Island Hopping

This past week our program got to explore some of the other beautiful islands of the Galapagos. We first ventured to Santa Cruz, the most populated of the islands. Everyday we explored a new island and snorkeled with various marine creatures. The island with the red plants and green cacti is called South Plazas and there we found plenty of yellow land iguanas. In the second to last photo you can see Bartolome, another isolated island we visited that had snorkeling with bright white sand and I found a little puffer fish munching on a dead bumblebee. On Santa Cruz we went to beautiful beaches that we had all to ourselves and we swam with the marine iguanas slowly making their way across. Next we headed over to Isabela Island, a place I remember fondly from my week here during Mountain Geology. Here we visited stunning lava tunnels where we encountered so many Blue Footed Boobies I almost stepped on one on accident. This is also a breeding ground for the birds so we found a one month old young fluffy boobie. It was also on Isabela that we encountered the endemic Galapagos Penguin, I had never seen a penguin in the wild before and might not see one again so that was pretty magical. On our way from the lava tunnels to a snorkeling site we passed some manta rays in the ocean casually swimming along at the surface. There easy to spot because they are large dark masses that occasionally flip the tips of their fins out of the water, showing the white skin underneath. Our guide told us we could swim with them if we wanted so we grabbed our masks and quickly jumped in the water to hang out with this ten foot creature for just seconds before it would speed away. Overall the trip was amazing, but I am happy to be back home on San Cristobal with my family.

Home for the next 9 weeks

Here is the start of my nine weeks on San Cristobal island in the Galapagos. The town only takes maybe thirty minutes to walk the entire circumference, so yeah it's pretty little. This is one of those places where everyone knows everyone. There are a few taxi drivers here that can take you to the rest of the island, like other good surf spots, and all I have to tell them is the name of my family and they know which house to go to. I live with a wonderful family; I have a mom, two  twin 13 year old sisters and a very talkative grandpa. My room is extremely nice with an en suite. I posted a collage of my room, one picture from each side, one of my roof, which is just metal, and one of my shower head because it looks like it's going to electrocute me one day. I also have this stone half wall that goes around part of my room that is rather convenient to set things on, but less convenient should you accidentally kick it barefoot. My house is divided into three sections and you have to walk outside to get to each section. The first is a large, empty room that leads to my bedroom and the bedroom that my mom and the twin share. The second is my grandpa's bedroom and study, and the third is the kitchen and dining room, and also the only place with internet. Here's the start of my life here and more to come later!

Sulfur Mines and Swimming with Sharks

On Thursday we hiked a long 25 km to see sulfur mines, which ended up being completely worth it. These holes in the ground of crystallized, bright yellow sulfur that spewed sulfur gas were beautiful. The only problem was that the gas irritated my lungs and thus I couldn't take too many close-up pictures of this stunning view. After the sulfur mines we made a stop at the Flamingo Lake that hosts these giant, pink fellows. They stood out wildly against the brown and blue background of the lake as they stepped from one foot to the other. Flamingos never put both feet down at the same time to minimize heat loss.

On Friday we went snorkeling in a lava tunnel area where we encountered giant sea turtles that were as big as me and sleeping sharks in caves that were just 4-6 feet long. Though small they still gave me that freaky feeling of being surrounded by one of nature's greatest predators. It seemed counter intuitive, but upon seeing sharks we immediately began chasing after them. They seemed more afraid of us than the other way around. The sea turtles could not have cared less whether we were there or not. The guide told us that people have hugged them and they don't even flinch, though it is illegal to be within 6 feet of the wildlife in the Galapagos.

