My good bud Jordan just came to visit and brought his friend
and co-worker along with him. They stayed ten days and eight days respectively.
Judging from their reactions throughout the entire trip I feel I can
confidently say they did not know what they were in for. Between the hectic
schedule I created, strenuous hiking, high altitude, not knowing the language, and
all new food I think I thoroughly wore them out.
I will start this by saying that Jordan and Tyler spoke zero
Spanish when they arrived. Translating basically everything was a challenge but
it really boosted my confidence and we all know my level of confidence is very
low. Ok maybe there was a hint of sarcasm there…
First 72 hours:
We started out in Quito after they arrived on Friday
evening. The bus takes about an hour and a half to travel from the Quito
airport to Quito. You may need to read that sentence again but trust me it is
correct. The highly praised new airport is situated in Tababela, a small city
outside of Quito. Due to traffic, bridges, and distance it takes a long time to
get into Quito proper.
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| Pretty sure I saw him flinch one time |
We spent that night
in Quito in a quaint hostel and then headed to the Centro Historico in the
morning. We explored the area that is full of 500 year old churches and
buildings. We even toured the presidential palace. The president allows all
Ecuadorians and foreigners to tour his house and the center of his government
when it is not in session. At one point we were able to walk up to the large
table and chair where the president sits during governmental meetings. I cannot imagine Obama or any American
president allowing tourists to mosey around the oval office and sit his chair
if they so felt like it.
That evening we traveled to my site and prepared for the
next day of travel. My host friend, as he like to be called, volunteered to take
us to the Amazon Rainforest. We all piled into his car and headed south. We
stopped seemingly every twenty minutes as Fabian, my “host friend”, would show
us something new. He was a great tour guide and was proud to show off his
country.
One of our first stops was to eat cuy. Avid readers of this
blog might remember that a cuy is a guinea pig. This meat is a delicacy here
and I actually rather enjoy. Unfortunately my friends did not feel quite the
same. They were able to stomach the cuy but they spoke little of it in the car
as we wound our way through mountain passes that could easily induce motion sickness.
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| I always think of my old pet when I taste this juicy delicacy |
The views were fantastic throughout the day. Fabian would
stop off on the road many times to allow my friends to take pictures and ask
questions. Traveling from the mountain region to the rainforest requires
nothing more than two hours of travel. We left Latacunga wearing jackets and
slightly shivering and within an hour we had shed clothes down to shorts and
t-shirts. Like I said, this is a bio-diverse country.
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| The zip-line went right over the spot where they converged |
Our second stop was to go zip-lining. We found a small
roadside stop that advertised zip-lining and we decided to jump at the
opportunity, pun intended. We had passed many zip-lining operations on the way
to the Amazon but Fabian insisted on one further outside of the touristy areas.
I was told that zip-lining has no regulations here in Ecuador and thus you have
to be picky when deciding where to risk it. Within ten minutes of us stepping
out of the car into the muggy, warm air we were harnessed up and ready to fly.
My friends went first and I got some great photos of them. After I saw that
they had not plunged to their death I assumed it would be safe for me. Thank guys!
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| Probably should have cropped this photo but I hate technology |
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We zipped across two enormous waterfalls that soaked us with
their spray. We were quickly dried due to the speed at which we were traveling.
Once on the other side we were told we could either take a cable car back
across the expanse or zip back for an extra five dollars. The second zip, we
were told, was much faster and longer. He had me at five dollars. This second
trip was amazing as promised, truly an exhilarating experience.
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| Fabian and the dudes at the beginning of the Amazon |
We were hustled back into the car by Fabian and were headed
deeper into the jungle. We arrived in Puyo about an hour later and were greeted
with heavy rain and crazy humidity. The rain would be in a full on downpour for
five minutes and then stop. This was a cycle that was repeated over and over.
We drove around aimlessly for about an hour and then finally found the animal
habitat we were searching for.
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| Small crocodile at the habitat |
The place we stopped at was a shelter for endangered species
and wounded animals of the rainforest. In an hour period we saw the wildest
array of jungle animals. We saw 5 different species of monkeys that included
two that would fit in the palm of your hand. They had the smallest kind of
monkey in the world. They only grow to 15 cm. At one monkey habitat a monkey
reached out to Jordan’s hand and grabbed him. I of course had to repeat this
task.
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| He wanted to go home with me |
We saw a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Heetland,
being Heetland, entered the habitat in an effort to touch the thing. Luckily,
the capybara knew what was best for him and walked away. I feel that this
animal habitat would never exist in the US. Just as in most of Ecuador, the
rules were relaxed. I do not feel like Americans would stumble upon a crocodile
lounging in the walking path as we did. He also scooted along after seeing the
group of gringos approaching. The habitat was a very neat place and it was
great to be able to see so many different animals in such a small area.
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| Jordan getting to know the capybara |
The day was quickly fading and we needed to head back to
Latacunga. We were headed home when Fabian quickly pulled over on the side of
the road and instructed us all to get out of the car. We went into a small
open-air restaurant and saw a bowl of dirt. Fabian asked if I wanted to try
one. I did not know what he was talking about so he shook the bowl. Four or
five very large, very alive grub worms appeared on the surface of the dirt. In
the name of new experiences I accepted the offer. The worms were quickly thrown
on the grill and the woman explained that this was a delicacy of the Amazon. If
I had not heard this from many other sources I would have assumed it was just a
cruel joke that they play on unsuspecting gringos. We sat down and prepared our
stomachs for what was about to take place. When they arrived Fabian instructed
me to bite the worm at the base of the head and eat the body. The head is
inedible and that was just fine with me. The taste can be described as a mix
between crawdad and bacon. It really wasn’t that bad. Texture on the other hand
was slimy and gooey just as you would imagine. Now that that memory was made we
all piled back into the car and headed back to Latacunga.
