Páramo/Weekend in Quito

Hey y'all!  So this was the weekend I went to the Páramo, an ecosystem that only occurs in the Andean highlands at above 2000 m of elevation.  To begin our trip on Friday, we caught the bus at our usual place next to Estadio Olímpico, and then headed out of town going northeast.  The páramo we saw that day was located on Cayambe, which is the third tallest volcano in Ecuador.  On our way there, we stopped in a village to get empanadas, and at that stop they had some of the cuter puppies that I have ever seen, and everyone got to hold them that wanted to.  The only other thing of note about the ride was that right before the empanada place, there was a bus flipped on its side, which was a sobering sight.

After about an hour or so of driving, we stopped at a Polylepis forest, Polylepis being the only species of tree that occurs at that high of an elevation.  It was really interesting because to survive in an area of such variable climate, it has to be cold adapted, and therefore has layers and layers of paperlike bark all over it.  Also, within the Polylepis groves, it is about 2 or 3 degrees celcius warmer than outside the grove, so if you are lost in the páramo, it is supposed to be the best place to seek shelter.  After seeing this, we got back on the bus and continued to higher elevations, where the weather got much nastier and the plant life changed drastically.  When we reached our destination near the top, it was sleeting and the vegetation was dominated by cushion plants and other plants highly modified to resist the cold.  We stayed there for about 30 minutes, conducting a few experiments, and then returned to lower ground.

Polylepis bark

Upper Páramo

At a slightly lower elevation, we conducted a survey of plant diversity.  The logistics are boring, but basically we spent two hours looking at the ground counting and naming tiny plants that were found in our 8 grids.  After this tedious task, we were rewarded with a trip to the nearby hotsprings.  This place was really cool.  It was basically designed as a tourist attraction, with a series of springfed baths that ranged from scorching hot to quite cool.  We spent about an hour and a half lounging around in these hot baths and were able to see some interesting birds, such as the swordbill hummingbird, while being lazy.

Area where we conducted vegetation study

After our relaxing time at the springs, we all piled back into the bus and headed back to town.  The hot water/early start time had everyone pretty tired, and I was no exception.  I went home, did a little reading and then fell asleep at around ten, anticipating another early morning.

When the next morning came around, we all met at our spot near the stadium and again went northwest.  However, this time the scenery was a bit different.  Although we were visiting a national park, grazing and other sorts of agricultural use were allowed within the park, and therefore the vegetation took on a different aspect.  It reminded me a little of what I remember of Wyoming or Montana, with big plains and a huge sky.  This area was also prime birding habitat, and we were lucky enough to see the endangered Andean Condor almost as soon as we entered the park. These bird are huge, with a wing span of about 3 meters, and like most vultures, ride updrafts and almost never need to flap there wings.

After a little while, we reached a plain where there were a large number of sheep carcasses, and hence a large number of rapters and other birds cleaning up.  Here we were able to see hundreds of Carunculated Caracara, a large, endemic scavenger with long white feathers around its legs that make it look like it´s wearing pants, as well as the endangered Black-faced Ibis.  Also at this stop were some incredible views of Antisana, the fourth tallest volcano in Ecuador, which is supposed to be one of the hardest mountains to climb in Ecuador.

After this stop, we drove to a nearby reservoir to eat lunch.  Unfortunately, I forgot to pack lunch that day, so after bumming a little bit of cereal, me and a couple of friends decided to take a hike up a nearby hill.  It was slow going, since we were already at such high elevation, but the view from the top was well worth it.  It really allowed you to get a feel for the landscape and just take in the giganticness of it all.  After snapping a couple quick pics of us looking pensive, we had to run down the hill and catch our bus, which was about to leave.

After lunch, we drove back down the road a little way, and stopped at the sight where we were to do another vegetation survey.  This one was equally as boring but took much less time since we had already identified well over half of the species.  After finishing this up as quickly as possible, we had time to do a little birding before we got back on the bus for a two hour ride back to Quito.

As fun as the páramo was, perhaps the craziest part of the weekend comenced when we got back into Quito.  Where we usually got off the bus, there was a fight going on in preparation for the soccer game that night.  It was the kind of stuff that I only had seen in movies or the news; people throwing bottles at each other and riot police all around.  The other students in the program and I had determined before seeing this that we were going to go to this game, so we carefully made our way to the ticket office and bought some tickets. I then ran home and showered and ate and returned in about an hour, which is quite a feat considering my proximity to the stadium.

