Whew...it´s been a while, eh friends? I apologize for the lack of updates recently. I´ve been a bit busy having the time of my life island hopping through the Galapagos. That´s right -- it happened. And it was magnificent. I had to jump through quite a few hoops to make it happen, but boy was it worth it. I have so much that I could write about right now, but it would probably take me a whole week to do so. Thus, in the interest of time, I´m going to have to keep it brief. First, some of the issues I had to work through to get to where I am today. Let´s see. 1) In order to get here a day earlier, I waited all morning at the Quito airport for a last minute flight change to the Galapagos; 2) I had my passport detained...twice -- first at the Baltra airport because I didn´t have $100 cash to pay the park entrance fee (I expected them to have an ATM), and second as a deposit for my cruise (since I couldn´t pay in full at the time); 3) I lost my first cruise reservation due to bank issues (and, as I understand it, it was a phenomenally good price); and 4) I ultimately ended up booking my cruise literally minutes before I had to jump on a boat to leave. But alas, after significant effort and a number of worrisome uncertainties, I finally made it. And in the end, I couldn´t have asked for a more fantastic experience.
Ok. So here´s a basic rundown of the itinerary I followed during the course of my 8-day cruise through paradise, as well as some of the highlights for each of the respective locations.
==========================================================================
Sunday, 7/24: San Cristobal Island
AM: Santa Cruz --> San Cristobal (ferry)
PM: Interpretation center, sea lion beach, embark on journey of lifetime
Monday, 7/25: Española Island
AM: Punta Suarez
PM: Gardner Bay (snorkeling)
Highlights -- only island with albatross; geyser/blow hole
Tuesday, 7/26: Santa Maria Island
AM: "Post office", lava tubes, snorkeling from beach
PM: Corona del diablo (snorkeling)
Wednesday, 7/27: Santa Cruz Island
AM: Darwin Research Center, Los Gemelos (highland craters)
PM: Tortuga Bay (gorgeous white sand beach + lagoon)
Highlights -- giant tortoises at research center
--Switched passengers--
Thursday, 7/28
AM: Rabida Island
Highlights -- red ash beach, flamingos, snorkeling with sharks
PM: Santiago Island (Puerto Egas/James Bay), snorkeling
Highlights -- black ash beach, galapagos fur seals
Friday, 7/29
AM: Bartolome Island, snorkeling
Highlights -- hiked to top, absolutely incredible view/landscape; penguins; giant manta ray
PM: North Seymour Island
Highlights -- frigate birds and blue footed boobies breeding grounds
Saturday, 7/30
AM: South Plaza Island
Highlights -- one of the most colorful islands (gorgeous red, yellow, orange)
PM: Santa Fe Island, snorkeling
Highlights -- only island with C. palidus land iguana; dolphins on boat ride over
Sunday, 7/31: San Cristobal
AM: Sailed around Kicker Rock (aka Leon Dormido); disembarked in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
==========================================================================
And, well -- that´s that! What an incredible experience. So the cruise I ended up taking was on a 10-passenger catamaran called the Galapagos Vision. It was a tourist class ship (whereas I had originally hoped for a larger, first class or luxury class boat). However, I am so unbelievably happy that I ended up where I did. Being a smaller, less expensive boat, I ended up with a younger crowd of mostly single travelers, which made for a much better experience. I travelled with two different groups (since some people do 4 day cruises and other do 8 days, the arrivals/departures are staggered such that people switch out every 4 days). The first group could not have been better, and the second group was really good as well. In both cases, we only had 8 passengers rather than the possible 10, which made it even better. After having spent time on the smaller boat with less people, and after seeing other, larger groups on the islands, I realized that the smaller, more intimate cruise was certainly the way to go. We had two different guides; the first one switched out with the first group. Though I didn´t recognize it at the time, he was not a very good guide (though his constant marijuana smoking was pretty annoying). After we got our second guide, however, I realize how much of a different a good guide can make. He was perfect. Knowledgable, professional, friendly. As for the rest of the crew, the cook was also fantastic. All of our meals were really good, some of them absolutely delicious. He even made some delectable treats for the two birthdays that occured during the trip, in addiiton to preparing a wonderful feast for our final dinner together.
In general, our days were typically as follows: we would wake up early (6:30 or 7:00), have breakfast, and then set off on our activities for the day. This usually meant visiting an island and walking around for a bit to observe the wildlife. Each day we would usually visit two nearby islands, or two different parts of a single island. We generally returned to the boat around noonish for lunch and to sail to our next destination. We went snorkeling almost every day, and most days we did it twice, once at each island/location. After the days activities, we returned to the boat for dinner and to start our journey (usually overnight) to the following day´s destination. Some islands had unique features (animals, landscapes, etc.) some of which I pointed out above. Others were simply unique variations of the same theme. While some animals can only be found in a single location in the entire archipelago, others are common to virtually all of the islands (such as sea lions, iguanas, and many types of sea birds). We were actually extremely lucky in most all of our endeavors; in general, tourists are at the whim of mother nature in terms of what they will and will not encounter. Fortunately, we ended up seeing nearly everything the Galapagos has to offer. Everytime we would find a new animal, especially when it was one that I was particularly excited to see, I would cross it off my mental checklist. I´m very happy to say that -- like the amateur bingo player I am -- by the end of our journey nearly all my items had been checked, all my numbers called (darn elusive hammerhead sharks!)
Though the trip was the experience of a lifetime, it was not without its own frustrations. For example, one of our boat´s two engines broke the very first day of my cruise, meaning we were constantly behind schedule. Fortunately this didn´t end up affecting our itinerary too much -- it just meant longer nights of sailing to get to our morning destinations. Due to my unparalleled sleeping prowess, this proved to be hardly noticeable for me personally, though some of the others complained (understandably) that it was hard to sleep without ever getting a break from sailing. There were a few other small annoyances with the ship and cruise, but they are hardly worth mentioned. Here´s the take home message from the cruise: it was everything I had hoped for, and more. It was the culmination of an already fantastic travel experience. It was a dream come true, in more ways than one.
Well, I already find myself rambling more than I had intended. I think I´ll save most of the specifics for later, when I can tell the stories in person, face to face. But I would like to document some of the many, incredible species of animals that I witnessed throughout the journey. Though I can´t remember/name them all, here is a good start.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Surf:
Parrotfish
Trumpet fish
Blow fish
Baracuda
Rays (sting, marbled, eagle, manta)
Lobsters
Sea stars (blue, red, black)
Marine iguanas
Sea turtles*
White-tipped sharks
Dolphins
Turf:
Land iguanas (C. palidus & C. subcristatus)
Galapagos snakes
Sally light-foot crabs
Rice rats
Sea lions
Galapagos fur seals (actually another type of sea lion)
Giant tortoises*
Lava lizards
Birds:
Swallow tailed gull
Galapagos dove
Finches
Yellow warbler
Blue-footed boobies*
Nazca boobies
Frigate birds (great & magnificent)
Albatross
Nocturnal heron
Great heron
Galapagos hawk
Flamingo
Galapagos penguins*
Short-eared owl
*Personal favorite
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In terms of landscape, Bartolome island was hands down my favorite. The views from the top were breathtaking. I can´t even begin to describe it. Don´t worry -- I took pictures galore, so hopefully at least one of them will do it justice. As for colors, South Plaza island definitely took the cake. For snorkeling fans, I think I would have to recommend either Rabida island (where I saw the most sharks), or Bartolome (where we got to swim with the adorable penguins). And lastly, in terms of wildlife, I think I would have to go with Punta Suarez on Española as my favorite.
Well, I think that is enough about the cruise (well, actually not even close -- but I´ve got to stop somewhere. I am currently still in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal island. I´m staying in a hostel here overnight. I left the boat early this morning and had the whole afternoon to enjoy, so I decided to go on a day trip (back on land for less than a day and I was already ready to get back on a boat). I signed up to go with another group to some nearby locations: Isla Lobos and Kicker Rock. We did snorkeling at both. Isla Lobos wasn´t anything special, just things I had already seen many times. The real reason I went on the trip was to head back to Kicker Rock (which, like I mentioned in the itinerary, we sailed around this morning before we disembarked. I had heard many times that Kicker Rock was a great place for snorkeling and diving, especially if you wanted to see shark (which, as a matter of fact, I did!). The company I booked with even told me that people had been seeing lots of hammerheads over the last few days. But unfortunately, it seemed that I used up all of my good luck during the cruise -- no hammerheads for me. Loads of sea turtles, which is always a favorite of mine, but no sharks. Too bad. But I got to see literally everything else that I wanted this week, so I´m not complaining.
Ok. Summing up. My flight leaves from San Cristobal early tomorrow afternoon. I will arrive in Quito, and then catch another flight late that night down to Cuzco, Peru. Unfortunately this one has a long (10 hour) layover, but its during the night, so I´m planning to just find a cheap place to sleep. No biggie. After arriving in Cuzco, I´m going to book my hike for Macchu Pichu. I´m giving myself two days to acclimate to the altitude, and then I´ll hopefully be on my way. And after that, it´s back to Quito, and then home. Not sure when I´ll update again next -- probably once I get my hike booked -- but I obviously won´t be online during the hike itself. In any case, you can expect at least a couple more posts before the conclusion of my story. I mean, comon -- you can´t have an epic without some sort of resolution. And with that, I´m off.