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| Small volcano eruption |
On the way back to Latacunga Tyler saw something that looked
odd on the nighttime horizon. He asked what it was and we all looked. We were
about 15 km from an active volcano and we all quickly realized that Tyler had
spotted the beginning of an eruption. We pulled over on the Pan-American Highway
and watched as lava flew over the edges of the volcano and smoke and ash
billowed high above it. Soon many cars pulled over and were taking pictures
just as we were. We stood in awe of the small eruption and said very little.
This was a great cap to the day.
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| Buen Provecho! |
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| It was difficult seeing them squirm around before I ate one |
Day three involved us going to Quilatoa, the giant crater volcano about two hours from my site. We caught bus in a small city outside of my sight and this was apparently a bad idea. The bus was already full and not taking passengers. I asked if we could board and just stand which the driver was happy to allow. We paid our fare and tried to get comfortable on the rather smelly bus. At one point Tyler accidently bumped a cardboard box on the floor and chickens began bawking and squawking from within the box. Tyler turned and looked at me as if to say “Really Todd..?” 3rd goal of the Peace Corps: Share the culture and customs of the host country to citizens of the United States. Check.
We arrived at Quilatoa and took in the amazing scenery.
After a few photos we descended into the crater volcano. It took about thrirty
minutes for us to reach the bottom. The trail is rather steep and with each
passing minute you realize it will take you double the time and considerably
more breath to get back out. We reached the bottom of the cold vast crater and
Heetland, being Heetland, suggests we swim. Of course I am right on his heels
as he jumps into the cold water. As soon as we came to our senses we jumped back
out and tried to find someone to rent us a kayak. We found an indigenous woman
who told us we had to pay $2.50 a person and we had free reign of the lake. We
paddled around for awhile and took in the magnificent 360 degree view.
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| Quilatoa with Tyler and Jordan |
Upon returning to the shore we decided it was time to hike
out. I had made up my mind I would see how fast I could make it out of the
crater to the rim. It took me 43 minutes and I plan on breaking that each time
I return. I waited on the rim for my friends to come out. They were not far
behind but were visibly exhausted and somewhat agitated. I knew as soon as they
caught their breath they would be happy they had made the trek. Catching their
breath might have taken two days but eventually we were on speaking terms again.
We returned to Latacunga late that evening and this concluded our initial 72
hours. It was jam packed with activities and I would not recommend doing all of
this in such a short time. That being said, the experiences we had and in such
a small amount of time were absolutely amazing.
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| The ladies that served us breakfast each day and fell in love with us. For real... |
For the remainder of the trip we went to the beach, Atacames
to be exact. We stayed at a nice hotel called Playa Hermosa, Frente Del Mar. It
is a bit pricier than other hostels in the area but the location on the beach
and the security more than make up for it. For three days we relaxed on the
beach taking in the sun, sand, and surf. We ate so much fresh seafood I thought
I might grow a fin. We spent the nights on the beach dancing and singing
karaoke. I do not think I will ever forget seeing Jordan Heetland and Tyler Shin
singing “Gangsters Paradise” at the top of their lungs as 10 Ecuadorian women
watched with puzzled looks. Good stuff guys.
Many small fishing boats advertised whale watching for 10
dollars. We hopped on a boat around noon on our second day at the beach hoping
to see some. We left and quickly realized that the size of the boat was no
match for the waves. For an hour we drove around aimlessly as the lookout searched
for whales. After an hour and fifteen minutes we decided to tell the boat
driver we no longer cared about seeing whales, we just wanted off the boat
before we all lost our lunch. Suddenly the thought of fresh seafood was
revolting. We were lucky though because on the way back we got to see a mother
whale swimming with her baby. The baby whale was playing and jumping out of the
water and crashing down onto the waves. Everyone on the small boat was suddenly
happy that we had been out on the ocean for such a long period of time. These
animals were majestic and seeing them so close was breath taking.
Here is a link to a video I took:
Our vacation was drawing to a close and we made our way back
to Latacunga for our final night. I would like to say that we reminisced about
all the things we saw and experienced over the past 10 days. However, we were
simply too exhausted from the whole ordeal. Jordan flew out on Sunday and I
went to sleep.
My vacation was such a great experience. I am happy that one
of my best friends was able to come visit me and get to experience a little of
what my life is like here. Heetland, you’re a good dude. Tyler, glad you made
it down here bud. Fabian was happy to have another “Chino” in Latacunga for a
short while.
I am taken back when
looking at all we did and all the ground we covered in such a short amount of
time. I am even more amazed at how much more of Ecuador I have not even began
to explore yet. Anxious to get back out there!
For now it is back to the grind. A fellow volunteer and I
are hosting a summer camp for Ecuadorian children in her site. It is a lot of
work but tons of fun. At the conclusion of this two week camp I will try and
get another post up about the unexpected success and certain failures of our
efforts.
Advice for life: Eat the worm, it tastes like bacon.
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