I know, I know, I haven't written a blog in a couple weeks, and I'm sorry, but I just don't want to write a post that just tells you what my daily routine is, Uber boring. Need to keep our faithful readers somewhat interested...Time is winding down for me in Baños. Today marks exactly one month and I will reunited with Dalene who I miss ever so much, and reunited with my passport country, which to be honest, I don't miss much at all.To say the least, it has been extremely difficult to be apart from Dalene for this long, but we both knew it would be. The cochroaches in the apartment have become my new flatmates but do a shitty job of keeping me company, so I resort to offing them.
Say hello to my little friend
Yo y Sam
- On the weekend some other volunteers and I decided to take off for a day trip to Rio Bamba.
waitin' for the bus
Oops, wrong market
Chris and Sam, we found it eventually
Yes, they sell everything...Animal market
One thing about traveling is that you have to have patience and an eye to see the beauty that every place has to offer. Given how long I have been traveling, it takes a lot more to amaze me. But being open to new places and aimlessly wandering does have its benefits. We were able to capture some cool shots of the city, and some art in the form of wall graffiti.
Having spare time on the weekends means that I need to find things to do. For some reason I had a craving for chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Sam had told me that her sister's birthday was on Monday, so that was the only excuse I needed to get my ass in gear. The result was awesome!! Too bad that her sister couldn't have enjoyed a piece with us.
As a result of this, the BIB will be hosting a Birthday day for all the kids at the BIB and guess who's baking the cakes. Uh huh, this guy.
We have a busy month ahead of us. The BIB is planning a yard sale at the end of the month and a benefit concert. Classes are in full swing because school is out and the kids want to take English lessons. The classes are nearly packed and finding a desk space is pretty difficult these days at the BIB. Some of us are thinking about escaping for a quick trip out to the coast, which I am really hoping happens. I would like to see the ocean one last time before I make my way home. Sam has done an awesome job painting some of the furniture in the library. Amy and Chris have taken on a handful of English classes, and new art projects for the niños. Sam and I have tackled an Inter-cambio (an exchange for English and Spanish speakers to improve on their language) on our own and it actually went pretty good, at least we think the crowd enjoyed it.We truly are FAMily here.
Until next time.Suerte.
One of the best things about sitting still in one location for awhile is immersing ourselves in the culture and getting to know some of the locals. We feel totally at home in this small city and a real part of the population. Kids from La BIB run up to us on the street, eager to say hello and give us hugs or high fives. Pete even had one of his English students track us down at our apartment to get some of her homework corrected - we aren't sure how she found out exactly where we are living - but in this small and busy town, we weren't really surprised that she could.
One of the most fascinating people we have met is our new friend Alfonso Morales. A regular student of La BIB's evening classes, I have had the pleasure of helping him work on improving his spoken English. By his invitation on Saturday afternoon, we ventured out of town and across the river to his beautiful hostel Las Granadillas (means passionfruit) for an afternoon of World Cup Soccer, volcano viewing, and great conversation.
Beautiful views of Baños from Alfonso's hostel patio
Alfonso has been confined to a wheelchair for 23 years, due to an accident he had while working on the dangerous highways surrounding Baños. Such a tragic situation would break and traumatize most people, however he is one of those amazing spirits that has turned a bad situation into something really beautiful.
He is a paralympian - having competed in the 1996 summer games in Atlanta. He has traveled all over the world - throughout South America, much of the USA, and even to Switzerland (it is VERY rare for someone from around here to be so well traveled). Much of his travels have been to attend (and present at) conferences on overcoming disabilities. He spent two months at school in San Francisco studying wheelchair design, to hopefully bring improvements for people who are disabled and living in locales with difficult accessibility. He even served on the Baños town council for four years, and was responsible for the wheelchair ramps on sidewalks all over town (another rarity in South America).
We were treated like royalty while Alfonso and his mother busied themselves in their hostel kitchen, preparing us coffee, snacks of roasted split bananas with melted cheese and raisins (so good!), and finally some tea made from plant leaves they picked right from their front terrace. Alfonso has some really great stories, and to get to know him in this way has been a real joy.
