For most people the Amazon exists only on the pages of a textbook. For us, it is a reality unlike any other. The adventure starts with a dramatic plane ride over the mountains of central Ecuador and a descent into the eastern jungle. From Coca Airport we took a 4 hour boat ride east on the Rio Napo until we turned into a dense thicket of wild growth. We traveled through a series of seemingly unnavigable canals until we reached an enormous lagoon that served as the front yard for the Dolphin Cabins.
That evening one of our guides took a few of us on a very brief walk through the jungle. Within 20 minutes we were standing in front of the largest tree any of us had ever seen – and it had a vine a swing! Each of us took a turn swinging and banging our hands to our chests Tarzan and Jane style. The rest of the evening was devoted to rest and relaxation on one of the many hammocks scattered around the cabins.
The next day started off at 6 am for the brave early risers who took row boats through the lagoons in search of exotic and colorful birds. Then all of us took a 6 hour hike through the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The colors, sounds, smells, plants, and insects became increasingly amazing. Enormous bright blue butterflies, crimson sap from the Dragon’s Blood Tree, dancing Spiders, eerie vines, and mushrooms that can be used as paper are just a few of the highlights. Some students even saw a river dolphin from the canoe as they waited for the late comers to emerge from the jungle.
We put the lagoon to good use after our hike. We took an enormous row boat to its center and dove, flipped, and canon-balled into the warm, soothing water. Most of the group took out smaller boats soon after and watched a stunning sunset before an enormous and wonderful dinner.
We had another hike planned the following day, but some people were still tired from our previous outing in the jungle. So we split into two groups – one headed out to fish for Piranhas and the other went for a 3 hour hike through swamps. We all got stuck in the thunderstorms though! What’s the rain forest without a little rain? The group that went on the hike had a riotous time and did a lot of swamp wrestling, mud throwing, and native herb sampling. Students found a fruit whose seeds can be mashed into red body paint; naturally, they painted beautiful designs on faces or smeared warrior markings on the rest of their bodies.
Both groups reunited and again had an afternoon siesta on the hammocks before another session of swimming in the lagoon. That evening, some of the hikers took out row boats to go fishing. Soon two massive rainbows emerged across from the golden haze of the sunset and they brought home 2 Piranhas and a Catfish! We finished the night with a very special group meeting and prepared for our early departure the next day.
Now we are back in Quito and have a very fun final night of surprises waiting for us. The group is happy and healthy (in spite of a few stomach aches) and we as leaders could not be happier with the arch of our travels.
This trip has been wonderful, adventurous, and has truly made a difference in the lives of the entire community of Panecillo. I hope you have enjoyed following our blog and treasure the stories that everyone brings home with them.
Signing off,
Shereef and Sarah
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
From Cotopaxi to Quito
On Monday afternoon, after finishing up our independent project presentations, we left for our second excursion to Cotopaxi – tierra del volcán. We arrived in the evening amidst pitch black skies, our bus slowly climbing through the rocky mountain roads. All of a sudden we saw lights in the distance and realized that we had finally arrived to our home for the next few days – Hacienda El Porvenir. We were received with warm cups of tea called cañelazo and small empanadas. After a romantic dinner over candlelight we were off to our tent-like bedrooms heated by wood stoves to rest before a big day ahead of horseback riding and hiking.
The horseback riding was spectacular. We all got dressed up in ponchos and chaps made of wool and leather. We rode through the Andean highlands, got to see some great views of Cotopaxi and Ruminahui, and experienced the mist of the paramo. In the afternoon we set off for Cotopaxi and with the help of a local guide we hiked to 4700 meters in the middle of a wind/snow storm to the refuge. At the refuge we warmed up with cups of hot chocolate and delicious tea, rested, and some brave group members continued up to the start of the glacier line at 5000 meters. It was an impressive sight, especially because we could see just how much ice has melted in the last decade due to climate change.
In the evening we were back at the Hacienda preparing to surprise Ben Darcy for his 16th birthday with a cake and a bonfire. The surprise was a success and the walk to the bonfire underneath the stars and the milky way was breathtaking. Thanks to Lily, we all signed a soccer ball that we gave to him as a memory of his first birthday away from home.