Thrilled with what I´ve seen, ecstatic for what is to come, and also very excited to (finally) return home.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Ants Go Marchin' While The Humans Be Trippin'
So I mentioned in a recent post that we were going to see a shaman on Thursday, which we totally did; however, I was fairly mistaken as to actual the contents of experience -- in fact, no cuy were harmed in the making of this ritual. The shaman that we saw was very different than the healers at Jambi Huasi. She is actually the host-mom that Michelle has been living with. She works both as a partera (midwife) and a traditional shaman. So much to my surprise, I had yet another opportunity to add a new and unusual experience to my repetoir.
And boy was it strange.
Michelle´s host family lives in Rucallacta, which is a very small, rural town just outside of Archidona. We headed first over to her house; Natalie and Chris were running late, so we didn´t get there until around 8pm. Their living conditions are even more simple and homely than the ones I have been enduring (though they are rather similar to what I experienced during my home stay in Costa Rica). They don´t have a front door, or any doors for that matter. The house is rather small -- very small, in fact -- with a little detached wooden building for the kitchen. The ritual was to take place in her "farmhouse", which Michelle told us was about a 5 minute walk away. In retrospect, the Shaman´s insistence on our usage of her many pairs of rubber boots should have been an obvious foreshadowing of the harrowing trek to come. It actually turned out to be more like a 15-20 minute hike through dense forest -- this was probably the most isolated I have felt throughout the entire trip. We were definitely in the jungle, the mighty jungle. But we eventually made it, and the so-called farmhouse was actually pretty impressive. It consisted of a series of wooden buildings open to the outside, which included an upstairs treehouse-esque addition. We all piled in to one of the buildings and took our seats on some wooden benches around the perimeter.
So remember the whole comment about it being strange? Well, here comes the beginning...
Upon entering the building, we were quickly faced with a rather surprising discovery: there were ants. Lots of them. No, no -- I don´t think you quite understand. There were an unbelievable number of ants. The room we was probably 12 feet in width -- the line of ants appeared as if from nowhere on one end of the room and stretched all the way across, disappearing underneath the bench (that I was unhappily perched upon) on the other side. And these weren´t your typical, everyday ants. They were big, they were mean, and when they bit you, it hurt (I would know; in fact, my bites still hurt). And this was no single file line that they had formed. Indeed, these guys were clearly not big fans of childhood songs, because they were certainly not marching one by one. The trail of ants was easily 6 inches from side to side. There were hundreds of them, probably easily over a thousand. I can´t even begin to describe the sight. Suffice it to say that it was by far the most ants I had ever seen in my entire life.
And then came more.
But before that, there was a bit of an interlude, during which the humans actually made some progress in the war against the insects (They're doing their part. Are you?).
Ah, but before that, I need to backtrack a bit and tell you about the purpose of this ritual. Essentially, what we were told beforehand was that we were going to take part in a ceremony involving the consumption of ayahuasca, an alcoholic, herbal tea with hallucinogenic properties; this ceremonial concoction is traditionally used by Shamans to induce visions of about their lives, the future, etc. Sounds pretty intense, eh? We were warned beforehand that we should avoid eating after noon, because the drink sometimes had the tendency to make people ill (but seeing as I had absolutely no intention whatsoever of drinking the stuff, while everyone else starved themselves, I pigged out on some delicious street food).
Ok, so moving forward. Or backward. Err -- continuing on. Where were we? Ah, the ants. I´m sure you´re all wondering what the heck happened with that whole deal. Well, the shaman informed us that, seeing as we were newcomers -- not to mention practitioners Western medicine -- the spirits and animals didn´t want us around and were thus trying to frighten us off (quite effectively, I might add). Well, she wasn´t going to let that stand in her way -- she had a quick answer in the form of spitting a liquid (what we assumed was, and later discovered to indeed be, ayahuasca -- it smelled unbelievably strongly of alcohol) on top of the ants in a very theatrical fashion. And as I mentioned above -- it worked. At least, at first. The ants seemed to really not like the stuff (for good reason, as you´ll soon see), and immediately started dispersing. The problem, however, is that now instead of going in a nice, uniform line from point A to B, they were instead spreading out across the entire floor. Well, once again, the shaman was not one to give up hope. Solution number two involved putting a burning piece of log next to the benches to try to smoke them out -- one of the oldest tricks in the book. Again, a valiant effort, but only a brief reprieve.
So here´s where it got really strange.
The ants went absolutely nuts. They started coming out of nowhere. They must have had a nest somewhere underneath the bench, because the hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand that I described previously was exponentially augmented to an astounding, terrifying degree. There...were...THOUSANDS. They were everywhere. At one point they tried collectively retreating up a pillar, and they literally covered the thing from top to bottom. It was unreal. Now, at this point, we were pretty much all ready to give up the whole experience and get the heck out of there while we still could. But we didn´t get the chance. Cue shaman technique #3: raging fireball attack. This tactic is actually a combination of the previous two -- she simply took another big swig of alcohol, and blew it directly onto the burning log sitting amongst the hoard of ants. And just like that, a burst of fire erupted toward the ceiling, and the ant´s army was reduced in size-- but not even nearly noticeably so. We were still vastly outnumbered. But, after continuing this for a number of minutes, chasing the hoard to various locations around the hut, we really did start to make a dent in their forces. I can´t even begin to explain the sheer magnitude of insecticide that was taking place. There were ant corpses strewn all about the floor. You could practically hear there tiny little screams. As much as I despise the use of semantic redundancy, there is really only one word that can adequately describe the situation: unreal.
After effectively decimating our adversaries reserves and finding they that still kept coming, we decided to take our ritual elsewhere -- namely, to the safety to of the second floor. So we relocated, and it was then finally time for the ceremony to begin.
And then, believe it or not, it got even stranger.
The shaman came out dressed in her traditional garb, which was really neat. She laid down some sort of leapord-like animal skin, a tortoise shell, and a variety of other strange items such as leaves and herbs. She then took her seat at the head of the circle (does that even work?). I had asked prior to coming to make sure that she wouldn´t be offended if I was merely an observer, and Michelle had insisted that she would not. So while I took my place as a mere onlooking, the others each in turn took part in the following series of rituals. She started the ceremony by rolling up a tobacco leaf cigarette, taking a few puffs and then passing it around. Next she took a long pipe and blew tobacco directly into the nostrils of those particpating. They were instructed not to breath the tobacco in through their nose, and immediately afterwards blew it out into a tissue. Those who experienced it said that it gave them a bit of a buzz, and was rather calming. After that, she gave everyone a shot of a strong sugarcane alcohol (mixed with some other plants, I believe), which is supposed to be taken before the hallucinogenic drink. And lastly, the moment everyone (even me) had been waiting for, she went around the circle with shots of the true object of everyone´s curiosity, the ayahuasca. Most everyone but myself participated in the various rituals, including taking shots of the drink; a few braves souls even went back for seconds. After everyone had had their share, she did a "cleansing" excercise, during which she cleaned us with a leafy brush, and also proceeded to spit more ayahuasca into the air (most of which seems to subsequently land on my face). She told us afterwards that there had been some bad spirits there that night, but they had appropriately been dealt with. Oh yeah, she also sang some traditional songs in Kichwa, which were really beautiful. She also invited us to sing some songs -- we mostly just sang silly ones, but Michelle did a really wonderful rendition of a Indian song from her childhood. Finally she turned off all the lights, used her brush tool to do a little seated dance, and basically allowed the drunks to trip out.
Now, while nobody had powerful visions of their future, it sounded like the purported effects of the ayahuasca were at least somewhat confirmed -- my companions claimed to have experienced everything from mild to profound, reporting strange feelings, visual hallucinations like lights and spots, and even feelings of half of their body spinning while the other half stayed still. Pretty wild. On the other hand, although the mental effects of the drink were quite variable, the purely physical ones were quite ubiquitous among all of the participants; nearly everyone who tried the drink ended up vomiting shortly afterwards, and many of them were also faced with the charming surprise of liquidy explosions from both ends. It was quite the sight to see, as everyone ran, one by one, down from the top of the farmhouse to take their turn in the bushes.
Score one for abstinence.
And thus concluded yet another night of nearly unbelievable Ecuadorian antics. In fact, I´m sure quite a few of you are sitting there now, contemplating, if not openly professing, your incredulous disbelief of my wild assertations. Indeed, if I wasn´t there myself, I probably wouldn't believe them either. But trust me, I couldn´t even begin to make this stuff up.
And boy was it strange.
Michelle´s host family lives in Rucallacta, which is a very small, rural town just outside of Archidona. We headed first over to her house; Natalie and Chris were running late, so we didn´t get there until around 8pm. Their living conditions are even more simple and homely than the ones I have been enduring (though they are rather similar to what I experienced during my home stay in Costa Rica). They don´t have a front door, or any doors for that matter. The house is rather small -- very small, in fact -- with a little detached wooden building for the kitchen. The ritual was to take place in her "farmhouse", which Michelle told us was about a 5 minute walk away. In retrospect, the Shaman´s insistence on our usage of her many pairs of rubber boots should have been an obvious foreshadowing of the harrowing trek to come. It actually turned out to be more like a 15-20 minute hike through dense forest -- this was probably the most isolated I have felt throughout the entire trip. We were definitely in the jungle, the mighty jungle. But we eventually made it, and the so-called farmhouse was actually pretty impressive. It consisted of a series of wooden buildings open to the outside, which included an upstairs treehouse-esque addition. We all piled in to one of the buildings and took our seats on some wooden benches around the perimeter.
So remember the whole comment about it being strange? Well, here comes the beginning...
