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.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
A World Of Many Cultures
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!!!
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Otavalo
Otavalo is one of those tourist destinations that every backpacker coming through Ecuador usually makes a trip to. It lies just a few hours north of Quito and is easily visited as a day trip. It is famous for its market, which on a Saturday in full swing is considered one of the largest in South America. People who come to Quito usually do a trip to Otavalo within their first few days. I had now been living in Ecuador for 1 year and 4 months and still had not yet made it to Otavalo. I was about to change that.
So one Saturday, with Jefferson, Sarah and a whole host of other friends - we all jumped in the mini-bus run by the La Guayunga Hostal and headed north. First we stopped at a few places along the way - one of which was the equator. I had been to the equator before in Ecuador - to the place where most tourists venture to - but this place was different. Being a line - the equator gives a lot of opportunities for people to set up a sign and make money. This part of the equator (confirmed by GPS) was for scientific experiments though. We were given a demonstration of all things equatory, told about the work that they do here and was even persuaded (well kind of persuaded) to take their view that the world map should be tilted on its side (90 degrees) so that it follows the sun. What they are basically saying is that Greenwich is not in fact the centre of the planet and England is therefore not the motherland - which I don´t buy for a second. We all know it is!!! We then later headed to some viewpoints - mainly of stunning lakes and even an odd volcano or two, before we finally made it to Otavalo.
Otavalo really is a huge market. There are several different types of stalls. One selling all food items like herbs and spices, fruits and breads and even meats. Then there are the clothes stalls offering traditional garments of different varieties and which are mostly made of Alpaca (the wool from a special breed of small llama). There are then stalls selling art and jewellery, hammocks and sunglasses, rugs and souvenirs. Then all you have to do is multiply each of those types of stalls by 50 and you have Otavalo Market. There wasn´t anything I really wanted but it was nice to walk around in the sun chatting and looking. I am a bit of a pro when it comes to haggling for goods too (as you have to do in Otavalo), which stems from my days travelling in Asia. I was therefore suprised whan they wouldn´t sell Jefferson a hammock for US$12 and a kiss (from Jefferson of course). Oh, my bargaining techniques just arn´t what they used to be. Perhaps more worryingly was when we asked how much for the sellers baby and she said US$2000. I assumed it was a joke.
After some wondering for a few hours, we stopped to rest and have lunch in a great (organic) restaurant. It was one of our friends (Kimberley´s) birthday, so we got her a small cake and a candle to blow out too. We didn´t have time to check out the animal market (which would have been interesting), but we did later take a short drive through the town of Otavalo and out again to see some waterfalls. It was about a 20 minute walk and the waterfall was pretty impressive. There was even a small cave to explore.
After a full day out we took the ride back to Quito. I was glad I got a chance to finally see Otavalo and one of the largest markets in all of South America..............I guess next time I should actually buy something!!!
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Sick!!!
So it took me one year and three months to become properly ill in South America. I guess thats not bad going. I mean of course I have had a dodgy stomach from time to time - everyone does. This is Ecuador - where once a year every local gets tested for parasites. Living among both travelers and Ecuadorians alike, I have seen it all here; backpackers having food poisoning and stomach infections, weird plants that can somehow, if touched, allow a fungus to grow inside your skin; altitude sickness; and a whole host of other horrible things. The Amazon Jungle especially is a place where you can catch the weirdest of nasty, body-infesting bugs. That place is so full of life (and transferrable life) that you cant even take a wee in an Amazonian river. You have to be careful in this part of the world.
Normally I wouldn´t soley devote a blog about becoming ill - but it did take up three weeks of my life and will affect it for many more months afterwards. The thing is I didn´t really have any symptoms. Yes I had a dodgy stomach, which I believed started in the Galapagos - but everyone gets a dodgy stomach there - its the place to get ill. I assumed it would eventually go as it usually does - but this time I was wrong. After two months - I went to see a doctor. I can´t exactly tell you what I had - my doctor wrote the names of all my problems on a piece of paper, but doctors are renouned for having indiscernable hand-writing and this was also in Spanish - I mean what chance did I have!!! The main problem was spelled out to me as a liver infection - and I don´t even drink that much - I promise!!!
I think I got my liver infection from dodgy food or from the water as my doctor later told me part of it was caused by the Hepatitis virus - Im not sure exactly which one but I think it was A. Whichever it was it had caused all sorts of havoc in my body. As a result I was instantly put on a course of hard-core medication. I will very briefly bulletpoint everything that I went through over the space of a three week period;
1. Injections (x3) - into my arse!!!
2. Pills (x93) of five different varieties - some where the size of a small rodent!!!
3. IVF drips (x24) of three different varieties. Possible medical reason for IVF treatment - to make my urine glow in the dark. Probable other medical reason - not specified!!!
