Churute

January 19, 2013

So this past weekend, we went on a day trip to Churute. It is about an hour away from where we live. Remember how I told you some communities live off the land? Well, Churute is like that. We started our tour at the Manglares Reserve. Walking a short distance (though the 'crab forest') we made it to the river. The tour guide told us to look for the different kinds of Mangroves that grow there (if you didn't know, a mangrove is a type of tree), and also for different species of birds.

While waiting to get started on the tour, these two fools decided to have a game of 'punch for punch'. They take turns punching each other, and who ever says they can't handle any more punches loses. Pretty fun game hey? Not!! Cody's arm was swollen and bruised afterward.... but you should see the other guy ; )

These are the mangrove trees. You can't really see all the wholes in the ground in this photo but there were a lot. Each one is a home to a crab. This area is common for catching crab but right now is a time when they can't be caught because they are breeding. Only 5% are females so takes a while for reproduction. Also, only 96 are allowed to be caught per person each day. That doesn't seem like a lot.. but wait until you hear how they catch them....

Caught and Released

How to catch a Mangrove crab:
1. Have long arms
2. Put on a glove
3. Find a hole in the ground
4. Stick you long arm as far into the hole as possible
5. If you feel the crab, yank it out.
6. If you don't feel the crab, use a big hook to fish it out.
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 until you catch it.
8. Do this 96 times a day.



It was really hot out and we had to wear long sleeves because of the mosquitoes, so the breeze from the boat felt really nice. It was about 45 minutes of boating before we stopped at a part of the river where there is normally an incredible amount of birds. We were told that the birds are more common in this one particular area because the river switches currents and the fish get confused so they are easy prey!

Our Tour Guide

After the boat tour, we went to an area to see Howler monkeys. Most students didn't want to hike for long because of the mosquitoes and because they were hungry (Luckily, I had 5 layers of bug spray on, so I don't think I got bit even once), so once we saw them we went back to the bus. We saw a couple, but they were way high up in the trees. I certainly need to get a zoom lens for my next trip!

Lunch!! We get so much food here! But it was really good!

After lunch we visited a cocoa plantation! We were greeted with some really tasty chocolate treats before learning about how they made chocolate. The best thing was that we got to try everything!

The plant that hold the cocoa beans

So, I didn't actually devour the whole thing... but we did get to try the inside.  The beans come out in a pocket in a white, slimy but sweet tasting casing. The flavour was good, but the texture was hard to overcome.

The staff giving us a sample of the pure form of chocolate.
Many students thought it was really bitter, but I actually quite enjoyed it!

I don't know exactly what this drink was.. but it was something chocolaty.

Misconception

We all know that what you see is not always what you get. But what happens when what you expect is not what you see?  I came to Ecuador thinking that I would be living in an impoverished third world country. I thought that necessities would be hard to obtain and that my house would contain no more than a tiny room with a cot. I thought that I would be living more like they do in Cuba, with horse-drawn wagons and cutting the grass with a machete. I bet when I told you I would be living in Ecuador you thought the same thing.

Misconception. 

When I first arrived to Guayaquil, I thought it resembled Miami. Then again, I have never been to Miami so this may be another misconception.The highway had multiple lanes lined with lush palm trees. It was big and modern. Driving through Ecuador, I seen many communities that lived naturally - chickens roaming freely, cows grazing in the backyard, laundry hanging on the line and houses about to crumble. This is what I expected to live in.

Misconception.

I live in an apartment on the second floor  in a lovely gated community  in the richer neighborhood of Samborondón. My room is not too small - a queen size bad with enough room for a chair and my own bathroom. The rest of the apartment is quaint. Photos and other nick-knacks cover the furniture. It is full of personal touches. Some of my friends have more extravagant houses with pools in their backyards. But I like where I live. It is close enough to walk to school and I am near my friends.

Now don't get me wrong - outside of the city is much different. There are still communities that live how I expected. I would like to try living like this. I think it would be hard, but that's an experiences I want to have. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity.

My street

My bedroom

The living room

The kitchen

Winter

January 16

While all you Canadians are shoveling your car out from the snow, I sit in my room in shorts and a tank top with a fan directed at me. Winter here is much different than back home. Although it rains almost daily, the temperature is still warm enough that an umbrella in unnecessary because it feels so good. However, the temperature is not the only distinguishing factor between winter in Canada and in Ecuador. 

Yesterday was a very ... interesting... experience for me. Have you ever hear of los grillos? They are giant crickets that apparently multiply in winter. Let me paint you a picture so you know what I mean.

