I realize that I have not been giving my entries titles, but these random and tangential thoughts can only be appropriately named,

This is a somewhat lengthy title, but my other blog entries can attest to my long-winded prose. 🙂

We missed our bus last Monday because we had the wrong departure time. We ended up leaving that evening instead. However, given lemons I made lemonade and was able to use that time to put some pictures into a Facebook album. We arrived in Quito early Tuesday morning to a much colder temperature than we left only a month before. It is good that we are heading south because the winter season is setting in. We stayed at the same hostel, Vibes, but the “vibes” 😉 were quite different than last time. Plus it was a Tuesday and those are pretty quiet. We left the next morning for Latacunga where I wanted to get one last hike in Ecuador. We stayed at the Hostal Tiana, which was really nice though even colder than Quito. The next morning we caught a bus to Chugchilàn, the middle village along the Quilotoa loop. This loop is a haphazard mountain road (or nearby trekking path) around Quilotoa Lake, a volcano caldera. It is supposed to be absolutely breathtaking and I wanted to see it before we left. The only problem is that we essentially went from sea level to over 3,000 meters in less than 24 hours. The result, we both gained an acute case of altitude sickness. So, though I would love to tell you all about the amazing hikes along the Quilotoa loop, all I can really tell you is that I had a really comfortable bed at the Cloud Forest hostel, the staff were really nice, and it was cold. Otherwise, I really did not accomplish much else. Someone suggested that we must have had a stomach bug, but now back at sea level I feel almost as good as new. Yes, we determined that staying at altitude was not serving in our best interests, so we are now in Guayaquil waiting at the terminal for our bus tonight to Màncora, Peru. Despite everything, it was nice to have one last trip into the mountain scenery. So now in Guayaquil, where our trip began only two and one half months ago, the Ecuadorian chapter comes to a close. One country down and seven to go.

Ok, now onto the random thoughts that led me to title this entry. Mostly these thoughts are on my observations of the Quechua people that we saw in the Quilotoa area. Quechuas are the native ethnic people of Ecuador, and Quechua is their primary language. I have mostly encountered them as individuals or in small groups and almost always as them being vendors of some product. They always seemed so quiet and reserved. This trip, however, was my first opportunity to observe them on thier own turf. Aaron and I took one of only two daily buses which traverses the loop. This gave me plenty of time to people watch. The men are difficult to discern from other Ecuadorian men (Though I cannot say that I have seen any of them in the male Ecuadorian uniform. That is, with pants zipper down, shirt pulled up over the belly, and a steady stream of hissing noises at passing women), but the women have a very distinct apparel that defines them. It is a very practical dress and yet at the same time obscure. The combination of clothing choices seems bizarre, and yet they have added their own individuality and femininity to the style as an expression of their culture. The typical attire is a velvet skirt of approximately knee length, stockings or tall socks, leather shoes with a slight heal, hair gathered at the back of the neck with the ends loose and often with a knitted cover wrapped around the length of the hair, and a felt, 1800`s German lederhosen-style or yodeling hat, frequently with a lone peacock feather stuck into the band. On top there is a wider variety, but a majority wear a cardigan-type sweater and/or a knitted blanket over the shoulders with a fabric sash wrap which serves to carry possessions, children, or other large bundles against their backs. I also saw a wide range of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. I saw girls as young as ten up to grandmotherly women adorned in this way. This combination inspired certain assumptions about their way of life, but then they prove you incorrect. For example, I got the impression that they live somewhat isolated from the mainstream of cities and technology, but then a women will pull out a cell phone and start chatting away and you will still see signs for internet cafes in the villages. Also, as our bus was getting ready to pull away from the terminal and everyone was hurrying to file into their seats, a small crew of food vendors suddenly showed up and everyone started buying food like this was a normal way to grab a meal. When we left Chugchilàn yesterday the same thing happened. These people have perfected the way to buy good food, cheaply, by purchasing from vendors. This gave me the impression that they are used to eating all hand-prepared foods, but then you watch the intensity with which all ages will produce the packaged treats I would associate with a children´s snack bar. I saw ice cream bars, plastic Squeeze juice bottles, suckers, and more. Another assumption is that these people are isolated from each other, living on individual farms spread out over the area. This is true, these people have mastered some pretty astounding vertical agricultural feats, but strangers they are not. While at the terminal I thought I would see the interactions of strangers, but instead witnessed the eager atmosphere of old friends meeting to exchange news and gossip after a day at the market. They were incredibly animated and happy. The women have these brilliant smiles that flash across their faces in an instant like that is the resting position of their mouths. Combined with their attire, I would quite enamored by these people. While in route to Chugchilàn, there was a steady stream of people getting on and off as their farm or village came into sight. There was a constant shuffling around of seats as well. Something I thought interesting is that when other tourists finally got onto the bus (Aaron and I were the only ones until the last hour or so of the ride), people seemed to shuffle as far from the tourists as possible. People combined seats and shifted so that they would not have to share a double seat with one of the hikers. Maybe they are just wary of these strangers that constantly come into their villages and traipse around. I am not really sure what to make of this. Especially when you contrast this behavior with the boldness of the children. These children have no fear of foreigners to the extent that they blatantly ignore personal space. For example, Friday a large group of children stayed at our hostel. There had been a children´s festival in Sigchos, a neighboring village, and some where clearly staying in the area. While Aaron and I were packing yesterday some of these children discovered a gap in the curtain to our room and as many as could squeeze into the space began staring at us and chattering away as though we were zoo animals. I was quite taken aback by this. More so after we discovered that they had latched the bolt lock on the outside of our door and we could not get out. Despite at least five people within hearing and eye sight, it took several minutes of yelling out our window before someone finally let us out. Though I have actually noticed this boldness all throughout Ecuador. When I am working at a computer in an internet cafe, children had frequently taken to blatantly standing at my side and watching my activities. Oh the intriguing behaviors we humans possess.