4. Liquid medicine (x1) - Tasted like Calpol - so nearly overdosed!!!
5. Electrolyte drinks (x3) - coconut flavour.
6. Unable to eat anything (x50 hours). Early Yom Kippur........complete!!!
7. Blood / urine tests (x2) - taken by abnormally small Ecuadorian doctor. Note to others: he may be a child - no way to tell!!!
8. Money (x US$750) - its lucky I couldn´t eat or drink much during this time - I couldn´t afford to!!!
After basically all that - which could easily be thought of as more medical procedures and medication than would be needed for open heart surgery, I proved to be a perfectly healthy individual in the end - at least I think I did!!! There was some repercussions though. I am now not allowed to eat fatty foods (eggs, pork, chips, chocolate) for the next 3 months and booze of all varieties is also out for 2 months too. How im going to survive without these basic food groups is beyond me. Drinking is the only way to get through an Ecuadorian day. If it wasn´t a liver infection I would have asked for another IVF drip of pure vodka to be administered into my other arm!!! Actually, Im not a big drinker and despite my physical craving for chips and chocolate - I should be able to get through the next few months unscathed. Im glad my body is now healed. I think the problems started from eating something dodgy but I can´t be sure. Still you have to be careful what you eat out here - you don´t want to end up getting something nasty. Hmmm, Im hungry - I think I´ll have fried Guinea Pig tonight.........................
Cuenca, Loja, Malacatos & Vilcabamba - All For Carnival
I had decided some time ago that I wanted to head down to the southern stretches of Ecuador when I next had the opportunity. Luckily this country is full of excuses for some time-off so I was naturally very happy when Carnival came along!!! The south of Ecuador is some distance away from Quito, especially if you take any form of transport that is not either an aeroplane or a NASA licensed space-rocket. Carnival would give me four days off work and so it seemed like a perfect time to check out parts of the country that had yet to be explored by my curiosity. This was possibly (although at the time unknown) the last chance I would get to head to this part of Ecuador too - as its some distance away.
The bus from Quito to Loja reminded me of my days of backpacking, as hours of time slipped away upon the ever rolling wheels of our vehicle. It took myself and Diana (along with some members of her family) 13 hours to reach Loja from Quito. We achieved this feat over night so luckily the gift of sleep made our journey feel that much shorter.
The first thing we did, after some family hello´s (Diana has family in Loja) and after some planning of the next few days - was to look around this new and unexplored town - well, at least unexplored to me. All of the places we were visiting were still located along Ecuador's central stretch know as the Sierra (mountain region), which forms the Andes. Thus, where-ever your eyes drift, they don't have to wander too far before being transfixed onto the high peaks which continually surround you. Loja is a relatively small mountain town, known in Ecuador for being very clean and well run. It had the first local council to introduce recycling and by walking around - it does appear to have an air of cleanliness to it.
There isn´t a load of touristy things to do in Loja but it is nice just to be there. We walked around, observing the churches and plazas that fill this area. We also headed out to a very cool little park. Inside were small versions of world famous buildings from around the world. It was like walking across the planet in an hour or two. They also had people sized chess boards and other oddities of that nature. Normally I would say that you could walk inside that park and forget which country you were still in, that is until I noticed some strange penned-in areas housing ostriches and later I spotted a small goat tied to a random tree - such absurdity can only be found in Ecuador!!!
Later that day, after lunch with 40 of Diana's family members (and thats just her fathers side), we headed off about 30 minutes further south to a small town called Malacatos. Diana's cousin (mothers side) owns a sort of holiday home there. Surrounded by nothing but mountains and vegetation, this tranquil spot is the perfect location to get away and do nothing. The place was like a huge farm house although there were only a few chickens around the place and the odd mischievious dog. We set up the music, got the food on and the liquor out and started the Carnival celebrations. We also played Ecua-Volley - which is basically volley ball with an extra high net. I used my abnormal height advantage to my streghth!!??!!??!!
The following day started with a huge water fight. Nobody was spared. Behind the house is what looks like a large fountain but actually can be converted into a hot-tub. This provided the fuel for the water fighting mayhem. By the end of it all everyone was soaked as keeping with tradition for an Ecuadorian Carnival.