Upon entering the building, we were quickly faced with a rather surprising discovery: there were ants. Lots of them. No, no -- I don´t think you quite understand. There were an unbelievable number of ants. The room we was probably 12 feet in width -- the line of ants appeared as if from nowhere on one end of the room and stretched all the way across, disappearing underneath the bench (that I was unhappily perched upon) on the other side. And these weren´t your typical, everyday ants. They were big, they were mean, and when they bit you, it hurt (I would know; in fact, my bites still hurt). And this was no single file line that they had formed. Indeed, these guys were clearly not big fans of childhood songs, because they were certainly not marching one by one. The trail of ants was easily 6 inches from side to side. There were hundreds of them, probably easily over a thousand. I can´t even begin to describe the sight. Suffice it to say that it was by far the most ants I had ever seen in my entire life.
And then came more.
But before that, there was a bit of an interlude, during which the humans actually made some progress in the war against the insects (They're doing their part. Are you?).
Ah, but before that, I need to backtrack a bit and tell you about the purpose of this ritual. Essentially, what we were told beforehand was that we were going to take part in a ceremony involving the consumption of ayahuasca, an alcoholic, herbal tea with hallucinogenic properties; this ceremonial concoction is traditionally used by Shamans to induce visions of about their lives, the future, etc. Sounds pretty intense, eh? We were warned beforehand that we should avoid eating after noon, because the drink sometimes had the tendency to make people ill (but seeing as I had absolutely no intention whatsoever of drinking the stuff, while everyone else starved themselves, I pigged out on some delicious street food).
Ok, so moving forward. Or backward. Err -- continuing on. Where were we? Ah, the ants. I´m sure you´re all wondering what the heck happened with that whole deal. Well, the shaman informed us that, seeing as we were newcomers -- not to mention practitioners Western medicine -- the spirits and animals didn´t want us around and were thus trying to frighten us off (quite effectively, I might add). Well, she wasn´t going to let that stand in her way -- she had a quick answer in the form of spitting a liquid (what we assumed was, and later discovered to indeed be, ayahuasca -- it smelled unbelievably strongly of alcohol) on top of the ants in a very theatrical fashion. And as I mentioned above -- it worked. At least, at first. The ants seemed to really not like the stuff (for good reason, as you´ll soon see), and immediately started dispersing. The problem, however, is that now instead of going in a nice, uniform line from point A to B, they were instead spreading out across the entire floor. Well, once again, the shaman was not one to give up hope. Solution number two involved putting a burning piece of log next to the benches to try to smoke them out -- one of the oldest tricks in the book. Again, a valiant effort, but only a brief reprieve.
So here´s where it got really strange.
The ants went absolutely nuts. They started coming out of nowhere. They must have had a nest somewhere underneath the bench, because the hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand that I described previously was exponentially augmented to an astounding, terrifying degree. There...were...THOUSANDS. They were everywhere. At one point they tried collectively retreating up a pillar, and they literally covered the thing from top to bottom. It was unreal. Now, at this point, we were pretty much all ready to give up the whole experience and get the heck out of there while we still could. But we didn´t get the chance. Cue shaman technique #3: raging fireball attack. This tactic is actually a combination of the previous two -- she simply took another big swig of alcohol, and blew it directly onto the burning log sitting amongst the hoard of ants. And just like that, a burst of fire erupted toward the ceiling, and the ant´s army was reduced in size-- but not even nearly noticeably so. We were still vastly outnumbered. But, after continuing this for a number of minutes, chasing the hoard to various locations around the hut, we really did start to make a dent in their forces. I can´t even begin to explain the sheer magnitude of insecticide that was taking place. There were ant corpses strewn all about the floor. You could practically hear there tiny little screams. As much as I despise the use of semantic redundancy, there is really only one word that can adequately describe the situation: unreal.
After effectively decimating our adversaries reserves and finding they that still kept coming, we decided to take our ritual elsewhere -- namely, to the safety to of the second floor. So we relocated, and it was then finally time for the ceremony to begin.
And then, believe it or not, it got even stranger.
The shaman came out dressed in her traditional garb, which was really neat. She laid down some sort of leapord-like animal skin, a tortoise shell, and a variety of other strange items such as leaves and herbs. She then took her seat at the head of the circle (does that even work?). I had asked prior to coming to make sure that she wouldn´t be offended if I was merely an observer, and Michelle had insisted that she would not. So while I took my place as a mere onlooking, the others each in turn took part in the following series of rituals. She started the ceremony by rolling up a tobacco leaf cigarette, taking a few puffs and then passing it around. Next she took a long pipe and blew tobacco directly into the nostrils of those particpating. They were instructed not to breath the tobacco in through their nose, and immediately afterwards blew it out into a tissue. Those who experienced it said that it gave them a bit of a buzz, and was rather calming. After that, she gave everyone a shot of a strong sugarcane alcohol (mixed with some other plants, I believe), which is supposed to be taken before the hallucinogenic drink. And lastly, the moment everyone (even me) had been waiting for, she went around the circle with shots of the true object of everyone´s curiosity, the ayahuasca. Most everyone but myself participated in the various rituals, including taking shots of the drink; a few braves souls even went back for seconds. After everyone had had their share, she did a "cleansing" excercise, during which she cleaned us with a leafy brush, and also proceeded to spit more ayahuasca into the air (most of which seems to subsequently land on my face). She told us afterwards that there had been some bad spirits there that night, but they had appropriately been dealt with. Oh yeah, she also sang some traditional songs in Kichwa, which were really beautiful. She also invited us to sing some songs -- we mostly just sang silly ones, but Michelle did a really wonderful rendition of a Indian song from her childhood. Finally she turned off all the lights, used her brush tool to do a little seated dance, and basically allowed the drunks to trip out.
Now, while nobody had powerful visions of their future, it sounded like the purported effects of the ayahuasca were at least somewhat confirmed -- my companions claimed to have experienced everything from mild to profound, reporting strange feelings, visual hallucinations like lights and spots, and even feelings of half of their body spinning while the other half stayed still. Pretty wild. On the other hand, although the mental effects of the drink were quite variable, the purely physical ones were quite ubiquitous among all of the participants; nearly everyone who tried the drink ended up vomiting shortly afterwards, and many of them were also faced with the charming surprise of liquidy explosions from both ends. It was quite the sight to see, as everyone ran, one by one, down from the top of the farmhouse to take their turn in the bushes.
Score one for abstinence.
And thus concluded yet another night of nearly unbelievable Ecuadorian antics. In fact, I´m sure quite a few of you are sitting there now, contemplating, if not openly professing, your incredulous disbelief of my wild assertations. Indeed, if I wasn´t there myself, I probably wouldn't believe them either. But trust me, I couldn´t even begin to make this stuff up.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Zac´s To Do List: More Checks Than A Box O´ Chex
I am happy to report that I have again managed to cross yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunities off my to-do list. River rafting through an Amazonian rainforest? Check. Now that I have returned safe and sound, I will go ahead and provide some more details (even though it was absolutely safe, I didn´t want anybody to worry). Yesterday afternoon we had the phenomenal opportunity to go white-water rafting (Class III rapids) with a company called Agua Xtreme. It was a total blast. The weather was perfect -- we could not have chose a better day. The sun was shining, the skies were blue; we were surrounded by a lush green rainforest throughout the entire trip (total distance: 20km), with a beautiful mountain backdrop in the distance. It was gorgeous. The river was frigid, but refreshing. It actually could have been just a tad bit warmer outside -- toward the end of the expedition, as the sun started to go down, I started to get pretty dang cold. But this was hardly anything to complain about.
The whole experience is rather hard to describe. It was a rollercoaster of fear, amusment and pandemonium. At one of the less intense sections, we even got to hop into the river and ride the rapids out sans boat.
Our guides were fantastic. Professional, safe and fun. The one in my boat was hilarious. He had us play various games when the water was calm (which essentially amounted to him finding different ways to shove us in the river). He was a really nice guy. He was a bit more hardcore than the other boat operator, often making us backtrack over a huge rapid we had just covered for maximum chaos. We scaled huge rapids, got sucked into giant whirlpools, soared over enormous waves, and slid atop (and occasionally crashed into) colossal rocks. For the rest of my life, I will probably never forget the booming (and sometimes seemingly frightened) voice of our guide, bellowing out commands, saving us from an otherwise certain demise: "FORWARD! BACKWARD! STOP! IN! IN! IN! IN!" It was a positively unforgettable experience.
I was in a boat with Kate, Aaron and Jankie. The other boat had 5. Aaron and I manned the front of the raft, meaning we often took the biggest watery beatings. Everyone made bets who would be the first to fall in. It turned out it was me. Pretty early on in the adventure, we were faced with one of the bigger rapids of the day. My side of the boat was entirely encompassed by a wave, seemingly completely underwater. Time seemed to slow. I was leaning way back, secured only by the strap on my front foot. As the wave crashed over me, I first thought to myself, "hmm -- well this seems bad". But in that moment I actually still felt pretty secure. The strap was keeping me tightly secured to the raft, and I had stopped falling backwards; suddenly a second thought flitted through my mind, telling me that I was actually going to make it through without going under. And then, all of the sudden, as if a black hole had opened up beneath me, I was instantaneously pulled, suctioned, utterly vaccumed backwards out of my seat. There seemed to be absolutely no transition between raft and water -- one moment I was in it, the next I was out. At first when I tried to surface, I actually hit my head on the bottom of the raft. Once again, "hmm -- well this seems bad". But almost immediately after, I happily rose from the depths of the river, supported beautifully by my trusty life preserver. And though it was a pretty wild experience, it really wasn´t all that scary, and I was never really in any danger. Accompanied by my helmet, lifevest and experienced guides, I felt extremely safe throughout the entire voyage.