After meeting up with our group, we entered the stadium, a little apprehensive to see the craziness that was sure to be going on inside.  The match was between Liga de Quito and SD Quito, with Liga being essentially the equivalent of the Yankees (the team everyone to hate) in Ecuadorian soccer.  Anyway, the seats we got were slightly more expensive and therefore put us in the more family friendly part of the stadium, away from all the craziest fans.  However, we had a great view of them, and honestly, the real show was the fans, as the quality soccer was suprisingly terrible, perhaps on par with a good college soccer team in the states.   Whether this is the actual quality of each team I will have to judge at a later junction, since this was just a preseason game.

Apparently, what you can bring into the stadium is not as strickly regulated here, and so the fans came armed with fireworks, rocks, flairs, and smokebombs.  Several fans climbed the 30 foot fence that seperates the roudy section from the soccer field and lit their flairs at the top.  Then Liga scored a goal, and someone from the SD Quito fan section shot a firework directly at the Liga fan section.  This caused the Liga fans to charge the Quito fans, throwing their arsenal of rocks and such at the now approaching mob of Quito fans.  After about 5 minutes of this, the riot police were able to push the fans back to their respective sections.  However, everytime something would happen, fans from one team would try to charge and then the other team´s fans to retaliate.

Aside from this ongoing show-within-a-show, the game went to overtime and the game ended with a score of 1-1.  However, Quito technically ended up winning because the game because it was played in their stadium.  We got out quick so as not to get caught up in any fights and headed down to the infamous Mariscal, the most touristy part of Quito, and aptly nicknamed Gringolandia. It is known also for its hopping night life and high level of petty crime, so I was interested to see how it lived up to this reputation.

Upon arriving, it seemed to be very safe, extremely crowded, and containing more locals than I had anticipated.  It had a more upbeat, progressive feel than most of the rest of Quito, which tends to be pretty traditional and businesslike.  After wandering a little bit, we located the "Bungalow 6" club, where we met up with the rest of our group and proceeded to dance the rest of the night.

I woke up the next moring and got busy with homework until about two, at which point me and several friends met up and took a gondola ride, called Teleferico, up to the top of Pichincha, a large volcano that overlooks the city of Quito.  The view was amazing, and it really allowed me to understand the urban sprawl that is Quito in a way I hadn´t before.  It just goes on and on as far as the eye can see in both directions, and there really isn´t much of a plan; just build where there is room.

After doing a little hiking on the trails, we came upon a place where you could rent horses for $5 every thirty minutes, which seemed like a great deal.  We rode them around a loop which allowed some views of the wilderness behind Pichincha, and it was really fun riding again, as I haven´t since I was very young.  After doing this, we took the gondola back down the mountain, and after a little meandering, took a taxi home.

So yeah! Another great weekend in Ecuador! Now back to the books.  Only one more week of Spanish, and then I will be done with that class and start traveling more.  Thanks for reading, and I will try to add some pictures to this post tommorow!

El Pahuma

Ok wow so short weekend, lots to say! But first I want to start with showing you all this dog that sits on his balcony outside our classrooms at the university literally all day.  Its the funniest thing!

Ok, so this weekend was our first weekend away from Quito since we arrived, and it was definitely a welcome change.  While Quito is a bustling, interesting, and historically important city, the real reason that everyone in my program came to Ecuador is the natural side of the country.  So Friday morning at 8, everyone excitedly piled into our bus and headed east out of the city.  The ride itself was interesting, seeing as it took us through parts of Quito and the outer towns that I had never seen before.  Quito has been growing so rapidly in recent years that it takes nearly 40 minutes to really feel like you have gotten outside of it.  Near the edge of the urban sprawl is a monument called "El Mitad del Mundo," which means the middle of the earth.  This is supposedly where the Equator runs through Ecuador. However, there are two monuments that claim this right, and the smaller, less touristy one is supposidly the most geographically correct, and so we stopped there.

 Next to the Monument

The Town on the Equator

After this little detour, we hopped back into the bus and continued to make our way towards El Pahuma.  We eventually made it across the valley bottom and began to re-enter the mountains.

