Emily's Journal
6/15/2008
Day 1
Location: Miami, Florida
All ready this is turning out to be a trip of “firsts”. I have never been to Florida before, and here I am in the Miami Airport. The first flight was good; easy take off, easy landing. We said goodbye to all of the parents in Detroit, and now here we sit, just a few hours later. I think it has finally hit me that we are actually going to Ecuador. Wow.
Later
Location: Quito, Ecuador
We just got back from a pizza dinner with Mariana. She is not at all what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. Both Mariana and our guide Lori are very nice. I can’t wait to get to know them better.
I’m rooming with Jacki and we’ve hit it off pretty well. I think we have a great group. This trip is going to be incredible!
6/16/206
Day 2
Location: The Reserve
After packing and re-packing until everything I needed for the rainforest fit into my backpack, I slept like a log. I still can’t believe I only took that bag. I was afraid it would explode if I tried to open it. But, we all made it here in one piece.
It was a very long bus ride here. Along the way, Lori pointed out Eucalyptus trees that were introduced by a past president and are killing off native plants and animals. She also told us the economy is not getting any better because the new president is making so many changes and the public doesn’t trust him yet. But his term is almost half over! How much time is he going to have left after he gains their trust? Mr. E pointed out the economic strain takes efforts away from eco-conservation. So, this is the crazy vicious circle that the country is trapped in, and we are trying to stop. This is a lot more complex than I thought.
Along the way, we made a few stops. First, at a gas station. We were required to buy chocolate to help with altitude sickness (Not complaining). Here, we also picked up Andres, a local 12 year old boy who is coming with us to celebrate his recent good grades. Our second stop was Cascada San Rafael. It was beautiful. Lori says the government wants to construct a water wheel to harness its power. I can’t imagine a huge wheel obstructing this beautiful waterfall, but on the other hand, the power from it would help a lot of people. Again, vicious circle.
So now, I’m sitting in my bed in the Reserve, just inside the rainforest. The sounds I can hear right now are amazing and apparently, I am sleeping on the Equator.
6/17/2008
Day 3
Location: The Reserve
The food here is great! Breakfast was granola with yogurt and a slice of pineapple. Everything tastes so fresh.
After breakfast we drove to the river where we got into very small boats and traveled up to the Cofane tribe. We met Shaman Aurelio, who gave us all cerimonial face tattoos. He then led us on a hike through the rainforest. I swung on a vine, got bit by ants, bit them back, and watched Aurelio point out plants that cure pretty much anything one can think of.
Lunch was some kind of burger like thing. As with everything we cannot identify, Mr. E insists it was Capybara, the world’s largest rodent. After lunch, we purchased jewelry and crafts from the women of the tribe, and then joined the kids in a game of soccer. We plan to make T-shirts when we get back home.
When we got back to camp, we listened to a lecture from Dr. Borbor on rainforest conservation. It was a pretty dense presentation, and I think a lot of it went over our heads, but Peter’s commentary helped a lot. Julian and I plan to make a presentation to the United States Power Squadron on water conservation to spread awareness.
After dinner, we played “Mao” until we got tired. Tomorrow we venture deeper into the rainforest. I can’t wait!
6/18/2008
Day 4
Location: Siona Tribe in the Cuyabeno
I love breakfast in the rainforest. Every morning, we get a piece of fresh fruit, a cup of granola with yogurt, and some strange, exotic juice. Everything tastes so fresh and healthy. Today’s fruit was a tree tomato. I wasn’t much of a fan, so I finished Julian’s granola instead. After breakfast, we drove 2 hours to the landing by the river. We sat down for lunch, and then boarded two shallow canoes for a 3 hour ride to the Siona village. On the ride, we saw monkeys, a baby anaconda, and a few colorful “Stinky Turkeys”. It’s amazing how many different species exist in one type of habitat. Shaman D’leo is a little younger than Aurelio, but his presence commands just as much respect. The compound where we are staying is made up of three raised platforms, connected by boardwalk. After we got settled in, we got back in the boats and traveled to the lagoon. The lagoon is deep enough to be safe to swim in, and the water has a special sediment in it that makes it look black. I can’t wait to go back home and tell my coaches I swam in the headwaters of the Amazon.
So this is the Cuyabeno. In this "flooded rain forest", there is not much dry land and boat is the only form of transportation. After swimming in the lagoon, we went on a moonlit hike. We saw a few frogs, a fish, and a tarantula. I can’t believe this is only one day!