Speaking of experienced guides, Diego, the guy operating my raft, happens to be a professional kayaker in his free time, holding some record for kayaking over waterfalls. So yeah, I was definitely in good hands.
We took a break partway through the trip, pulling off to the side of the river and getting out on a rocky beach. The guides had us walk through some shallow water into a small crack in the rocky wall. It led to a narrow gorge, surrounded by trees with a light canopy cover overhead. Here, we had some more unexpected fun -- the guides found hunks of clay (one took brown and the other yellow) and proceeded to cover our faces in war paint. With our new savage guises, we were now ready to take on the remainder of the rapids. Well, some people look more ferocious than others; I had a pretty savage tiger-esque look, while they gave Taylor some manly polka dots, laughing all the while. The guides really had a great sense of humor, from telling us that the yellow clay was monkey poop to claiming that the warmer water was due to urine flowing from a nearby town.
In case anyone is interested in location, we started our rafting trip on a river called Jatunyacu, which means "big water" in Kichwa. Toward the end, the water merged with another river, and we ultimately ended up on Napo river. At the point where the rivers merged, the water changed instantly from frigid to pleasantly cool (our guide made sure to get us soaked right at that point). We were informed (after the urine joke) that this is because the water from the first river comes directly from the mountains. Pretty cool (indeed).
After we finished (we pulled out in the town of Puerto Napo), thinking the day couldn´t possibly get any better, they concluded the experience by treating us with some delectable banana bread sandwiches. I didn´t want to spoil my dinner but -- well, maybe just one.
To sum up: white-water rafting was a unbelievably thrilling experience. Doing it down an Amazonian tributary, through a lavish rainforest, on a bright, clear sunny day -- positively breathtaking.
The whole experience is rather hard to describe. It was a rollercoaster of fear, amusment and pandemonium. At one of the less intense sections, we even got to hop into the river and ride the rapids out sans boat.
Our guides were fantastic. Professional, safe and fun. The one in my boat was hilarious. He had us play various games when the water was calm (which essentially amounted to him finding different ways to shove us in the river). He was a really nice guy. He was a bit more hardcore than the other boat operator, often making us backtrack over a huge rapid we had just covered for maximum chaos. We scaled huge rapids, got sucked into giant whirlpools, soared over enormous waves, and slid atop (and occasionally crashed into) colossal rocks. For the rest of my life, I will probably never forget the booming (and sometimes seemingly frightened) voice of our guide, bellowing out commands, saving us from an otherwise certain demise: "FORWARD! BACKWARD! STOP! IN! IN! IN! IN!" It was a positively unforgettable experience.
I was in a boat with Kate, Aaron and Jankie. The other boat had 5. Aaron and I manned the front of the raft, meaning we often took the biggest watery beatings. Everyone made bets who would be the first to fall in. It turned out it was me. Pretty early on in the adventure, we were faced with one of the bigger rapids of the day. My side of the boat was entirely encompassed by a wave, seemingly completely underwater. Time seemed to slow. I was leaning way back, secured only by the strap on my front foot. As the wave crashed over me, I first thought to myself, "hmm -- well this seems bad". But in that moment I actually still felt pretty secure. The strap was keeping me tightly secured to the raft, and I had stopped falling backwards; suddenly a second thought flitted through my mind, telling me that I was actually going to make it through without going under. And then, all of the sudden, as if a black hole had opened up beneath me, I was instantaneously pulled, suctioned, utterly vaccumed backwards out of my seat. There seemed to be absolutely no transition between raft and water -- one moment I was in it, the next I was out. At first when I tried to surface, I actually hit my head on the bottom of the raft. Once again, "hmm -- well this seems bad". But almost immediately after, I happily rose from the depths of the river, supported beautifully by my trusty life preserver. And though it was a pretty wild experience, it really wasn´t all that scary, and I was never really in any danger. Accompanied by my helmet, lifevest and experienced guides, I felt extremely safe throughout the entire voyage.
Speaking of experienced guides, Diego, the guy operating my raft, happens to be a professional kayaker in his free time, holding some record for kayaking over waterfalls. So yeah, I was definitely in good hands.
We took a break partway through the trip, pulling off to the side of the river and getting out on a rocky beach. The guides had us walk through some shallow water into a small crack in the rocky wall. It led to a narrow gorge, surrounded by trees with a light canopy cover overhead. Here, we had some more unexpected fun -- the guides found hunks of clay (one took brown and the other yellow) and proceeded to cover our faces in war paint. With our new savage guises, we were now ready to take on the remainder of the rapids. Well, some people look more ferocious than others; I had a pretty savage tiger-esque look, while they gave Taylor some manly polka dots, laughing all the while. The guides really had a great sense of humor, from telling us that the yellow clay was monkey poop to claiming that the warmer water was due to urine flowing from a nearby town.
In case anyone is interested in location, we started our rafting trip on a river called Jatunyacu, which means "big water" in Kichwa. Toward the end, the water merged with another river, and we ultimately ended up on Napo river. At the point where the rivers merged, the water changed instantly from frigid to pleasantly cool (our guide made sure to get us soaked right at that point). We were informed (after the urine joke) that this is because the water from the first river comes directly from the mountains. Pretty cool (indeed).
After we finished (we pulled out in the town of Puerto Napo), thinking the day couldn´t possibly get any better, they concluded the experience by treating us with some delectable banana bread sandwiches. I didn´t want to spoil my dinner but -- well, maybe just one.
To sum up: white-water rafting was a unbelievably thrilling experience. Doing it down an Amazonian tributary, through a lavish rainforest, on a bright, clear sunny day -- positively breathtaking.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
No Monkey Business -- OK, Maybe A Little
Updates. Updates. Everybooody loves uuuupdates!
I. The Pursuit of Medicine
Upon returning from my vacation down south, I once again started working daily in clinics and hospitals; although I´m getting a bit burnt out on the clinical aspect of the trip (I´m definitely a bit homesick, and very much ready to move on to the next part of my adventure), I definitely got to see and do some pretty neat stuff over the course of the last week. Last week in the Archidona hospital, I got to observe two surgeries: first, there was a woman with two ovarian cysts (one was the size of a golfball, the other larger than a baseball); and second, a kid with a compound fracture of his arm (the bone was sticking out at his wrist), along with a dislocated elbow). It was very interesting to note the differences as compared to what I have seen in the U.S., namely regarding sterile technique. For example, whereas pretty much everything in the States is disposable (gowns, equiptment covers), everything here is reusable. Also, at one point the surgeon dropped his gown on the ground, and then picked it up and used it anyway -- something that would never fly back home. Last but not least, I also had the opportunity to put a catheter in a patient in Archidona, another new experience for me.
Rather than working in a clinic or hospital on Monday, I spent the day at a place called Pedihabilidad, which is a physical therapy rehabilitation clinic for kids. It was started several years back by an American physical therapist. It is completely free, and pretty much the only one of its kind in this region. It is a really great program, and it was interesting to spend a day checking it out. Most of the kids have some sort of congenital condition or developmental disorder; I saw patients with cerebral palsy, hydrocephalis, artrogriposis, etc. This is the same place that is currently building a playground, to which we contributed a few days back.
II. The Hunt for Adventure
On Saturday evening we spent another night on the town -- in Tena, that is. At first I wasn´t too excited about it, since bars and such aren´t really my scene. But in the end it turned out to be ok. We hung out for a while at a bar, playing a family game of Kate´s where you sit in a circle and one person, the headhunter, tries to make other people laugh. Whoever laughs first becomes the headhunter. There were some outrageous charades and hilarious sound effects throughout the night, and it was an all around good time. Later we went to a discoteca, which is a type of dance bar that is really popular in Latin America, and Spain as well. I really wasn´t looking forward to this, especially for fear that everyone would want to stay super late and I would get stuck there. But alas, it wasn´t so bad. If nothing else, it was definitely worth checking out for the experience alone.
The next morning, we slept in a bit and then got some breakfast from the midwives, as per usual. Then we all hopped in a taxi and headed over to do a waterfall hike near the town of Misahualli. Chris, Natalie and Michelle had done it previously, and it had been rainy and muddy; it was optimistic that this time around it would be better conditions, especially considering that it was nice and hot outside during the cab ride over. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was muddy nonetheless. Later it started to rain on us, and toward the end it started pouring. This was all fine and dandy. I had my trusty hiking boots on, which had thus far served me well (think Cajas). In fact, I even commented at one point on how they had such incredible traction (Hey Indi -- foreshadowing?). I managed to stay pretty dry and clean right up until, right at the end, with the waterfall in sight, I slipped on a rock (we had to make our way over a series of boulders to reach our destination) and banged my knee bad. I feel with my feet into the water, but couldn´t even get out for more than a minute because I couldn´t move my leg. So yeah -- that sucked. My biggest fear: that I banged it up so bad that I would have to forego Macchu Pichu. But worry not, my faithful companions! Unlike the mighty Goliath, it will take more than a mere rock to bring this hero down. My knee is much better already, albeit a little bruised. The waterfall was really beautiful, though I think it would have been more enjoyable had it not been raining so much. But still, definitely worth it. Everyone else went swimming around under the waterfall while I took pictures. Then, on the way back down, we encountered quite the interesting surprise: though the rain had stopped, the path we had walked up had itself turned into a mini flowing river. So, once again, what I thought was a simple day´s hike turned into a relentless thrashing of my precious shoes.