The next day we split up into two groups. Half of the students went to do a zip lining tour over the forest and rappel in the afternoon while the other half decided to stick around the hacienda to bike ride and rest. The bike riding group did more resting then biking because we didn´t anticipate how difficult it would be to ride up and down the rock filled, dirt roads. The zip lining group had a great time exploring the forest and flying across a lush canyon vaulted on both sides by rock walls. Then they rappeled down a 90 foot rockface and spent some time after lunch wading peacefully in river that divides the canyon.
We left Cotopaxi in the late afternoon and en route to Quito for the grand finale of Ben´s surprise – a viewing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which our stduents had been asking us about since we first arrived in Ecuador. When they found out that we weren´t going back to community, but instead staying in Quito for the night to see Harry Potter, go out for dinner and dancing, there were excited screams that came from every corner of the bus. It was a fun night.
Today we let everyone sleep in and recover from the intense days in Cotopaxi. In a couple of hours we will head back to Panecillo where we will finish laying new pipes for the water project and set up different activities with the youth of the community.
Saludos!
Sarah & Shereef
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Independent Projects Completed!
Although we had originally planned on finishing the water project this week, the new piping we were set to lay was delayed while en route. Instead, our students dove headfirst into their independet projects. We have quite a range of interests in this group, and therefore a diverse and rich series of projects. From harvesting corn and learning about its meaning to the indigenous Andean peoples, to working in a flower sweatshop and analyzing labor conditions, our group members pursued their ambitions. After collecting stories and myths about the mountain that towers over our community, two students summited Imbabura reaching an altitude of 15,150 feet (with a guide of course!). Another student collected local plants and herbs and interviewed our friends in the community to find out their medicinal properties. And a group of students painted a mural that captures some of the strongest aspects of Quecha culture on a blank wall at the school where we have been teaching English. This was just a sampling of the work they have done over the past week. The other projects – a Quechua cookbook, preparing guinea pig, preparing a chicken, a photoessay about life in Panecillo, making and learning to play a flute, fabric dying with local artesans, designing clothing at a workshop and selling it in Otavalo – have been just as exciting and beautiful experiences.
To all the loved ones of the kids on this trip, you should be proud of their energy, openness and tenacity – Sarah and I could not be more impressed with their positivity, curiousity and dedication to learning about this community.
Now we are just wrapping our day at the Saturday market in Otavalo where local artisans from all over the country convene to sell their creations. Sarah and I set up a photo scavenger hunt to help our students get used to the layout of the town and to have some fun! We then met with the president of an organization representing the Indigenous Otavalan Peoples, who gave us an overview of the history of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement in modern occidental history and how they intend to affect their future.
Tomorrow we will have a laid back day of project presentations and preparing for our upcoming trip. On Monday we head to Cotopaxi, one of the tallest mountains in the hemisphere, where we will hike, ride horseback, mountain bike, rock climb and zip line -- not to mention some surprises that we (the leaders) have thought up!
Hasta cashcama!
Shereef and Sarah
To all the loved ones of the kids on this trip, you should be proud of their energy, openness and tenacity – Sarah and I could not be more impressed with their positivity, curiousity and dedication to learning about this community.
Now we are just wrapping our day at the Saturday market in Otavalo where local artisans from all over the country convene to sell their creations. Sarah and I set up a photo scavenger hunt to help our students get used to the layout of the town and to have some fun! We then met with the president of an organization representing the Indigenous Otavalan Peoples, who gave us an overview of the history of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement in modern occidental history and how they intend to affect their future.
Tomorrow we will have a laid back day of project presentations and preparing for our upcoming trip. On Monday we head to Cotopaxi, one of the tallest mountains in the hemisphere, where we will hike, ride horseback, mountain bike, rock climb and zip line -- not to mention some surprises that we (the leaders) have thought up!
Hasta cashcama!
Shereef and Sarah
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
To Mindo and Back!
Since our last blog much has happened. Our adventure has continued to develop and both Shereef and I feel like the group is truly becoming a family. We are continuously impressed by how willing our students are to try out new experiences, put up with cold showers and dirty bodies, conquer their fears, and how much laughter we all share with each other during our nightly juntos sessions where we check in with the group, share highs/lows of the day, and make sure that everyone is mentally, emotionally, and physically OK.