On a final note, we are saying “goodbye” to Ecuador. The last two and one half months have been amazing. I have truly come to cherish this country. With only one year to travel, we cannot possible spend two months in each, and yet Ecuador is one of the smallest countries we will be visiting. However, I am glad we took our time with this first one. We have refreshed our Spanish, gained our travel legs, and now have a better plan of action for tackling the next seven countries. Plus, it is probably smarted to spend longer in the cheaper countries. I will miss Ecuador and all its idiosyncrasies. Chapter one completed on our South American Adventure.

Our time in Bahía is finally coming to a close. We have been here a month, which is half the time we have been traveling. Sometimes I feel like I have been traveling for a year already, or I forget I am traveling at all and think I have been in Bahía for several months. Other times I think how quickly everything is happening and cannot believe only two months have passed. I realize that I frequently mention the strangeness of the passage of time. I think that has to do with my time at Cornell College. When each class is one month, you really begin to compare time to that. For example, I could have completed two classes in the time frame that I have been traveling. Another aspect of thinking this way is that I understand how much activity can go into just one week. A month is a lot of time. Quite a bit can happen is four short weeks. Yet that time can also sail past before you even realize it is here. I suppose what I am getting at is how Cornell has made me more aware of time. That said, Aaron and I both feel the time is right to move on. We leave tomorrow on the morning bus to Quito. We have a few last places to stop in Ecuador but mostly we are heading straight for Peru!

The last two weeks have been exciting. The Monday morning after my last blog post, four guys showed up at 5 AM. These boys are fresh high school graduates from California and are taking a year off to travel like Aaron and myself. Though their travels are quite a bit more extensive than ours. In the next year, they will be visiting Ecuador, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Quite the journey. Well, they arrived with a bang. First waking us up at 5 AM, then one of them (Sam Hayman) was suffering from Cholera-type symptoms. He was in bed on an IV for four days, completely unable to eat or drink because nothing would stay in. They are staying in Margarita´s house around the corner from the Planet Drum house so we hardly saw them that first week except at meals and for work. Like good friends, the other boys spent all their time with Hayman so he had company. Between his sickness and them staying in the other house, our integration started out slowly. However, I can now say that they are a really good group of boys. First there is Hayman, the sick one (though he made a full recovery). He does not have an accent, but he grew up in Australia until he was like 10 years old. He is probably the most amiable person I have ever met. On the boys turn to cook, Alicia and I went to keep him company. Despite becoming incredibly sick after his first meal in Ecuador, hooked up to an IV, and receiving multiple shots a day, he was in a great mood and instantly warmed up to Alicia and me. I think I learned his whole life story during that first conversation. He is admitted into UC-Boulder but possibly switching to UC-Santa Cruz. What I like most about him is that he has goals for himself during this next year, such as learning to cook and growing a Gandolf beard. This kid is very lovably zany. Then there is Sam Sweet, the more boisterous one in the group and incredibly sweet (just like his name says). He does not know Spanish but keeps a journal with him to write down various words. I helped him learn the conjugations for the present tense verbs. Also, he has an incredible ability to lose things! What I like best about him is that he instantly wants to befriend everyone. Even Sol warmed up to him instantly. They are really cute together. This trait is perfect for him because he is a tall and has pale skin and very blond hair. Hence, he is like a beacon for attraction in a country with none of those characteristics (especially with the lack of Spanish). But instead of trying to minimize these appeals, he takes them in stride to brighten every situation. He is heading to UC-Boulder next fall. Next there is Miles, the tall, dark (he is half Philippine) and mysterious one. Miles is difficult to describe. He is very personable. I suspect that he makes friends easily but he only makes close friends with a few people. He is heading to the U of British Colombia because of the skiing possibilities and wants to go into a field where he can make a major contribution to society. Somehow everything he says and does makes Aaron break out into peals of teary-eyed laughter. And he has the nickname The Specialist, for a story I will not repeat here but which left Aaron gasping for breath from laughing. Last, but not least, is Spencer, the responsible and pensive one. At first I thought he was shy, but then I realized that he is actually an introspective observer, completely aware of his surroundings so never fully losing focus into only one activity. Due to this, I do not know him on an extremely personal level, but I can tell that he is probably modestly hiding some really cool things about himself. What I do know is that he has an ipod filled only with rap, he is well collected, and he is pretty dedicated to soccer. I do not know what to say about these good-looking guys except that I am really glad to have met them.