After such a lovely afternoon, we will even forgive him for citing the Village People as one of his favourite musical groups! We are making him some new CD's to correct this issue =)And then...
I had written the above portion about how-great-it-is-to-be-a-part-of-this-community right after our beautiful Saturday afternoon. Before Sunday. Before the incident that introduced us to the not-so-friendly-community of our local bus terminal.
Sunday afternoon we decided to be tourists for a few hours and strapped on our hiking shoes. Our destination was Rio Verde - a small village about a 15 minute drive from Baños, and home to one of the top 10 most beautiful waterfalls in the world (as decided by National Geographic). We had seen only the top of El Pailón del Diablo waterfall on a previous venture, and this hike was going to complete the picture.
The bus station was very busy, and the four of us (two other volunteers with Pete and I), took our spot on the sidewalk, waiting for one of the next frequent buses to take us north out of town. While we waited, we were exposed to a little drama that borderlined on the scary.
Buses were backed up outside of the parking lot, and had been for several minutes. Instead of waiting for one of the parking spots to open up, one bus opened it's doors and the passengers started pouring out. The undercarriage baggage gates were lifted and people rifled through the luggage to find their bags.
Meanwhile, spots started to open up. The first bus behind the unloading bus got impatient. Horns were honking, drivers were yelling. Finally, the small driver from the second bus had enough - he stormed off, and proceeded to get in the face of the driver of the unloading bus.
It didn't take long before flying curses became flying punches, and the belt of one of the drivers soon also became a weapon. With a bloody lip and nose, the second bus driver returned to his bus, and came back wielding a baseball bat that had been hidden behind the seat. The crowd around us grew, and everyone was very anxious as to what would happen next via the angry young man with the bat. As he approached the unloading bus and tightened his grip, he suddenly stopped short. The driver of the first bus had reached behind his seat too. And the angry young man realized that his bat would be no good against a machete.
That was the end of that. Dirty looks were the last things exchanged, and everyone went back about their business.
Okay then! That was some interesting excitement in our day - the first almost-machete-fight we've ever seen. Hopefully, the last!
On the bus we went, off to see this waterfall:
Very purdy! And a good burst of exercise to get there and back. Totally worth all the excitement!
Oh Mama, I miss you.
It has been several days since we heard from Mama Tungurahua. While Her daily entry in Her internet diary still says that activity is high (thanks to potentially troublesome ash that is still being emitted every so often), She has become very still and quiet. No more window rattlers, not even a murmur. The excitement of living with an active, life threatening force of nature is apparently over.
Sigh. It was fun while it lasted.
While at Alfonso's on Saturday, we did get to see one of Her massive ash emissions. If only it wasn't for the damn clouds, we could have had some amazing pictures.
The grey puffiness in the middle of the clouds is the ceniza
Everytime we think it must be over - She starts up again. And vice versa. Mama is an unpredictable one.At least we seem to be getting more used to it. During the last couple of nights, Pete and I have had very blissful sleep, despite reports that She had let off some good shakers in the middle of the night. To us, it seems much quieter compared to what we had on the weekend. And by "quiet", I mean that we still get a couple of good booms, but they are much farther apart (up to an hour) and don't usually generate a "woah-that-was-a-gooder" response from anyone.
However, Mama's activity (as recorded by volcanologists), seems to be increasing. An interview played on a local radio station yesterday said that her activity levels were rising, but a little less then they rose on Friday. That's good, I guess? No one seems to be willing to commit to any sort definitive answer about what to expect. And we have learned by now not to even rely on comments from Bañenos. One man's concern is another's man's joke.
This morning they tested the alarms (thank Gawd we knew about it, otherwise - how scary!) and all seem to be working fine.
We are trusting our own instincts, and so are staying put for the time being. Because Mama T is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, all of the top "volcano institutes" are watching her. If there is sincere danger to our little town, I am sure we will know about it. And we will follow all directives when issued. But until then, we are staying put and witnessing one of the most incredible and unique events we could have hoped to experience on this trip!
The Show Must Go On!