After our hike, we hopped (soaking wet) on a bus to the nearby town of Mishualli. Here we had lunch -- some at restaurants, other at food carts (see below) -- and then headed to see the main attraction for this town: the monkeys. That´s right, monkeys. Misahualli is known for them. In fact, there is little else there, other than some shops and vendors. Upon first glance, the town itself seems rather normal and quaint. It isn´t until you venture down to the beach that you find it´s true, hidden charm. It really is a very intersting dynamic -- down at the water´s edge, only right outside of the town proper, exists the strangest intermingling of monkey and man that you´ve ever seen. Right there next to the town, primate and...well...primate pass the afternoon together in harmony. And when I say harmony, this is to say that the two species are not directly harming eachother; this is not to say that it isn´t utter chaos. Indeed, the monkeys have a reputation of stealing backpacks, waterbottles -- really whatever they can get their hands on -- from unsuspecting passerbys. They jump from tree to tree over head. They steal food from children. They chase and taunt dogs, pulling their tails and hopping on the backs. It truly is a sight to see, both unbelievable and aboslutely hilarious. Taylor at one point tried giving a monkey some of his beer (he poured it into an empty plastic water bottle). The monkey didn´t really seem to like it, but did succeed in hitting Taylor on the head with the bottle when he least expected it. I think a sign I saw in the middle of the town pretty well sums up the whole experience. It read: take care, monkeys are a part of life.
III. The Quest for Gluttony
As always, I have continued my quest (really it´s a lifelong endeavor) to find the most delicious foods possible. After the last few days, I definitely have a few more foods to add to my list. In Misahualli, while most people ate at a restaurant, I partook of the local street vendors. I started off with a nice maduro con queso--a grilled ripe plantain filled with cheese (and typically mayonaisse, though I requested mine without), which is one of the more popular street foods in Ecuador. I´m not sure what cheese they use -- it looks a lot like feta or bleu cheese, but tastes more like a mozzarella. Next I found a guy selling some tortillas de choclo -- the incredibly delicious corn tortillas I first experienced in Riobamba; these ones weren´t quite as good, but definitely still tasty, and this time I know they had cheese melted inside. Finally, I found a guy selling tortillas de yuca (yuca is potato-like vegetable that, like plantains, is ubiquitous (yu-biquitous! ha ha ha) down here. According to wikipedia, it is apparently the third largest source of carbohydrates worldwide. Wowza. Down here, it´s used in soups, eaten fried or grilled, made into tortillas, breads, etc. Now, I had heard tell of an infamous yuca bread from Aaron and some of the other students; they had encountered it in Tena. At first I thought that´s what this was, and was suuuper excited as I had been long hoping to try it. Alas, it was not, though the tortilla was still pretty good. However, much to my later and greater satisfaction, I have since found the famed yuca bread myself (from the same street vendor in Tena), and boy is it FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC. The first thing that hits you is the smell -- it´s delectable. The bread itself looks like a little yellow roll, almost like a one of those bisquick ones. You buy them hot off the grill, four for a dollar. The outside is nice and crisp, while the inside is gooey, warm and delicious. I can´t even begin to describe the flavor. I´m drooling just thinking about them. Definitely up there as one of the best foods I´ve had the pleasure of meeting during my time in Ecuador.
IV. The Trek Through The Unknown
And finally, a few words about what is to come. Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are going to take a half day (as I chose to do today since, as I mentioned previously, I´m getting a bit burnt out). However, tomorrow´s half day has a greater purpose: we are going to go on a white-water rafting adventure with a local tour company. This should be a lot of fun. On Thursday we are working a full day, and then being visited by a traditional shaman in the evening. I think this will probably be a lot like what we saw at Jambi Huasi, possibly even with yet another cuy...experience? Extravaganza? Horror-fest? (see: Day 2: Parasites, Crafts and Disemboweled Rodents). The second group didn´t get the...opportunity to experience Jambi Huasi, so I think that´s the idea behind it. It should be another intersting evening. Then on Friday, we are doing a cultural exchange with several local midwives. It will be sort of like a little party -- 15 midwives are going to come to Amupakin, and 2 of them are going to be doing a presentation on various topics surrounding their practice of medicine. Afterwards, they have requested that we provide some more information regarding our profession, namely Western medicine. This is going to last until around lunch time, at which point we are going to hop on a bus up North. I´m going to head to Quito, and I think the others are going to go to Otavalo for the night. We might stop at a hotsprings along the way.
And lastly, you´ll be happy to hear that -- after significant struggle and deliberation -- I have finally booked my flights. ...Well, a part of them, at least. I purchased my ticket to the Galapagos; I´ll be flying out on the 24th. Unfortunately I couldn´t find a reasonably priced ticket for the 23rd (I waited waaaay too long to book the flight), which is the day I really should be leaving. However, my current plan is to head to the airport early Saturday morning to get my name on the waitlist with hopes to exchance my ticket for a same day flight. If not, I´ll just have to make due with what I have. Right now I have only scheduled a one-way ticket to the Galapagos. I´m thinking I might wait until I get there to schedule the rest. That way I´ll know exactly when my cruise will be over. The hardest part about scheduling all of this is the fact that there is still so much uncertainty -- I don´t know exactly when my cruise will leave, when it will get back, how many days I will need to hike Macchu Pichu, etc. But, the ball is rolling, and thankfully it´s finally picking up some momentum. Everything should work out fine. All I can say is that I am super excited. I just wish I had done one week less down here in the clinics; that way I wouldn´t have been so homesick heading out to the Galapagos. Then again, what better than a tropical cruise to cure a bit of homesickness...?
...Tortoise riding, perhaps?
Just wait, it´s totally happening.
I. The Pursuit of Medicine
Upon returning from my vacation down south, I once again started working daily in clinics and hospitals; although I´m getting a bit burnt out on the clinical aspect of the trip (I´m definitely a bit homesick, and very much ready to move on to the next part of my adventure), I definitely got to see and do some pretty neat stuff over the course of the last week. Last week in the Archidona hospital, I got to observe two surgeries: first, there was a woman with two ovarian cysts (one was the size of a golfball, the other larger than a baseball); and second, a kid with a compound fracture of his arm (the bone was sticking out at his wrist), along with a dislocated elbow). It was very interesting to note the differences as compared to what I have seen in the U.S., namely regarding sterile technique. For example, whereas pretty much everything in the States is disposable (gowns, equiptment covers), everything here is reusable. Also, at one point the surgeon dropped his gown on the ground, and then picked it up and used it anyway -- something that would never fly back home. Last but not least, I also had the opportunity to put a catheter in a patient in Archidona, another new experience for me.
Rather than working in a clinic or hospital on Monday, I spent the day at a place called Pedihabilidad, which is a physical therapy rehabilitation clinic for kids. It was started several years back by an American physical therapist. It is completely free, and pretty much the only one of its kind in this region. It is a really great program, and it was interesting to spend a day checking it out. Most of the kids have some sort of congenital condition or developmental disorder; I saw patients with cerebral palsy, hydrocephalis, artrogriposis, etc. This is the same place that is currently building a playground, to which we contributed a few days back.
II. The Hunt for Adventure
On Saturday evening we spent another night on the town -- in Tena, that is. At first I wasn´t too excited about it, since bars and such aren´t really my scene. But in the end it turned out to be ok. We hung out for a while at a bar, playing a family game of Kate´s where you sit in a circle and one person, the headhunter, tries to make other people laugh. Whoever laughs first becomes the headhunter. There were some outrageous charades and hilarious sound effects throughout the night, and it was an all around good time. Later we went to a discoteca, which is a type of dance bar that is really popular in Latin America, and Spain as well. I really wasn´t looking forward to this, especially for fear that everyone would want to stay super late and I would get stuck there. But alas, it wasn´t so bad. If nothing else, it was definitely worth checking out for the experience alone.
The next morning, we slept in a bit and then got some breakfast from the midwives, as per usual. Then we all hopped in a taxi and headed over to do a waterfall hike near the town of Misahualli. Chris, Natalie and Michelle had done it previously, and it had been rainy and muddy; it was optimistic that this time around it would be better conditions, especially considering that it was nice and hot outside during the cab ride over. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was muddy nonetheless. Later it started to rain on us, and toward the end it started pouring. This was all fine and dandy. I had my trusty hiking boots on, which had thus far served me well (think Cajas). In fact, I even commented at one point on how they had such incredible traction (Hey Indi -- foreshadowing?). I managed to stay pretty dry and clean right up until, right at the end, with the waterfall in sight, I slipped on a rock (we had to make our way over a series of boulders to reach our destination) and banged my knee bad. I feel with my feet into the water, but couldn´t even get out for more than a minute because I couldn´t move my leg. So yeah -- that sucked. My biggest fear: that I banged it up so bad that I would have to forego Macchu Pichu. But worry not, my faithful companions! Unlike the mighty Goliath, it will take more than a mere rock to bring this hero down. My knee is much better already, albeit a little bruised. The waterfall was really beautiful, though I think it would have been more enjoyable had it not been raining so much. But still, definitely worth it. Everyone else went swimming around under the waterfall while I took pictures. Then, on the way back down, we encountered quite the interesting surprise: though the rain had stopped, the path we had walked up had itself turned into a mini flowing river. So, once again, what I thought was a simple day´s hike turned into a relentless thrashing of my precious shoes.