Since Hayman was sick that first week, there were seven able-bodied workers. Our activities changed again from the first two weeks. We still had out obligatory time at the green house, but instead of cutting and collecting bottles, we set about transplanting seedlings into bottles. I truly do not know how many bottles we filled and planted, but it was enough that we added nine corrals with space for three more, converted our entire sitting area into a corral, and filled up most of the front corrals. We also spent one day filling gallon milk containers and carrying them up a hill to water around 700 trees. This was an exhausting day. They have these bike tire tubes with two jugs on each tube, then each tree receives half a gallon of water. This requires a constant motion of hiking up paths and then back down to drop off empty jugs for full jugs, as well as a person left behind to constantly fill more jugs. Then we also went twice to a new hillside to dig holes in preparation for the seedlings that we bottled. This week on Wednesday, we went to the Planet Drum forest area. With everyone saddled up in the back of a truck, it took about 45 minutes to the drop off point. Then we hiked up along a dirt road over a hill and back down the far side to where the preserved area begins. While there, each of us took a machete and we spent a few hours clearing an overgrown walk-way into a clear cut path for a vehicle. The goal for this land is to start getting some sustainable structures built to have people stay out there for prolonged time periods. Currently there is only a large platform, but soon they will have an outhouse area and maybe something for rain water collection, as well as the beginning stages of other buildings. I really like the work we have done here and I feel really good about the messages this program spreads into the surrounding community.

Aside from work, I still had my little schedule going on. Alicia and I stopped running during the second week, but I kept reading more books and spending time at the beach. I had a little trouble with downloading pictures, hence no photos on facebook yet, so I really cannot say when that will come about… Though I really am going to make an effort, eventually. 🙂 My cooking ventures have all gotten better. I successfully made corn bread and banana bread, as well as other foods. I will miss our plentiful meals here. Once we leave, I am sure I will got right back to cheaper and more simple options. Last weekend we stayed in Bahía. The four guys came prepared with beer pong supplies and we all hung out for what was almost the first time we really socialized. On last Sunday, all of us went to the cinema and watched Your Highness, which is hilarious! I also watched the newest Robin Hood with Franco, Sol and Margarita on Margarita´s computer at the house. On Thursday Alicia left to head for Paraguay. It still does not seem like four weeks went by already! This weekend the boys, Orlando, Ramón, Aaron, and I went out to La Gorda one last time. It was just as fun as last time. Though this time Ramón took us up to this area where Incan burials have been discovered. Also, I became aware of the fact that you can find Incan pottery shards just littered all over the beach. It is insane to think that this fragments are about 2,000 years old and still retain the decorative striations. Up in the hill you can find pots that are practically intact. It sort of makes me think of farmers finding arrow heads and other Native American artifacts in the U.S. The most memorable part of the trip, however, is the fact that I put my hand onto a cactus and had more than ten spines that still have some remaining fragment pieces festering in my palm. Also, I brilliantly fell into the fire and now have a gnarly burn on my right elbow. This morning a natural healer man happened to come by our camp and put this aloe salve on it for the pain, which did work. Now it is just an oozing, raw area that hurts to move too much. I will just have to be gimpy for a few days while it heals. I hope it does not interfere with travels.

