brain had finally realised why and how Ecuadorians walk so slowly. So world - here it is.................................
Ecuadorians actually don't move at all. They are 100% stationary at all times. Their feet hover just slightly above the ground. The distance is so small that to the ordinary observer it looks like they are resting on the surface of the Earth just like everyone else. But, their not. As they hover in the exact same position above our planet, they then wait for the Earth's rotation beneath their feet to eventually bring places (say the park, the bank, their house), to them. The movement of their legs in a back and forth like motion is purely for visual effect. In this theory, the slow rotation of the Earth is the key to getting an Ecuadorian where they want to go (or should I say - bringing the location they want to go to, to them) and thus tragically - they actually have no control over their speed. The science behind it is flawless and anyone who says otherwise should first read the Penguin book of basic physics. As well, because this now takes the blame away from the poor locals here in this country, I don't actually mind so much anymore. I thought they were walking like that just to wind me up - but its really not their fault. Now I stroll down the streets of Quito with a spring in my step and a frustration-free life. Unfortunately, it now saddens me everytime I see an Ecuadorian taking 7 days to get to the local bank!!!
On an equally important observational topic, quite some time ago I went to a concert. It was held in the Plaza del Toros and involved traditional South American music, with bands from both Ecuador and Colombia. Even the rain couldn't stop the party from exploding, with the whole stadium dancing to famous songs for the entire night. Since living in Ecuador for nearly two years now, I knew many of the tunes emminating from the giant speakers. Its funny how you come to a country and after a while, its sort of natural to listen and dance to a type of music that is never even heard of back home. That really is one amazing thing about Ecuador - people here love music and love to dance to that music. For me - a lot of it is so new. Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton - these are types of music I really didn't know existed before coming here, and now, I even know some basic steps!!! In some ways its a shame that music of this nature, like other traditional music from around the world isn't more integrated into our lives at home - instead of being completely inundated with pop and R'n'B!!! The concert was a great experience and despite its length (over 5 hours), was thoroughly enjoyable.
There are many other cultural peculiarities that you find living in another country like Ecuador. Everyday something pops up that you are completely baffled by. Here are a few others I have noticed:
Bus behaviour: buses don't stop very often, in fact - they rarely stop at all. They usually just slow down enough so that you are able to jump (literally) on and off them. If you mess this up you can be in real trouble. I recently saw a man lose his grip whilst hanging off a moving bus that was turning a corner and he ended up falling out and rolling into the middle of the road. About 50 people watched the now bleeding man as he shouted at the bus, which just carried on its way, almost as though it was saying 'well you know the rules - we don't stop for anyone'. It must have really hurt!!! When you are on the bus though, behaviour is equally baffling. People don't stay in the same seat. Its like the chair they were given is never quite good enough. As soon as someone gets up, there is always somebody up and out, to grab the new spot, even though they already had a perfectly good seat to begin with. Then someone else will get up and go for their old seat. Its like musical chairs!!! The moving into and out of the seats is completely random as far as I can tell - or at least, I haven't yet worked out why some plastic sitting moulds are move appealing than others. It's bizarre.
Street urinating: it doesn't matter if its day or night, no matter how many people are around, or if they are drunk or not - there is always someone weeing somewhere on a nearby street at all times. The street I live on is particularly prone to street urinating practices. I suppose that its a urinating hotspot - so that people come from all over town, to gather, like some sort of social event............and then wee all over the place!!! Im going to ask the Ecuadorian gavernment if they can stop the production of beaurocratic forms and instead build more toilets. Often on the street I live, are also random locals who end up sleeping on the pavement, with their face straight down into the cold concrete. Nobody ever asks if these people are okay, and it ends up that you just step over random Ecuadorians from time to time as though they were old dirty laundry that you had forgotten to clear from your bedroom floor.
Personal space issues: in England, people, no matter how crowded the place is will always try and give you some personal space - like there is some form of invisible force field around you that people cannot enter. In Ecuador, people go the complete opposite way. Its like when they walk past you they want to knock into you, touch you, fall over your feet or cough in your face. On some occassions I have even thought about filing for harassment but then I thought how many documents I would have to fill in to do this and thus quickly brushed the idea away.
The elevator: I don't think people have worked out the elevator here (or 'lift' as we say in England), quite yet. I say this because 99% of the time that I try to exit one, 99% of people will be barging their way into it before anyone has got out. Its almost as though they feel that they must get into it NOW, or it may not appear for a decade or so. It doesn't matter how many people are already in the lift, trying to get out of it, as soon as those doors open - an army full of people are marching to get their spot.
So, as you can see - I could probably write a 100 page thesis on such cultural differences. Sixty pages would probably be on queing habits (or lack of queing habits here) and Im not just saying that because Im English (and thus a master of standing in line).................in this part of the world, the man with the biggest gob usually comes out on top. Of course I am sure such oddities would present themselves to an Ecuadorian in England too. Many will come to our country and be like "god, why are these people so fussy about standing in a line" or "why does everyone walk so fast here - these people need to chill out!!!"That sort of thing you know. And so, I think I will end my tales of cultural & peculiar differences for now, not least because I need at least a couple more pages to get through them all, but also I am writing this siting next to a window and outside a man is in full view - weeing up a lamp-post!!!
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Ecuadorian Life - A Country Of Culture, Peculiarities & Cultural Peculiarities
Turning 28 Years Old
It doesn't seem that long ago that I was celebrating my 27th birthday here in Ecuador. Last year I spent a crazy night on a Chiva Bus and don't really remember much of what happened after that. Now, a whole year has passed and thats a scary thought. The older I get though the less bothered I am about getting there. What I mean by that is, before I wanted to celebrate each 18th of September in style - going out, doing things big, usually drinking too much. Last years mayhem sort of happened by chance. I would have happily taken a few quiet drinks in a bar and be done with it, but, at that time - I had a big group of friends who loved to party, and that particular weekend was one where many people were leaving the city for good. As such, last year became a birthday and multiple-leaving event all in one, and hence a night that turned into chaos. This year was almost the same. Maisa's sister, Grace, was soon to be leaving for Canada to study English and my good friend Henry was returning back home to England. However, with Grace's Canadian visa not turning up on time and Henry leaving some days after my birthday, it turned out that I would have the day all to myself. As such, this years 18th of September passed far more smoothly - and I was still as happy as ever.
Firstly, I awoke at Maisa's house to the entire family walking in and singing happy birthday to me while holding a birthday cake with a big 28 on it. It's lucky I am a big strong man - because otherwise I would have looked at that 28, realised how old I am now and then burst into tears. The cake was delicious. I spent the entire weekend with Maisa and her family, as well as Henry. On two of the evenings Maisa, myself, Maisa's sisters and Henry, plus a few friends went out for meals and then some drinks. Maisa treated me and everyone in fact, to both events, which was very nice of her. We also found out that there was a fun-fair going on in town. They don't happen very often in Ecuador and this was the last weekend before it moved on to some other South-American country. As such, we all headed over to smash each other with bumper cars and ride rollercoasters that made us all feel positively sick. I think behaving as childish as possible was the perfect remedy of turning another year older.
I had never seen a fun-fair like this before. I mean they had all the things a fun-fair in England has but everything looked somewhat more dangerous here. They had one ride that didn't have safety bars on it and people were being thrown all over the place. Maisa told me that that is how it was supposed to be and yes everyone usually comes off with some form of injury. Maisa's sister, Jessy, ended up spraining her arm on the bumper cars. Welcome to Ecuador!!!
It was a nice weekend, and a good birthday too. Im glad its over for another year though and I can now finally carry on with normal day-to-day life. Just a final note: As I get older I really do feel I am getting more wise with each passing year. For example, it was soon after my birthday, whilst walking down a normal street in Ecuador that I finally figured it out. It came to me in a flash of brilliance and it should be commended by something prestigious like a Nobel Prize, because finally I did it, I figured out why Ecuadorians - have a problem with walking...............................
Vacation Over - A Return To Quito Life
So after my ten day trip across Ecuador, into Peru and back again, my Quito life resumed once more. I have now been living in Ecuador for one year and nine months. It seems like time has gone much faster than when I went travelling before - maybe because I have mainly stayed in one spot and gone through the daily work routine. When I think about all the things I have done here though - the things I have been through, the experiences I have had, the people I have met and the friends I have made - it does seem to be an awful lot!!!
The period of time just around the Peru trip was generally filled with birthdays, parties and birthday parties. Just before we left for our ten day adventure, it was Maisa's sisters (Grace's) 20th Birthday. We went to a very swanky hotel for a buffet lunch before heading up the large hill (El Panecillo) that sits in the historic old town of Quito and where on top, is a giant statue of the Virgin Mary. It is a landmark within the city and at the summit you get fantastic 360 degree views of the entire area. I had been up here once before but a long time ago, so it was nice to get another look with Henry, Maisa and all her family. In the evening there was a huge party set up in Maisa's house, complete with DJ, a lot of food and also a flow of Mojitos (which were constructed by Henry and myself). On the same day - it was actually Maisa's other sisters (Jessy's) birthday too. She turned 15 which is quite a big deal in Ecuador so her birthday was pushed forward about a month for a very special event.