Beginning of the Island Life

We arrived on Isabela Island in the Galapagos on Sunday evening for our last week of Mountain Geology. The journey here involved a plane and multiple boats and buses, totaling about 13 hours of travel time. It was definitely worth the wait though, just during our travels we saw giant tortoises, sea lions, a sea turtle, pelicans and huge dinosaur-like birds. The sand here is amazingly soft and we have spent most of our free time out on the beach and snorkeling. Today we went to Sierra Negra volcano to look at really fascinating lava rock formations. The hike was a total of 10 miles and it was a hot one. After the hike we went to a cave called Cueva Sucre, named after a man, Sucre, that lived in the cave in the 1900s and lived off nature. The inside of the cave was covered with a shiny gold substance that is actually not a mineral at all, but rather a lichen. I'm loving my time here on Isabela and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Digging Mountain Geology

For our latest class field trip for Mountain Geology we went to Banos and the surrounding volcanoes in the area. Tungurahua is very close to where we stayed and it erupts every 2-3 months, but unfortunately we weren't able to experience that. The mountain pictured below is Chimborazo, the largest mountain in Ecuador. The alpacas you see are called vicunas and they are wild alpacas that are found EVERYWHERE on Chimborazo. The views we saw were absolutely breathtaking as  you can see from the pictures below. We were deep in a valley with high walls of dense foliage that cascaded dozens of waterfalls into the rivers below. We traveled around in a comfortable bus to various places with interesting rock formations and the we would hop off and hike around for a bit before heading to our next stop. Banos is so named because there are natural hot springs that are so hot they have to mix the water with the chilly waterfall right next to them. The second night we visited these hot springs that were full of local people that come almost every night to relax after a hard day's work. The pool we spent most of our time in was yellow with mineral deposits that are supposed to be good for your body. Overall it was an amazing trip to a beautiful location that I would certainly return to if I have the chance again.

Playing in the snow - Cotopaxi

This Saturday we decided to hike Cotopaxi, which is part of the Andes mountain range and the second largest mountain in Ecuador. As you can see below in the sign, the first place we hiked to was almost 16,000 feet. From there we proceeded up about another thousand to two thousand feet until we reached the glacier at the top. To continue from there you need the proper mountain climbing equipment. Cotopaxi is one of the world's most active volcano; it has erupted 50 times since the mid-1700s. The view was absolutely breathtaking as well as was the lack of oxygen at that high elevation. We took the hike at a snail's pace as our lungs were burning and our hearts were beating out of our chests. It was certainly completely worth it though to see that glacier up close. Who would have thought I would be playing in the snow in Ecuador?

Amazon, Coca Zoo and Oil Wells

This past week we spent a few days in the Amazon rainforest, more specifically Yasuni National Park, even more specifically the Tiputini Biodiversity Station. This is a research facility that was created in 1994 by the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito and it is only accessible to students at USFQ, such as myself, and a select few researchers. To get to Tiputini is quite the process. We took a bus, then a plane, then a bus, then a boat, then an open truck/bus, then another boat and then we were finally there. The entire travel took about 8 hours. While there we mainly hiked while tracking animals using sounds and prints, we also floated down the Tiputini river during a storm which hosts piranhas, anacondas, electric eels, caiman and more, we canoed, we went on a night boat search for caiman and we climbed 100 feet into the top of the canopy where we saw tons of beautiful birds and monkeys playing around in the tree next to us for hours. No matter where you looked the forest was full of life, and something particular I noticed is that things can get quite big in the forest. The ant pictured here was huge and is known as the Bullet Ant. It's sting creates a pain ranked worse than any other insect on the Schmidt sting pain index. Its bite contains a venom that makes the victim feel as though there is a fire inside his body or as though he has been shot, hence the name Bullet Ant.

 Since our class is titled Wildlife Conservation Management we decided to take a look at another approach of management while we were in the area of Coca. We stopped by the Coca zoo, which is a free entrance zoo that solely contains animals that have been rescued, mainly from the illegal pet trade. This zoo hosts dozens of species, many of which roam freely throughout the premises. Some, like the monkeys and coatis easily climb over the short gate that encloses the zoo, but they always come right back because they love their home. This puma pictured was kept by a community in a 2 x 3 m box for four years before the government made them hand it over to the zoo. The zookeepers have tried to release some of their animals, but they always make their way back to the zoo because they have been domesticated through the pet trade. However, if they are brought injured animals that only need to stay a short period at the zoo for recovery then they are generally able to release the animal back into the wild.

