Lists and learnings: South America

A little delayed, but I got my new passport in the mail today and booked a flight to Spain in December, so catching up on this seemed to be the next logical step...

Lists and learnings:

+ Coastal communities feel so alive to me. In my travels around the globe I have spend many days hugging the coast and the vibe is something you can only find in people happy to be where they are and share a little bit of their lust for life. I am primarily thinking of Cartegena and the needed comparison to the Dominican Republic. Right out of the bus your body starts producing mass amounts of sweat and your eyes explode with all of the amazing colors. Walking in the street is no different, with shirtless men sitting in plastics chairs  playing a makeshift checkers game with leftover bottle caps. The water people are selling right and left is sweating more than you and your fellow travelers. Around every corner you may find ice cold coconuts or an impromptu beat boxer. The seafood is sweet and fresh while everyone you see greets you with a big smile and an open door. The coast is alive and the people that make it up more so.

+ Returning from a cold and rainy worksite day on Ecuador, I was riding with some kiddos in the back seat and a local camionetta driver. I had taken a few trips with this specific driver and various kids and always gave him a hard time about driving slow and taking care of "mis hijos." He was nice enough and always joked with us about his speed. On this trip he asked me if we could pick up his son at his home. It was in route and I easily agreed. It was then that he began to tell us about his son's history. At 12 years old doctors operated on his son's brain to remove a tumor and damaged his optical nerve and left him termporarily paralyzed. Since his operation he has slowly regained movement and blindly  rides his bike on a dirt "driveway" because he knows it well from memory. As this story unfolded I became emotional realizing after all the flack I gave him about taking care of our kids, I never took the time to ask him about his family. After mounting his son in the back of his truck he decended back into Patate and his son's improving health and hopes for his vision returning. I kid you not, ask the kids, the most beautiful rainbow I saw all summer (you see a lot in the valley of never ending spring) appeared and reminded me of all the hope- no matter how small exists in the world.

+ "Las mañanas no decíamos 'buenos días,' decíamos 'cuantos muertos?'l in a day trip to Guatape, Colombia right outside of Medellin where Pablo Escobar had put himself under self-arrest surrounded by all of his family and closest employees we took a visit to the site were he we killed. The area of Guatape and the view of it from a randomly huge rock at the enterance of town is claimed to be "The best view in the world." The islands and orange soil light up the Colombian and foreigners eyes alike. Understandably, a man with so much power and money would relocate himself there surrounded by trees importes from all over the world (the sugar maple sure grows funny there) and holes dug to hide all of his cash. What I had not conceptualized before was how heavy such a visit would be for a woman who lived during those times. After those of us from the US, Peru, Spain, and Veneuela coaxed her a bit she agreed to join us with no happy feelings to go with it. I am incredibly grateful for this because she really enriched and painted a picture of the hurt and heartache of the times of the drug lord's rule. It reminded me that no matter how crazy my parents think I am from visiting Colombia, or whatever we read in history books, we can really know nothing about that blib in history. The people who lived and lost in it still carry heavy hearts with any glimpse into the past, even if it was a sign of their liberation. After a walking tour of the past most dangerous city in the world, Merellin, we got tangible facts about his time. More importantly, we weren't allowed to use Pablo Escobar's name for fear of the locals hearing and thinking out guide was glorifying him, we were stopped multiple times-by multiple locals- to give us thanks for visiting and to tell the world that they weren't all bad, in fact they were quite nice, and we saw a city that had rebuilt itself up to reflect the pride and security they now felt within its walls.

+ Kids. Inspiring. As someone who works with kids nearly year round it is easy to say that kids inpire me, but there was something special about this group of kids from the summer of 2016. They came in patient and flexible as hell. Our last flight group arrived at 1:00 am and we left that same morning at 5:00 am for the Galapagos (Oh right, I was in the Galapagos two months ago!) Not a blip of complaint from the fatigued kiddos. From there we went full stride into an amazing experience on the island and then in return to our homebase on the mainland in Patate. I have met few groups of people who are as empathetic and compassionate as these kids. Things not going according to plan-ok no problem, lets play a game. Some kids speaking up and not feeling a perfect fit with the group- no issue, let me be your friend. I can easily say that I haven't laughed as I did with these kids in a long time... they were a refreshing group and commanded us all to want to spend time with them telling riddles, paying Mafia, or tucking into strange corners of the house playing sardines. Their empathy
and awareness of other people and their emotions shows wisdom far beyond where I was at their age. These new young friends of mine continue to bring hope for the future... something we might need now more than ever.