Alright, I apologize that this entry seems so rushed, but I have been sitting in the Internet cafe for too long and I still need to get some packing done. Not to mention that it is almost 9 PM and I have not eaten since breakfast! So off I go. Until next time,

Hello, hello!
Well the last week sure zoomed by. We arrived in Puyo around 10:30 AM, last Monday morning. By 11:30 AM we were in a van on our way to taste a bit of Ecuador´s Amazon region. The first day we went around with our Puyo guide, Marco Naveda, from the Agencia de Viajes Naveda Santos. He took us on a short hike to the Cascada Hola Vida (waterfall), where we were able to actually swim under the falls because it was deep enough and the pool was larger. While walking about he told us about various trees. Once again there is a medicinal idea behind the mud there and I let him cover my face with the smooth, gray mud. I did not wash it off until we finally swam in the falls. I am sure I looked quite ridiculous, but there were lots of people walking around with their faces covered as well.

Then we went on a canoe ride down the Río Puyo. These are the hand carved, long wooden canoes which was once a traditional method of the indigenous peoples for traversing the river, but now of course it is simply a tourist spectacle. Despite that, I still enjoyed the ride. Rio Puyo would be the perfect tubing river. It is wide and shallow but the current is always flowing at a nice pace.

Then we went up to the top of a hill, Mirador Altos del Pastaza, which had a clearing at the top to overlook the canopy forest and meandering rivers. These attractions are all clearly set up to provide entertainment to the hundreds of visitors who travel through because this lookout had a four or five hammock set-up so you could lounge and look out. Also, they had a wooden statue that we shot darts at through a long blow tube. I of course failed to aim well the first time and would have wounded a male´s pride, but the second time I got it right in the middle of the chest for a kill shot. There was also a 12.5 foot long boa constrictor, but it was pretty inactive and all curled up on itself. The best part, though, was this rope swing over the edge of the hillside. You stand on this post and then they push you out and you are just hanging onto a rope an swing. I do not remember how far the drop would be if you let go and fell, but the survival rate might be low.

Finally, we ended the tour at the Kichwa Community where we stayed the next two nights. This is a village-community of about 38 people all related to each other. There is the Shaman and his wife Maria, who were our hosts, then their four daughters and two sons and all of their spouses and children. I cannot imagine living amongst only family members with no other outsiders besides spouses and tourists.

The next day the Shaman took Aaron and I around their protected lands explaining the uses and medicinal properties of all the plants and trees. He explained to us that they live on the front side of some 3,200 hectares of protected primary and secondary cloud forest as spans away from the Puyo river to the north. The Shaman was very nice and he loved to explain things. I realize that he probably gives several such tours a week, but his knowledge of the flora and fauna is still incredible. At one point he started ripping up a leaf then mashing it in his hand until a foamy, green paste was produced. He used nothing but the leaf to produce the foam and it apparently makes a great shampoo. The only disheartening part is that everything was explained in Spanish, so I cannot say that I completely understood everything as thoroughly as I would have desired. Despite the language barrier, he was incredibly knowledgeable, eager to have a conversation, and an extremely interesting individual. He even included us in some ceremonies, which is interesting to think about when considering the tourism aspect of his life. I wonder how much he has altered actual Shaman practices to include tourists into them. One particular thing I noticed was how he incorporated cigarettes into everything. He would light a cigarette and the ceremony or pray would only last as long as the cigarette, whether he was actively smoking it or letting it just burn out on a stand. I am also curious how tourism affects the children. I cannot imagine growing up in a setting were dozens of strangers into your home everyday to witness this ¨indigenous¨ experience and to drink the shaman´s sacred drink made from ayahuasca, the ¨soul vine.¨ Ayahausca is exploited by tourists for its psychoactive affects which can create really intense hallucinogenic visions. However, like all natural substances, the effectiveness depends on the potency of the brew and the individual´s tolerances. I hate to think about the effects of the constant stream of momentary, superficial relationships formed with impressionable children by the tourists.

The second night Aaron and I were joined in our cabin by three young French travelers.