Despite the school's being closed due to Mama's activity, the doors at La BIB have been wide open, and we even threw a little party on Tuesday!Remember as a kid, after celebrating Mother's and Father's Day, asking this inevitable question - when is Kid's Day? To which would always follow, the inevitable answer - every day is Kid's Day!
Well, Ecuadorians do not apparently subscribe to this theory! June 1st of every year is Kid's Day, and the eager kids are even awarded a day off from school. And what better time for La BIB to throw a party - to celebrate the kids as well as take everyone's mind off of the burping volcano in the background.
We had three-legged races, potato sack races, musical chairs, and even a dance competition! There were lots of prizes, and we were FULL of kids, more came then we anticipated.
Getting ready for musical chairs!
Thanks to all that have already made donations to La BIB! For any of those who haven't had a chance to donate yet, follow this link to do it!
C'mon lady. I know you are obviously pissed at something and need to let us all know about it, but could you let a fellow chica get some sleep one of these nights?Quechua legend has it that Mama Tungurahua is the jilted lover of another nearby volcano called Cotopaxi. Not sure about the logistics of how two volcanoes can be lovers, but Mama must have been burned bad. Maybe lately he's been flirting with another volcanita right in front of her, and Mama needs to let him hear his wrath. Because boyyy, is She loud. And us poor little weak humans are being caught in the middle of this lover's quarrel.Mama has on occasion lulled us into thinking that She is over it. On Sunday, as much as two hours passed without a peep. But today has been a different story. The eruptions are not as frequent as they were on Friday (the scariest day), but they are still window-shakingly strong.Today was business as usual at La BIB. The kids showed up and we enjoyed some books and games of Spanish Pictionary (which I created...and it's a HIT!) When we had an hour left to go, we practiced our emergency evacuation plan and took the kids for a walk down to the zona segura (safe zone). On the way back we had some spectacular views of the volcano (without our camera - d'oh!), and had to hold the kids close when Mama decided to blow and shake the ground beneath us. Some of them screeched with each boom, and others just held our hands a little tighter.It's funny what a person gets used to when exposed to it for some time. Pete and I have both changed in so many ways as a result of this journey - we've learned to live with little, we've become accustomed to less-than-cozy living arrangements, and now you can add our ability to tolerate a violent and menacing volcano to the list. Bizarre, right? It's not near as scary as it first was, and I think that when She finally grows quiet, I might even miss Her.Except for at night. I needeth the sleepeth! I hope She obliges soon.
What a day this has been!I first started off being utterly bitter at this whole situation, thanks to Mama T's refusal to calm down enough to allow for any kind of sleep last night. Until 2 am we sat staring out the window - the clouds had parted somewhat and we could see the ash plume lit up by the moonlight. The sounds were sometimes deafening and varied - it would be like a string of really loud thunder, or firecrackers, or even waves of rhythmic pounding - who knew an erupting volcano could be so musical?
We finally decided to try and get some sleep, but Mama repeatedly shook our windows and bed, and often woke me up with such a start that I'd have to catch my breath, and take a minute to let my heart rate slow down before trying to fall back asleep.
By morning she had calmed, and we managed to catch some more sleep (by "calm", I mean that explosions were only every 15 minutes or so, not every couple of minutes). We were convinced that the worst was over. Baños had seemed to return to a regular level of activity, and we allowed ourselves to unpack our things a bit.
And then, around noon, She started up again. The "booms" started coming more frequently, and the wind had also changed direction - instead of the ash heading directly south and away from us, we were getting a thin blanket of it in town. While Pete was out on a walk I had decided to head out to find some lunch, but as soon as I opened the door, a wind gust gave me a face-full of the ceniza (volcanic ash). That was enough to turn me around and keep me indoors for the afternoon. Yesi (an Ecuadorian employee of La BIB) came by, adorned in her breathing mask, and shared her deep concern with the latest events. Yesi claimed that we were on a higher level of alert then the last time the town was evacuated. She reminded us of the evacuation routes, and generally just got me freaked out all over again. By now we had also noticed that there was a huge army presence in town, perhaps readying for an evacuation? Back upstairs to re-pack the bags.