Cloud-shrouded Andes

At this point, everyone on the bus was getting pretty excited, and the fact that we were winding down these hair-raising Andean roads and everyone was standing on one side of the bus trying to take pictures was a little disconcerting.  We continued in this way for about 15 minutes until we finally reached our destination, El Pahuma Orchid Reserve.

First, a little background on the reserve.  It was founded about 15 years ago by our profesors Jim Meisel and Catherine Woodward, and the way it came to be is actually a crazy story.  Joe and Kath were driving through the mountains one day and decided that the plot of land Pahuma is now located on would be a good place to hike to a waterfall.  As they were hiking, they ran into the now-eldest member of the Lima family, who owned/still owns the property.  He was collecting wood, which was the family business at the time.  They got to talking, and the conversation came around to how the Lima family was interested in starting a biological reserve and orchid garden, but did not have the money.  Longer story short, Joe and Cath funded the conversion of the land to a biological reserve through the use of easements.  After initail doubts, the family is now making more money from tourism than it was from wood, and has become a leading example for at least 70 other families in the area, all of which are looking to change their land use to ecotourism after the success of the Lima's.  Pretty incredible.

Anyway, upon arriving, we were greeted warmly by the family, shown to our lodge, and then came back up to the roadside hut that the family opperates out of, where we were given a delicious lunch of chicken and rice.  The second youngest kid in the family, Reneito (Rene Jr.), was probably among the cutest kids i've seen recently, and later in the weekends we became friends through a game he came up with called "Donde esta mi mano," in which either him or I would put our hand up our sleave and make the other find it.

Our lodge

The younger Rene

Also, basically Rene got to run around the forest all day and play with visitors.  Pretty good life I´d say!  But to continue, after lunch, we began our ascent of 400 vertical meters to the top of the mountain, where we were to spend the night.  When we left, it was not yet raining, but by the time we reached the top, we were soaked in both sweat and water, and glad for a break.  Me and my classmate Paul were the first to the top, and it took about 50 minutes for us to get there. The cabin was small and rustic, with only one room for 10 students to sleep in.  There was also a small hut that served as our classroom/dining room/fireplace.  All in all, it was a lovely little spot.

The Cabin



Our Classroom Hut

After everyone arrived at the cabin, we had about an hour to explore before Catherine gave a lecture on birds and proper birding techniques.  This lecture was useful in part because there is a beautiful toucan that is endemic to these mountains called the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, which we were hoping to see.  After about two hours of lecture, dinner was cooked by two helpers who had been hired to cook for our group at the cabin.  Dinner consisted of spagetti and sauce, a salid, popcorn, and a traditional alcoholic Ecaudorian mountain drink called canelazo, which is served warm, made of a popular fruit here called naranjilla, and is delicious.  After dinner, we went on a night walk along some of the mountain trails, where we found some interesting insects and frogs, and then went to bed.

Cool Bug Found on Mountain

The Sleeping Arrangements

The following morning we got up at about 6 (sunrise) to go birdwatching.  Unfortunately, we didn´t get to see much more than a couple tanagers, which were extremely colorful but relatively common.  We then had breakfast and prepared to go to the very top of the mountain, which was perhaps another 400 vertical meters.  Right as we were about to leave was when the action, or as our instructors put it, "birdgasm", began.  We finally got to see the Plate Billed Mountain Toucan!  It was absolutely incredible to see this bird, and it was unlike any bird I have every seen, captured or in the wild. Unfortunately, I wasn´t able to get a great picture of it with my little point-and-shoot, but this link should suffice.  Definitely check this out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelnrosenthal/1481771488/

And it didn´t stop there.  We also were able to see the Powerful Woodpecker, a woodpecker very similar to the temperate Pileated, and the Turqoise Jay, also highly endemic to the part of the Andes we were in.  After this excitement, we finally started toward the top of the mountain.  Every once in a while, Catherine would stop us and tell us about some plant/lichen of particular importance, which we would then have to record in our feild notebooks.  In essence, this was kind of like a lecture on the move.  After making it to the top and eating PB and J sandwhiches for lunch under our ponchos in the pouring rain, we went a short distance down "El Sendero de los Yumbos," which is an experience I will not soon forget.  This trail had been used first by the indigenous Yumbos, a Quichua speaking tribe, and during and after colonialism was used by the Spanish and bandits.  Basically, this trail had been used so much that it had worn down more than 8 feet into the ground in some places, thus creating large walls that surround you as you walk through it.  It was incredible to see such clear evidence of use that spanned centuries back.