Just two weeks after our Peru trip, Maisa's dad celebrated a business venture. He was opening a petrol station and for the inauguration he decided to hold a big party on site. Under a giant tent, around 150 people were treated to a three course meal, a huge band playing typical South American music and a lot of whiskey. Before everyone got drunk there were speeches and the cutting of ribbon. Then, with everyone dressed up in all their fancy clothes we all drank and danced the night away. By the end, some where too intoxicated to stand. I even had to carry a few out of the venue. I however, was still in control of all my faculties by the time the clock struck 3am and the party came to a close. It was a great event, even with the staff of the party trying to steal some belongings of Maisa's aunt and uncle who had come over from Venezuela. I found most of their things buried under a big pile of table-cloths at the end of the night where some of the staff had hidden the things for easy pickings later. Everything made it back to their rightfull owners except a camera which disappeared altogether. Its sad that at such an expensive event, some staff would still try their luck and steal from the guests. Maisa's dad ended up leaving his party shouting the word "rats" to the staff members!!! All in all though it didn't detract from a great night enjoyed by everyone.
Just one week later and it was Jessy's birthday. Maisa's sister was turning 15 years and well, it was one of the biggest parties I have ever seen - especially for a 15 year birthday. The event was more like a wedding only there was no bride and groom. The planning of this party took months and all four sisters had special dresses made for the occasion. The men were suited and booted too. The event first started in their nearby church (I told you - it was just like a wedding). There was a small service, with a band playing, lots of singing and praying......and maybe like a gallon of holy water being thrown around to bless everyone. I have never been to a service like this before. I'm not the most religious person in the world, but I respect everyones decision to choose in what they believe. To everyone else here, the service was quite normal as most people are Catholic in this country. For me the whole thing was a little strange. Religion is a funny business, with all the little rituals and specific acts which must be followed at the exact time and to the exact specifications. Its almost like the person who invented religion had some form of severe OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It was still very interesting to see though.
Afterwards, everyone headed to the Sheraton Hotel. The party must of housed around 150 people, most of which were Jessy's friends and the rest, family. Two groups had come all the way from Venezuela. There was first a reception with drinks and two very weird looking clowns, dressed all in gold and whos job was to welcome you into the room. They scared the living hell out of three-year old Domi and to be honest, me a little as well. The party was held in a huge room full of round tables and large screens on the walls. The family walked into the room surrounded by music and everyone clapped. Jessy came last. Then there were some speeches by Marcelo, Maisa and Grace. They laid a chair in the middle of the room so Jessy could sit down and her Mum came in with her shoes and put them on her feet, like some sort of Cinderella reenaction. Then a movie was played on the big screens showing photos of Jessy through her life, before she had a 'first dance' with a male friend of hers in front of everyone. Later, we sat down to a three course meal with Champagne. There was a buffet dinner for the kids.
During the night there were two bands playing different types of music and a DJ, who generally played songs aimed at the youngsters. The dancing and drinking went on well into the night and we all only stopped once to sing happy birthday as a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance-floor. It was a pretty amazing party and everyone had a good time all round. I remember thinking that my 15th birthday was quite different. If my memory serves me right, my friends and I spent the entire night trying to sneak into a pub in my local (North London) area, just to get an alcoholic beverage, and the only clowns involved were the behaviour of my friends. Still, each to their own.
During those weeks, it had been the birthday of Grace and Jessy, Domi and Marcelo (most of the Coello family basically) but also of someone else. The most special birthday of all the birthdays was coming up. There had only ever been 27 of these fantastic events to occur in all the world, but 28 was just around the corner.................
Tuesday 6 September 2011
The Ecuadorian Coast & El Carmen
The Ecuadorian coastal road is pretty amazing although a lot of the time it doesn't strictly follow the shore. It sweeps inland and often curves up and above the coast so you get some wonderful views of the sea and beyond. It also takes you through some jungle feeling terrain, which is always nice. We left Salinas for this amazing ride as we were heading to a small place called El Carmen.
The ride to El Carmen, where Maisa's aunt and uncle have a home and where we were to be staying for one night, is some hours north of Salinas. Its hard to keep track how many hours, but we broke up our journey by stopping off at places on route. We made one stop at Puerto Lopez, which is actually a popular tourist spot as many come here to see the whales which often pass by this particular area. We only stopped off for lunch, but it also has a nice long-stretched beach to look at too, especially when you are eating delicious soup. We also stopped off at some small fishing village. I don't remember the name of the town, but the people there looked and acted odd and I don't think many of them had left the place, well, probably ever. It was an interesting experience being there though, as an army of fisherman were crowded on the beach standing over two huge swordfish. We watched as they hacked these things to pieces before feeding the unwanted parts to two very eager looking dogs. The smell made me feel somewhat ill, and it reminded me once again why I don't eat fish. It would have been fascinating to see those two swordfish actually in the ocean, alive and blazing through the water because before they were dismantled, they looked immense.
Eventually we made it to El Carmen. Just off the main coastal road, a small dirt-track leads to a farm, where Maisa's aunt and uncle have a rustic, wooden jungle house. It was certainly different to any of the other accommodation that we had stayed in thus far on this trip but it was incredible to be there. The shower is basically a bucket of water, the toilet has no flusher, and the rooms are simply wooden boxes with beds. Surrounding the house though is an assortment of amazing things. Chickens run riot there, and around is every type of growing plant under the sun. They get meat and eggs from the chickens, then the plants provide them with oranges, passion fruits, cocao plants, yuca and avacadoes.......plus more. They really don't need a local supermarket as they have everything right in their back yard. They cooked us some very fresh and organic food, including a typical Ecuadorian coastal dish which involves crispy rice. Unfortunately, there are also a ton of bugs there including thousands of mosquitos, but we slept with the nets up so it wasn't so much of a problem.
The next day we continued north about an hour or so, where there was a party that we were to attend. Im not exactly sure what the whole thing was about but it included the entire family of Maisa's aunt (who is not blood related). I don't think I ever have or ever will see a family this big again in my entire life - as there must of been like two hundred people there. Im sure if you were part of this family you would meet up with everyone and each time see some relative that you never had before. Maisa only knew a hatful of them there and im not suprised. I don't think if you counted the members of my family from all the generations going back to the time of the cave man (or Adam and Eve - whatever you believe), would it have totalled the number at this event. It was incredible. There was food and beer flowing and a lot of chatting going on. The event went on all day, mainly I think because by the time you had gone around and said hello to everyone you would probably have passed at least three hours. We only stayed a short time as we needed to get back to Quito, so off we went again, continuing north.
The views continuing north up the coast and then swinging east, past the town of Santo Domingo and on to Quito is pretty spectacular. It mainly sweeps around mountains and outlooks some wonderful views. If you have problems with car-sickness, this would have been your nightmare ride, but luckily I don't have such issues. We got back to Quito late, and I spent that last night at Maisa's house in the valley. The next day the parents prepared a huge feast including some delicious salty pork which is one of my favourite things to eat out here. Eventually Maisa gave Henry and I a lift back to the old town of Quito where I live. After a 10 day trip crossing two countries, seeing around 10 locations and doing an absolute mass of things, I walked into my room, shut my door and collapsed!!!
It had been an amazing trip and I was glad to take the time off work for it. It was packed full of adventure and a ton of travelling, but then I like my vacations to be busy. Culturally it was fascinating too as we covered so many different regions, foods and life-styles. One day we were staying in a 5-star hotel and the next in a wooden jungle house surrounded by chickens. It was worth every minute and one trip I won't forget in a hurry. For now though, once again, it was back to work................................
Back In Ecua-Land - Guayaquil & Salinas (Ecuador)
It was a long drive from Mancora. We set off about mid-day, took the short ride to the border (through arid desert and coastlines) before crossing the frontera back to Ecuador. The paperwork getting back over was nothing more than a formality this time around. From the border, we took the long drive around the southern part of the country (through all those banana plantations) towards the large city of Guayaquil. Actually we wern't spending much time here. We were just passing through. We stopped for dinner and had a look around before continuing on our journey. I had passed through Quayaquil a number of times, as its the main hub for travelling on to a number of places in the south of Ecuador. Most of those previous occassions I had only driven through the city, so I never really got to see the place up close. This time however, despite it only being a whistle-stop tour - I did actually manage to get out the car this time and see some sights properly.