+Conservation is making its way to South America. When traveling, I have become aclimated to seeing plastic bottles and bags strewn about the ground of highways and sidewalks. I deffinately saw those this yaer, but I also saw initative and changing habits. Having gone to the Galapagos andthen to Tayrona National Park in Colombi you can see direct impact of global climate changes on these ecosystems. Both costal areas are suffing from drought and as a result local wildlife and vegetation is strugling. Helping a farmer in the Galapagos the lack of rain was tanglible. The lack of rain had chaned his crops and land, he showed us clear examples how the simple size of his fruits has changed in the last year. In these areas they push fro recycling and even in Tayrona they have started limited vessels of water that enter the park to prevent plactic wasts from affecting the local animal live. Clearly, the system isnt perect, but the knowledge is finally getting there. In both places I saw signs mirror in the facts we give kids suring ort talks in Nature's Classroom.

As I sit and re-read what I drafted over the summer I am thankful that my education hasn't stopped outside the doors school and I keep picking up knowledge in the many paths of life I find myself.

A new lens... Peru and Bolivia

As I sit down to write this I can't identify the hypothetical taste in my mouth after my most recent time in Peru and Bolivia.

I think back to my first trip to South America and the looks in people's eyes and what I identified that as. Those same faces and looks, or similar in structure and background, I saw on this trip now have a whole new meaning for me. More understanding as a world traveler also comes with getting down with the nitty gritty of the culture for better or worse as it may be...

I think it goes to say with every job or experience the more time you spend getting to know a place the clearer all sides of that place become. As I headed back to the Sacred Valley I wasn't sure what to expect on that front. My departure from Peru in August was with extreme pace due to my need to revitalize myself after a very challenging professional experience. Coming back "home" was great, romantic almost. Being greeted by community contacts with huge hugs and the typical kiss on the check, walking in the market and having the women I got my delicious tasty juice and chicha from recognize my arrival (and the fact that I had left), and honks of moto taxis saying my name. I had to crawl the town to get everything set for our short program and in that time Urubamaba wooed me once again. Yet, slowly things came out of the Peruvian culture that made my experience bittersweet. I adore the Valley and the people that live in it, but the corruption or the culture started showing itself more and more. Urubamba is Cuzco's neighbor, and it seems because of that there is a degree of dishonesty imbedded in the culture. You can't tell me it will take 2 hours to get somewhere that really takes 40 minutes because you think you can scam me out of money. Sorry Peru, but I get you, I know you. You can't trick me that way. Now this is a horrible generalization on my part, but This Is Perú: the answer to any question is always yes, no matter the question and how far that may lead me off my goal, any foreigner is chance to earn an extra sol, and pulling of a lie or two is a sign of success- no shame involved. That really got under my skin this time around. The critical eye often sees too much, or at least I was feeling that weight this time around.

Despite such epiphanies, I had an overall wonderful time. This program in Peru was exactly what the doctor ordered. The group of kids and leaders that came to spend the week with is were inspirational and I learned a lot from them. I even so rudely blurted out "You can actually teach me something!" when I realized out different our focuses were and the knowledge they contained. It was absolutely perfect. I still wear the "friendship bracelets" their leaders got one knee and gifted to my co-leader and me. As an experienced solo traveler it is easy to overlook how much the people you meet and work with shape the experience. These coworkers and leaders: Edu, Ayala, Arielle, and Marcello, out-shown my otherwise critical realizations to keep that spunk and smile in my daily happenings. I have to give credit to the kids that came along too, they are why we do what we do even if they don't tell us about their pending athsma.