Later that day we took the hour trip further south to a place called Vilcabamba. Its odd - Vilcabamba is like many of the other small towns in this part of the world. It has stunning mountain scenery, a fresh, clean air about it and is quiet enough to go about doing nothing and not be noticed by anyone. The difference with Vilcabamba is sometime ago a tourist popped through here, loved all the out-door naturey things and then told a load of other tourists about it. Why Vilcabamba became the town to visit for backpackers im not quite sure. It does have perfect weather for hiking and horseback riding and other things of that nature, yet a lot of places in this part of the country do. Still it is an amazing place with a laid back vibe - and we had come here because Diana´s family (fathers side) were celebrating a birthday. It was Diana´s aunts 50th and she owned an amazing holiday home in this tranquil part of the country. It was located quite close to the main town centre (if you can call it that), but was positioned up high, perched on the side of a large hill - with a stunning view from all angles. There was perhaps 50 or more people at this party, with food and drink, games and dancing - you name it, it was all happening. I got to meet a lot of the family - but mostly spent my time talking to the youngsters. Diana has about 4 cousins of similar age to us (mid 20´s) and they were all really great guys. They actually all live in Quito and one of them even studies at the Politecnica University where I work. We all arranged to meet up in Quito for a night out.
The party was in full swing for quite some hours. It was a fantastic event in a great location. After the party (or at least towards the end of it) Diana and I had to leave. We took a series of buses to our final destination - Cuenca. It was a bit of a mission - we first had to take a bus from Vilcabamba to Loja and then a night-bus on to Cuenca. We ended up arriving at some ridiculous hour in the morning but had booked a nice hotel to treat ourselves after spending so many nights on a moving vehicle. When we woke up - we finally got the chance to see Cuenca.
Cuenca is quite unique in Ecuador I would say. Its a relatively large town but is famous for its cobblestone streets and colonial buildings - some of which are on grand scales. Cuenca´s historic centre is now a Unesco World Heritage SIte and it´s easy to understand why. Huge Cathedrals, soaring steeples and an old-world feeling about the place makes Cuenca an interesting and beautiful city for just walking through!!! There are so many churches and plazas of all shapes and sizes its difficult to get around them all. However, Cuenca is generally not a place too many Ecuadorians come for Carnival, in fact, many of them left for the coast. The town centre was therefore a bit of a ghost-town. We pretty much had the streets to ourselves - apart from the odd local who would randomly throw a water-bomb at us when we were least expecting it. That is the tradition here in this country for Carnival so you just have to accept that you are going to get wet and get involved yourself. Actually it was a lovely hot and sunny day so no-one complained about a bit of water.
We walked the plazas and saw the grand churches. We ate in cool, continental restaurants and we walked along the river - Rio Tomebamba. We even headed to a large park where most of the town had congregated for a big concert and party. At night we found another even larger fiesta, with food, alcohol and music. Suddenly all the Cuencan´s popped out from no-where and created a great event. The water fight didn´t stop and now foam was also added in to the chaos. It was a lot of fun though.
Later that night we took the 9 hour bus back to Quito, arriving in the capital early in the morning. It was a great trip, despite all the traveling and bus rides. In three days I got to see four amazing locations and experience some great things, both with just me and Diana or with her whole family. Unfortunately is was back to work - but with only a three day week - I counted down the days to the weekend..............and for more Ecuadorian fun!!!
Q.U.I.T.O
Quito life often rolls on with some form of order for me, but which is then generally interspersed by episodes of utter madness. I don't know if its the half Ecuadorian citizen, half backpacker life I lead, the occupation I have chosen for myself or if it's just me, but there is always something utterly ridiculous about to happen in my day to day events. The last was my Galapagos adventure, where among the beautiful Islands, the stunning wildlife and the sunset sailing - I also walked 12 hour days over dangerous lava, was almost killed on a horse, and was forced to weave in and out of poisonous plants. One guy in our group was helicopter rescued off one of the volcanoes!!! Normality is not a word that pops up too much around me these days!!!
Despite all the chaos though I try to keep things as "normal" as possible. At work I am in charge of a new intern - Anna-Marie from England. She did the same masters course I did at UCL and was put in touch with the institute here in Ecuador by my old professor. We have been working on some new research, related to calculating the amount of energy that is given off every time the Tungurahua Volcano explodes - and it is all going pretty well.
I have done a few touristy things too of course............a while back I went to the Guayasamin Museum. Guayasamin is undoubtedly Ecuador´s most famous artist. His work is pretty unique even if you are not the biggest fan of art. One of the museums, the one I and two friends ended up in, is located in and around his house. The man is not alive anymore but the house he left is pretty cool. You could certainly tell that an artist designed it at least. His house is located up in one of the mountainous slopes that mark the eastern edge of Quito, and next to it is a large exhibition devoted to his work. His most powerful art, at least in most critics opinion, is the work he does on peoples faces and hands - much of which is harrowing but equally, oddly absorbing!!!