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and despite not being its capital, it certainly is its economic hub. Because of this and the fact that it has a reputation of being dangerous, not many backpackers bother to stop here. However, underneath its shell of business and robbers its actually quite a cool town. The city is located away from the high altitude mountains and so its climate is more tropical, being hot and humid for most of the year. The city has a number of things to keep the average tourist happy, but nothing more so than the Malecon, which is often seen to define this place. The Malecon is essentially Quayaquil's river-side promenade, where people come to shop, walk and eat - and often all in one go. The promenade runs along the huge Rio Guayas (Guayas River) which is used as a major trading route. During the short time we had in Guayaquil - we spent it on the Malecon, for a night-time stroll. We started at La Rotonda (a famous statue depicting the meeting between Bolivar and San Martin that took place here in 1822), before continuing south, past the clock tower and yacht club as well as a whole host of other night time delights!!! It would have been nice to spend a bit more time here and in the city in general, but we were pressed for time, so we eventually got back in the car and continued on our way.
It was less than two hours to reach our destination - Salinas. The town lies on Ecuador's southern coast and it is here that Maisa and her family have a holiday home. The place was only a few minutes from the beach and after a bit of a spruce-up (the house hadn't been lived in for over a year), it felt like home. I had been to Salinas before. About 6 months previously I participated in a scientific conference where I presented a talk to 200 Ecuadorians on the explosive activity of Tungurahua Volcano. The conference was held at a university in the nearby town of Santa Elena, but we all stayed on the Navy Base in Salinas - so I got to see a bit of the town then. From afar, Salinas looks like Miami Beach - with tall hotels and apartments lining the shore. Yachts dock just off the bay and during the months from December to April - they often come from all over the world.
In the few days that we spent in Salinas we spent most of our time along the beach-front, eating in the restaurants and admiring the many market stalls. We also had time for a couple of expeditions though too. We went to a famous and dangerous part of the coast in Salinas called the Chocolatera - which is where a series of ocean currents meet, crashing against the cliff-side rocks. We stood precariously on the top of those cliffs and watched the ferocity of mother nature in action below us. We also took a drive up the coast including the two hour ride north to Montañita. I had spent some time in this small, party town (and once for a crazy New Years Eve night) but Henry had never been and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We didn't stay for the evening so he didn't get to experience it in all its glory but he got a taste of what the place is like at least.
After some days, we had to continue on our way again. Our trip was coming to an end and we had to get back to Quito. Before our return journey though we still had some time left................so we ended up driving north to stay in a Jungle house and attend a party with 200 family members. Of course we did!!!
Crossing Countries - Mancora (Peru)
Its amazing how different a place can look simply by crossing from one country to another. Really, that is pretty odd, because its only an imaginary line - but somehow the change is very noticable. That is because, in the south of Ecuador, the climate is such that plants and vegetation thrive so the whole landscape looks green, mainly with banana plantations. But as you cross to the north of Peru, the climate shifts and everything becomes very arid and dry. Of course, being in Peru is different for a whole host of other (non-landscape) reasons, such as the infrastructure and people, the cultures and the currency. One thing you notice straight away when you enter Peru is how everyone drives tuk-tuk's - a motorbike with a big carriage on the back for carrying a few passengers. They are extremely popular in Asia, where I used to hop on them all over the place to get from one location to the next. You don't really see them in Ecuador though.
The drive from the border to the popular beach-side town of Mancora is only a few hours, so we arrived pretty quickly. Most of our trip from this point on would be along some part of the Pacific coast. That meant one thing in terms of food...........fish. Anyone who has ever met me, knows that I am not a big fan of eating anything that has come out of the ocean. Don't get me wrong - if it resides on the land, whatever it is, then I will throw it down my gob with little hesitation. On my travels I have eaten; Grasshopper; Snake; Guinea Pig; and Cricket (to name just a few), but put a piece of cod in front of me and my lip starts to quiver. In Peru and in Ecuador too they have a famous fishy dish called cerviche - which is some type of uncooked sea creature in a very strong lime-juice sauce. Its a bit like a soup and the idea is that the fish doesn't need to be cooked because the lime-juice keeps it fresh. I have actually tried this dish before and apart from all the fishiness, its quite tasty. Along this part of the coast 90% of places only sell fish and cerviche so I thought it was going to be hard-work just to find something for me to eat. On top of that, my work compañero (Pete Hall) also told me that in northern Peru, they harvest so much anchovy that they end up feeding it to the chickens so that the chickens also have a fishy taste..............I knew then I was going to be in real trouble!!! Actually, throughout my time in Peru and back up through Ecuador I generally didn't have problems finding something (non-fishy) to eat and I was also the only person in our group who didn't get sick at some stage................I say thats 1-0 to the land eater!!!
Mancora was much smaller than I expected. It has a reputation for being a popular backpacker spot, especially for those who want to party, so I was suprised that the Coello family chose this place for their relaxing vacation. Actually it seems, that's its the hostals themselves which are the party venues and although the town did have quite a few beach-side bars, it wasn't as crazy as I had expected. I guess it could be compared to Ecuador's Montañita - but really there was a lot less going on here in Mancora. For us, it didn't actually matter - because we were here just to enjoy the beach and do very little - clubbing wasn't really on our agenda. We only stayed in Mancora for two nights in the end, because the sun failed to come out in any forceful manner and the town of Mancora failed to impress the Coello family. The first night we stayed close to the town. It was a nice hotel but the beach there had a constant gale force wind. So, the second night we headed a bit up the coast and found an amazing resort type place where we could just relax. The beach was far more tranquilo and this hotel was incredible. We essentially had our own apartment, right on the beach, and the pool was so amazing that we barely put our feet on the sand. There, we did nothing but soak up the sun and drank Pisco Sours (a famous Peruvian alcoholic cocktail). This hotel also had an amazing restaurant, pool-table and service, which meant you never had to leave your sun-bed. It really was an amazing place for doing very little.
Often we would head into the town of Mancora just to eat and see the place at night. It has a nice street-side market, specifically for selling to backpackers. I tried to get used to the currency in Peru but I wasn't there long enough to fully adapt. Its a pretty easy conversion though - at about 2.5 Soles (more or less) to one US ($) Dollar. The Peruvian people always seemed firendly and polite, just like their Ecuadorian neighbours although again, I wasn't in the country long enough to fully know anything about them. A few days later, we headed north, back up the coast towards Ecuador again. It was interesting and fun being in a new country and I was glad for the opportunity to see another place on this vast continent. I would definately like to head back to Peru again some day soon - and do a bit of backpacking around some of the famous sites (like Cusco and Machu Picchu), but they will have to wait until next time. For now, we continued back up north and once again made it to familiar territory.....................Ecuador!!!
Machala
I think the drive from Cuenca to Machala was one of the most incredible rides, scenic-wise, that I have ever been on. Its quite a few hours drive but the road takes you through some fantastic countryside. We switched cars for this drive so it was just Maisa, myself, Henry and Grace. With the youngsters alone on the road, the music blaring and the windows down, we crusied through jungle scenes, around the winding sides of bare mountains and along a series of rivers. We skated arocss valleys and toured through plantations of banana trees as far as the eyes can see. It wasn't until now that I finally understood why Ecuador is one of the biggest exporters of bananas in the world. We stopped along the way too, to buy some of the bananas of which there were around 7 different varieties. They only cost us just 5 US Cent each - I remember thinking it was definately cheaper than Tesco. At one point we also stopped off to swim in a river - of which was very popular with the locals in the area too. It was like taking a swim in an icy bath with an entire village. It was cold in there, but thats exactly what was required after the sweltering heat of the jungle climate.
After some hours of driving, through ever-changing scenery, we eventually made it to our destination. Machala is a small town, located deep in the south of Ecuador. Its only about an hour from the Peruvian border and the average tourist would likely only find themselves here if they were heading to or coming from Peru. Its a nice little town though, surrounded simply by banana plantations. We stayed in a 5-star hotel called Oro Verde. It was an amazing place, complete with swimming pool, tennis courts and an incredible breakfast. The rooms were fantastic too and I can't remember having a better shower since my visit to the Ceasers Palace in Las Vegas almost a year earlier.