As we all know at this point. The trip wasn't just work. After sticking around Urubamba a few days to wrap up the program, scout a future project, and celebrate Carnaval by dancing around a decorated tree with an ax to chop it down and determine the hosts of the next years party; I decided to get more out of my 10 year Boliva visa I paid for in August. 

Here is where more of my perspective started to shift.
Those of you who have been reading my random writings into my transition to adulthood probably know I have a list... for lack of a better title a bucket list. It is more or less how I figure out what I want to do or where I want to go. The first thing on my list was Machu Picchu (first bagged in 2012) and from then on out just navigating myself around the world to do things I would put on the list. Examples: Machu Picchu (duh), meeting the borrowers in Honduras, walking on part of the AT, working with Elephants, surfing, scuba diving, visiting Lake Titicaca, touring the salt flats of Bolivia....
The last two on that list are things that I have done twice now, and I have come to realize that the world isn't full of check boxes for me (you probably all knew that without me verbalizing it). It is full of perspective.

So I took off for the boarder to see Lake Titicaca from the Bolivian side. The first time I had been there was on a tour out of the school I got my certification to teach English with in my first trip to Peru. I didn't have my critical lenses on then and I only remember beauty of it. This time around the Bolivian side blew away my idea of the beauty of a lake. I started on the South side of the Isla del Sol for a few nights or rest and relaxation. While there I was impressed by the lightning, thunder and heavy rain storms that the night brought in. I was also giddy about the snow capped glaciers that tempted me in the  distance,as well as the vibrant green textured mountains of the island itself. If I wouldn't have gone to visit the lake for a second and totally different experience I would have really missed out. From there I strapped on my backpack and hiked to the other side of the island in order to catch a boat back to the mainland for a day to get a real taste of La Paz, or a second taste of their strangely delicious fried dishes.

I left La Paz content and ready for a second dose of the Salt Flats. When I went there in August I was impressed by the sheer size of the flats and it's crystal beauty. This time around I realized how different it wad due to be with all the rain and I quickly accepted my fate of yet another visit. This was probably the smartest move of my trip and I am still dazed with how beautiful the salar was. Upon arriving I was bouncing in my seat because it was so DIFFERENT it was so PRETTY! We did all the stops that we did my first time around, but instead of moving on to the next day of the tour across the salar we just sat. We sat and took amazing pictures, jumped in the salt so much that my jeans looked acid washed, and just soaked up the beauty. It helped that the people in my tour were a riot and we laughed the day away, but it also helped that the sunset brought in a stunning sundog and some glowing colors. Saturated in salt with a camera full of photos I was content to head back to town where my friend from high school was due to be waiting for me. Twice almost didn't feel like enough times to have visited such a natural beauty, especially knowing how much the second time enriched the experience.
Something about a familiar face in such a beautiful and now semi-familiar place felt so right. Sarah was just arriving to Bolivia so I took that chance to show her my favorite hot drinks and fried foods. It was great to catch up, but I almost preferred setting her up and sending her out on the first solo part of her trip. I've learned so much about being "alone" in a foreign place that I get excited about the prospect and impact it can have on all the people I love.

As Sarah went on her way I took some time to reflect. I have come a long way. Despite the foggy visions I have of some of these places, I have gained in exchange clearer vision of myself. If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would visit Machu Picchu twice in a summer and the Bolivian salar in two totally different times of the year, along with covering a lot of other things I had dreamed about seeing or doing-I simply would have laughed. Now that this has become a reality I recommend not thinking about travel/life as a list, but more of an experience. The misty view of Machu Picchu wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't seen it again in the blazing sun on blue bird day. Uyuni wouldn't have been complete without seeing the rain reflection of the sky and clouds. Surfing just once isn't enough. The AT doesn't need to be touched it needs to be seen.. you get it. My perspective has and is changing.
With a fresh perspective I headed back to Peru to say goodbye to the Sacred Valley. I don't know when I'll be back so I took a friend I met in Ecuador on a tour of my favorite hike in the valley (ending with more salt,) and to a few of the local breweries I found this time around.  I even serendipitously crossed paths with another VISIONS employee who I had met the previous two summers at training.... it's a small world after all...Sharing my insight and glee over the beauty of the culture and valley was the opportune way to give this landscape it's full respects.