 We also visited various oil wells in the area to see the impact on farmers and wildlife. In Ecuador the country owns all of the mineral rights. So essentially if there is oil found on your land, the state has the right to that oil and can completely displace you with no compensation, which happens often. This area used to be largely agricultural, but the men have gone to work for the oil companies, leaving the wives alone with the family for extended periods of time, completely changing the culture of this semi-isolated group. The private companies, such as one from Canada that our professor previously worked for as the environmental consult, generally do a much better job at following the environmental guidelines because the state, or green police, carefully monitor them. However, when state oil companies such as Ecuapetroleo decide to drill they have no one to answer to and therefore do not follow any of the rules. As you can see below there is oil under the well and also in the cement pool. This oil is supposed to be emptied everyday so that when the rain comes it does not overflow, however it is rarely emptied. We also took a look at the farmer's drinking water supply and it was completely full of oil as well. The cancer, abortion and mutation rights have skyrocketed  as a result of oil in drinking wells. Until 2005 the roads built around the area were constructed from a mix of half cement and half crude oil that continuously leaches into the surrounding soil.

Cable Cars and Hiking

This Saturday we took a cable car called the Teleferico to a viewpoint above the country's capitol, Quito. It was a little surprising to see that it costs $3 for Ecuadorians to take the cable car, but $8.50 for non-Ecuadorians, such as myself and Amanda. But it was well worth it because the view was amazing!! We were not prepared for the intense gusts of wind and extreme lack of oxygen at the 13,300 feet elevation we were at. However, we still hiked around for a couple hours to get an even better view of the city and the 14 peaks of the Andes we could see that surround it.

Chocolate and Birdies

My class got to go on another amazing overnight field trip to the Mindo area where we birdwatched, heard a lecture about chytrid fungus in frogs, swam, hiked and went on a tour of a local chocolate "factory". There were hundreds of hummingbirds surrounding the lodge area at all times; you could easily find 6 hummingbirds on one feeder. These guys were not afraid of humans at all and they would zoom right by your head. We also saw many toucans and parrots in the forest through the scope our professor brought. The second and third collages are mainly form the chocolate factory tour. They grow all of their own ingredients organically in a small garden such as ginger (3rd pic bottom right) and coffee (3rd pic top left). However, they buy their cocoa beans from farmers that live in the lowlands about 1.5 hrs away because the cocoa beans will not grow at the about 2,000 feet elevation on Mindo. About 70 years ago Ecuador was the highest producing country for chocolate. There is one picture of cocoa beans in the garden (2nd pic bottom right), but these will never develop enough to properly use. The company is called El Quetzal, named after a bird native to Mexico, which is where chocolate first was made 3,000 years ago. The Olmecas mixed cocoa powder with water or milk, no sugar, and used it as an energy drink that everyone could consume. The Mayans and Aztecs then added vanilla to the drink and considered it a sacred beverage that only kings and Gods could drink. Cocoa beans were so cherished that they were used as currency and called the Golden Bean. A man from Holland heard about this drink and invented the hydraulic press which led to him being able to create the first chocolate bar, which we love and enjoy today. There are two types of cocoa that can be cultivated, one is called Nacional, and the other is a hybrid called CCN. The Nacional product is more difficult to grow, but is of a higher quality. El Quetzal solely uses the Nacional product and pays their farmers extra. To get an idea of the difference, in placed like Belgium and Swiss, in order for a chocolate bar to be considered premium it must have at least 12% of the Nacional strand in it. In comparison, the chocolate bar sold by El Quetzal with the lowest percent cocoa is 67%. We got to try all of the different products the company makes and I am definitely sold.