The next day we headed for Peru. People have often told me that the border between Ecuador and Peru is a bit of a nightmare although actually it didn't seem all that bad. We did have problems though, of course we did!!! Firstly, you have to go to an office on the Ecuadorian side and get an exit stamp. Simple enough. Actually for all of Maisa's family and myself - it was simple. For Henry, it was a disaster. The problem he had was that he had to extend his visa, so he did that a few days before, but it was done in a bit of a rush. He got his passport back from the immigration office just one day before our trip began. He had all the correct documentation so his passport was all in order. However, the day we left was a public holiday and then it was the weekend when the immigration office is shut and nobody works. Henry's problem was although he had the right stamps in his passport, the computer system with everyone's details on it hadn't updated his information - so at the border they said he couldn't get an official exit stamp because the computer said NO. When we drove to the Peruvian side (which is across a large bridge), they said they couldn't give Henry an entry stamp because he didn't have an Ecuadorian exit stamp. Ahhhhhh. Then, some Peruvian officals said not to worry and just to go on through anyway. Amazingly there is no-one there really stopping you getting into your car and driving into Peru, but it didn't sound right to us. We knew if we did this that Henry would have problems getting out of Peru or into Ecuador on our return so we went back to the Ecuadorian office. Essentially what were doing was travelling back and forth between countries. After some talking, the officer realised he had made a mistake and Henry's details had been updated - he was apparently looking on the wrong computer screen. As we left, Maisa's father (Marcelo) muttered to us that the problem here, was that the Ecuadorian officer was not actually human at all but some form of baboon. I remember thinking that a baboon would probably have no problem stamping a piece of paper and getting us all through the border and that such a comment was harsh on the entire species of baboons. After driving across the bridge once more and getting all our stamps - all of us were finally and officially into Peru.......................
The Start Of My Ten Day Trip - Cuenca
A while ago, Maisa had said to me that her family were going off for another trip somewhere, but it wasn't going to be a weekend expedition this time - it was going to be a 10 day ride across Ecuador and into Peru. They asked if I wanted to go and before she had finished explaining the plan I had already agreed to it. In over a year and a half of being on this continent, I have only seen the delights of Ecuador so naturally I was excited to head somewhere new. All I would need to do is take 5 days off work (which was suprisingly easy), to pack the one bag that I own (slightly more challenging), and get ready for some travelling action.
Coming along for the ride, was myself, Maisa and her three sisters, her mum and dad, my friend Henry (who is dating one of Maisa's sisters), and Maisa's aunt and uncle. We would be travelling across two cars, which was nice because as big as their car is - squeezing 10 people into one vehicle was always going to get crowded!!! It was going to take us a few days to drive down to Peru but that was no bad thing as we would be stopping at some pretty cool places on the way.
We first set off to the large city of Cuenca, located in the South of the country. Its quite a long drive (around 9 hours) so along the way we stopped off at a number of places for food or to see some sights. One of the places we parked up at was Alausi, a small, old town made famous for its trains. If you want to ride a train in Ecuador it will undoubtedly go through Alausi. It is also the last stop before the decent down the famous Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) Pass - where the train is designed to snake back and forth down a mountain side. It is meant to be breathtaking and scary to the point of heartstopping all at the same time. I haven't yet done this ride, but definately have it on one of my things to do before I leave this country.
We also stopped at another small town close to Cuenca, called Azogues. It has a very impressive church structure know as the Iglesia de la Virgen de las Nubes (Church of the Virgin of the Clouds) that was carved, way up high into the side of a hill. It was dark by the time we reached this spot but the views of all the twinkling lights given off by the town below still made the experience special. The church was also deserted which allowed us plenty of exploring time, with myself and Henry clambering up some precarious ladder to the top of one of the spires. The ladder was hanging to the side of this church by one loose bolt pretty much and its only that Henry and myself are complete ignorant morons which gave us the ability to attempt this ridiculous and dangerous expedition.
The ride from Quito to Cuenca is pretty spectacular. It runs down the Andes mountain range so most of the time you are cruising up at high altitude. At one point we criss-crossed around some of the mountains and below was a deep valley filled with clouds that made you think you were in some heavenly place. We did have some drama along the way when halfway to Cuenca, two of Maisa's sisters realised they had forgotten their cedulars - which is basically what South American's can use instead of a passport when they are travelling around their continent. Just like a passport for myself and Henry, it would be impossible for either of them to have entered Peru without these documents - a country we were to reach in a couple of days. It meant that Marcelo (Maisa's dad) had to make some arrangements for both the cedulars to be flown from Quito to Cuenca, where he would pick them up the following day.
After a long ride, we finally reached Cuenca. Its a really nice city, made famous for all its historical buildings. Churches and monuments fill the city center and small rivers line the many parks around the town. I had been here some time ago but was glad to get another look around. The only issue I have with Cuenca is that it is cold most of the time - but then coming from London, maybe I am making more of a deal about that than it really is.
One the one day that we spent in Cuenca, we wondered around the historic sites and took the steep ride up one of the nearby hills for spectacular views over the the city and surrounding area. We also had some traditional food from this part of the country, which is Mote (a type of maiz) that is cooked in a number of different spices and herbs and one of them with eggs thrown in too. Pretty tasty!!!
Eventually we got back in our vehicles and continued on our way. The next stop was to Machala, a small town deep in the south of Ecuador and only about an hour away from the frontera (border) between Ecuador and Peru.........................
Friday 5 August 2011
Many Things - With Maisa
I have been seeing Maria Isabel for maybe three months now. From the minute I met her I knew she was going to be fun, and we pretty much hit it off straight away. For an Ecuadorian her English is amazing. She has also travelled far and wide in her life - across South America but also to Europe and to the northern American quaters where she even spent four months living in the States. Her parents own three houses throughout Ecuador and even two apartments in Miami. We both have a passion for seeing the world - so every opportunity, thats what we do - well across Ecuador at least. Maisa and her family love to escape Quito at the weekends and whether I join them or Maisa and her friends, we are always adventuring off somewhere. Over the last three months we have travelled, well, all over the place...........
Baños & Puyo, Trip One: One of the houses Maisa´s family owns is in a small town close to Baños. So one weekend, Maisa, myself, Henry & Grace and Maisa's other younger sister - Jessy (and her friend too), all headed down for a few days. Maisa naturally drove us all (she loves to drive) and when we reached Baños I was amazed to see where we were staying. She said that they had a holiday-home down near Baños but this thing was huge. It was a beautiful, giant wooden thing that could have housed the entire Ecuadorian Army!!! It also had a great view of the surrounding mountains and river, complete with jungle vibe.
I really enjoyed this trip. For me it was something different. I had already been to Baños about 4 or 5 times previously, but with Maisa and her motor - we could travel much further out of town and see some Amazonian terrain that I had never expereinced before. We headed straight out to Puyo. About an hour drive south-east from Baños, Puyo is a much quieter and smaller town than it's neighbour - and it sits further into the jungle basin. Its noticable too, it really does feel far more Amazonian territory. Its also pretty spectacular to see. Maisa seemed to know the area pretty well as she drove us along the river valley, where we would occasionally stop of to see waterfalls or find somewhere to eat. We also took a cable car across the valley for even better views before (after a short walk through the trees) we eventually made it to a large waterfall and splash pool. With the rain-forest climate heating us up to a nice sweaty temperature - we were always going to go swimming. The water was cold but refreshing and you could literally get right under the powerful waterfall until it took you under. This is what life is all about.
We also got to see some of Baños too. Henry had never been here before so it was nice for him to explore such a great little town that Baños is. It was nice to go away and have no pressure of catching buses or finding accommodation. This really was the easiest and least planned trip I think I have ever done, and despite how I love all the back-packing adventures - it was pleasant just to sit back, have an amazing time and do basically no work at all!!!
Mindo: On another weekend, Maisa, Myself, Henry and Grace all went off to Mindo. After going to the small cloud forest town approximately 4 times during the first 6 months of my time here in Ecuador, it had been over a year since my last visit. Maisa and Grace said they also hadn´t been for around 7 years too, and for Henry - well he had never been before at all. Thus, we all decided a small trip was in order. Normally I am used to staying in a backpackers Hostel. Nice enough but generally with a jungly rustic feel. This time however, we stayed in luxury. Right in the heart of the small town, for one night, we lodged in a beautiful place, each room with balcony and view of the cloud-forest surrounding us. It was certainly worth it!!!
In the time we had, we decided again to trek off to some waterfalls. I have pretty much done everything in Mindo so for me I was just happy to be there and go with the flow. We took the cable-car across the valley, the short walk down through the forest before reaching the large waterfall. There we swam, went cliff jumping and even went on a built slide slide which you can sail down into the icy water. We also went to my favourite pizza place in Mindo and apart from that - just relaxed. It was perfect.
Maisa and I headed back early the next day but Henry and Grace stayed out for a little bit longer before coming back. Unfortunately after we left Henry realised his credit card didn´t work and he couldn´t get money out. They then spent most of their time trying to get cash all over the surrounding areas. After totally failing they got back to Quito with the last bit of cash they had left, via a very cheap bus. Life is an adventure, right???
Tabacundo & Cotacachi: So Henry and Myself were invited one evening to go with all of Maisa´s family around an hour and a half north of Quito, to a small town called Tabacundo. They have some family and friends up there but also, at around this time of year there is a huge street party in the town. Ecuadorians were dressed in traditional clothing as they danced and paraded through the streets. We all joined in of course and especially with the drinking of hot Ecuadorian alcohol called canelazo. It was a lot of fun. The second trip we took up there was around three weeks later. We had a nice lunch with their family and friends before Maisa´s dad later drove us up to a small place called Cotacachi. I had actually been to this town before - a long time ago when I had a Christmas lunch in my boss (Mario´s) family home. This time though we went to see the Cotacachi volcanic crater lake, which I had not been too - although I had always wanted to visit. We took a small boat ride around the lake and I naturally explained to everyone its formation with many volcanic facts thrown in. It really is nice to get out of Quito and see some volcano action sometimes. Even if it is just a lake - it really is a beautiful lake at least.
