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!