BUGS

I couldn't help myself I had to post a couple bug pics from Mindo, so hopefully you appreciate them! Everyone loves butterflies and there were butterflies galore in Mindo, the biggest ones we saw were bright cerulean and got as wide as my face. This little guy really liked Jamie's stinky socks for some reason. Below this picture is a picture of leafcutter ants!!! I was extremely excited when we happened across a line of these guys in the forest. There were hundreds of them carrying leaves that looked 10X bigger than their body. We didn't get a great shot but you can get the idea! Leafcutter ants are fascinating because they harvest plant material and bury it underground to cultivate a fungus that they can then feed off of. They have an extremely complex society, only second to humans, that involves many roles for each ant such as waste management or guard. These little guys can form 100 feet across underground colonies in just a few years with eight million of ants living there.

Weekend in Mindo

Saturday morning we spontaneously decided to make a trip to Mindo for the night, an amazing cloud forest that is full of birds and butterflies. First our day started off with getting on the bus heading the wrong way so that added an hour to the trip. But then we got on the right bus, took a taxi, took another bus and took another taxi and ended up in Mindo. The 2 hour bus ride only costs $2.50 so not too shabby. It's a big place for ecotourism and adventure so there's lots of hostels everywhere. We found a great one with two medium sized beds and a private bathroom for $10 each (they charge by person not room here). We found the most delicious pizzeria here, and even though were only in Mindo for less than 24 hours, we still managed to go to this restaurant three times. As you can see from the pictures we went white water tubing and horseback riding. I'm a little afraid of heights so I got to ride the pony, who ended up being my best friend. The only downside to this trip was that we had to return today, Sunday, because we have school tomorrow. I would definitely love to go back and visit this place again.

Field Trip to the Zoo

Today we headed off to the Guayllabamba zoo for a class field trip. We watched the jaguar and pumas be fed through enrichment activities. For the pumas, chicken was put inside a hollowed watermelon with a couple small holes in it. For the jaguar, his horse ribs (yes they feed their animals horses) was put up in a tree and he had to find it. They do different tasks with the animals everyday to keep their brains active and endorphins flowing. Many of the animals here were rescued from the illegal exotic trade. There were way more super cool animals, but I was too focused on staring at the animals to take any pictures, therefore there are no pictures of the tapirs or tiny adorable monkeys or Andean Condors, etc. I also decided to include a couple floral tree pictures because every tree in Ecuador has beautiful flowers that bloom year round, it's really quite spectacular.

Quito - The City Tour

Who knew the city of Quito was so beautiful? All of the buildings here have so much intricate detail put into them that they generally each took 100-150 years to build. It's amazing to see this culture that dates back to the 16th century, when in the US old buildings are from the 19th century. The picture of the church (first photo, top left is the outside view) was the most beautiful church I have ever seen. It was built by the Jesuits and is called The Church of the Society of Jesus. Inside we were not allowed to take pictures, so I took a couple from the Internet. Every square inch of this place is hand carved and plated with 24 karat gold, some parts of it are even solid gold. There were so many beautiful buildings to see that it was hard to just choose a few to post, but I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour of Quito, Ecuador - the capital of Ecuador.

Mi Escuela Bonita

Today I was able to take some pictures of my beautiful campus. It is a small, private liberal arts college with a focus on the arts. As we toured the area we saw many statues made out of clay, wood, glass recyclable materials, etc. The style of modern art was used often. To give an example of their creativity notice the life size chocolate man statue below. The reflective glass made taking pictures difficult, but you get the idea. Along with the usual classes, business, economics, etc. you can take woodworking outside or meditation in the Japanese style building. Each of the buildings are named after famous scientists or philosophers such as Socrates, Darwin and Newton. Classes officially start tomorrow, which for me is Wildlife Conservation Management, and I can't wait to hear from the best how Ecuador has preserved so many of their unique species.