Latacunga, Otavalo & Weddings: On other weekend adventures, we twice headed down to Latacunga to see some of her family there. They always feed us really well especially with salty pork. Its one of my favourite things to eat in Ecuador because the way it is cooked - you just don´t get back home. Whether you are hungry or not - there is always food presented to you - I never usually complain!!!
On another weekend, I was at Maisa´s house when suddenly her dad presented me with a Versace suit jacket. The next minute, we are at the neighbours house where two of their friends were getting married. The church ceremony was in a weeks time but this was a small party where they say their vows and eat a huge lunch. That was suprisingly the first time in my life that I had sat down to a meal and Grace was said. The whole thing was very interesting to me and I really enjoyed the affair - Ecuadorians really know how to party.
On two occassions over the last month I have also returned back to Otavalo. Normally, people go there to shop at the giant market. Maisa´s dad though (the businessman that he is) had bought hundreds of t-shirts from the States and Maisa and I, with some of her friends went to Otavalo to try and sell them. I must be the first Gringo ever, to go to Otavalo and try and sell items instead of buying them. I loved the adventure nonetheless.
Baños & Puyo, Trip Two: Finally, Maisa and myself - and Maisa´s entire family recently went back to Baños and Puyo for a second trip. At first we went down to a huge building where the entire town (of Ulba - a small place just outside of Baños) was having a party and what appeared to be a beauty pageant. The party went on all night and there were famous Ecuadorian singers there playing popular traditional tunes as we all danced the night away - on a ton of whiskey!!! I also had my photo taken with some of these famous singers (although I had no idea who any of them were). We left around 2am and we never saw who won the town beauty pagaent although we were all too drunk to care by then anyway.
The next day, we all travelled to some beautiful spots around Baños. Tungurahua Volcano was out on show that day too - so naturally I was very excited. We then drove to Puyo again where we ate some traditional food from the area. It consisted of a special salad, un-popped popcorn, dried bananas, lots of lemon juice and then a can of tuna thrown on the top. Apart from the tuna - it was delicious. We later returned back to Quito life.
The trips and adventures that I have been on with Maisa over the last few months have been incredible. Sometimes I always think how one moment in your life can bring you to the most bizarre situations and the most amazing experiences all at once. For example, when I was back home in England I applied to volcano jobs all over the world and I didn´t know where I was going to end up. If a place in Japan or Montserrat for example had said `OK, come and work for us´, I would have gone through so many different things in my life. But it was Ecuador who said `come on over - we have a job for you´, and now, after so many twists and turns of fate, I have been taken in by an Ecuadorian family (and a wonderful young lady) and am experiencing so many fun and interesting things that I could never have experienced anywhere else on the planet. It could have gone so differently....................but im glad it didn´t!!!
Day to Day Life
So the PhD that I was hoping to get, ultimately never materialised. The Earths Sciences department at UCL decided that they would not fund any PhD's in volcanology this time around as there had been too many volcanology topics over recent years. However, the professor at UCL (Chris Kilburn, who I undertook my Masters degree with and who I was hoping to work my PhD with), and myself, have remained in contact as we believe we can set up our own PhD (under UCL) if we can find our own sources of funding. The PhD we have been discussing would actually be a collaboration between UCL and the Instituto Geofisico (IG) where I currently work, here in Quito (Ecuador). The IG have already said that they would be keen to collaborate, so our only real issue (as always) is money. The process in trying to establish sources of funding will be slow and may in the end, not be successful - but we are going to try nonetheless. However, in the meantime, the IG have offered me another contract until this coming December and have said that they have funding to keep me working here until December 2012, so if the PhD doesn't come off in the end - I have options for working at least.
I never did (up to now) sort out my visa and work contract situation. After obtaining a series of different visas (including one which proclaimed that I was a professor in Geophysics - I wish), the Ministry of Labour said I still didn't have the right documents for approved (official) work. Essentially, after collecting a whole host of elaborate documentation and the offer to donate my brain to any person of the minsitries choice (once I had died of course) - they still said no and we were back to square one. There were two occassions over the last couple of months where I almost started to pack my bags thinking that my Ecuadorian adventure was over. Even now, nothing has been technically sorted - but apparently we still have a few options up our sleeves and the IG have been working tirelessly to rectify the situation. They tell me there is nothing to worry about and that everything will get sorted in the end. I believe them of course, im sure it will get sorted - although to achieve that, will probably take some time between now and the day that time travel can be uploaded as an application to your I-pod!!! I look forward to that day for both reasons.
The actual volcano work that I do here in Ecuador though is still fun, exciting and interesting all in one go. I recently attended a one week seismology conference. It was set up by IRIS, a consortium of seismology groups and institutions from the States. It was decided that it would be hosted in Quito - which was great of course, for me and everyone else at the IG. This particular conference was designed to bring seismologists from (or working) across the Americas to collaborate knowledge and teach each other about seismological practices for monitoring and research. The conference and work course was actually two weeks, but most people at the IG were only allowed to attend for a week. It was held in the Radisson Hotel and all food, snacks and drinks were provided. It was the best weeks food I have had since I have been in Ecuador. The days were intense though, with 7-9 hours of lectures in seismology each day and maybe only the odd practical thrown in here and there. By the end of the week I felt like my brain had been dragged through a field of lava. It was fascinating however and I learnt a lot, although the biggest lesson I think I came away with, was how mindboggling difficult pure seismology really is!!! Thank god for volcano seismology!!!
My life outside of work has recently been great. I have for some time now had a fabulous group of friends here in Quito. At the Secret Garden we have had a brilliant group of volunteers, including a young Englishman named Henry who I have become good friends with over the last couple of months. Some time ago I started seeing a young Ecuadorian lady called Maisa (Maria Isabel). We have been seeing each other for a while now. Her little sister Grace (19), loves everything to do with England, so when I said I know a 19 year old British man, she was eager to know more. Maisa and I didn't have to do much work actually - they hit it off straight away and now Henry and I are dating sisters!!! I have never been in a situation like that before - but its nice.
The rest of the Secret Garden group are also great fun and have started mid-week and weekend parties that generally get very messy. A speed-dating event run by Henry turned out to be very successful and very sloppy, although to be honest - its not very hard to make speed-dating successful when you have a ton of backpackers and vodka shots!!! Unfortunately my good friend Sarah headed back to the States after some months back in Quito. She plans to come back for a third time but that will unlikely happen before the new year. However, the longer I stay here, the more people I see return. Some people who visited Quito a year ago have started to come back and many volunteers at the Secret Garden have returned for a second shift. Its always nice when a familiar face pops back into your life.
I have also continued playing football every week and I even rented a bike out one weekend and scaled the city of Quito. On Sundays they close some of the roads off, creating bike routes all over town. Its designed to get people fit and is a very family orientated affair. The city even provides free bikes for the day to those who don't have (or can't afford) one. In all my time here I have only ever done it once (pitiful I know) but I thought I might try and make it a regular occurrence - we will see. I have also done a hatful of weekend trips away. Maisa is renouned for being unable to sit still and so most weekends she is off to a different part of the country with either her family or friends. Since we have been seeing each other I have been asked to go on many of them. After all the travelling that I had done before around Ecuador - she has really started showing me even more of this beautiful country. Let me divulge........
The Big Vote
As I was sitting in the OVT, monitoring the activity of Tungurahua Volcano, the rest of the country were voting. It was a referendum, based around 10 questions that you had to vote just a YES or a NO to. The first thing is - everyone has to vote and if you don't you get fined by the government. Second, all voting took place on one day (a Saturday), but you can't go to your local voting pole, no, you have to travel back to the town you were born in!!! Thus, Friday night and Saturday morning, Ecuadorians were darting all over the country to get back to home-towns, some of which was their first visit in over 30 years!!! That weekend was chaos.
The questions were cleverly designed so generally a person would vote YES to all or NO to all depending on their political views. Of course, you didn't have to do that - you could answer each question seperately with a yes or no, but based on the results that came out - it was clear that no-one really did that. I didn't have to vote of course, but from what locals told me - the questions were structured in a very complicated manner. You had to go on-line to read the full details of them, where there were pages and pages of literature behind each question. You can imagine how many people in Ecuador have internet access and go on-line to read pages and pages of documentation. Many people in the country can't read and for those people, they had to vote by placing a thumb-print next to the YES or NO box.