6/19/2008
Day 5
Location: The Reserve
We woke this morning at 5 am to go bird watching and pirana fishing. We saw a toucan and some fresh water pink river dolphins. When we returned, we ate breakfast and then played with the resident monkey. He is a cute little guy who loves to wrap his tale around your neck and hug you. Afterwards, D’leo lead us on a hike and pointed out some medicinal plants. It’s amazing that both Shamen took us on walks, and showed us completely different things. Mr. E stayed behind due to a foot injury, and when we returned D’leo treated him. He has been perfectly fine ever since. Before lunch, we all sat down and D’leo talked to us about why we are here and what we can do to help protect his culture. Towards the end, a group of tourists randomly walked up the dock and made themselves at home. D’leo stopped, and walked away, saying he did not with to speak to anyone outside our group. That is when I really understood how blessed we are to be on this trip and the amazing contacts we are making. After lunch, we returned to the reserve and ate dinner with Peter.
6/20/2008
Day 6
Location: The Hacienda
This morning at breakfast, Peter told us about the reforestation project. There are many people, organizations, and groups that claim reforestation to be impossible. He then told us we had been living on reforested land for the past few days. Before we left, we planted 3 trees for the project. We packed up, set aside out big rubber boots to be donated, and departed. We drove out of the reserve to an oil refinery plant where, hidden in the back, were two pools of toxic waste. Mr. E and Mr. Lyons took pictures of the illegal dumping while Peter asked the guard if he had any water. So, we are now officially eco-spies!
At night, we arrived at the Hacienda. It’s beautiful. There are a ton of tourists here, and its strange hearing English spoken around us. We spent the evening in the spa area at the steam room, sauna, hot tub, and pool to try to get the "Rain Forest Stink" out of our skin.
6/21/2008
Day 7
Location: Quito
Breakfast at the Hacienda was served right outside our room. Afterwards, we picked up our laundry and drove to a little strip of shops owned by wood carvers. Our next stop was the home of a family of musicians. We watched them make a pan flute and dance a traditional Andean dance. The highlight of the day was the Otavalo market. 3 hours of shopping, bargaining, and getting lost in a maze of scarves, alpaca blankets, and shrunken heads made for an exciting afternoon. Our next stop was the Equator! We took some pretty interesting pictures.
After Otavalo, we met Mariana for a very nice dinner in Quito. While eating, I saw a clown on the balcony of the other side of the court. No one believed me because by the time they looked, he was gone. A few minutes later, I saw him again. This time, people were quick to look up. The third time he appeared, we pointed him out to Lori. He waved us over to see a very entertaining show. We stayed at the Hotel for the night, and slept soundly.
6/22/2008
Day 8
Location: Galápagos, Bartolomé
Today began very early. We ate breakfast and got to the airport at around 6:45. There was a short 30 minute flight to the coast, then 2 hours to Galapagos. We had to zip tie all of our bags shut because of the drug smuggling problem. At the airport on Baltra, we met our guide Juan Carlos, who took us to The Nemo II, a 60 foot sailing catamaran. It’s really nice. The crew welcomed us with cocktails before dinner. We all introduced ourselves, and met everyone on board. After dinner, we played a few rounds of Mao, and then sailed southwest for 2 very rocky hours.
6/23/2008
Day 9
Location: Galápagos, Bartolomé
Today began bright and early with out first dive. To get in the water, we have to take a boat out a to the site and then fall off the side. I’ve seen it done in movies, but have never done it before. It was a little scary the first time, but I then concluded it is the best was to enter. I had a very hard time equalizing as I went down, and the dive master apparently took that to mean I needed to hold his hand. Once I was ok, it was rather annoying. After about half the dive, he handed me off to Mr. Lyons, who held my hand for a little while, then became confused as to why he was doing so, and let me go. It wasn’t a very exciting dive. We saw a lot of starfish, but that was pretty much it. Pinnacle Rock was our snorkeling site after breakfast. I saw an amazing number of fish, a penguin, and a sea lion. Our next dive was Cousin’s Rock. It was almost as if there were steps down to the ocean floor. We saw a sleeping sea horse, and then swam into a huge black cloud that turned out to be a school of fish. At one point, we were surrounded by fish on all sides! Our second snorkeling site was across the channel from an island called Sombrero Chino because it looks like a Chinese hat. We didn’t see too much. Visibility was bad and it was fairly choppy. Afterwards, we took the Panga to the island and went for a hike. When we landed, a sea lion pup came up to us and started playing with West’s shorts and my toes. After our hike, we ate dinner and began our 7 hour ride to Isabela. Not wanting to take any chances, I took a sea sickness pill, and went to bed early. I was knocked out until wake-up call the next morning. Aparently it was a smart choice. Juan Carlos said he spent 2/3s of the night in the air.