On Thursday of last week we set off for our first weekend trip to Mindo, a beautiful town of 2000 people tucked away in a cloud forest in Northern Ecuador. The town lies about four hours from our home in Panecillo and when we arrived in the evening for dinner we felt as if we had entered the clouds. A light rain was falling, but we didn´t get wet because our cabins were covered by lush jungle which protected us. Surrounded by orchids, jungle sounds, and a thick forest of green leaves, we were able to rest in the evening and have some down time to hang out as a group.
The next day we set off for a canopy zip line tour, where we hung, suspended in the air, essentially flying over the jungle in all sorts of interesting poses (the butterfly, superman, superwoman, etc…). Everyone absolutely loved it!
After the canopy tour we took a hike down to a lower part of Mindo where we got into our bathing suits and prepared for our tubing adventure. The cool water was a relief from the morning heat and as we moved down the river, avoiding boulders and rapids, we got quite a rush of energy.
In the evening we surprised the group with a trip to a family run chocolate factory where we got to see how one actually makes chocolate from start to finish. We ate a delicious dinner filled with boisterous laughter and group bonding.
The next day we hiked through the jungle with a local tour guide/ecologist who helped us to spot exotic birds, explain about the properties of local fauna, and led us to a river where a few brave students jumped off the cliffs surrounding a waterfall and the less brave (including myself!) settled for zipping down a slide into the refreshing water.
The trip back to Panecillo was extremely quiet. Most students feel asleep after having run around the jungle all weekend. We surprised the group with dinner in Otavalo before we heading back into the community to rest up for our most difficult day of work yet . . . the minga. Minga is a tradition that is carried out in indigenous villages throughout Ecuador which involves the entire community coming out to lend a hand, usually for a full day or weekend. It was amazing to see how willing people were to help us accomplish our objective, how open they were to striking up conversations and forging friendships with our students, and also how thankful they were that we had come to collaborate with them on this project. We worked straight from 7 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon. The water project is moving forward on schedule and each day our group is digging up more dirt to expose the old pipe and preparing to lay the new piping that will help to improve water pressure and flow for the entire community.
After the minga, and in spite of our exhaustion, we felt very satisfied with the progress we had made. We ate a delicious lunch of local delights and gathered our strength to take an afternoon trip to a beautiful local waterfall, la cascada de peguche, where we cooled off in the river, dove under the falling water and explored a truly enchanted forest.
This coming week we will be continuing our work on the water project and teaching English. We´ll also be getting ready for our Cotopaxi adventure which begins next Monday.
Hasta la proxima!
-Sarah and Shereef
On Thursday of last week we set off for our first weekend trip to Mindo, a beautiful town of 2000 people tucked away in a cloud forest in Northern Ecuador. The town lies about four hours from our home in Panecillo and when we arrived in the evening for dinner we felt as if we had entered the clouds. A light rain was falling, but we didn´t get wet because our cabins were covered by lush jungle which protected us. Surrounded by orchids, jungle sounds, and a thick forest of green leaves, we were able to rest in the evening and have some down time to hang out as a group.
The next day we set off for a canopy zip line tour, where we hung, suspended in the air, essentially flying over the jungle in all sorts of interesting poses (the butterfly, superman, superwoman, etc…). Everyone absolutely loved it!
After the canopy tour we took a hike down to a lower part of Mindo where we got into our bathing suits and prepared for our tubing adventure. The cool water was a relief from the morning heat and as we moved down the river, avoiding boulders and rapids, we got quite a rush of energy.
In the evening we surprised the group with a trip to a family run chocolate factory where we got to see how one actually makes chocolate from start to finish. We ate a delicious dinner filled with boisterous laughter and group bonding.
The next day we hiked through the jungle with a local tour guide/ecologist who helped us to spot exotic birds, explain about the properties of local fauna, and led us to a river where a few brave students jumped off the cliffs surrounding a waterfall and the less brave (including myself!) settled for zipping down a slide into the refreshing water.