The questions were designed in a way that if the majority voted YES - then the current president here, Rafael Correa would essentially have more political power. If they voted NO, then he wouldn't. Some of the questions really sturred up some emotion in the locals here too - like wether bull fighting should be banned or not. Weeks before the vote, graffiti went up all over Quito. Street walls, houses and shops were covered in paint, as people tried to get their voices heard. People also paraded in the streets, with banners emblazoned with a giant YES or NO on them. This referendum really got people enthused out here.
In the end, the majority voted YES overall, although it was pretty close for each of the questions, generally by winning with a 50 something percent. A few days later, apart from the lingering graffiti, people resumed their lives like nothing had ever happened - as always, life goes on.......................and so did mine!!!
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Tungurahua Volcano Starts To Play Games, So Off I Go - To The Observatory (OVT)
Of all the volcanoes I monitor here in Ecuador, Tungurahua has to be the most active of them all. It also lies quite close to some small settlements and the tourist town of Baños. For such reasons, when it starts to make some noise - it always becomes a priority for everyone involved at the Instituto Geofisico where I work and all the other groups of people involved (civil defense, military, government) who need to make sure that this bubbling beast doesn't harm anyone. For me personally - it means an absolute ton of work. As such, my research stops and all my attention is focused on real-time data from this volcano. During the middle of April, (2011) Tungurahua started to show signs of renewal in it's activity and hence my day to day events at work quickly involved a huge amount of data processing, such as producing graphs, making calculations and interpreting the information. Everything always needs to be done at the speed of a formula one racing car and it always needs to be right. Of course I enjoy all the hustle and bustle of a volcanic crisis - the pressure, the TV crews and most of all - the chance to get to the observatory.
The OVT (Observatorio Volcanologico del Tungurahua) is a volcano observatory that has been up and running for well over a decade now. Since activity resumed at Tungurahua in 1999, there have been several phases of volcanism. In recent years, for example, activity was noted in 2006, 2008 and a couple of periods during 2010. It therefore wasn't at all suprising that now in 2011 - the volcano decided it was time to shine again. This particular period of activity soon became exciting, not for the fact that is was blowing its top (it wasn't) but that it produced so much ash this time around. Areas around the volcano and beyond where coated in a layer of fine material. Since 1999 the OVT has been manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It corresponds with workers at the IG in Quito, with government officals, with our volcano watchers (local helpers) around the mountain and with the press - all for the purposes of letting the people know what the state of the volcano is at all times.
The OVT is perfectly placed. It is located in a small farm-land area called Guadeloupe not far from Tungurahua and is actually constructed within an old farm house. It has a little court-yard, a kitchen (with cook), a number of rooms for sleeping, a bodega for storing all the equipment and then the main observatory room with all the volcano monitoring machines you would expect to find. This includes seismometers, screens showing the latest rain, wind and weather patterns, a lahar monitor, two computers for calculating gas and ash emmisions, one screen with live (real-time) cameras pointed at the volcano and then gadgets such as a night-vision goggle, a thermal camera.......and so on and so forth. It also has a perfect view of the volcano, but is situated at a safe distance and position should the volcano really go off with a bang. It's a pretty cool place - if you're into your volcanoes.
Living on the farm is also an interesting experience. There was always so much food for us all, cooked to perfection by our chef. She would always cook with fresh produce too, which often included a squaking chicken that would suddenly go quiet as it entered the kitchen doors. The three or sometimes four dogs around the place would be a great source of entertainment on quiet days too, generally by their continuous mischevious behaviour. It was a fun place to hang out - thats for sure.
I hadn't been to the OVT for over a year now - so I was naturally happy to come down. People take turns in coming down and minding the fort before they are replaced a week later. I came down with Anna-Marie, my work experience helper, and Patricia (Patty) Mothes - a famous volcanologist from the States who has been living here in Ecuador for 30 years or so with her even more famous volcanologist husband, Pete Hall. She would be in charge at the OVT during this time and I would be second in command. The reason all the foreigners were coming down this week was because the President of the country decided to hold a referendum, which involved 10 questions that the people of Ecuador had to answer either yes or no to. I won't describe the utter craziness of this event or of the politics here (that will be done later) but basically voting is mandatory and everyone in the country (where-ever you are) must return to the province you were born in - to vote. It meant that on Friday and Saturday morning (voting took place Saturday) the roads all over Ecuador were in a state of utter mayhem as everyone was heading back to write on a piece of paper. As such, no Ecuadorians could be at the OVT during this time, so from Friday morning until Tuesday lunch-time, the three of us were in charge at the observatory.
Anna-Marie and I were first shown how to do a few things from the group that we were taking over from. There are many jobs to do at the Observatory, apart from just sitting around watching the volcano. Everyday the gases have to measured and calculated using a special program. You also have to keep an eye on the lahar monitors and the seimographs, and converse with the volcano helpers who are scattered all over the volcano, watching and reporting in any activity via radio. The siemograph drums need to be changed every day or so and new drum plots made. The old ones are sealed and lackered while newly made plots are created by charcoal burning a special kind of paper black, so that the needle can then rescratch in the new data. The Instituto Geofisico does have digital computer seismographs but they still like to use the old style plots. It makes taking this important information feel more real, to me at least, especially when people describe these incredibly simple but vital pieces of volcano monitoring equipment as - "measuring the pulse of the Earth". We also had to make plots which would be posted on the new information posts that go up on the website. It meant that our generally quiet days were interspersed with periods of work - which was good when you are sitting on your arse doing very little for so long.
Throughout our time at the observatory, Patty would often be talking to radio stations about what was going on with the volcano and twice, tv station crews came down to film her in action. We also had the Ecuadorian Army come down a few times - they often help when some of the IG guys go out in the field. Dealing with the military and the press is a common part of the job when you are at a volcano that just won't be quiet. The politics of volcanoes and people living on or close to them goes deep and often gets complicated. Patty told us that in the past (and occassionally now) the Mayor of Baños wants reports on the volcano's status to be 'toned-down' because it scares tourists away if they believe the volcano is too active. Patty and the policy of the IG is tell the state of the volcano with the highest of accuracy, by giving all the facts. She was often described as saying to the mayor - "you can't sweep this volcano under the bed" - and if you tried, you certainly wouldn't get much sleep!!! Dealing with these sorts of things on top of all the science that you have to do to make sure the results and ultimately the decisions that are made from those results are accurate, mean that a volcanologists life can get chaotic at best.
Tungurahua, although can technically be observed from the observatory window, will often never be seen for days as it is usually buried beneath a thick cloud. It was thus, that for the first 4 days we didn't once see the volcano that we were monitoring, apart from a few breaks on the first day. It's quite a frustrating thing, devoting all your time, day and night, to a volcano that is right in front of you but which fails to make an appearance. On our day four at the observatory, two guys from the IG came down - Roberto and Myriam. They were going up on the flanks of Tungurahua to service three stations all located in close proximity to each other at a small farming village called Pondoa. Anna-Marie and myself went along to help. One amazing thing about Tungurahua is that it is very steep. There are just 8 km from the vent to the town of Baños and in that 8 km there is a rise in elevation of 3 km. The town of Pondoa is much higher up on the flanks of the volcano than that of Baños or where we were staying in Guadeloupe, and so we had to take the steep track up in our off-road vehicle. From Pondoa, you are often up in the clouds and the views looking down and out are quite simply incredible. The Andes is a pretty breathtaking place.
We were servicing three stations - one was an an AFM (Acoustic Flow Monitor) which detects movement as increased flow (i.e. when a lahar) passes over the area. We thus jumped up and down to simulate a lahar and waited to hear whether the readings were coming through at the observatory. The second station was a tiltmeter, and which has a water detection system for highlighting increased rainfall - which may be an indication of if lahars are likely. Finally, the third station was a broadband seismometer - which picks up all the earthquake information that is given off by the volcano - this is more my field of expertise. All the stations were close to each other and little walking was required. On our way back to the observatory - Tungurahua finally appeared in full view - without a cloud in sight. For the rest of that day and into the night - we took photos with the thermal imaging camera, the night vision equipment and of course with our own camera devices. There wasn't too much activity but you could see some gas rising from the vent at times. The stars around it were also out in their thousands - and the Southern Cross perched just perfectly over the volcano for extra dramatic effect. We had a group of locals in from the nearby town of Cusua that night as well - to learn about what the observatory and the IG does, and to reassure them that they are in good hands when it comes to the volcano looming above their heads.
During our time at the IG, Patty would often be out in the field, doing one job or another, and during those times - I was in charge of the observatory. On our last day, with Patty out for the morning and no activity (or very little) during our entire time there, suddenly the volcano gave off a big explosion and ash plume. You could see the cloud of material through some breaks in the clouds. Suddenly, with me in charge, we had a hundred and one calls coming in from all angles. Patty was also on the phone as she was out there on the volcano at the time. It was all fine in the end - but it certainly gets a bit manic when something exciting happens out there. We had some heightened activity that day - which for me was all very thrilling.