Mama T changed her mind again, and a couple of hours later, She was quiet. There was no more wind, the bustle of the town even seemed to have slowed it's pace. It was all very eerie, but we were also hopeful that this time that the worst had definitely passed.
However, just as we say aloud to ourselves that "it must be over", She contradicts us. Mama definitely still has something to say. Thankfully, this evening her conversation has been steady but not deafening, and is even mixing with the thunder of a rainstorm so that we no longer know the difference.
Before the rain started, we were gratefully taken out of town to a viewpoint by one of the more permanent volunteers that has a vehicle. The lava flow side of the volcano faces almost directly south (Baños is mostly on the other side), and so we hoped to catch a glimpse of some of the action. We had heard the eruptions, had felt their power, but had yet to actually see anything substantial.
We were not disappointed. As soon as we had stopped the vehicle and took our seats on the tailgate, we were welcomed with a large BOOM and saw the clouds surrounding the crater light up a bright pink. The eruptions continued, not as frequently as the previous night, but enough to allow us to see what all the fuss was about. When the clouds dispersed we saw bright red fireworks - lava rocks flying high into the air and coming down on the side of the volcano with an audible thud. Lightening from behind the volcano lit up it's silhouette and we could clearly see the large plume of ash that hung overhead.
The batteries died in our camera only a few minutes in (d'oh!), but we weren't too disappointed about it. It was amazing just to be able to sit silently and see the power of nature at work like we've never seen before. Mama T has humbled us as humans, while giving us the show of a lifetime.
Some grand experiences in life can never possibly be duplicated, and I am sure that this is one of them.
We didn't get very many good pictures, click here for some images by newsgroups online.
Picture from Pete's walk in the afternoon.
The grayish cloud in the middle is the ash plume,
the crater is almost constantly covered in clouds.
Our viewing at night - some lava rocks
Karl, Jill, Me and Rob
Our volcano viewing tailgate party!
Over breakfast this morning, it started. What sounded like harmless low rumblings of thunder turned out to be eruptions of the nearby volcano Tungurahua.The intensity increased, and the windows of our apartment were constantly rattling, but we could see nothing. Our vision of the volcano is obscured by a hill between us, and we were even unable to see the resulting ash plume because of thick clouds.So, armed with our cameras, we went for a closer look! Turistas estupidas, right? I am sure that is what many of the locals thought as we made our way out of town to a lookout point. We stopped where we should have been able to see the crater, but unfortunately had no better view due to the clouds. Instead, we only had to be satisfied with actually being able to feel Mama's wrath - our proximity to the volcano meant much louder booms and a resulting increased heart rate!Throughout town, people seemed to be a little on edge, and many shops were boarded up. Once we got back we were warned that the town was now on high alert, and also told that two towns nearby had been evacuated. We were issued masks (for the ash) and told to pack our bags in case we had to leave. Fortunately, La BIB does have an evacuation plan in place, and so if we hear the town's sirens wailing, we have a secured ride out of town and place to go.Into the afternoon and this evening, She seems to have calmed down. Eruptions are less frequent, although we still hear some pretty big booms. People in town are going about their business as usual, and some locals we talked to are even planning to get as close as possible tonight to hopefully see some action - if they are not terribly worried about it, then we won't be either.This is not new for Mama, She likes to cause some disturbances every few months, yet She hasn't caused any deaths or damage to our town of Baños for three generations. What is a little different this time around is that the eruptions started in the morning (they are usually only at night), and the constant intensity of them. A little scary, but we will both freely admit, we also think it is pretty cool to be experiencing this.Quite an exciting day in our little pueblo! We will keep this up to date if anything changes. And hopefully with some pictures next time!For more info, click here for one of the more recent news postings.