After our hike, we hopped (soaking wet) on a bus to the nearby town of Mishualli. Here we had lunch -- some at restaurants, other at food carts (see below) -- and then headed to see the main attraction for this town: the monkeys. That´s right, monkeys. Misahualli is known for them. In fact, there is little else there, other than some shops and vendors. Upon first glance, the town itself seems rather normal and quaint. It isn´t until you venture down to the beach that you find it´s true, hidden charm. It really is a very intersting dynamic -- down at the water´s edge, only right outside of the town proper, exists the strangest intermingling of monkey and man that you´ve ever seen. Right there next to the town, primate and...well...primate pass the afternoon together in harmony. And when I say harmony, this is to say that the two species are not directly harming eachother; this is not to say that it isn´t utter chaos. Indeed, the monkeys have a reputation of stealing backpacks, waterbottles -- really whatever they can get their hands on -- from unsuspecting passerbys. They jump from tree to tree over head. They steal food from children. They chase and taunt dogs, pulling their tails and hopping on the backs. It truly is a sight to see, both unbelievable and aboslutely hilarious. Taylor at one point tried giving a monkey some of his beer (he poured it into an empty plastic water bottle). The monkey didn´t really seem to like it, but did succeed in hitting Taylor on the head with the bottle when he least expected it. I think a sign I saw in the middle of the town pretty well sums up the whole experience. It read: take care, monkeys are a part of life.
III. The Quest for Gluttony
As always, I have continued my quest (really it´s a lifelong endeavor) to find the most delicious foods possible. After the last few days, I definitely have a few more foods to add to my list. In Misahualli, while most people ate at a restaurant, I partook of the local street vendors. I started off with a nice maduro con queso--a grilled ripe plantain filled with cheese (and typically mayonaisse, though I requested mine without), which is one of the more popular street foods in Ecuador. I´m not sure what cheese they use -- it looks a lot like feta or bleu cheese, but tastes more like a mozzarella. Next I found a guy selling some tortillas de choclo -- the incredibly delicious corn tortillas I first experienced in Riobamba; these ones weren´t quite as good, but definitely still tasty, and this time I know they had cheese melted inside. Finally, I found a guy selling tortillas de yuca (yuca is potato-like vegetable that, like plantains, is ubiquitous (yu-biquitous! ha ha ha) down here. According to wikipedia, it is apparently the third largest source of carbohydrates worldwide. Wowza. Down here, it´s used in soups, eaten fried or grilled, made into tortillas, breads, etc. Now, I had heard tell of an infamous yuca bread from Aaron and some of the other students; they had encountered it in Tena. At first I thought that´s what this was, and was suuuper excited as I had been long hoping to try it. Alas, it was not, though the tortilla was still pretty good. However, much to my later and greater satisfaction, I have since found the famed yuca bread myself (from the same street vendor in Tena), and boy is it FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC. The first thing that hits you is the smell -- it´s delectable. The bread itself looks like a little yellow roll, almost like a one of those bisquick ones. You buy them hot off the grill, four for a dollar. The outside is nice and crisp, while the inside is gooey, warm and delicious. I can´t even begin to describe the flavor. I´m drooling just thinking about them. Definitely up there as one of the best foods I´ve had the pleasure of meeting during my time in Ecuador.
IV. The Trek Through The Unknown
And finally, a few words about what is to come. Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are going to take a half day (as I chose to do today since, as I mentioned previously, I´m getting a bit burnt out). However, tomorrow´s half day has a greater purpose: we are going to go on a white-water rafting adventure with a local tour company. This should be a lot of fun. On Thursday we are working a full day, and then being visited by a traditional shaman in the evening. I think this will probably be a lot like what we saw at Jambi Huasi, possibly even with yet another cuy...experience? Extravaganza? Horror-fest? (see: Day 2: Parasites, Crafts and Disemboweled Rodents). The second group didn´t get the...opportunity to experience Jambi Huasi, so I think that´s the idea behind it. It should be another intersting evening. Then on Friday, we are doing a cultural exchange with several local midwives. It will be sort of like a little party -- 15 midwives are going to come to Amupakin, and 2 of them are going to be doing a presentation on various topics surrounding their practice of medicine. Afterwards, they have requested that we provide some more information regarding our profession, namely Western medicine. This is going to last until around lunch time, at which point we are going to hop on a bus up North. I´m going to head to Quito, and I think the others are going to go to Otavalo for the night. We might stop at a hotsprings along the way.
And lastly, you´ll be happy to hear that -- after significant struggle and deliberation -- I have finally booked my flights. ...Well, a part of them, at least. I purchased my ticket to the Galapagos; I´ll be flying out on the 24th. Unfortunately I couldn´t find a reasonably priced ticket for the 23rd (I waited waaaay too long to book the flight), which is the day I really should be leaving. However, my current plan is to head to the airport early Saturday morning to get my name on the waitlist with hopes to exchance my ticket for a same day flight. If not, I´ll just have to make due with what I have. Right now I have only scheduled a one-way ticket to the Galapagos. I´m thinking I might wait until I get there to schedule the rest. That way I´ll know exactly when my cruise will be over. The hardest part about scheduling all of this is the fact that there is still so much uncertainty -- I don´t know exactly when my cruise will leave, when it will get back, how many days I will need to hike Macchu Pichu, etc. But, the ball is rolling, and thankfully it´s finally picking up some momentum. Everything should work out fine. All I can say is that I am super excited. I just wish I had done one week less down here in the clinics; that way I wouldn´t have been so homesick heading out to the Galapagos. Then again, what better than a tropical cruise to cure a bit of homesickness...?
...Tortoise riding, perhaps?
Just wait, it´s totally happening.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Volcanoes, Taffy and Insufferably Haughty Heffers
Now, where were we? Ah, yes... We last left our hero in the beautiful city of Cuenca, recovering from his recent shenanigans at Cajas national park. He has since finished his five-day whirlwind tour through Southern Ecuador, and has returned to his homebase in Archidona. But fear not, faithful reader! There remains one more fantastical story to share which preceded the end of this particular adventure. The grand finale, if you will.
I awoke rested and refreshed on Monday, day four of my vacation. My plan had been to explore the city of Cuenca a bit more, but alas, it was a rather dreary day; nevertheless I walked around for several hours before hopping on a bus to my next and ultimate destination, the town of Baños. Now, this particular town is rather unique in its geographical location: it is located on the slope of Tungurahua, an active volcano. The town itself is quaint and beautiful, possibly my favorite of the three that I visited during this excursion. One of the most beautiful aspects of Baños is that fact that it is surrounded -- nay, utterly encapsulated -- by lush, rolling green hills. It is quite the sight to see. Moreover, it is a place of rest and relaxation. The town features mineral-rich thermal baths, where the hot water comes rushing from the earth, heated directly from the volcano to rather impressive temperatures. People come from all over to soak in the healing properties of the baths; they are the reason for which Baños is known (and after which it is named).
I arrived in Baños rather late Monday evening after a long 7 hour bus ride. I booked a hostel, and walked around the town a bit, grabbing some snacks along the way, including french fries (salchipapas, or french fries with hot dog chunks, are a very popular snack in Ecuador) and choclo mote (the corn, potatoe and meat snack I described previously, often sold at bus terminals -- one of my favorites).
After a full night´s rest, I awoke once again ready for adventure. I headed over to the thermal baths at 7:30 am. It´s really quite interesting the way the natives utilize these baths -- it is much different than the mentality that we have toward hot springs in the US. Even arriving at the rather early time that I did, there were already a good number of natives partaking of the energizing waters -- probably a good 40 of them. Furthermore, it isn´t exclusively adults, as I would have expected; a good number of kids also join in the fun, treating the hot springs much like a water park, bringing along various floaties and pool toys. Even the adults treat it like a day at the pool, swimming around the springs rather than just sitting and relaxing. It was a very interesting dynamic to observe.
There are three different hot springs in Baños. The one that I attended was located on the side of a hill, right underneath a beautiful waterfall. It provided an impressive view of the surrounding hills, and was really quite a beautiful location. There were three different pools: a cool one, much like a swimming pool; a warm one, though I use the term warm rather lightly, as it was really about the temperature of an American hot tub; and finally, the ridiculously hot one. I intially tried to go into the hottest one, but could hardly make it in past my ankles. I was soon informed that the proper technique was to spend some time in the warm one, then hop into the frigid water which was being diverted directly from the waterfall above. Then and only then would the hot pool be bearable. So, after spending some time relaxing in the warm one, I was indeed able to partake of the hot one, though only for a few minutes. I also asked to see the "ojo del agua" (eye of the water), where the blazing water comes rushing from the ground (and is subsequently diverted to the pools). The whole experience was lots of fun, and certainly very relaxing.
After a quick breakfast, I headed on my final outing for this weekend getaway: a four hour hike through the hills surrounding the city. Compared with my last "hike", the term is used much more appropriately in this circumstance -- however, that´s not at all to say this was a simple undertaking; it was haaaard. The trails were steep -- relentlessly so. And if the hard work wasn´t enough, it was also rather hot at times. Fortunately, I was blessed early on with a light rain along with a very welcome breeze; these gifts from nature, in combination with the canopy above (as much of the hike was under the cover of trees), resulted in a wonderful mist that helped me to endure. And endure I did -- despite the difficulty, I kept pushing on. In the end, I´m hoping that it helped prepare me for Machu Picchu, which will likely prove to be an equally daunting foe.
