One Year Living In Ecuador

Me & My Ecua Team (And Sarah)!!!

While still in Santa Elena, on Ecuador´s southern coast, just one day after I had presented to 200 scientists on the temporal distribution of explosion events at the Tungurahua Volcano, the 25th of November 2010 popped up. It marked my one year - of living in this country. Actually it was quite difficult to comprehend that I had been living in South America for a year now. Yes, so many things had happened in that time, but for some reason which I cant easily explain, this year seemed to go so much faster than others that I had spent travelling the world.

I have certainly learnt a lot during my time here, and not just about volcanoes. South America is like no other place that I have ever been to. The culture, food, attitudes and general way of life is so very different to what I know. Still, these things have not distracted me from having an amazing year - if anything, they have only enhanced those experiences.

Of course, there are still some aspects of life here that drives me to a state of insanity. I still haven´t learnt to deal with the pace and absurdity of Ecuadorian walking. A trivial matter to most, but just come to this part of the world and spend a few days walking the streets of Quito for example and you will instantly shake my hand and nod your head with understanding. Its not that they walk slowly, nor that they insist on taking up the entire pavement by holding hands in some long snake-like line, but its the fact that they have absolutely no idea of anything that is going on around them. Its odd, because put these people in a car and they drive like Damon Hill circuiting Silverstone. They all drive at top speed, with ultimate concentration and very rarely collide. Then take those same people and place them onto the pavement and suddenly their heads are transported up onto cloud cuckoo land and they have absolutely no comprehension of anything going on in the world they are walking through.

Other slight oddities and annoyances that I have noticed within the country include; the lack of change at any store, bank or in fact any place distributing money; the smog and pollution which fills the city of Quito to the point where 90% of people must have brochitis......surely; and finally the beaurocratic nightmare that occurs whenever any sort of paperwork is required. Since living in this country I have signed at least 34,000 documents, many of them in my own blood. Obtaining a work visa proved such a mission of despairing proportions that at points during the process I almost debated trading the administration office with one of my own kidneys for the damn document. They probably would have accepted.

Yet despite all this, the year I have had here has been remarkable, an experience which won´t (and couldn´t if I wanted) be forgotten in any hurrying moment. At this point in time I don´t know how long I am going to be staying in this part of the world. My job at the Instituto Geofisico (EPN), working as a volcanologist, has taught me so much and for now I am happy to still be enthralled by it all. Plans to leave however are in the pipeline, so I must and undoubtedly will enjoy however much time I still have left here. I have made some amazing friends over the year. Some have gone on to other parts of the world, many have come back for a second spell, and some never left in the first place. Here are some of the incredible things I have done, or been through with these people. Many of them were a lot of fun, some where a little scary, but all - were unforgettable..............

1. Helicopter trip around Reventador Volcano - as a volcanologist, I was lucky enough to fly in a helicopter, half hanging out the hoovering machine while taking gas measurements around the extremely active Reventador Volcano. Two hours after our flight, the volcano exploded - we would have been caught right in the middle of it. The pilot of the helicopter would later say "I am never doing that flight ever again. I didn´t realise at the time but I now understand - that was the most dangerous trip I have ever flown!!! "

2. Walking On The Equator - unsuprisingly "Ecuador" lies on the equator - so a huge group of us took the hour and a half trip north of Quito and went walking on the middle of the world.

3. Kidknapped and Maced - Its not every day you get kidknapped but it certainly happens a lot more out here than it does in my home-town of Southgate, North London. Whilst taking a taxi with my friend Leanne, two men suddenly jumped in, maced me in the eye, threatened us with screwdrivers, took all of our belongings and kicked us out onto a quiet street of Quito, without a penny to our names.

4. Jungle madness - playing in the Amazon Jungle is certainly a recommended adventure. On the many occasions that I have spent in the jungle terrain, I managed to find time for white-water rafting, caving and of course - jumping off of bridges with just a bit of rope attached to my feet. Actually, I did that last one a few times!!!

5. Eaten the weird and wonderful - they certainly have some bizarre food out here - some are deliceous, like Yuca - a root that grows only in the Amazon Jungle and tastes a bit like potatoes, while others are not so tasty - like Guinea Pig - which ended up more like an autopsy than a meal and tasted so bad, I would have probably enjoyed eating a dead person during an autopsy than sitting down to another plate of this rodent again.

6. Bailing friends out of jail - with a country as beaurocratic as Ecuador - staying over your visa is not a good idea. Yet Ravi, an Indian hippy decided it would be okay for him to stay an extra few days. He ended up spending three days in prison and guess who was designated to help get him out........ahhhhh!!!

7. The USA - I did manage to get out of South America for 10 days - where I spent time in Vegas with my boys from London, for one of the world´s messiest stag do´s. I also went to the Grand Canyon and spent a week in LA and Santa Barbara. I ate more food in those few days than I had in the entire year I have been in Ecuador.

8. A birthday on a Chiva Bus - when a birthday celebration needs to be done in style, what better way than to party on an open-top bus, complete with disco lights, DJ and unlimited alcohol, while the bus cruises around the city of Quito. Add 35 friends to that and my 27th birthday was celebrated in a way it never will again!!!

9. Monitoring erupting volcanoes - some volcanologists work in a place and never see their volcano erupt. I have been in Ecuador for one year and seen the Tungurahua Volcano go off about three times. Monitoring the activity during those periods was an invaluable experience, a lot of fun and a little scary at times.

It was just over a month from now, when my list would be extended once again. Point 10 would happen on the 9th of January 2011, but before then, I had a Christmas and New Year to celebrate. Ah, its a tough life..........................