De Repente: Ecuador para Peru

Since the start of my trip sharing a tooth sticking fruit from the east of Ecuador with a woman on the bus from the airport to the bus station I have been impressed with how friendly and hospitable Ecuadorians are. My time in Patate and travels thereafter haven't let me down, but they still keep me thinking. 
To kick of this part of my journey I put in a few days scouting projects for the VISIONS site located in Ecuador. I was greeted back into town, by a nice costal dish prepared by the woman I met on the bus and a lovely family owned hotel. Despite the fact that our main community contact, Cedric, had to work for the first 48 hours of my stay here, he and his coworkers were great. I hung around the firefighter base talking about Ecuadorian life and keeping guard over the locked door or going with them on different fire fighting adventures. At first it surprised me how nonchalant they were about their phone calls for fires. First they would calmly receive the call, talk about the call, get in a truck to check on the fire, come back, get dressed, and THEN go fight the fire. I was thinking "Oh how Latin America of them." That is until I was able to jump in for the whole series of events. Most of the fires in this part of Ecuador are man-made and in the forest. The houses are made of blocks so that is rarely a problem. The older generations will burn the shrubbery with hopes of bringing rain over the night. An old myth that is easily embraced by a community of farmers. Regardless. the way the firefighters had to go about it was to see where the fire was (if it was reachable by Patate or another base), the size of it, and if they could bring in a truck or had to pack supersized camopacks in to put out the fire. The day I joined them to put out the fire they packed in water to extinguish a fire burning more than a hector (not a typo...I hate that our system makes it so I can never understand the actual size of things... I digresss...) in a beautiful part of the valley. I really loved seeing how this job functions here in comparison to the states, plus the local girls that hung out with me in the truck were adorable and made my day.
Beyond the firefighter base we ventured into the community on 4 wheeler to visit a school in need of renovation with a pretty epic view of the local volcano and by truck to another community wanting to build an old-folks home. Again, great people and palpable gratitude. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was trying to do this all before the biggest weekend of the year in Patate. Thousands of people fill the quiet little town to see a HUGE parade (again, not a typo), fireworks, bull riding, and other religious celebrations. The community was busy covering every inch of their respecitve float with flowers and fruits, while we were trying to get them all on board to make some decisions on their structure. They were excited about our opportunity, but distracted by the coming festivities. I can't blame them, it is one of the biggest parties of the year in the entire country. Needless to say, they should be having a real meeting now with all the info we gave them AND their float turned out pretty epic. Grinding choclo woman and all. I delayed my departure to tour the festivities a bit. I am fairly certain I was the only foreigner there (that is saying a lot for the amounts of people that flooded the quiet little town.) It was worth the chaos to see the finished products and the little girl who I hung out with on the farm perform her dance. Yet, I blame my father for my aversion of crowds so I didn't stay for more than a day of the festivites. 

I quickly left Patate (in the front seat of the first bus I could get) to get more of my Volcano fix. I set off to do an uphill trek to the blue laguna known as Quilotoa. Again, my timing was a bit off and it turns out Sunday transport is a bit harder to organize to the small towns surrounding Quilotoa. I ended up cutting my hike a day to keep a peace of mind for my upcoming decent to Peru and to not be entering a town in the dark by foot. A mix of buses and hitching a ride with a paper delivery man and his family landed me in the closest town to the crater, Chugchilan.

I was excited to meet a group of girls for the hike the next day. Along the hike one of the girls and I got to chatting and we realized our lives were on parallel circuits. So much so that we barely missed each other (by no more than a few days) in Thailand and BEES with the Elephants. For such a small organization we were both equally shocked and made sure to let our mutual friends know we had found each other. Despite the great company, ipon reaching the crystal blue crater on that uphill slope I love so much I decided to part ways with the girls and go the long way around the crater. This was abosolutely beautiful and the challenge that I craved. We couldn't have a had a better day for hiking. Often it gets foggy and nasty in the afternoon at Quilotoa, but when we got there the crater was glistening in the sun. It allowed me to get the whole experience in one day and not feel the need to make a day out of the crater hike itself. 