El Sendero de los Yumbos

Sangre de Drago

Also, the tree in the picture above is worth mentioning.  Its sap cures literally almost everything, as it serves as a coagulant, anti-diaretic, hand-cleanser, and just about anything else you could imagine.  For instance, there was a girl in our group who had a rock fall onto her while she was climbing under a waterfall, and the way our professors treated her wound was putting this sap on it.  It is also quite impressive to look at because it looks like the tree is actually bleeding.

Anyway, after seeing the Sendero trail, it was essentially downhill from there (literally yuk yuk). It started pouring and we had to go down what essentially amounted to 2 hour long mudslide.  However, we were fortunate enough not to be the group going up that day, who had to climb that same mudslide.  Once we got to the bottom, we hung up our muddy, wet clothes and situated ourselves in the lodge.  After this, we had an informal Q and A session about the goals of the property and how it came to be, and then were served a delicious dinner by the Lima family, although what exactly it was unfortunately escapes me.  During the Q and A session, it came up that the family was considering doing an Andean Bear survey with trail cameras, which I would love to be a part of and is basically what I am hoping to do for my required internship here.  They said to keep in touch, so I may be able to do it there, which would be an incredible experience.

After that, not much happened that night.  People were pretty beat from decending/the early morning and everyone went to bed at around 9. However, we got up the next morning around 6 in hope of seeing the same diversity of birds we had seen the morning before.  During this morning bird-watching session,  we didn´t see much more than  a couple of warblers, which was disappointing.  However, after we returned from the walk, we immediatedly saw the Beautiful Jay, a jay endemic to the area.  After seeing this, we went and had a good breakfest at the "visitor´s center" of El Pahuma. 

After breakfest, we had a big flurry of bird sightings, similar to what had happened the previous morning, and almost exactly at the same time. However, this time we say the Toucan Barbet, which is very similar to a toucan in color, but with a smaller bill and body, and also the Crimson-Mantled Woodpecker.  Neither bird was like anything I had seen before, and posted below are links to their pictures.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3509/3298199978_2b5c776daa_z.jpg?zz=1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjbirder/3305341290/

After this rush of excitement, we went back to the lodge and had what was probably the most boring lectures of the trip.  It was about epiphytic plants, and I really was just not feeling it.  However, at the end of the lecture, we got the chance to go collect and press some of our own plants from the forest.  Initially, I was not so excited about doing this, since I just finished a stressful project last semester that entailed a lot of this.  However, I went out and picked out two flowers that I found interesting, and brought them back to identify and press.  One of these flowers was quite common and I quickly identified it, but the other one was a little more tricky.  I asked Cath for help, and even she, as a seasoned professional botanist, could not identify it.  So it is highly unlikely, but there is the possibility that I discovered a new flower!  Cath told me she was going to take it to the herbarium and see if she could identify it their, so I am anxiously awaiting to see what they have to say. Its a long shot, but still!

Being done with this, we had a delicious pork lunch and waited for the other group to decend from the mountain.  After they came, we headed up to see the waterfall that had initially enticed Joe and Cath to the property.  It was absolutely huge and powerful, and the velocity of the water falling created a wind similar to that one might encounter during a storm.  After seeing this, we did a little swimming under a smaller waterfall, took some pictures, and then made the hike back to the lodge, where we had a snack, packed up our things,  and got on the bus.  As we headed towards Quito, everyone seemed reluctant to go back after such a great weekend.  I know I was!

So yeah! Basically that is everything of note about my weekend in the El Pahuma montane forest.  Though short, it was really the experience of a lifetime, and I really can't wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store.  This weekend, we are going to the Páramo ecosystem, which is an Andean highland ecosystem similar to that of the American tundra, except more extreme.  Daily temperatures can range from below freezing to 70 degrees F depending on the day, and the adaptations that result from living in these extremes should be very interesting to study.  I am sure I will have a lot more to say about this shortly!