The following day, the new group of people came in to take over from us, and we headed back to Quito. It was a fantastic experience, living and working at a volcano observatory, especially when you have some activity. There is a fair amount of responsibility, which I certainly felt when I was there. I was constantly data processing information for the reports and website alerts. Gas measurements, changing seimograph plots, lahar monitoring - it all has to be done to keep things ticking over. Anna-Marie and I did get a chance to escape though, not just in the field but for a night out in Baños too. Its only a 15-20 minute drive away and although I had been there 4 or 5 times already - its always a nice place to head back to.
We arived back to Quito on the Tuesday evening. It was back to work for me the next day, with more data processing and research on Tungurahua. There really is no rest when you deal with active volcanoes...............but then I didn't get into this line of work to rest!!!
Thursday 12 May 2011
Canoa
So after failing to get to the beach the week previously, through a series of disasters (but still managing a trip to the thermal pools of Papallacta as compensation), I finally decided to make a stand. I didn't care who came with me but one way or another I was going to the beachside town of Canoa and no bus, landslide or person was going to stop me. Actually, this time, it all went to plan. Sarah came with me as did my American work buddy - Branden. We left Quito via the night bus on Friday after work and at 7am in the morning - we arrived in Canoa. My relaxing trip on the beach did end up as just that, but it didn't fail with at least some drama in the middle.......
Canoa is a sleepy village, with a nice stretch of beach and a pleasnat climate. Quito had been raining continuously every afternoon for as long as I can remember and not just a splash of water - but full thunder, lightning and hail. I was also having some major Ecuadorian issues, which included problems with my work contract, my work visa (as my current one has almost expired) and getting paid by my employers - the whole hassle of last year was coming back to haunt me once again!!! Apart from now being fully paid - I still have all the other problems and my visa is set to expire in less than three weeks. If I can't sort it out in time I will have to leave Ecuador whether I want to or not. I was also waiting on an answer to the PhD which I had applied for. After waiting on a decision for three weeks after the period they said they needed to get me a yes or no - frustration was starting to set in. I still to this day have not had an answer, as to whether I have got the PhD position (and hence will leave Ecuador) or haven't got it (in which case I will stay). On top of that, my Ecuadorian doctor who I was now convinced was keeping me on medication just so I could give him more money really was pushing me to the limit. I ended up resolving the situation by more or less telling him to stuff his medication, and I would sort my health out on my own. I am since fine. My point is, overall - a trip to Canoa was exactly what I needed.
First, the three of us searched and found a cheap spot on the beach - a wooden building type thing with balcony, hammocks and sea view - and all for just US$6 a night. We then had a little wonder around Canoa. There is not too much wondering to be done actually, when you're talking about Canoa. It's mainly a street on the beach, filled with restaurants, hostals and little bungalow shacks selling cocktails. There is a town behind the beachfront but it is small at best. The beach itself is wide, the sun appeared to always shine and the water was warm with big waves. Obviously, I really loved Canoa. It was far more tranquilo than say Ecuador's Montanita but that was nothing to complain about. There was an even mix of local Ecuadorians and backpackers too and on a weekend night, there was enough people around to make a party. It was going to be a good weekend.
Naturally - Sarah, Branden and I started our day lazing on the beach. After about 15 minutes of relaxation time however, we suddenly see Brenna. I had no idea that she was going to be in Canoa that weekend and of course its fine bumping into your ex, except while we were talking, a young Ecuadorian lady (Maisa) walks past - who I had recently been seeing in Quito. I also had no idea that she would be coming to Canoa that weekend either. Neither of the girls know each other, but basically it didn't matter - I had been double sabotaged. All I needed now was for Diana to turn up and the drama would have been complete. Actually, it turned out fine in the end, well, at least after Branden and Sarah had stopped laughing at my awkward situation. I mainly spent the day with Maisa, swimming a lot, eating a lot and generally frying in the sun. We even took a horse ride on the beach - it was disgustingly romantic.
That night Maisa left with her family and the three of us (Sarah, Branden & I) were back together. That night we partied in the one beach-shack bar that everyone had decided to congregate to. It was a fun night, full of much dancing and drinking (although for me - alcohol was off the menu!!!). The following day was spent much the same way as the first - lazing around. I even tried Cerviche - which is a typical dish in Ecuador and Peru, and consists of fish or shrimp in kind of a cold soup. It has lots of lemon juice, onions and a whole host of other ingredients. Traditionally they don't cook the fish - the lemon juice is supposedly meant to keep it fresh - but I think these days (for backpackers especially), they do. It has a strong, but delecious taste - apart from the fishy parts in it that is.
Unfortunately, Branden and I had work the following day and so we had to take the bus back on the Sunday night. Sarah stayed out there for a few more days. She has been living in Canoa for the last few months on and off. There she has been helping a local family build a home. She collects donations from all over the place (including from her family and friends back in the States). I donated US$10 for the cause too. Jealousy soon set in though - that she was able to stay, but, I have to work - and so Branden and I returned to Quito to continue with our volcanoes and continue with our life - back in the capital..........................
The Semana Santa Weekend & The Forcing Of Plan B: Papallacta!!!
Semana Santa is basically the term for Holy Week, which preceeds Easter in the Catholic calendar. With Ecuador being a fairly religious (okay, very religious country), specifically in the Catholic faith, everyone got a three day weekend to celebrate in style......Catholic style. My style however, was the beach. I had wanted to go to Canoa for quite some time. And with a three-day holiday this was the time to go. Unfortunately, the planning (first of all) - fell apart. We got to the local bus station to buy tickets too late and so all the Thursday night rides were gone. It didn't matter though, because on Friday afternoon - Jefferson from the La Guayunga Hostal (my Ecua-Brother) said he would take me in his mini-bus along with 10 other backpackers who quickly signed up. What this meant was - we had Friday morning free - and this particular morning (Good Friday) was special.
Semana Santa is known for it's big celebrations and processions, where people typically wear Nazarenos or a cloak and hood with a pointed top. It is the same design of clothing that the KKK adopted for their outfits, but these religious versions are generally of the purple coloured variety, or at least they were that day. The procession took place in Quito's Historic Old Town, which is basically where I live. A few nights ago we had seen the most bizarre musical production in one of the plazas. It involved some odd opera singing, mixed with dancing - which together told the story of Jesus. This procession was equally mesmerising. Hundreds off people walked the streets in purple KKK outfits, helped along with many locals dressed as Jesus - who would generally have to drag a giant wooden cross slung over one shoulder, through the streets of Quito. The crosses were often so large and heavy that people came in to help them. Then there were people dressed up as Romans and other oddly characters who would whip the Jesus paraders. Sometimes they would be whipped with vines, other times with ropes. Apparently it is a great honour to be chosen to act as Jesus in this procession. One guy was even in a wheel-chair and he was getting whipped too. Hundreds of people lined the streets to watch it, including me and half a dozen friends. The whole thing was most strange to someone who had never seen such a proceeding, such as myself - but I have an open mind so I managed to stay for well over an hour before all the whipping got to much for me to withstand. The other tradition during this time of year is to eat a special kind of soup - called Fanesca, which consists of 12 types of bean as far as I could work out. I was made some by the family at the hostal where I stay and it was very deliceous whilst being equally filling at the same time. It was certainly more healthy than the typical Easter Eggs that folk in my country of England eat during this time of year. Explaining the fact that we eat chocolate in the shape off eggs and bunny rabbits was probably about as bizarre to the Ecuadorians as it was for me watching a person dressed as Jesus parading through the streets getting whipped - so I guess we're even.
Later, we were finally ready to leave for the beach. That however, is when things started to go wrong. Actually that's not technically true - they started going wrong much earlier that day, when heavy rains had caused a large landslide on a road near the town of Santa Domingo - the same road which just happens to be the route to get to Canoa. This meant we would have to loop north past Mindo before heading back down (south-west) - and it thus would certainly add an extra three hours (maybe more) to our already 5 hour ride. After filling our bus up with all the backpackers - we set off for the shortest journey in history. No sooner had we set off than we realised the brakes were not working to full capacity. So back we went. There were many more buses at La Guayunga - they have tons of the damn things......but thats when the excuses came. I would have been happy if they had just said we couldn't go - but no, our hopes were raised and dashed a least four times with promises of another bus. One excuse followed after another, to the point of amusement - when we all decided we just wern't going to make it to the beach that weekend. With disappointment setting in - my good friends - Sarah and Kimberley, and myself decided how to salvage the rest of the weekend - and so we all decided pretty quickly......that Papallacta was our saviour!!!