The third day we went on a hike in the opposite direction and again learned more about plant uses. Both days he took us to waterfall settings to swim and bathe in towards the end of our walks. The last day was my favorite because we crossed a small stream that has been eroding the conglomerate bedrock, creating piles of rock debris and sediment for a new conglomerate layer in the future. Plus it was beautiful how the piles were being shifted within the stream bed. On this last day, Marco was supposed to pick us up from the community after lunch but he did not come for a long time. I ended up playing card games with some of the children. Two of the boys taught me an Ecuadorian game ¨Cinco¨ which everyone gets really interested in. Even the Shaman watched and gave me pointers. Eventually, he and Maria were heading into Puyo by bus and took us with them to send us back to the terminal.

And there it was three days later standing in the Puyo terminal with our packs once again as if we had only just arrived. This feeling was only enhanced when we took the bus back to Baños and stayed at Timara´s in the same room we had before we left. Since then we have been in Quito the last week and will leave tomorrow for the coast. I will update you on our Quito activities tomorrow, but for now my internet time is up.

After the lengthy entry of last time, I thought I would try a shorter one. 🙂 Yesterday Aaron and I went on a grueling hike. It starts just past this zoo that has a jaguar, jagaurundi, spider monkeys and various other types of monkeys, bears, various birds (including every variation of parrot and parakeet), three types of tortoises (including the giant Galapagos tortoises), ocelots, and lots of other animals. It was nice. We then we started this hike that takes you up the opposite mountain facing the volcano. The top is called Ojos del Diablo (Devil´s Eyes) as well as the site of numerous antennas known by everyone as Los Antennas. Well really all I can say is that before you plan to undertake a hike make sure your map is to scale and probably ask someone about it first just to make sure. We started up this trekking path that led us into this family´s property. They told us if we went through and kept following it up it would be about 30 minutes. Well what really happened is that after hiking uphill for like 40 minutes our trail just ended in the pasture. We could see an antenna above us and started trekking straight uphill for the longest time over this thick grassy pasture that is slowly all slumping from the steepness of the hill and the bulls that roam it eating. After finally making it to that antenna we realize that we still had quite a ways to get to the main area. Though at this point we finally found a road and took it the rest of the way, which made for considerably better walking then the overgrown path we had been subjecting ourselves too. We we finally made it to the top it was a major victory for us. That was probably the hardest hike we have been on if only due to the elevation change. I wish I could find the elevation of everything. All I know is that this amazingly nice French couple were driving down as we were walking down and they offered us a ride. We of course took it.

They were an older couple, though still working, who have traveled more of the world than I can currently imagine and I will soon have most of South America under my belt. Well, taking into consideration that the road has switchbacks, their GPS at the point they picked us up at said 4.6 km (approx 2.8 miles). This means that must have hiked more than that because we not only hiked up but across as well. After that trek I am seriously considering purchasing a GPS unit to map the elevation and distances that we trek for the rest of the trip. We really did have the best views though. And after arriving at the road near the top we realized that we probably could have hiked up the road the whole time rather than aimlessly wonder through some random trail that is obviously not frequented with any steady supply of hikers.

Well after that exhausting ordeal, we napped and were not able to do much else. Though we did meet a brother and sister traveling team from California in our hostel whom we checked out the Baños night life with. That was an entertaining experience of its own. There is this little shuttle train that rides around Baños at night that is decorated to look like a dinosaur and is Flintstones themed. We of course had to get a ride in it. At one point they were at a wide intersection and made like six circles.

Finally, today, we experienced the most thrilling activity. We jumped off a really high bridge while being attached to two harnesses and two ropes. After swan diving off the bridge, you eventually reach the end of the ropes and just swing back and forth below. Then they lower you to the ground while the adrenaline of what seems like free falling in a plummet to the death is still surging through your body. I almost wish we had done this sooner because I definitely would have wanted to jump more than once. Though I suppose we will probably find other bridge jumping or bungee experiences later on. Well that is all for now. We leave for Puyo in the morning. It is directly East of Baños but out of the Andes, so we will officially be entering the Amazon region.