                                 

My timing couldn't have been better either, as I came into the pueblo of Quilota the girls picked me me in a taxi heading to the next town with frequent busses passing. We made our way to the hub and parted ways so I could get an overnight bus to the coast.

When I decided to go to Ecuador I was a little bummed that it was on a whim and I wouldn't get to the Galapagos. I'm trying to break completely even between work and play and the Galapagos would have broken me. Really the only reason I wanted to go was to see the famous blue footed boobie that has inspired Halloween costumes and silly questions to start the meals at Nature's Classroom. It turned out that on the bus ride to Patate my first day I read about the "Poor Man's Galapagos," and island about and hour off the coast by boat. I vowed not to leave without seeing a blue foot in person.

My trip to the coast ended up aligning my schedule with a past VISIONS employee I met in the office when I was home in December. Until this point we had been missing each other my a day or two each way. We took advantage of the crew we gathered (a friend from Baños pulled in that day too) and went out for Peruvian food and some delicious cocktails that the party town of Mantañita is known for. The hospitality of out hostel wasn't enough to make us stick with the vibe of this town, so we moved to a more relaxing beach towards said island for some good old rest and relaxation. Ayampe was a super chill town with delicious food stops started by the Latin American backpackers who stopped there and couldn't leave. Day 3 we went to see the beautiful blue feet. I have to say that these animals are as cool as the seem. To avoid them getting too anxious you can't get too close, but I was still quite happy to see them manouver their too-big-for-their-body blue feet. According to our guide they get their blue feet from the fish the feed on. Something I still need to research.... The tour included less than amazing snorkeling and a nice view of sea turtles. Content and another item checked off my list we headed back to Ayampe where I spent the following day killing time for a bus writing in the sand with  the blue rocks that had washed ashore.

Turns out my killing time was a blessing. The guy who picked me up quickly helped me to realize that my plan I had made at 5am when I first arrived in the coast was bit off geographically. When I took the local'sadvice I didn't take note that I would go four hours north to only go south eight to make up the difference and make it to where I was headed now. That making no sense I changed my plans to visit my only city in Ecuador- Cuenca.

This last minute change of plans was  a perfect few days. Cuenca is a cobble stone streets city, similar to Antigua and Granada in design, only just more city like. Here I was able to see the colonial area and meet up with a friend I had met in Chugchilan to enjoy their not-so-delicious craft brews and the foam spraying and water dumping festivities of Carnival.

Through my new friend's advice I made my way to Cajas National Park to spend my last day in Ecuador. This park was so beautiful! Despite the struggle getting there on a holiday (Carnival last forever down here) the park was worth the trip. Not only did a meet another American girl who had lived in Antigua after I left, but I was impressed by how unique the park was. The towering rocks, marshy grasses, and squishy grass gave it a feel of what I imagine the UK to look like. Yet, my favorite part was the TREES. Their colorful paper bark stuck out against the green back drop so much that they were screaming "climb me!" Of course I did and continued to drool over them upon every turn of our short hike. Super beautiful and exactly the medicine I needed after a day wandering the city. After cooking a veggie filled dinner with my hiking crew from the park I set off for Peru again.

After an overnight bus ride I found myself on the coast with new friends indulging in Ceviche, checking out the center of Lima, and meeting up with my old friend, Eric, from my TEFL course and my first go at Machu Picchu (flashback 4 years.) Being in a firmiliar place, with firmiliar people is a great awakening to see how much a have grown since college even my first outing to Peru.

More than anything else the comfort I feel as myself in such "strange" places. 

                                      

O sea Ecuador... so far

I have a confession... I wasn't prepared for my trip to Ecudor in the slightest. Is this a bad thing? I would have to say no... I boarded my flight out of Bozeman with a few email exchanges with a farm in the area I wanted to see and that was it. The last minute booking of hotels from my last few gigs of data and getting directions to the farm worked out just perfectly, and more so it is a telling tale of where I am in my life.