The trail led first to Bella Vista, a viewpoint featuring a big white cross offering gorgeous views of the city and surrouding landscape. It was breathtaking. In fact, the entire trail offered impressive views and wonderful photo ops. Based on the information in my guidebook, I was planning to hike all the way up to Runtun, a colony even higher up in the hills, which supposedly boasts its own outstanding views. After some more significant legwork, I did ultimately make it to Runtun; however, I never really found the "views" to which the book referred, which was rather unfortunate. I think I may have simply failed to go far enough, or missed a turn at the end; there were several downed signposts toward the top. Nevertheless, I still had a great time on the hike. Once I reached Runtun, I did find some signs pointing toward a different viewpoint for tourists, but it was quite a bit further yet. After having wandering around aimlessly looking for the original viewpoint for some time, I was pretty tired and wet. Nonetheless, I was determined. So I decided I would try to make it to this next viewpoint, which was still another 3km or more away. However, determined as I was, there were two uncompromising forces in direct opposition to my conviction. First, the weather had become rather dreary -- it was wet, windy, and foggy, so I figured the view would probably be less than desirable anyway. Secondly, it was getting late, I wasn´t sure exactly how long it would take (or how far I was from town, for that matter), and I needed to make it back in time to catch a bus to Tena to make it back for dinner. So, in the end, I decided to turn back early for these reasons. Oh yeah...so also, there was this giant freaking bull blocking my path, mooing angrily in my general direction. And as much as I wanted to make it to the top, I really would have preferred to do so without being gored. Besides, that was one angry looking bovine, and who honestly wants to risk getting mad cow disease?
After a long hike back to town, I had to hurry to catch a bus to try to make it for dinner. But not without picking up a few packs of melchoca, a flavorful taffy for which Baños is famous -- they blend the taffy, quite uniquely, by swinging it around on a wooden peg (quite the sight to see whilst walking through town). After that, I jumped on a bus -- well, after waiting for an hour and a half because it was so late. But that´s ok. We ended up making the purported 4 hour trip in just three hours -- which, in retrospect, is pretty dang scary considering the cliff sides we were driving on. I had my nose buried in a book, so it didn´t seem too crazy at the time, though I do recall thinking "wow, did we just catch some air?" on several occasions.
And that, my friends, is that! I arrived back just in time for dinner -- with all 8 members of the second group, I might add! They are all second-year students from Midwestern in Chicago, the same university as Danny and Chris. All 8 of them have now joined my in their own Cabanas at Amupakin; the place is now much more lively than it had been with just Danny and I. Yesterday was my first day back in the clinics -- I spent the morning at the Archidona hospital (where I will probably be working for the majority of my remaining time here, though I may do some more rotations through clinics), and then spent a few hours in the afternoon doing some good-ol´-fashioned manual labor -- that is, we spent some time helping to build a playground at a childrens physical therapy clinic attached to the hospital in Tena. It was a nice change of pace -- though it was unbearably hot outside, way hotter than it has been for the past few weeks (of course). But after several long hikes and a day of physical labor -- boy am I sore. And today I´m at the hospital again, currently taking a long lunch, waiting to watch a surgery (laparoscopic ovarian cyst removal) that should start -- rather soon. In fact, I should go. So with that, folks, I will leave you to ponder my wacky, wild adventures. As always, more insanity and hilarity to come.
I awoke rested and refreshed on Monday, day four of my vacation. My plan had been to explore the city of Cuenca a bit more, but alas, it was a rather dreary day; nevertheless I walked around for several hours before hopping on a bus to my next and ultimate destination, the town of Baños. Now, this particular town is rather unique in its geographical location: it is located on the slope of Tungurahua, an active volcano. The town itself is quaint and beautiful, possibly my favorite of the three that I visited during this excursion. One of the most beautiful aspects of Baños is that fact that it is surrounded -- nay, utterly encapsulated -- by lush, rolling green hills. It is quite the sight to see. Moreover, it is a place of rest and relaxation. The town features mineral-rich thermal baths, where the hot water comes rushing from the earth, heated directly from the volcano to rather impressive temperatures. People come from all over to soak in the healing properties of the baths; they are the reason for which Baños is known (and after which it is named).
I arrived in Baños rather late Monday evening after a long 7 hour bus ride. I booked a hostel, and walked around the town a bit, grabbing some snacks along the way, including french fries (salchipapas, or french fries with hot dog chunks, are a very popular snack in Ecuador) and choclo mote (the corn, potatoe and meat snack I described previously, often sold at bus terminals -- one of my favorites).
After a full night´s rest, I awoke once again ready for adventure. I headed over to the thermal baths at 7:30 am. It´s really quite interesting the way the natives utilize these baths -- it is much different than the mentality that we have toward hot springs in the US. Even arriving at the rather early time that I did, there were already a good number of natives partaking of the energizing waters -- probably a good 40 of them. Furthermore, it isn´t exclusively adults, as I would have expected; a good number of kids also join in the fun, treating the hot springs much like a water park, bringing along various floaties and pool toys. Even the adults treat it like a day at the pool, swimming around the springs rather than just sitting and relaxing. It was a very interesting dynamic to observe.
There are three different hot springs in Baños. The one that I attended was located on the side of a hill, right underneath a beautiful waterfall. It provided an impressive view of the surrounding hills, and was really quite a beautiful location. There were three different pools: a cool one, much like a swimming pool; a warm one, though I use the term warm rather lightly, as it was really about the temperature of an American hot tub; and finally, the ridiculously hot one. I intially tried to go into the hottest one, but could hardly make it in past my ankles. I was soon informed that the proper technique was to spend some time in the warm one, then hop into the frigid water which was being diverted directly from the waterfall above. Then and only then would the hot pool be bearable. So, after spending some time relaxing in the warm one, I was indeed able to partake of the hot one, though only for a few minutes. I also asked to see the "ojo del agua" (eye of the water), where the blazing water comes rushing from the ground (and is subsequently diverted to the pools). The whole experience was lots of fun, and certainly very relaxing.
After a quick breakfast, I headed on my final outing for this weekend getaway: a four hour hike through the hills surrounding the city. Compared with my last "hike", the term is used much more appropriately in this circumstance -- however, that´s not at all to say this was a simple undertaking; it was haaaard. The trails were steep -- relentlessly so. And if the hard work wasn´t enough, it was also rather hot at times. Fortunately, I was blessed early on with a light rain along with a very welcome breeze; these gifts from nature, in combination with the canopy above (as much of the hike was under the cover of trees), resulted in a wonderful mist that helped me to endure. And endure I did -- despite the difficulty, I kept pushing on. In the end, I´m hoping that it helped prepare me for Machu Picchu, which will likely prove to be an equally daunting foe.
The trail led first to Bella Vista, a viewpoint featuring a big white cross offering gorgeous views of the city and surrouding landscape. It was breathtaking. In fact, the entire trail offered impressive views and wonderful photo ops. Based on the information in my guidebook, I was planning to hike all the way up to Runtun, a colony even higher up in the hills, which supposedly boasts its own outstanding views. After some more significant legwork, I did ultimately make it to Runtun; however, I never really found the "views" to which the book referred, which was rather unfortunate. I think I may have simply failed to go far enough, or missed a turn at the end; there were several downed signposts toward the top. Nevertheless, I still had a great time on the hike. Once I reached Runtun, I did find some signs pointing toward a different viewpoint for tourists, but it was quite a bit further yet. After having wandering around aimlessly looking for the original viewpoint for some time, I was pretty tired and wet. Nonetheless, I was determined. So I decided I would try to make it to this next viewpoint, which was still another 3km or more away. However, determined as I was, there were two uncompromising forces in direct opposition to my conviction. First, the weather had become rather dreary -- it was wet, windy, and foggy, so I figured the view would probably be less than desirable anyway. Secondly, it was getting late, I wasn´t sure exactly how long it would take (or how far I was from town, for that matter), and I needed to make it back in time to catch a bus to Tena to make it back for dinner. So, in the end, I decided to turn back early for these reasons. Oh yeah...so also, there was this giant freaking bull blocking my path, mooing angrily in my general direction. And as much as I wanted to make it to the top, I really would have preferred to do so without being gored. Besides, that was one angry looking bovine, and who honestly wants to risk getting mad cow disease?
After a long hike back to town, I had to hurry to catch a bus to try to make it for dinner. But not without picking up a few packs of melchoca, a flavorful taffy for which Baños is famous -- they blend the taffy, quite uniquely, by swinging it around on a wooden peg (quite the sight to see whilst walking through town). After that, I jumped on a bus -- well, after waiting for an hour and a half because it was so late. But that´s ok. We ended up making the purported 4 hour trip in just three hours -- which, in retrospect, is pretty dang scary considering the cliff sides we were driving on. I had my nose buried in a book, so it didn´t seem too crazy at the time, though I do recall thinking "wow, did we just catch some air?" on several occasions.