It has not even been a week and yet it seems like so much more time has passed since we left Rumi Wilco on Monday. We left early Monday morning for Loja and then caught another bus to Cuenca. In Cuenca we spent the first hour wandering around with our heavy packs trying to find a hostel. We had written down information for three hostels at Rumi Wilco, but apparently all of them have since gone out of business. After we settled into Hostel Siberia, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city, grabbing some food, and discovering the best ice cream shop! I had the Copa Hordo which consisted of three scoops of ice cream with three little half sugar cones, and a glass dish full of chocolate, creme and banana pieces, all for a whopping $2.60. That night we found a hookah bar where we got a pipe and two 1.5 liter beers for $7 total. I know nothing about hookah bars, but Aaron informed me that you can pay around $25 for two coals at a US hookah bar. The next day we went to the Banco Centro Museo and looked at art pieces from the 1500´s and then histories of many of the different indigenous peoples living around Ecuador. At the end we walked around this large Incan ruins that were built up on the edge of a hill aligned with a specific constellation. Below the ruins the museum has created a lovely garden area with all the various crops that are produced in Ecuador. We also wondered around to look at several churches and then returned to the ice cream shop from the previous night. This time I had a half liter of ice cream, again for a mere $2.60. This is actually quite expensive when taking into account that I can purchase an entire lunch of soup, meal and juice for $1.50 – $2.50. But ice cream is a luxury I will always splurge on. Cuenca is a really nice city. The atmosphere is great.

We left that evening for Riobamba, however. In Riobamba we ended up at a slightly dodgy hostel. No toilet paper, one toilet did not even have a toilet seat, no shower curtains, and a musty smell. But I suppose we were only paying $4 a night. We went out for supper that night and despite not being very hungry, I ended up with this huge calzone. It was at least tasty, but I did not need to eat nearly as much the next day. The next morning we found out that there is not really anything to do in Riobamba. It is not even that nice looking of a city. It is mostly a large, busy city where all the hiking areas around it are too far to walk to or take a taxi. We were on a bus to Baños later that morning.

Baños, however, is fantastic. It is extremely touristy, but for good reason. We have been staying at the nicest place, Residencial Timara. The older man who run it is extremely friendly and everything is so clean and nice. There is a full kitchen and warm showers. And the ladies who come in to do the cleaning and washing are incredibly amiable. Baños is situated down at the base of several mountains. It is also the home of Volcan Tunguarahua which is usually an extremely active volcano with frequent eruptions and ground shaking tremors. Of course this means that it was been silent the last few days. Well the first afternoon we trekked up the mountain side to get some great views of Baños and the surrounding lands. Then we hiked out to this lookout Bellavista which overlooks Baños. This was a several hour hike. Before we had left, we booked a night tour up to see the volcano. Of course this was before we found out it was not active. Though that night when we were riding a Chiva (an open air tour bus that is brightly painted with flashing lights and blaring music) to the top, it turned out that they did not even take us where we thought. We ended right back up at Bellavista! The view is really quite better in daytime and sort of a silly venture to have paid for. At least our tour outfit brought this warm cinnamon drink for us and some random guy who rode up with us made a fire and put on a show. I hope to actually make it to El Refugio which is still some distance below the crater but looks like Julie Andrews should suddenly stroll past singing.

Yesterday, however, has been hands down the best day yet. We rented mountain bikes and took off on the road towards Puyo to undertake what is called the waterfall way. In 24 km (14 miles) we saw about 6 or 7 waterfalls. Despite the day starting off rainy, it turned out to be warm and sunny. Though, for a good 30 minutes we rode with rain pelting into our face as well as the steady stream picked up from both bike tires. There were so many great waterfalls and at most there were activities such as a canopy tour or cable basket. At Manto de la Novia (a twin falls) we took a cable basket over the deep valley right up to and over the falls. When we got to the other side, we were able to hike around the top side of the falls and go onto a lookout directly over the edge. Gorgeous. Then we took the cable back and hiked to the bottom of the river basin and crossed a suspension bridge to look around at the bottom of the falls. Then we rode on. The road is directly along the valley overlooking this river where all the falls flow into. Then at Pailon del Diablo we hiked down to the largest of the falls. The whole way there you can hear the rush of water but when you finally get there it is breathtaking. The sheer magnitude of the water surging down into the valley is unbelievable. The walkway is literally built up to the edge of the water where the force of up spray can actually push you backwards. We of course were soaked after this, but luckily we had already eaten lunch. This waterfall is so heavily visited that the town Rio Verde literally built up around it. I took videos at this falls it was so magnificent. It even made the last falls, Rocío de Machay, seem to pale in comparison. Machay is this really long falls where the mist of up spray causes there to be rainbows everywhere. And the base has formed into these fast flowing eddies into pools. There are two entrances, we ended up at the new one through the Complejo Ecoturistico M’ Fanny’s, a restaurant gardens area. In all, it was quite fantastic. We could have ridden the entire 60 km to Puyo, but the road was beginning to up slope more and we were exhausted from riding and hiking as is. A bus picked us up at Rio San Francisco. Even if we were not so tired, we really would not have been able to ride back very well. There is a constant run of tunnels wide enough for a single vehicle with a pedestrian pathway built around the side only going towards Puyo and not the return way. After returning to Baños, we rode around a little with the bikes before returning them. I personally was exhausted after this and merely stayed in to finish my book and update the last week in my journal.