Everywhere we are, in every town we visit, Pete and I are in a constant state of evaluation. What is there to do around here? How expensive is it? What is the weather like year round? Could we live here?We came into this journey with some expectations, or at least some assumptions as to what would have the most appeal to us. Growing up in the frigid, landlocked north of Alberta, we expected that there would be nothing that could compare to the draw of the warm ocean. We envisioned evenings on a beach, watching the sunset with a glass of wine. Sweating from the hot of the equatorial sun instead of from the workout of shoveling snow.And while that vision still carries a lot of appeal, there is also a new contender in town. And it can be summed up with one adjective: GREEN!All around us in Banos, there is green. The mountains are covered in lush foliage all year round. And when not set against a brilliantly contrasting blue sky, they are draped in layers of mystical clouds, seemingly close enough to touch. They are alive with the many waterfalls and crystal clear rivers. They are majestic, enchanting and inspiring. I could just stare out our windows all day long and never tire of the view.Saturday morning we decided to take to the green, and embarked on a hike along the mountainside north of Baños, east and across a large canyon from the one main highway. It was led by Karl, one of our fearless leaders at La BIB, and he took us along an old smuggling route used back in the days of prohibition (yes, it was hard for us to believe that prohibition existed here too!) Karl said he has done this hike several times before, but part way through, we were questioning whether or not ANYONE had ever come this way before.We walked through some serious, Indiana Jones shit! A machete, whip, or any number of tools would have been helpful through parts of the wildly overgrown paths. We got our fill of "green" - as it smacked us in the face, scratched our arms, and deceitfully covered holes that we then stepped into.It was a amazingly beautiful setting, when we actually stopped ourselves to enjoy it. It was not the sort of hike that allowed for a casual stroll while gazing at the vista all around us. If it wasn't overgrown with plants, then it was a pit of mud, and we slipped and slid our way up and down the mountainside.
We are tiny little specks against the green mountainside
Check out my mud-encased pants and shoes 
Tarabita across the canyon
Our chariot!
Safely on the other side of the canyon and at the highway, we hopped on a bus to our next stop of Rio Verde - home of Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron) - a waterfall recognized by the National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful in the world! The area surrounding the top of the waterfall is actually owned by a Canadian, who Karl aptly described as quite...interesting.That he is! Antonio warmly welcomed us and gave us the briefest introduction of how to enjoy his land: "Just remember the Beatles song - All you need is love! That's all that needs to be said."And this is what he meant:
After hiking around his property, we returned to the town of Rio Verde and escaped the hot sun for a much needed cold beverage. Enjoying the rest and the shade more then the prospective of any more exercise, we forewent the last portion of the prescribed hike, deciding to save the views from the bottom of the waterfall (in the midst of all the green!) for another day.
For more GREEN (and other pictures)....click here.
The kids continue to surprise and amaze! I can't decide what my favourite activity with them is. I love drawing and coloring - as soon as I sit down and pick up a crayon, a group of them will patiently wait to see what I draw so that they can try to emulate it. Reading with them is also so much fun, and I don't even mind that I now almost know "Huevos Verde Con Jamon" (Green Eggs and Ham) off by heart. Maybe because I think it's funny that Sam I Am is now Juan Ramon.
Pete and I are also both enjoying the adult English classes more than either of us expected. Three nights a week, we are assisting (and in some cases, leading) classes that are given to the general public. They are very willing participants who are eager to learn, and I have even done a couple of private lessons outside of the regular classes.
English is hard! The classes are making us look at our language in a whole new way. Do any of you know what "count and non-count nouns" are? Or, what about how to use verbs in the "future perfect" or "past progressive" tense? Yeah, I didn't think so. But now we do! Each class is such a challenge for us - in order to be able to help them with what they need to know to build the language, we need to do lots of homework ourselves.
We are also amassing quite an eclectic group of people staying in the apartment, with 2 new arrivals this week and another joining us next week. One of my favourite things about traveling is the diversity of people we are meeting and the opportunities we have to discuss deep topics as a group whilst enjoying cheap beer and good food. And it's even better that one of our new roommates travels with his guitar, and we can break from the meal and deep discussions to just have a good ole fashioned sing-a-long.
And in between all of this, we continue to work hard on the other projects we each have on the go, even creating some additional projects on our own. We have still yet to find time to explore the town and area, but will make more of an effort to do so this weekend and next.
These are magical, live-changing days. And we are so thankful that there are many more to come!
