Thursday 28 June 2012

Lake Cuicocha day trek.

For the past two days our guides have been 3 indigenous Qichua - see photo below.
Today we trekked at 3700mts around Lake Cuicocha. The lake is ~250mts deep and is situated in an active volcano. The steam vent could be seen between the 2 islands.
The lake is sacred to the local indigenous people and rituals and ceremonies are performed at certain times of the year to appease the gods of the volcano.
We learnt a lot about the local medicinal plants, and saw many species of orchids, and a spectacular array of colourful flowers.
We also learnt about the local animals.
Another great day.
Off to Condor trek tomorrow for 4 days of overnight trekking in the Cotopaxi national park.
Michelle.



Wednesday 27 June 2012

Mojanda Lakes & Fuya-Fuya mountains

A beautiful day trek near Otavalo in prefect weather.
A challenging very steep climb from Mojanda lake at 3700mts, to the summit of Fuya-Fuya at 4265 mts.
A great way to begin acclimatization, and we all did very well.
The photo on the summit includes our good friend Noel (who could not make the trip). His photo is held by all of us.






Otavalo

The markets of Otavalo include the artisan market and the food market.
It was quite a long journey by bus from Quito, going the long way around.
We arrived mid afternoon, and wanted to get to the markets quickly. But there is no such thing add a quick lunch in Ecuador. We made it before closing time.
There is free wifi everywhere in Ecuador including the plazas and parks.
We are here to do 2 day treks to help our acclimatization.




Sunday 24 June 2012

We have had a terrific time up to now. We enjoyed SanDiego and Guyaquil. The Galapogos Islands were a real treat, I never thought I would experience so much wild life in such a short time. The boat we were on was very good and the crew and guide first class. The food was good , well prepared and plentiful.
John

Galapagos Islands

The islands are everything you imagine, and more. Their reputation is deserved. It is excellent to see the tight management of the archipelago.
Stunning wildlife - many species of birds (pelicans, petrels, blue/red footed boobies, Darwins finches, hawks, gulls, mockingbirds to name a few, giant tortoises on land, marine turtles to snorkel with, land and marine iguanas, playful sea lions, manta rays and sting rays, brightly coloured fish, and dolphins.
The wildlife has no fear of humans. The 2 metre distance rule between humans and wildlife is often broken by curious wildlife, not by humans. We enjoyed walking and swimming amongst the wildlife at least twice daily.
The Humbolt and other currents bring rich food sources for whales and marine life.
The volcanoes, interesting lava formations, geology, plant species, cacti and flowers always intrigued. The movement of magma close to the surface, and the shifting of the continental plates means changes of landscapes can happen in days.
Our boat (Guantanamera) travelled by night for many hours, then we woke to a new adventure each day.
We criss crossed the equator 4 times and watched the GPS tick over to latitude 0' 00' 00".
Our guide Jorge was fantastic, and a born and bred Galapageno. He was knowledgeable and gave many small lectures each day. The captain and crew could not have done a better job, and the cook was amazing - feeding 16 people a wonderful variety of dishes daily from a tiny galley.
This is a must do destination, a real David Attenborough experience.
Michelle









Wednesday 20 June 2012

Galapagos

We are in the Galapagos. I addition to us 9 on the boat, there are 2 from Western Australia, 2 from Switzerland, one Spain and one USA

Tony

Friday 15 June 2012

Quito


For myself, Colin and Ron, the highlight was the towers of the Basilica. Death defying climbs and great views. Tonight we meet up with Michelle, David and Jim.

Tony

Thursday 14 June 2012

Santa Clara food market Quito.

Some photos from my visit to the food mercado, Santa Clara, with mi profesora Lillia.
Not much language interaction with stall holders - but some.
However I learnt lots of new words.






Wednesday 13 June 2012

Quito from Pichincha

A weekend off from school ascending to 4200 m +.
David


Two Weeks in Quito

Two weeks in school.  It does take me back - about 50 years back.  I never thought all those Latin & Greek conjugations would prove so useful.  I'm quite enjoying it; the work is much as I remember but the teachers are much gentler than the Jesuits were - ¡Gracias a Dios!
All the same, it's time to start walking.  I hope the two weeks at 2800 metres helps.
David

Santiago Chile

Lunch in Santiago: Ron, Tony, Colin
Is that a Spanish phrase book in Colins hand?
Thanks to the waitress for taking the photo

Tony

Comida - ceviche, our host familia, and vivir en Ecuador.