Imagine you walk into a pet store because you need 

food for your frog. You ask the salesperson if you 

can buy 20 crickets to feed your beloved pet. But rather

than giving you a small bag with 20 crickets, she takes 

you to the back room where they store them by the 

thousands in a big bin. She pulls out her wand and uses her 

sorcerer powers to shrink you down to be 3 inches tall.

Because she is clearly the queen cricket and needs to 

feed her babies (who like to eat humans) she throws you 

into the cricket bin. Now you are 3 inches tall with crickets

flying, jumping and crawing all over you. Keep in mind that 

since you are so small, these things are giant - they are grillos.

This is basically what I experienced yesterday. It was funny to see everyone freak out when they came near you but I understand how disgusting it is. You could literally shovel them off the sidewalk. So although I may be experiencing massive amount of heat, your nightly snowfall (for some of you) is probably more tolerable than los grillos.

... So don't be too jealous.

Mi Dia Favorita

January 15

So my dad asked me what my favorite part of orientation was.  Well dad, how am i supposed to choose when every experience is so amazing in its own way? 

Day one was my favorite because I finally had the feeling of excitement. Excitement due to the fact that I would be living in a South American country. Excitement due to the fact that I was taking first step toward my dreams of travel. Excitement grew when landing in Houston, Panama, and flying over the mountainous Quito. It was my favorite because I spent almost 24 hours with two almost complete strangers and we actually became good friends. 

Day two was my favorite because I got to meet a ton of new people who are now my good friends. It was my favorite because I got to explore the city of Quito and see how people live there; it was my first realization of how different my life would be.

Day three was my favorite because it was the first day that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Tarantulas, giant beetles, and fish and not part of my daily routine. It was my favorite because I took risks and they turned out well.

Day four was my favorite because it was the first time I spoke in Spanish and not Spanglish. 

Day five was my favorite because I got to witness a traditional way of Ecuadorian living. It was my favorite because I got the chance to step into their tradition by dancing, weaving, and painting my skin with a bug.

Day six was my favorite because I pushed myself to complete a difficult task. It was my favorite because I spent the day with my amazing new friends and met the person I would be living with for the next four months. 

How is it remotely possible to pick a favorite day? There is no way I could. Each day has taught me something new about myself. I am courageous enough to live in Ecuador for 5 months. I am open to a different way of living. I am strong enough to escape my boundaries. I am confident that I will learn a new language. I am brave enough to try new things. I am tenacious enough to not give up. 

 I am thankful for all the experience I have had. 

Day 6: Chimborazo y Guayaquil

January 8

You know how sometimes people tell you that your head is up in the clouds? Well today I was higher than the clouds. Literally.

Welcome to Volcano Chimborazo! With an altitude of about 5000 meters (15000 feet)  above sea level I was standing higher than the clouds! Cool right?! It was.... but not a first. The drive to the volcano was awful. I felt so sick do to the altitude! My doctor gave me pills to help with altitude sickness but I didn't know we would be so high and I had them packed away in my suitcase.

Chimborazo Volcano

We stopped to take pictures of the view!

 We drove up to the first cabin and had some coco tea to help make us feel better. I remember I was given some when I was in Peru but I didn't like it. This time it really helped! The plan was to walk to the second cabin. It's only 1 km away but on average it takes 45 minutes to climb. We were told that if we still didn't feel good after the tea we could stay and wait. A couple of the girls felt so bad they couldn't climb.

Do you see where the clouds are in the background?!

We had two tour guides - one in front and one at the back (for us slow pokes). It was hard because you walked ten steps and were out of breath! It was crazy but I was so determined to make it to the top. And when I say the top, it wasn't even the top of the volcano, it was just the next cabin.

Proof of the Altitude!

It's kind of ironic that I am wearing a toque and sunglasses. At first it was really cold, but after we started hiking it got really warm! It was a very cool experience. How many of you can say you climbed a volcano?

Not a very good picture as it was taken on the bus.

Coming down was much easier that going up and it didn't take nearly as long. When we got down we started our five hour bus ride to Guayaquil to meet our new host families! The journey was long, but fun at the same time. We talked and played games and had incredible views!! Driving through the clouds was a little scary however; to our left was the edge of a mountain, in front was ... well who knows because it was so cloudy! It was almost like a scene from a movie. Unfortunately my pictures didn't turn out very well.

Day 5: Hacienda la Cienega, Salsaca, Riobamba

January 7

La Cienega is  the oldest colonial style hotel in the province of Cotopaxi. Since the 7th century it has belonged to the descendants of the Marques of Maenza. It was really cool because it was still designed with antique furniture. We drank some very delicious hot chocolate before touring the grounds. 