Papallacta was a good alternative. It was a place I had wanted to go for a while. Its only a 90 minute bus ride away and can therefore easily be done as a day trip. Everyone that we spoke to who had been there said it was worth a visit, so, that Saturday morning - Sarah, Kimberley and myself went to see what all the fuss was about. Papallacta is a small modest town, situated at 3300m (asl) out in the Andes. The town would likely never be visited by tourists except that it has one special gift - thermal hot-pools which are dashed all over the place and which are also nicely heated (to about 40 Degrees Celcius) by the activity of the nearby Antisana Volcano. Because of its location and altitude, Papallacta has a general air temperature that is cold and hence the appeal of the thermal pools are that much more desirable.
Once we reached Papallacta, we naturally headed straight to a thermal watery location, getting out of the cold morning breeze and straight into the natural bath. Locals say the thermal waters in Papallacta have healing powers, but with the amount of local people that filled the pools soon after we arrived - I can't imagine any water so cramed full of kids could have anything healing about it. It was still very pleasant and we stayed for the entire morning though.
Later that day we checked out the town. There isn't really much to see there but it's setting (surrounded by Andean peaks) is pretty amazing. Before we took the bus back to Quito I did manage to have a typical Ecuadorian lunch which was made amusing by the soup. They are known to put all sorts of things into the soups here in Ecuador. Most are very tasty and you just have to move aside the unedible piece of meat that is floating in it. So, when I got asked which option of soup I would like, of the choices: A. Cows Hooves Soup or B. Chicken Soup, I naturally went for option B. I was then very shocked but not suprised to see chickens testicles floating in my dish. Sarah had great fun making jokes about my meal while I awkwardly tried to eat my soup, and avoid picking up a testicle by mistake. I don't normally play with my food - my mother always told me that was bad manners, but this eating escapde soon turned into the game.....dodging testicles - and there was three of them as well.......three!!! I can't say it was a meal I want to remember but equally it will be one I won't be able to forget in a hurry. With that in my mind, we headed back to the Capital. I still had one day left of the three day weekend - and I decided to do very little with it. Despite the many disasters that had occurred along the way during this holiday - there were moments in that weekend that will be thought upon with great fondness one day. One day far away it has to be said............but one day nonetheless.
A World Of Many Cultures
This period of time was an interesting one for me. I learnt a lot about people, cultures and how different the world is depending on where you are in it at the time, but equally how people, when it comes down to it - really aren't that different from one location to the next. For about 7 months I had been seeing an Ecuadorian girl called Diana. I knew relationships were different in this part of the world just by speaking to other friends (foreigners) who had had relationships with South Americans. The way most English people have a relationship is pretty different to those here in Ecuador and it comes down to a number of factors I believe. Firstly most Ecuadorian men or women will tell their partners they are in love with them after about 3 days of knowing them. For me this is a slight issue. I have had a friend here who was asked by her Ecuadorian boyfriend to marry her after a few weeks - the proposal took place in KFC. I have had another friend who, three hours after meeting a girl in a bar, broke down crying saying she loved him and was upset because she thought she was being used. Families here are also very important, to the point that if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend you will generally meet their family after your second or third time of meeting your potential partner. Most people in England that I know (including myself) will wait a considerable amount of time before introducing them to the Family. Then there are all the other cultural differences thrown into the mix and the language barrier to overcome. All in all, it is challenging having a relationship with someone from this part of the world, especially if you are not from it. Of course relationships are often challenging anyway and the points I am making are clearly generalities. There are some Ecuadorian men and women who do not fall into the brackets I have just laid out - Im just telling you this from personal experiences and those from friends.
All in all, the relationship I had with Diana was great and I learnt a lot about people from parts of the world that I am not familiar with. My Spanish greatly improved too as Diana didn't really speak English at all. The reason we ended things was because I had always said to Diana that I was likely going to be leaving Ecuador around the end of May (2011) - in a month and a half from now. It was never definate, it still isn't, but leaving around this time was always and still is - likely. At first things were fine because my end-date was quite some time away - but as time went on, Diana started to change. In the end it resulted in our break-up - because the thought of me leaving the country made it too dificult to stay with me at all. I have travelled the world for the last 3 years more or less and am used to going through this process with other women. But with those, we have stayed together until I, or she, departed. Leaving people generally is the biggest downfall about continually travelling but in past experiences it was always the departure that forced the break-up, not the thought of the departure. To me this was hard to get my head around. In the end we decided to go our seperate ways even though deep down she didn't want to, and I still don't know if I am actually leaving Ecuador yet anyway - it's a bizarre situation!!! Speaking to other friends about this though - they all told me similar stories of friends or themselves who had gone through the same situation, where leaving each other early was easier than waiting until departure day. I guess that despite all the cultural differences, speaking different languages and just being surrounded by a different world for all of your life - it doesn't really matter where you come from - deep down, with basic feelings, people are all the same, and to me - thats a comforting thought. For me though........ life moves on.
Earthquakes & Weirdness - In Ecuador & Around The Globe
The earthquake in Ecuador popped up quite unexpectedly for me, as I had lived in Quito for well over a year and not felt even a murmur before this. Actually thats all this really was. I was sitting on my bed when the room started shaking. It was a bizarre feeling and quite difficult to explain actually. I knew straight away that it was an earthquake, so I wasn't suprised when I went into work the next day and film crews where there, interviewing my boss about it. The earthquake was small - barely larger than a Mw = 4, but it was shallow and quite a few Ecuadorians felt it in the capital. Of all the people at work though, I was one of the only ones to feel it beneath my feet. A few weeks later however, a much larger earthquake would shock the world. The Mw = 9.0 earthquake which struck off the coast of Japan was so powerful and so devastating that it will take years for many to get their lives back in order. The tsunami, which swept across the Pacific Ocean due to that quake was the main concern for us here in Ecuador. Everyone in the institute suddenly dropped everything and concentrated soley on what was going on over on the other side of the Pacific. The Ecuadorian coast was ultimately evacuated, with some damage later being caused out in the Galapagos and Ecuador´s mainland coast. Our seismometers naturally picked up the event - with the seismic waves arriving about 20 minutes after the quake - thats how long it took to reach us from Japan. The earthquake itself was of immense scale - forming one of the most powerful earthquakes seen in recorded history. The energy released during that one event was the same as all the energy used by the United States in one month!!! It will be remembered for many years to come.
My life in Quito during this time continued as normal. A religious festival popped up, where lots of kids dressed in traditional Ecuadorian and Indigenous clothing and paraded through the streets of Quito's Historic Old Town. Flower petals were thrown over them from the sidewalk and someone was holding a large statue of Jesus on a cross, above his head. Im not really sure what it was all about but it was an interesting affair. Traditions and cultures are very different when you compare them to England for example, and I guess thats expected - but it still shocks me nontheless. In fact, some things pop up when you least expect them to in this country and shock you time and time again..............
A particularly odd thing happened to me quite recently - I got on a bus!!! It wasn't the getting on the bus that was odd - it was I got on the bus without knowing where I was going or actually what the hell was going on at all. It started when Sarah and I were walking down our street deciding where to eat. It was around 6.30pm. On the way to the Chinese restaurant - we bumped into Antonio who is part of the family that owns the La Guayunga Hostal where we both stay. He said he was taking a group of Ecuadorian dancers down south for the evening (La Guayunga has a bus service) and did we want to come along for the ride. We grabbed take-away Chinese and jumped in. It turned out that when he said south - we didn't quite understand how far south. We drove all the way to a small town just outside Latacunga which is about a 3 hour ride from Quito. When we got there the dancers got dressed in colourful but slightly odd garments. It was a small village we had ended up in and all everyone wanted to do was give out food and drink. It seemed to be a party!!!
Actually it wasn't a party at all - it was a funeral. Apparently a very important person in the village - perhaps the chief or someone like that had passed away and instead of sitting around chatting and eating sandwiches - they have a big party type affair. Everyone had gathered in the town hall and the dancers we had brought from Quito were supposedly no ordinary dancers. They were called all the way from the capital to perform two special dances and then go back home. We must have brought about 12 or so dancers. The men were dressed like munks and the women were robed in brightly coloured dresses. Then they performed some religious dance which I didn't quite understand the significance of but which generally involved dancing around in a circle and waving the cross around. During the dances I spent a lot of time admiring the scenes before me but would also glance over at Sarah once in a while with the look of 'where are we' and 'what have we landed ourselves into this time'. Once the two dances were over, we left. The villagers continued the fiesta without us as the dancers job was done. The dancers picked up a few bottles of alcohol for their own party as we headed back for the return to Quito.
Shrotly after the event, before we left for home, Antonio said to me that it was quite common for people to have a party like this when someone dies - especially someone important. He asked me how I wanted to go - one day of course.......so I said to him I wanted my body to be shot into space, to orbit the planet for all eternity - and everyone to have a dance and a big party at the space shuttle launch site. He gave me the same look I gave Sarah when we were watching the religious dance...........utter bewilderment!!!