Also, if anyone is interested, here are the links to the blogs of a couple of other students on the trip.  They have been taking better pictures, so if you are interested, check'em out!

http://hilaryfeller.blogspot.com/

http://www.caitmurphy.blogspot.com/

http://www.ehilts.blogspot.com/

http://estebanthegringo.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading!

Birthday Party, Life in Quito

Sooo.. to continue were I left off on my last post, the party was great!  The house we went to was located about 20 minutes outside the city, in a lower part of the valley somewhat close to Cumbayá (where I attend class).  The view when we got out of the car was absolutely spectactular, and I wish I would have brought my camera.  It was basically exactly what you would expect of the Andean highlands: Huge, lush, rolling mountains.  The area we went to basically housed everyone on Gina´s side of the family besides Gina.  That is to say, all of her siblings, as well as her mother, built their houses right next to each other.  There is also a plot of unused land that is reserved for Gina, should she decide she wants to move closer to the family.  The houses were all extremely nice, and the architecture was somewhat similar to that of southwestern American houses.  The particular house we were at had a courtyard, where we spent nearly the who party, as well as stained glass windows.

The whole extended family was also incredibly nice, and very welcoming.  It was a little intimidating, since everyone was speaking really fast Spanish and I didn't understand nearly 75% of what was being said at first. However, when they addressed me, they were extremely patient with my Spanish and spoke slowly.  Also, at least two adults and all the college aged kids knew English, so if I got really stuck, they could help me out.  The person I probably talked to most in Spanish was Gina´s brother-in-law Andrés, especially after I told him that my Grandpa and Grandma have a vineyard.  He was really really into wine, and that was probably what at least half of our conversation was about the rest of the night.  He also had a son named Andrés (it is typical to name the first-born after the father here) who is about my age and offered to show me a little more of the Quito nightlife, which I would love to take him up on if I end up having enough free weekends.

The only thing that put a slight damper on the evening was that my host father kept refering to me as his "hijo de compromiso", which, literally translated, means "son out of obligation."  Now, I would have found this funny had we actually had a previous relationship, but basically the only thing has ever said to me directly is "hola."  This is mainly because he is never home, but still, it just didn´t really feel appropraite.  However, after initially being offended, it has now become a funny story that I can tell to other people in my program.  And honestly, it was too fun of an evening for me to care.

Besides that, not much new has happened.  I think everyone in my program is finally adjusting to the rythem of life here and feeling more comfortable with their routine.  We have been playing soccer during our lunch period, which has been really fun and a great way to burn off the extra energy that comes with having 3 hour blocks of class. Also, it just feels good to be playing soccer again, especially considering that these are probably my first semi-competitive soccer games since high school.  We are being assigned a huge amount of reading in my Conservation Biology class, and I always have Spanish homework, so basically the rigor of this program is the same as it would be if we were still at UW.  I also have to choose an internship relatively soon, and am eyeing several internships that would involve radiotracking Andean bears.  Barring that, I would probably do something either with howler monkeys or marine animals. 

Finally, this we weekend we are going hiking this weekend at an orchid reserve called Pahuma, which was the first piece of land that CEIBA,  the orginization that I am here with, aquired.  For this trip, we will be hiking for an hour or two up the side of a mountain (I´m not sure which), staying in a cabin for friday night, and then, as I understand it at least, going to the summit Saturday and coming down and back to Quito on Sunday.   In anticipation of this weekend, I went out and bought rain boots at Kywi, which is essentially the equivalent of Fleet Farm in Ecuador.  It was a pretty cool store.  Probably the only way it was differnet from Fleet Farm was its large stock of machetes, located right next to the boots, which I found kind of facinating.  Just not something you see everyday!

So yeah thats basically all I can think of for the moment! Again, sorry about the lack of pics, getting my computer registered for wifi on compus has been a real pain in the butt because the office where I need to do it is only open when I am in class, and even when I go during those hours, no one is there.  Classic Ecuador.  Hope all is well with everyone reading!

Pictures!

Hey so here are finally some pictures of the things I have been seeing/doing!

Crepes y Waffles

Hummingbirds at Parque Carolina

Parque Carolina in downtown Quito

The view out one of the windows in the apartment I live in

Family room of the apartment

More/ better photos will follow shortly!

