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!!!
Friday 5 August 2011
Many Things - With Maisa
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!!!