You had to know THIS was coming!
I was going to wait to post this, maybe after a couple more weeks of "wooing" you with stories about what a great organization this is and how fabulous the kids are. But, I have been getting a couple of requests for info from some of you already on how to help, so I am stepping it up and making my plea early.
As with all of these types of places in South America, La BIB runs on donations. Most of the money comes from current and former volunteers that can see first hand exactly how much their money can do - making arts, language and literacy projects happen for a needy group of people. In a town where the kids previously had never been able to hold a book - La BIB has given them this opportunity and will continue to give them more...with your help!
Why donate to La BIB? Because you can. And because you lovvvveeee us. And because it's easy! Follow this link for more info. Or email us if you have any questions!
Here is a couple of pictures of the cute kiddies to "woo" you even further...
Pete playing Jenga (and with the resident mascot - Bibi!)
This little rockstar is named Nicole. Remind you of anyone??
And just like that! Free time is now a rare commodity for these formerly carefree travelers!
On Monday we moved into our new home for the next two months. We helped move furniture around, unpacked our bags (that took about 2 minutes!), and we were settled.
Pete is a giant in the wee kitchen!
Just three days in, and our time has been quickly filled at La Biblioteca Interactiva de Baños (La BiB) - starting at 10am with various meetings on getting projects started, and finishing after 8pm when the adult English classes wrap up. In between we are helping keep the library clean, reading, playing with and making crafts with kids, teaching English as well as starting to work on some of our many projects! Pete will be helping to update the website (once he learns all the computer nerd language behind it!), and I have several items on the go, including editing some videos of recent events at La BiB.
Already we both feel like very welcome contributors to this worthy cause, and are so excited to be a part of it. Not only for the fact that we are helping to encourage the learning and creative minds of people of all ages, but also because it is truly our pleasure and honor to become acquainted with the organizers as well as some of the amazing people in this community.
I encourage you to take a look at this website to better understand what we are committing our time to. (And you'll have to look at it again later once Pete has prettied it all up!)
Different - for better or for worse!
There have been so many times in the past 8 months where Pete and I will look at each other and say: "Wow, that's sure different!" Whether it's because of the fact that people in Argentina are responsible for building their own sidewalks (imagine the variety), or the fact that each and every city in South America somehow has a damn rooster population magically situated beside every hostel we've stayed in. Stupid roosters.
These interesting aspects become even more apparent when we spend more time in a place, and really get to participate in the daily life of the locals. Some of it is for the better, others for worse, but in so many cases, it is vastly different from anything we are used to!
Case in point #1 - Milk distribution. Yes, milk is available in the supermarkets, but it is only "dead" milk (does not need to be refrigerated). Not entirely on board with ingesting it in this form, we instead are buying our milk from the back of a truck! Every morning, a pick-up truck drives down our street with large vats of fresh cow and goat's milk for sale. We take out our own container and get one litre filled for $0.50. This is obviously fresher then fresh, and so is way healthier, and also way cheaper. I don't know if this sort of service exists anywhere in Canada - it is definitely a difference for the better!
Case in point #2 - Disturbance of the peace. You can damn well bet that if in Canada I was woken around 6am everyday by a group of runners who were also loudly chanting, the local police would be getting a call from me to put a stop to it. So, what do I do here when these running chanters ARE the police? Baños is home to a police school, and part of their training includes running early every morning - I get that. But why chanting? And why down the main streets in town? I miss my cosy, largely undisturbed neighbourhood in the Canadian suburbs for this reason.
I guess we gotta take the good with the bad. At least there are no roosters waking us up. Yet.
We had an uneventful travel day on Wednesday - with flights to Bogota and then Quito, where we spent the night before catching a bus to Baños the following day. We thoroughly enjoyed our first night away from the Caribbean heat - actually being able to use our bed covers and not worry about the multitude of mosquitos that would surely feast on our exposed skin. That had to be the best sleep we had in a long time, and we took our time getting up and to the bus station.
And what a welcome back to Ecuador we had! On Thursday morning we couldn't have been in better spirits - as we drove through the lush green mountains, we were reminded again how incredibly beautiful this little country is, and how lucky we are to be able to call it "home" for the next two months.