The trip back to Panecillo was extremely quiet. Most students feel asleep after having run around the jungle all weekend. We surprised the group with dinner in Otavalo before we heading back into the community to rest up for our most difficult day of work yet . . . the minga. Minga is a tradition that is carried out in indigenous villages throughout Ecuador which involves the entire community coming out to lend a hand, usually for a full day or weekend. It was amazing to see how willing people were to help us accomplish our objective, how open they were to striking up conversations and forging friendships with our students, and also how thankful they were that we had come to collaborate with them on this project. We worked straight from 7 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon. The water project is moving forward on schedule and each day our group is digging up more dirt to expose the old pipe and preparing to lay the new piping that will help to improve water pressure and flow for the entire community.
After the minga, and in spite of our exhaustion, we felt very satisfied with the progress we had made. We ate a delicious lunch of local delights and gathered our strength to take an afternoon trip to a beautiful local waterfall, la cascada de peguche, where we cooled off in the river, dove under the falling water and explored a truly enchanted forest.
This coming week we will be continuing our work on the water project and teaching English. We´ll also be getting ready for our Cotopaxi adventure which begins next Monday.
Hasta la proxima!
-Sarah and Shereef
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fotos!
Quito's Old City, at night
the whole crew!
work on our central project . . .
. . .with locals
making fast friends in town
the gorgeous Andean backdrop to our experience!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Saludos de Ecuador!
We have had a wonderful few days here. Our time in Quito provided the foundation for our trip. Our group orientation took place in Parque Itchimbia, where we learned about the cosmology of the indigenous Andean peoples. Additionally, we walked through the park´s nature reserve where we were guided through some of the botany and herbology of Ecuador -- which included a sampling of leaves that help deflect lovesickness and whiten teeth!
During the evening we toured the Old City of Quito, which is home to the most extensive and well preserved district of Spanish colonial architecture in the Americas. But our tour was well beyond ordinary as our guide was arranged by Quito Eterno, a historical theatre group. They introduced us to a nun from the 1800s who took us to different sites and explained their significance and legend. The next day we visited, ´La Mitad del Mundo,´ an interactive museum devoted to the historical understanding and modern scientific significance of, ´the middle of the world'.
After a stunning ride through the mountains due north of Quito we arrived in our village, Panecillo. We have been in community for two full days and have already settled in happily. We were greeted at a town hall meeting by the town leadership committee and everyone else they could fit in the room! Panecillo is situated at the center of a valley surrounded by stunning mountains covered in verdant fields, providing an unwaveringly beautiful backdrop for our trip.
Currently, half the group is teaching English to children at a school just down the road and developing a framework to teach English to adults in the afternoons. Meanwhile, the rest of the group is getting down and dirty working on making water more readily available to the community. Specifically we are digging an enormous trench that follows the current piping. Our goal is to replace the tubing and increase water pressure so that those on the periphery of the community can reliably access potable water.
Though we have been here for less than one week, the trip has been pretty amazing so far. Everyone is in good health, with high spirits, and full of energy. And the adventures have only just begun!
Saludos!
Shereef and Sarah
During the evening we toured the Old City of Quito, which is home to the most extensive and well preserved district of Spanish colonial architecture in the Americas. But our tour was well beyond ordinary as our guide was arranged by Quito Eterno, a historical theatre group. They introduced us to a nun from the 1800s who took us to different sites and explained their significance and legend. The next day we visited, ´La Mitad del Mundo,´ an interactive museum devoted to the historical understanding and modern scientific significance of, ´the middle of the world'.
After a stunning ride through the mountains due north of Quito we arrived in our village, Panecillo. We have been in community for two full days and have already settled in happily. We were greeted at a town hall meeting by the town leadership committee and everyone else they could fit in the room! Panecillo is situated at the center of a valley surrounded by stunning mountains covered in verdant fields, providing an unwaveringly beautiful backdrop for our trip.
Currently, half the group is teaching English to children at a school just down the road and developing a framework to teach English to adults in the afternoons. Meanwhile, the rest of the group is getting down and dirty working on making water more readily available to the community. Specifically we are digging an enormous trench that follows the current piping. Our goal is to replace the tubing and increase water pressure so that those on the periphery of the community can reliably access potable water.
Though we have been here for less than one week, the trip has been pretty amazing so far. Everyone is in good health, with high spirits, and full of energy. And the adventures have only just begun!
Saludos!
Shereef and Sarah
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