Balcony off one of the bedrooms. Wouldn't you like to wake up to that?

The outside was just as beautiful as the inside! It was so green and luscious! Some of the walls inside were made of volcanic rock! (This location is near a volcano). The building has been converted into a hotel and restaurant.  The most expensive room is $200 a night which really isn't bad considering what we pay in Canada! At least here it is gorgeous! They also offer things like horseback riding which makes up for it!
 At the end of the tour a group called the Cotopaxi performed for us. We all got up and danced. It was so much fun and the music was really good!

When the band finished, we headed to a Salsaca community. First they showed us how they get colours to dye their clothing. They have a garden of cacti that little bugs feed off of. When you squish the bug you get a colour. This time it happened to be red, so everyone thought it was blood. It makes sense when you think about it; squish a bug, it gushes red, is therefore blood. But depending what type of plant they eat, the dye is different. It also changes when lemon is poured on it. They gave us each a little bug  to squish. It was kind of gross but also neat. 

The Squished bug with lemon 

The bug and the bug squished

Possibly the cutest little boy ever (and the plants with the bugs)

After the bug squishing we had lunch (good timing hey?) All the food we ate - and what they eat on a daily basis - was grown in their garden. It was actually very good. One of the guys was convinced that we were eating pickles. I guaruntee there were no pickles. They didn't even look like pickles! It was so funny because he was positive they were pickles. (Then he said to me, "Pickles are just cucumbers. These look exactly like that." Um, I know what pickles are and these are certainly not them!!)They were  most definitely in the potato or beat family! 

I was nervous to eat the cheese but it was so good!

After lunch we watched a typical dance. They basically walked around and stomped their feet while one guy bangs a drum and blows into a flute. The hats that they wore were made from wool but they were molded and ended up being very heavy.

Three students had the chance to learn the dance!

 In the Salsaca community, the women make the yarn for weaving. They take the wool and twist it until it turns into a thinner thread. I had the chance to try it. It was hard - your hands have to twist in different directions to make it work. It would take a lot of practice to master that technique. The clothes that they make cost a lot of money because they are all made by hand. It also takes them a really long time to make! He said that the pattern he was making came from his head. He knows exactly what size and shape he wants to make. He has been doing this since he was seven or eight so I guess he has it down!

Their machine

 After I bought a little souvenir, we headed on the bus to Riobamba. The hostel we stayed at was so nice! They had a pool but they were in the process of filling it up so we didn't actually have a chance to swim! But after we ate we practiced a little salsa dancing (which I am terrible at) and the hit up some Karaoke! I sang Genie in a bottle by Christina Aguilera! It wasn't that good but it sure was fun!

Day 4: Otavalo and Cuichocha Crater Lake

January 6

In the morning we had the chance to go to the biggest market of handicrafts in Ecuador; Otavalo.  I was so excited because I love to shop there. I ended up spending a lot of money on clothes like hats and sweaters. It is kind of silly because I am certainly not going to need them in Guayaquil! The hotel that we stayed at was so beautiful. These are some photos of the inside and of the view.

View from the bathroom

Muy bonita!

The market was not far from the hotel that we stayed at. It was a very hot walk. The first stand that I went to was with a guy who made jewelry and key chains. He spoke very clear English and was very nice. I found out that the typical food in Otavalo was Mote (which is a type of corn). I ended up buying a key chain - it was the tree of life caved into wood. If I remember correctly it was the wood of a palm tree. He also told me that he could me make a clip for my hair made of metal. He said it would go nicely with my braces. I thought it was so funny! I couldn't stop laughing. 

That would be Ivan milking my udders!

Preparing for +30 weather

 There is something I just love about the market. I am so much more confident when speaking Spanish. I think part of it is that I know how to say almost everything I need to when at the market. But is also that I love having the chance to talk with the local people! The colours are also so bright and vivid - it's nice to buy things but also just to photograph them! 

Common instrument in Ecuador

Charango (traditionally made of Armadillo shell)

We left Otavalo to head to Cuichocha Crater Lake. The lake formed when the volcano erupted inward and melted the ice on top. When it erupted the second time, two islands were formed in the middle of the lake. There are some animals that inhabit it, but after a fire, no humans live there. Before we got on the boat for a tour, a friend and I bought some really awesome hats. I thought they were the funniest things ever. It cost $3 but it was for a good laugh! 

Probably the coolest kids you will ever see!

If you wore the hat like this, you didn't have to hold your chin to the sky to see!

What we cruised in

We then headed back to Quito for the last time on our trip!