And perhaps it was these euphoric, comfortable feelings that caused us to just let our guard down oh-so-slightly - just enough so as to have our first theft occur in our 8 months of travels. On the rack just above our heads on the bus, we placed our smaller travel bag, which is something we normally never do, knowing that it leaves it entirely susceptible to sneaky thieves. Sure enough, within an hour of our journey we became concerned as another pair of gringo's beside us realized that they had been thieved from the bag above their heads. Luckily, we had ensured that it didn't contain anything too valuable before placing it up there, but some ladron still managed to take the most valuable thing in the bag - my North Face rain jacket. Such a thing is not easily replaceable where we are, and I am hoping that it won't be needed in our few months left.
It feels a little weird to be back in a familiar place, without the awe of seeing something new for the first time, or the required deciphering of a map to get to where we need to be. We checked back into La Casa Verde - still our favourite hostel in South America - and let the tranquil comfort of it wash over us. I slept. And slept. And slept! No rush to see the sights, no pressure to fit it all in to a few days before moving on to the next place. It has been a long time since we've been able to relax like this.
It feels good. And it feels right. After six months of constantly being on the move, we are so excited to put our bags away for awhile and immerse ourselves in the community and the culture. On Monday we will really dig in our roots here, as we move into our shared apartment for the duration of our stay (at $250 a month). It is basic, but comfortable, as they reportedly bought a new bed for our impending arrival! We will be sharing it with other volunteers at Arte Del Mundo - and on Monday afternoon we will join them in our first day of duties.
We have had a couple of meetings with Jody (one of the organizers) since we arrived on Thursday. She is as excited to have us as we are to be here, and we are sure that our time will be well used. Gone are our carefree vagabond days, we have a job to do! We can expect to be reading with the kids, changing the organization's website, cataloguing books, teaching English to people of all ages, among many other things - I am sure! We are both very excited to have "purpose" again, especially for this very worthwhile cause. And so, now that we are "stable" for the next few months - it sure would be GREAT to feel a little love from home in the form of a care package (Hi Mom!) We'll forward our address to any of our loyal readers who would like to share a bag of Dill Pickle Chips, Dentyne Fire Gum, leftover Mini-Eggs, or any other yummy treats we miss from home (We love you Mom!)
Taganga is a sleepy-fishing-town-turned-lazy-beach-hangout for gringos and Colombians alike. So far into our stay here, we have had only to make crucial decisions of whether or not to lay by the pool or on the beach. In the sun or in the shade. On a beach chair or in a hammock. 'Tis a tough life we currently have.
And we have a lot more of it to go! We have bought flights to our next destination (see below) that leave on the 28th. So, until then, we will be forced to exercise more of our critical decision making skills to keep ourselves busy.
At least, I will have a tougher go at that than Pete. On Tuesday he is deserting me for 5 days to do a trek to Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) - a Pre-Inca set of ruins from the Tayrona tribe that were discovered in the early 1970s. It is a difficult hike in these humid, 30+ degree temperatures, in rainforest and through rivers, and with only hammocks to sleep in at night. That is not exactly my idea of fun, and so I made the crucial decision to sit this one out.
It will be the first time in 8 months that we have been away from each other for more than 12 hours. A good or bad thing? That is yet to be determined! I will report back on the progression of my loneliness. Until then, this is probably where you'll find me:
And our next destination is...
We're heading back to beautiful Baños, Ecuador! Baños has been one of our favourite stops on our journey, and so we have committed to a 6 week stay in the small town to do some volunteer work with Arte Del Mundo.From their website: In a small country, in a small town near the middle of the world surrounded by volcanoes and a landscape of spectacular beauty, a small group of people are working to create and grow a center of art, literature and theater for the community where they live and work.
For thirty+ hours a week we each will be helping out with administration, helping teach English classes, and doing just about anything else they need. We are excited to contribute to this very worthy organization, and to generally just feel "useful" again!
Now...this is it. This is what I've been waiting for.