I find complete joy in my new ability to stay present. I know that is something really pushed in society these days, and I found myself really in that place in the last few months. As a seasonal worker, always having to fill in the days, months, and weeks with jobs and accommodations, enjoying the present moment wasn't a problem, but precoccupation about the future was. Something about this fall made things really click for me. My lack of planning allowed me to fully enjoy the New England fall and everything that came with it. Seemingly magically everything filled in from there: a cheap flight home, a promotion with Nature's Classroom, three different jobs for my month at home, an opportunity to be abroad with a purpose, and time spent with those that have watched me grow and those who are nearly as chaotic in their way of living. I couldn't be in a better place. 

Yet, this blog is about my time in Ecuador so far and the small little moments of bliss I've had here.

As I mentioned above, I started my stay in Ecuador on a farm about 5 hours from the Quito airport. The town nearest, is a our sites for the VISIONS Ecuador program which I've always wanted to see. 

My first week was spent on the beautiful farm of Hector and Rosa Mecias. Having raised five kids and established a life there they needed a bit of help with all the things around the various gardens they have. I spent my days of work sorting tomatoes by size, clearing out the cucumber plants and the hoses around them, boxing up babaco to ship out, cutting new hoses, harvesting choclo and beans, and harvesting and cleaning trout. I really did the whole shabang in my 9 day stay. In the days between work I hiked up to the very top of their property to get a view of the surrounding communities. The first time I went up the hill side, I went with Hector. He told me all about the history of the area and how it became accessible and such a hub for agriculture. They call Patate the valley of eternal spring and it seems to really fit s place with so many crops growing from bottom to top. The hike with Hector was rainy and cloudy, but I could visualize how beautiful it would be on a clear day. I decided that I had to have another go at it before I left. When I woke up on my last Saturday and saw the clouds clearing from the volcano my anxiety to see neurotic things hit me and I set out on my own (Hector's compliments became a bit too suggestive for my liking on the first go.) 

                                          

I couldn't have had a better view for the day. The purple potato plants and green fields with the volcano Tunghaura framed in the distance made me giddy the whole way up. Despite the sunburn on my chest (I apparently missed a spot) the hike was priceless. 

Mission completed and having my fill of telenovelas, I decided to duck out of the farm to go the tourist town of Baños to see what all the hype was about. Baños itself was beautiful, but I think Patate takes the real cake. Deposite my opinion, I jumped a bus to Baños and was quickly wrangled into a group to bike to the waterfalls on the eastbound highway. The ride it self was quite a treat. We got a few rain showers and the surrounding mountians had a nice glow about them. Our last waterfall was full of a lot of impressive force. From there we ate some empanadas and made our late ride back. Out of the five of us that went together only two of us made it all the way back on bike- purely out of stubborness. Something I didn't take note of was the downward slope of our ride to the falls. The way back was by all definitions of the phrase and uphill battle, and we made it before it fell completely dark (I use that term liberally.) That night in the hostel I got a hysterical caracture done by a delightful language enthusiast Dutch. Your opinions are welcome.

The next morning I woke up with out any plans and booked a last minute day trip to the jungle. One of the best $20 tours I have been on. In the trip we visited a zoo for animals unfit to live in the wild, stopped at the outskirts of a local tribe to practice our dart shooting and learn of their ways of living, and a hike into the jungle: rope swing, insect eating, plant testing, clay facials, and waterfall swimming and all. It was exciting to me because I felt like I was on a big kid field group, learning the ways of the jungle just like the kids learn the ways of the forests of New England with NC. I'd highly recommend the lemon flavored ants to anyone in need of hyration.

The next day I set off to the Casa del Arbol which is all over the to do lists of South America. I have to admit, it was pretty neat. Whoever thought to put a tree house with swings on a mountainside overlooking volcanoes  really had it figured out. It was a great way to spend my last morning as a tourist for a while.
Visiting Baños after the farm reminded me what I love about traveling. It isn't the excursions, but the people and the landscapes that I love so much. Although, it was nice to be in Baños with the influx of Chilean and Argentian tourists to keep my Spanish going I happily returned to Patate to do some work for VISIONS. Having purpose to my travels and adventures to go with that is part of what really keeps me going.... So I'm embracing a bit of work with a hearty "YES!"