The First Week

Hi everyone!  Sorry this took so long to get started. It´s been almost a full week now since I touched down in the Quito airport, but quite honestly feels much longer than that because so much has happened in the last week.  I got in at about 11 o'clock last Sunday night, and by the time I got through customs and such it was nearly 12.  My new host mom, Gina Salgado, was waiting at the aiport to pick me up with a little green sign that said "Tyler Garwood" on it.  It was a pretty weird sensation meeting someone who I knew absolutely nothing about, as well as had/still have some trouble communicating with, and thinking that I would be spending the next four months in her house.  After a short car ride to the house, in which the car stalled at least four times, I was so exhausted that, once shown my room, I simply plopped down on my bed and fell asleep, anticipating having to be at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito at 9 the next morning. However, I was misinformed about this, and had to run out of the house the next morning because our orientation actually started at 8.  The bus that goes to Cumbayá, which is where the university is located, has a stop virtually right outside my apartment building´s door, and the bus comes to the stop about every three or four minutes.  I got on the bus with Gina, and we proceed to leave the high montane valley that houses Quito to the lower elevation of Cumbayá.  The bus ride is pretty indescribable.  First of all, it is incredibly beautiful.  Once you get over a small crest, you can see the whole valley that Cumbayá and other neigboring towns are located in, and in the immediate vicinity, you are surrounded by cliffs and tropical trees.  As for the buses themselves, they are actually very nice and incredibly cheap; it only costs me 25 cents to take the 30 minute bus ride to class.  As you might expect, traffic here goes at a pretty breakneck speed, and the bus is no exception.  So basically you are flying down a mountain surrounded by, if you are a midwesterner, a pretty foreign scene.  Makes me excited to go to class every morning!

But anyway, Gina dropped me off at the university and then took the bus back to town.  The town of Cumbayá is slightly more urban than I would have imagined, but in some ways is similar to American college towns, with lots of good places for students to eat and shop.  The campus itself is beautiful; it is quite colorful and built in Fransciscan-style architecture, as the name of the university would imply.  Since it was an orientation day, there were only international students on campus.  We sat through a lot of orienting, most of which was interesting and useful, but basically what you would expect.  They talked about Ecuadorian customs and history, as well as the best ways to stay safe and healthy.  This was also my first real chance to meet the people in my program.   There are 21 students, most of them from Madison, but a good number of others from California and East Coast schools.  All in all, it seems like a pretty good group!  We were also given the chance to meet with our TA, named Emilia, who graduated from USFQ a few years ago.  After being shown around campus more, we were given lunch in the cafeteria, which was quite good, and consisted of pear juice, fish, rice, and vegetables.  After this we did a few other activities that I can´t quite remember and then went home.  This was my first time taking the bus by myself, but luckily it was easy to figure out and I made it home without a hitch.  I basically was wiped out from the last 48 hours, so I sat around for a bit and then went sleep, only waking up for dinner and then going back to bed. 

So basically, that was my first day!  A lot has happened since then.  Essentially, being at the university takes up about 9 hours of my day during the week: we have a Tropical Ecology class from 9 to 12 in the morning, then a two hour lunch break, and then Spanish class from 2 to 5 in the afternoon, and then riding the bus takes about an hour of my day.  Getting lunch is fun because we get to try a lot of the little places around campus that serve a large amount of food for an incredibly low price.  You can get a 3 course meal here for as little as 2 dollars, and I don´t think that I have gotten sick from one yet.  I have been getting a significant amount of homework for Spanish, so that along with staying in touch with people and trying to do all the stuff that needs to be done to register my visa, has kept me busy during the week.  However, I have found time to hang out with our program's group of students, as well as my host mom Gina.  Our class went to the Quito Botanical Garden yesterday, which was quite impressive and got me excited for actually seeing these plants in the field! Also, it was located in a large park called Parque Carolina, which was packed with people just enjoying the weekend, which I thought was really cool. And in an hour I will be going to my host mom´s mother´s birthday, and will meet the extended family, which should be fun!

As far as pictures go, I will try to get some up soon.  I don´t have wifi in the apartment that I live in, and the computer I use there is old, so I need to register my laptop for wifi at the university, so hopefully they will follow soon!