Screw hiking through landslides and gawking at ancient dead people. Hows about some spa treatments, bathing in waterfall pools, and playing with spider monkeys?
This is my kind of destination. Four nights in the small mountain town of Baños could easily turn into four weeks. Our original plan was to only spend three nights, but we decided to add one more after only being here a few hours. Baños is the perfect destination to get rid of bus-rot and to be introduced to the territory of tropical rainforest that we will encounter as we continue to move further north.
Yes, I know. The word baños does mean bathrooms, but it also means baths, and this town is full of them! Situated under the Volcano Tungurahua, it is home to many thermal hot springs and as such has turned into a bit of a spa destination, with plenty of outdoor activity available as well.Our eco-hostel, Casa Verde, is a haven! Run by a coupla Kiwi's, it is situated a short distance away from the town and right on a cliff over a raging river. Pete and I splurged the extra few dollars (spent $36 a night!) and got the superior double - a king size bed in a spotless room, private bath, and 270 degree views of the lush green hills and river valley below, enjoyed from our very own balcony and hammock. Add on a tremendous breakfast and owners that feel like friends, and we have found more comfort in this place then any other on our travels.
View from our balcony
This is not my floating head! It's an ad - cameras weren't allowed in.
The bottom of the box was covered in eucalyptus leaves and once we were entirely closed in, the box filled with steam. After about 10 minutes in this bath, the fun really began....the door opened, and buckets of cold water were splashed on our steaming, sweaty bodies! Talk about a shock to the system! But the fun wasn't done yet - back into the box we went, only to be drug out several more times for this cold water treatment. And each time, they found new ways to torture us - making us sit in a cold bath, dumping water on us from above, and finally via a high pressure hose.
Although this particular treatment did warrant a few stifled screams, our bodies felt completely re-energized when we finally emerged. Overall, some much needed rehabilitation at an incredible price - all of our spa treatments for only $60! Again, my type of destination!
Major sleep-in again the next day but we did manage to get in some activity with a couple of hours of hiking. The town is surrounded by waterfalls so we joined up with a few other people in the hostel and one of the owners for a hike to Chamama waterfall. Suckers for punishment? Maybe, as we immersed ourselves in the torturous, freezing cold pool at the fall, although it was quite refreshing in the hot Ecuador sun!
Ccccccold!!
I can't even begin to express what an amazing experience this was. Other tourists came and went in a manner of minutes - we probably stayed much longer then we were supposed to, but we just couldn't pull ourselves away. We were peed on, pooped on, and Pete had money stolen out of his pocket. They chewed on my hair, our shirts and our ankles. They removed my earrings, licked the salty sweat off of our skin and tried to steal our camera.
But then they cuddled, fell asleep in our arms (and in my hair!), and played with us endlessly. We fell in love.
All of the monkeys have names, and we quickly discovered a few distinct personalities. Sambo was the trouble maker, a larger spider monkey who was always being called away by the workers and getting into trouble for harassing us and the smaller monkeys. Fernanda was the best (and cutest) pick-pocket we have found on our trip thus far. Allison was a wee cuddly baby who curled up in my arms and looked up at me with her sad brown eyes.After two hours we left behind our donation and reluctantly pulled ourselves away. This experience is easily added to the list of coolest-things-we've-ever-done.
Fernanda the pick-pocketer
I want one!
And to top off this near perfect day, we were treated to a wonderful dinner by our newly adopted travel mom. Gunesh is an older Turkish woman who travels the world on her own and bravely attempts most things we would never even consider. The only thing that kept her from bungee jumping today was that she fell out of her white water raft (and bumped her head) yesterday! She is an inspiration, AND a great cook!
We are sad to leave our comfortable little abode and new friends, but tomorrow we have a short bus ride to see the capital of Ecuador - Quito! And Deidre! And Margaret! And some Blue Footed Boobies!
Life is grand. =)
Muchos fotos!! Dating back to Peru, but also many cute monkey pictures... CLICK HERE
Say hello to my little friend
Yo y Sam
waitin' for the bus
Oops, wrong market
Chris and Sam, we found it eventually
Yes, they sell everything...