Today we are taking a break from physical activity, mostly because there is a consistent shower every hour or so. The day is not lost, though, because I found a book exchange cafe that shows free movies in the afternoon. 🙂 Tomorrow were are going to the zoo and then a hike up the mountain to the opposite side of Baños and then to a hot springs. We also hope to get up to El Refugio. There might even be time for a quick half day white water rafting trip. Baños is truly a great place to be right now. We are still making our way north and west to the coast, but we will be stopping in Puyo first. Puyo is just inside the Amazon region east of Baños. I am excited!

Another week done. Our physical requirements for work this week were increased. We grounded coffee almost everyday. Also I spent some time digging up unwanted grasses while Aaron was filling holes. This required the movement of dirt around in a wheelbarrow while making sure to keep the ground level in the area we were mining soil. We also spent a couple hours clearing down and fallen brush. Let me just say that it is an extremely rewarding experience to chop down a banana tree with a machete. Their trunks are surprisingly fleshy. Orlando uses all the mulch and sticks and trees to build up the bank along the river. He builds retaining walls and then the decaying material becomes excellent soil to plant new trees. I have really enjoyed the work at Rumi Wilco, but our time has finally come to an end. We are leaving tomorrow to head north and then to the coast. We are going to spend the next month to volunteer with Planet Drum in Bahia de Caraquez. Before we go there, though, we are going to spend a week wondering up and stopping at a few places. Our first stop is Cuenca. I have not fully made up my mind about the prospect of it, but we inevitably are following some of the gringo-trail. Though is really is quite unavoidable. I am excited for a change of scenery! Especially with the assurance that we have a place to settle down at on the coast for a little while where we can buy food stuffs in bulk. My only hope is that our next kitchen has an oven. Getting to finally cook for myself and not relying on the plethora of choice and stock in a cafeteria, I have begun to experiment with cooking. We did not have an oven at Rumi Wilco, but I think I have made good progress with skillet biscuits. I still need some work on the donuts. Pancakes and french toast are too easy, but they are quite tasty as well. My next cooking venture is to work with beans and rice (the raw form, none of that precooked, canned or instant ones). Though sauteed vegetables with guacamole has been a more than appetizing staple.
Since Friday was our last day of work and this our last weekend in Vilcabamba, Aaron and I have been quite busy. Yesterday, we trekked up a mountain to see a waterfall. It was about a 2.5 mile walk to the Podocarpus National Park then a 2-2.5 mile trek up to the falls. The path is heavily traversed via horse tours so in addition to huffing and puffing up the path we were dodging piles of horse droppings. Once you get to the end of the path there is a short segment that is straight down to the water. This leg of the journey was not so bad going down but was noticeably steep going back up. At the bottom is this awesome 40 foot falls. You can see where it continues further up between two peaks. We were able to walk out into the little pool below, a small basin below the falls created from the continuous beating of water. We tried to stand directly under the water, but it was so strong it was too difficult as well as freezing. Though after the arduous hike, I welcomed the cold water to wash off all the salt from sweating. Brilliantly, we brought lunch with us, which was also very welcomed. We ate at the foot of the falls, relaxed a bit, then headed back to Vilcabamba. Surprisingly, on foot, we were still able to pass a group on horse. We went back to Rumi Wilco to fill up water and regroup before trying to hike up to see the famed Agua de Hierro, this fine red sediment from up in the mountains. People use it for healing purposes such as a mud mask or drink. Well after hiking around for some time, we discovered that we were lost and not finding it. Sadly we eventually turned around with no success. Though we did get some great views. Also, despite our otherwise early evenings, we finally decided to go out last night and experience the night life of Vilcabamba. We went to the only club and enjoyed a couple beers and dancing. As the night wore on, it was extremely crowded and very hot but a fun time none-the-less. We met some other English-speaking travelers and chatted some. I do not know how I failed to mention this, but as prices go, we can spend about $12 a week on food for the both of us. This is of course making food and not going out but overall inexpensive. Other things are more comparable to U.S. prices just slightly less. Ecuador´s currency is equivalent to U.S. currency, by the way. Anyways, liter bottles of beer are only $1. Yes $1. And at the bar/club, they are only $1.25. And if you keep your bottles, you can return them to the store and get between 10-20 cents a bottle. The beer is not great, but with a deal like that it definitely tastes sweeter. Well that is all for now.

