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!!!
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Tungurahua Volcano Starts To Play Games, So Off I Go - To The Observatory (OVT)
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!!!