6/24/2008
Day 10
Location: Galápagos, Isabela
No diving today. We started out riding an impossibly small, open bus. We rode to the Giant Tortoise breeding center. They keep tortoises of all ages. Apparently, you can only tell how old a tortoise is until it is 20 years old. After that, the rings on its shell become worn down by vegetation. We were given some free time on the island afterwards. Jacki, Kyle, Elliot, Julian and I got ice cream, and then went swimming at the beach. It was my first time swimming in the ocean, and it was amazing. We found a few jellyfish washed up on the shore. When we got back to the boat, we snorkeled off the Panga. El Capitan lead us through the murky, rough water. The highlight was when we saw a few penguins at the end. Upon arriving at the boat, we learned you are never safe and dry. We started pushing each other off the stern. The crew joined in and the captain was even pushed in at one point. I think Elliot got me a few times, and I got Ñato once. It was fun.
6/25/2008
Day 11
Location: Galápagos, Floreana
Another early day began with a dive before breakfast. We saw a sea turtle, a huge “Cow Ray”, and as always, a ton of fish. After breakfast, we made a wet landing. The first highlight was a lagoon that is normally home to a large flock of greater flamingos. We only saw a few of them from a distance. Juan Carlos explained why they are pink, their origin on the islands, and everything else you would ever want to know about the birds. The second attraction was the “Talcom-Powder Beach”. The sand was so fine and so white, it seemed like something out of a fairy tale. Our second dive was right off the back of the Nemo II. A ton of sea lions came to play with us. After lunch, we landed again and visited Post Office Bay. There is a wooden barrel where you can put postcards and see how long it takes to get back to you. I picked up one addressed to Essex and plan to deliver it next time I visit my family in England. After the barrel, we played soccer against the crew. They won, of course. But it was still fun, even if we embarassed the captain. Another long sail tonight.
6/26/2008
Day 12
Location: Galápagos, Espanola
We all wished Julian a happy ½ birthday at breakfast. First on the agenda was a trip to a beach. Hundreds of sea lions were laying all over. The group decided to build a giant sand castle. The design included a shallow pit in the front. Half way through construction, a baby sea lion came to check it out. After a few minutes, he decided it made a pretty good bed and made himself at home. We named him Buba and dubbed him king of the castle. We returned to the boat and snorkeled in a cove. We saw rays, a shark, and some sleeping sea lions. I started twirling and twisting to try to get them up. It worked! They started to play with me. It was so cool! Later on, we landed and saw a colony of Albatross. We were lucky enough to see two in courtship, but they were hidden by a bush. The next sight was the Blow Hole. This geyser blows because of an under water cavern that becomes pressurized with each wave. It was an amazing way to end the day.
6/27/2008
Day 13
Location: Galápagos, Espanola / Santa Cruise
It feels strange not diving for the second day in a row. We landed at a private farm and went hiking to try and find wild tortoises. The 8 giants we saw were well worth getting eaten alive by fire ants. Next, we walked through a giant lava tube. We were told it was flooded, but Jacki found out otherwise. We were then given some free time in town. Julian and I found a spot to check our email and send a message home. After lunch, we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station, but after everything we had seen before, it was pretty lame. We cut the visit short, and Jacki, Kim, Jen, Kyle and I went shopping for clothes to wear to the Discothèque. After dinner, Juan Carlos took us to a "club" called Limon y Café for some salsa dancing. Ñato showed up late because he was getting a haircut, but overall, it was a fun night.
6/28/2008
Day 14
Location: Galápagos, North and South Plaza
Due to a whale shark sighting, we changed our first dive site to a place called Gordon Rocks. It was really rough and murky, so Julian, Becca, and I passed. We ended up not missing anything. Our second and last dive was pretty lame. We only saw one sea lion. After lunch, we snorkeled for the last time. That turned out to be even worse because I, along with a few others, got stung by jellyfish. On our last hike, we saw a colony of boobies and a land iguana that was too fat to mate. The sunset was amazing. The evening ended with a farewell cocktail with the crew. Ñato and Segundo almost cried, and chef Alex baked a beautiful cake.
6/29/2008
Day 15
Location: Galápagos, Baltra
Our last day in Galapagos. We began with a Panga ride at 5 am to a cove where we saw hundreds of Boobies hunting. It was incredible. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes, and departed. We arrived in Quito around 4 pm, visited a market, and had dinner at the pizzeria. Peter joined us. Back at the hotel, we designed our T-shirts. Everyone is pretty quiet. No one wants to acknowledge the fact that this is our second to last night.
6/30/2008
Day 16
Location: Quito
Today we visited Ilalo; a very poor mountain community. I can’t wait to get back to the states and organize all of the ideas we have come up with to help the people here as well as in the rainforest. After learning about sustainable architecture in the community, we planted a few trees. I planted a Ceiba tree that Peter says is sure to grow. Later, we toured a rain harvesting plant and played soccer on top of a volcano. Dinner was at Mariana’s. We played with her dogs, ate a wonderful dinner, received our diplomas, and said our sad goodbyes.
I can’t believe it is over. This has been the trip of a lifetime.
Incredible sights.
Astounding knowledge.
Amazing friends.
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