In other news, I have started playing football again too - with my team of Ecuadorian buddies. I also did another presentation, this time in front of my work colleages - which went well and triggered a series of conversations about how far the work I have been doing can really go........it seems like it can go far. A friend returned to my life too. About a year ago I became very good buddies with a volunteer at the Secret Garden Hostal - Sarah, from the States. She ended up going out with Jefferson, my Ecuadorian brother - as he is known. Eventually she had to leave, but has since recently returned. I can´t believe I have been in this country so long, so that not only do I make friends with people to see them leave but now its been long enough that I get to see them return!!! The thought worries me, but its good having Sarah back in the group!!! Brenna also returned back to Ecuador after finding a job as part of her university course - we are still good friends!!!
Before I settled back into the normal day to day rituals of Quito life however, suddenly another holiday popped up. It was Carnival and I decided not to hang around. There is so much of Ecuador that I still haven´t yet seen, and now was the perfect opportunity to check out some more. So off I headed with Diana.................south.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Saying Goodbye To The Galapagos
On the Thursday morning, just two days after Nate had spent some hours being rescued off the Sierra Negra Volcano, eventually by helicopter, we took the fast boat back to Santa Cruz Island. Before we left, everyones bags are checked for more bugs and seeds and the like. The boat ride back across only takes two hours but its pretty bumpy. When we returned to Santa Cruz, we spent one more night in the Charles Darwin Foundation. We still had to do the inventory of all our equipment, as most of our gear would end up staying on the island. It didn't take long. The rest of the time we spent checking out Puerto Ayora again. Looking in from time to time on Lonesome George. Mostly we just rested and ate.
The following day we packed up all our stuff and left Santa Cruz for the journey back home. The bus back to the ferry. The short ride back across to Baltra Island and then a further bus to the airport. They once again checked all our bags, before we once again took off, for our ride back to mainland Ecuador. Two and a half hours later, I was back in my room in Quito. Nate and Marco stayed two nights in the capital. I showed them around town, before they eventually left for the United States. I don't know if I will ever see them two again.
I will always have such amazing memories of the Galapagos. I hope one day I will get to return there - although I doubt it will be paid for, or under the same circumstances. I will never look back upon that trip with despair, as I fear Marco and Nate certainly felt towards the end. I only have happy thoughts about that place. For sure, some of the work was tough, a lttle dangerous and agonisingly exhausting. Together, we had battled with rocky lava, mountains of ash, poisonous apples, slasher vegetation, a loopy horse and food poisoning. Being a volcanologist, is tough. If any of us had doubts about that before, none of us did by the end. Yet for me, it was an incredible experience. Not just for the volcanoes and the work that we were doing out there but for everything. The scenery, the wildlife, the people we met. On one of our first nights, we had had dinner with a scientist called Godfrey Merlon. He's an Englishman, with a strong, fairly posh accent and who had been living on the Galapagos for many years. He had written many a book on this part of the world. It was fascinating listening to this guy talk about the work he was doing. He had been partly responsible for making sure planes sprayed insect repellent before they landed on the islands. He was now working to change the lights on boats to a specific type, as apparently certain boat lights attract insects which get transferred from one island to another and ruin the ecosystem. Just put into google the words Galapagos and Godfrey and his name will pop up.
I remember the first time I saw the giant land tortoises, and Lonesome George, or when I snorkelled with playful seals. The time our boat crew stuggled to bring in the giant Tuna fish they were trying to reel. The food the chef cooked on that boat. The scenery and the wildlife. The time I listened to my Ipod (stairway to heaven by Led Zepplin) while sitting up on the deck of the sailing vessel watching the sun set and thinking life doesn't get too much better. I remember that horse ride. The Sierra Negra Volcano and all the sweating and bleeding for our work. The heat and the flies. The penguins and the turtles. The pain and despair, the joy and enchantment. The Galapagos - I remember thinking that it was all worth it in the end. I remember it all.
Charles Darwin came to these islands for just 5 weeks and left with the theory of evolution. Not bad, I'll give him that!!! I had been here for approximately two fifths of that time and so I thought I should come up with something at least two fifths as great as that, lets be honest - simple theory. And so my scientific, yet equally philosophical discovery is just this...................................
"If there really is a heaven in this world or beyond - I now know where the stairway begins".