We are staying with a host family who speak no English (except for a teenage son who rarely comes out of his bedroom) while we are at Academia Latino Americana.
We catch the EcoVia which is 4 stops, and usually so crowded you literally have to push your way in - they need those Japanese station dudes. We have been warned on numerous occasions not to carry valuable items, and only enough cash for the day. So far so good.
Communication (para mi) is excruciating, but David is loving it. David enjoys the conversations with the padre (father of the family, not the local church dude) after dinner.
But it's amazing how food crosses boundaries. I offered to cook one night (if you know me well, don't fall over!). The request was for comida typica Australia. Unfortunately I could not find kangaroo after trawling Quito from one end to the other :) So I settled for spaghetti Bolognese. They really enjoyed it.
The food here is nice, but in some ways quite plain compared to what we are used to. They tend to spice things up with salsa rather than putting herbs and spices in the cooking.
There are many varieties of tropical fruits here I have never seen, and so far all have been delicious.
Fresh fruit juices (jugos) made on the spot are common, and come in any variety or mix. A la Boost Juice but heaps better, and only cost about 50c.
Wine is muy expensive because of import duties so we have not been drinking it. The beer is good and barato (cheap).
Today we were invited home for lunch to enjoy comida typica Ecuadoriana. It was ceviche, and it was to die for. To mop up the soupy part they provide popcorn, and dried cooking bananas. I was pleasantly surprised how nice the combination was.
We thought we would have the meal in the house we are staying in, but instead we went to the padres madres (mothers) apartment. The apartment was a pent house with an amazing view across Quito.
The almuerzo was served as 3 courses, the first of which was the ceviche - all done by the hired help.
Hired help here is standard practice for middle class families. Our family has a live in house keeper, her husband (who does most of the cooking) and 3 young children, all living in a tiny flat at the back of the house. They are the loveliest family. So each day our bed is made (re made actually) and the room, and bathroom are cleaned, and our washing is done on Fridays. We have unlimited wifi access throughout the house, and our breakfasts and dinners are part of the deal. All of this for $20 per night each.
Mi español is coming along. I understand a reasonable amount now if the conversation is simple. I'm hopeless at regurgitating what I have learnt in the form of speaking; my brain does not work fast enough. I have to stay in the present tense, which is really frustrating but I don't understanrd past and future tenses yet - despite some teaching. I must be a frustrating pupil.
My brain is having much trouble remembering basic verbs, but I am getting better at conjugation when I can see the verb in writing, or hear the ending clearly. Conjugation is all very well, but putting the correctly congugated verb into a sentence is a whole other thing I cannot do yet - except occasionally.
Tomorrow mi profesora is taking me to the main food market in Quito. Apparently it's quite something. I'll get to see the fruits I've tasted in the jugos. But here is the rub - I have to speak to the stall holders in español. Simple stuff like asking a price, or answering a question about where I come from (we look muy diferente). I feel quite insecure about it because every time I go to speak in public I forget everything, or can't pronounce it in a way they understand.
Looking forward to getting my head out of the books and muchos la tarea (homework) of 1-2 horas per dia, and going to the Galapagos next week.
The photo is taken on the steps of our Spanish school. It's David and me with the other students who started the same week as us.
Michelle.


Tuesday 12 June 2012

Sydney, in transit

We are in transit at Sydney airport. Free internet!

Tony, Ron, Colin, the Smiths

Sunday 10 June 2012

2 days to go

I leave for South America in 2 days. Arrive in Santiago on the 13th June and Quito on 14th. I am all packed and ready to go.

Tony

Pichincha, and the centre of the earth.

Today we took a ride on the Teleferico to 4200mts then walked up another 200 vertical metres. Acclimatization going well. Glad we've had some time in Quito.
Quito taxi drivers are mad. Rides are cheap. Most taxis don't have seat belts and they drive like maniacs. How about 100km/hr in a 40 zone with a policeman taking no notice?
Public transport on the EcoVia is extremely cheap at 25 cents for as far as you want to go. We use this every day to get to/from school.
We took the taxi to get 40km out of town to Mitad del Mundo, the monument right on the equator and took our photos with the official latitude 0' 0' 0". So we straddled the hemispheres and had some fun taking photos with a foot in each hemisphere. There was also an interesting cartography museum. When you look at the surrounding terrain those pioneer cartographers were amazing. All the peaks they climbed to take measurements, and finally pinpoint the equator.
The photo with the blue flowers was taken on our walk up Pinchincha, and the other is David and Jim straddling the equator.



Sunday 3 June 2012

Traditional dancing

There is entertainment every day in one of the plazas. Today it was traditional dancing from various provinces in Ecuador.
The Andean pipes are lovely to hear.
Michelle



In Quito

This is the worlds second highest capital city at 2800 mts. It literally takes your breath away when you walk up hill. The active volcano of Pinchincha is very close because the city is situated on the flanks of this volcano.
The surrounding "hills" are well over 4000 mts, but they look strangely closer than that. One reason is that we are equatorial, so vegetation is still present at very high altitudes.
The Mitad del Mundo is the monument to the centre of the world where you can stand with one foot in the southern hemisphere and the other in the northern hemisphere.
Some of the churches date back to about 1550. The churches are decorated in a strange mix of Baroque, Moorish and Inca motif's.
Most of the people look distinctly Indian. There is a clear class distinction between people with ancestry from Spain, and those who are Indian or a mix (called Mestizos).
We are gradually losing or headache from the altitude, and begin Spanish school tomorrow for 2 weeks. Hearing the language all around is helping. We move in with our host family tonight.
Michelle.