I know you all have been waiting eagerly in your seats for the next lesson on cultivating coffee. 🙂 Once the coffee is picked, it is laid out on flat cement surfaces to dry. The thinner the layer of beans, the faster it can dry. Everyday the beans are swept to rotate their posititions to make for more even drying. Once they are completely dried (this is after they have become shriveled up, dried brown, hard shells of the juicy red berries we selected. Once they are dried, they are dehusked. At Rumi Wilco this involves pouring about a gallons-worth into a hollowed out tree stump, deeper than it is wide. Then there is this large wooden grinder that is dropped on top of the beans for about 30 minutes or until most of the skins have cracked and separated out the beans from the husks. Basically it is like a giant mortar and pestal. Quite the process for how little coffee it will produce when all is told. After the beans are dehusked, they use a fan to blow away the whithered shells and keep only the unhusked and beans. Then the unhusked beans are filtered out. Once all these steps are complete, you are to the sorting process of good and bad beans. I hope we get to learn about the roasting. We also learned that while the beans are drying out, they many will mold a little. This is completely normal, but if the beans are dried and then become wet too many times during the drying out, they are no longer good. Also, we helped collect trash along the path from Rumi Wilco to the town street. It is about a 10-minute walk which includeds a bridge over the river. There is no public trash collecting service here, so Rumi Wilco takes it upon themselves to collect trash along the walking path, the road, and the river alongside their property. We only covered the walking path and collected a little more than four bags full of garbage. We found two separate spots were people are dumping trash behind the rock retaining walls. I think it is highly taken for granted the cleanliness of the US as compared to other countries.
On another note! We officially have our long lost bags back. We went yesterday to Loja, about a 40 km drive, to pick them up. Never have I been so overwelmed by the choices of CLEAN clothes that I could put on. It is a funny situation when you lose all your possessions. At first you are upset and cannot stop thinking about clean clothes, but after you have gone about two weeks it does not seem to matter quite as much. Though I must admit that by this time we had replaced a few things like soap, and a nice woman who was staying at Rumi Wilco with us lent me a shirt and pants. However, finally having our hiking clothes allowed to take advantage of the grounds being preserved by Rumi Wilco. We took one of the gulley trails and trekked along the rim of the southern hill and came back through the floodplain meander trail. I cannot wait to see more of the grounds. The view of Vilcabamba below with all the surrounding ranges was beautiful. You can also see all the lone houses scattered up into the hillsides. Other than that, it is the weekend, and like the famed tranquility of Vilcabamba, we have been relaxing, reading books and playing cards (though now we have a cribbage board too!).

Day 10 and still going stong! Ater having the weekend free to leisurely read books and play rummy, Aaron and I have been partaken in a variety of tasks so far this week. Monday we spent our work time picking coffee again. I hope those coffee-drinkers out there understand all the work involved in making a single cup of joe. The newer plants produce more berries than the older ones, but the berries all mature at different rates. This requires hand-picking little grape-sized berries from ten foot tall plants amongst spider ridden death traps (though I am kidding on the death traps. Despite the overwelming appearance of the giant spiders, they really do try to avoid us. Not that that has changed my fear of running face first into the thick yellow web of a creepy spider). Once you have been picking for hours, you realize how insignificant the amount of coffee seems (and this is before the several protective layers have been dehusked to produce an even smaller amount of coffee beans). It has been fun though. We also planted Guava trees along the river to help enforce the natural banks of the river from severe erosion when La Niña-induced flash floods take out 1.5 foot thick cement detaining walls. We also assisted in the porduction of homemade marmalade this morning with Alicia. Alicia and Orlando Falco are the owners and operators of Rumi Wilco. They have a nice ecolodge set-up for visitors and the potential researcher, as well as a magnificant preservation of natural fauna and flora. When we are out picking coffee, I am amazed at the number of butterflies effortlessly gliding through the myraid of spider webs like little trapeze artists. Anyways, we are off for more relaxation. Vilcabamba is apparently famous for its tranquility and the longevity of its residents. Though we have been told that has resulted in a large influx of foreigners moving to Vilcabamba for retirement or to raise families away from the wastefulness of the U.S.