And that, my friends, is that! I arrived back just in time for dinner -- with all 8 members of the second group, I might add! They are all second-year students from Midwestern in Chicago, the same university as Danny and Chris. All 8 of them have now joined my in their own Cabanas at Amupakin; the place is now much more lively than it had been with just Danny and I. Yesterday was my first day back in the clinics -- I spent the morning at the Archidona hospital (where I will probably be working for the majority of my remaining time here, though I may do some more rotations through clinics), and then spent a few hours in the afternoon doing some good-ol´-fashioned manual labor -- that is, we spent some time helping to build a playground at a childrens physical therapy clinic attached to the hospital in Tena. It was a nice change of pace -- though it was unbearably hot outside, way hotter than it has been for the past few weeks (of course). But after several long hikes and a day of physical labor -- boy am I sore. And today I´m at the hospital again, currently taking a long lunch, waiting to watch a surgery (laparoscopic ovarian cyst removal) that should start -- rather soon. In fact, I should go. So with that, folks, I will leave you to ponder my wacky, wild adventures. As always, more insanity and hilarity to come.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Man vs. Nature: An Unforseen Struggle
Wow -- what a day. I decided to rearrange me plans a bit in order to fit everything in, so rather than exploring the city today, I instead decided to do some hiking. I woke up bright and early and took a cab over to the South bus terminal. I grabbed a couple empanadas and tried some morocho, a warm rice pudding drink -- it was fantastic! From there I caught the 7am bus to Cajas National Park. It was a rather dreary morning: it was dark, there were ominous clouds overhead, and it was raining (though only lightly). Nevertheless, I continued on my journey with my fingers crossed. Now, in retrospect, based on the cruddy weather, along with the fact that I ended up missing my stop -- because I couldn´t find a national park -- I really should have realized that something was awry. But alas, how was I to know that the very fates themselves were conspiring against me, doing everything in their power to bring my adventure to a screeching halt. Indeed, if there was ever a day in my life that was utterly destined for disappointment and preordained for failure, a day in which the calamitous outcome was indelibly and inexorably written in the stars, then today was that day.
And yet, here I stand before you, triumphant. Though they left me bruised, beaten and scarred, I overcame every challenge the fates threw my way; they spat in my path, and I simply laughed in their faces. What more would you expect from the protagonist of this very adventure story, the champion of this epic?
I have thought long and hard how best to depict today`s endeavor -- for it was certainly no day hike, as I had anticipated. In the end, I can only think to describe it as an all-out, multi-terrain battle, man vs. nature. And, in the end, while nature certainly threw some unexpected blows, catching me off guard more times than I`d like to admit -- I held my ground, and ultimately stood victorious.
In the end, there were several forces acting in concert to attempt to bring about my demise. The weather was certainly not the least of them. It was COLD. According to my guidebook, the name Cajas may either refer to the shape of the lakes (similar to boxes -- which is what the word means in Spanish), or it could come from the Kichwa word caxas, meaning cold. Frankly, I tend to put more faith in the latter. In addition to the sheer colditude of the expedition, it was windy and rainy as well. Now, fortunately, for a good portion of the day, the weather was actually very pleasant -- it was pretty much always foggy, making the views slightly less spectacular than if it had been clear blue skies, but I think that is simply the nature of this beast. The problem was when the wind and rain really got going: there were definitely some pretty miserable periods. But all in all, the weather wasn`t too big of an issue. The big problem was the terrain. First of all, it was muddy...like, ridiculously so. It wasn´t so much of a hike as...gosh, I really don´t know how to describe it -- suffice it to say, I suppose, that there were many times where I would have been better equipped with a snowboard than with hiking boots. I was slipping all over the place, sometimes doing more sliding that walking. By the end of the excursion, I was absolutely covered in mud. In addition to the mud, the expectations of the trails were rather unforgiving. I had to hop from rock to rock to cross streams. There were areas of rather steep rock walls that demanded the utmost caution. And most of all, there were huge sections of mud, lakes even, where a single wrong step could (and often did) lead to a sticky mess.
The other issue with the terrain was the park itself: the paths were so poorly marked that I probably spent more time off the trail than on it. I hiked two trails today, the first one took about an hour, the second one a little over two. On the first trail, I just could not stay on the path. I was scaling vertical walls both upwards and down only to find myself at a complete deadend. The second trail, fortunately, was much better demarcated: there were paint splotches interspersed on rocks and trees to guide the way, as well as the occasional signpost. Nevertheless, many of these waypoints were so discreet that if you blinked, you´d miss them. One time, after being rather lost for several minutes, I happened to find my way back onto the correct path only because I happened to see a bridge (that I had missed previously) when I oriented myself for a quick bathroom break.
With all of this said, the entire experience was an absolute, undeniable blast. Granted, there were definitely points where I had my regrets. Sure, there were a few hills I almost went tumbling down, a few rivers I nearly graced with my presence. Ok, so there was that one time where I mis-stepped, ending up knee-deep in mud. But even with all of these things, it was a phenomenal experience. Just being able to say that I did it feels oh-so-gratifying. I think it will be hard for me to adequately explain the whole ordeal -- I have tried my best to do it justice in these last few paragraphs -- but honestly, this was definitely one of the most intense things I have ever done. And the landscapes...oh, man. It was incredible. The hike traversed such a huge diversity of terrains -- hills, valleys, swamps, forests. There were lakes, rivers, streams and waterfalls. Even when the dense, suffocating fog descended down from above, utterly encompassing everything in its wake, the scenery was still breathtaking. I really hope I managed to capture some of its natural beauty with the (many) pictures that I took. I look forward to describing the experience in even more detail to anyone and everyone willing to listen.
Before I head out, I wanted to mention one final thing about yesterday evening. I´m not entirely sure what for, but there was some sort of celebration going on yesterday, I think for one of the saints. Earlier in the afternoon I saw some dancing/performances. And then later at night they had live music, some floats and an impressive fireworks show. They had constructed a tower piecewise earlier in the day, and bit by bit it became part of the display: starting from the bottom and slowly moving up over time, it was equipped with lots of different fireworks which added to the exhibition. There were quite a few people in attendance; the tower was in open area, and most of the people had gathered on a large staircase above the square. The most impressive part of the whole experience was the utter lack of precaution: throughout the show, the crowd was frequently showered with sparks. Even the occasional misguided rocket would land in the frenzy. The real surprise, however, came with the finale. Unbeknownst to us, or at least to me, the stairs were all lined the fireworks, which went off in unison at the end of the show. So basically, as the final part of the tower went up in smoke and sparks, so too did the crowd. It was quite the sight. Fortunately I don`t think anyone got hurt. All in all, the whole experience was rather reminiscent of the church burning I witnessed in Spain for the Dia de San Juan. But then again, the Spanish at least had the foresight and common decency to station a single, unapt guard in between the burning inferno and the thousands of rambunctious onlookers. I mean, comon Ecuador, get with the program.
And yet, here I stand before you, triumphant. Though they left me bruised, beaten and scarred, I overcame every challenge the fates threw my way; they spat in my path, and I simply laughed in their faces. What more would you expect from the protagonist of this very adventure story, the champion of this epic?
I have thought long and hard how best to depict today`s endeavor -- for it was certainly no day hike, as I had anticipated. In the end, I can only think to describe it as an all-out, multi-terrain battle, man vs. nature. And, in the end, while nature certainly threw some unexpected blows, catching me off guard more times than I`d like to admit -- I held my ground, and ultimately stood victorious.
In the end, there were several forces acting in concert to attempt to bring about my demise. The weather was certainly not the least of them. It was COLD. According to my guidebook, the name Cajas may either refer to the shape of the lakes (similar to boxes -- which is what the word means in Spanish), or it could come from the Kichwa word caxas, meaning cold. Frankly, I tend to put more faith in the latter. In addition to the sheer colditude of the expedition, it was windy and rainy as well. Now, fortunately, for a good portion of the day, the weather was actually very pleasant -- it was pretty much always foggy, making the views slightly less spectacular than if it had been clear blue skies, but I think that is simply the nature of this beast. The problem was when the wind and rain really got going: there were definitely some pretty miserable periods. But all in all, the weather wasn`t too big of an issue. The big problem was the terrain. First of all, it was muddy...like, ridiculously so. It wasn´t so much of a hike as...gosh, I really don´t know how to describe it -- suffice it to say, I suppose, that there were many times where I would have been better equipped with a snowboard than with hiking boots. I was slipping all over the place, sometimes doing more sliding that walking. By the end of the excursion, I was absolutely covered in mud. In addition to the mud, the expectations of the trails were rather unforgiving. I had to hop from rock to rock to cross streams. There were areas of rather steep rock walls that demanded the utmost caution. And most of all, there were huge sections of mud, lakes even, where a single wrong step could (and often did) lead to a sticky mess.
The other issue with the terrain was the park itself: the paths were so poorly marked that I probably spent more time off the trail than on it. I hiked two trails today, the first one took about an hour, the second one a little over two. On the first trail, I just could not stay on the path. I was scaling vertical walls both upwards and down only to find myself at a complete deadend. The second trail, fortunately, was much better demarcated: there were paint splotches interspersed on rocks and trees to guide the way, as well as the occasional signpost. Nevertheless, many of these waypoints were so discreet that if you blinked, you´d miss them. One time, after being rather lost for several minutes, I happened to find my way back onto the correct path only because I happened to see a bridge (that I had missed previously) when I oriented myself for a quick bathroom break.
With all of this said, the entire experience was an absolute, undeniable blast. Granted, there were definitely points where I had my regrets. Sure, there were a few hills I almost went tumbling down, a few rivers I nearly graced with my presence. Ok, so there was that one time where I mis-stepped, ending up knee-deep in mud. But even with all of these things, it was a phenomenal experience. Just being able to say that I did it feels oh-so-gratifying. I think it will be hard for me to adequately explain the whole ordeal -- I have tried my best to do it justice in these last few paragraphs -- but honestly, this was definitely one of the most intense things I have ever done. And the landscapes...oh, man. It was incredible. The hike traversed such a huge diversity of terrains -- hills, valleys, swamps, forests. There were lakes, rivers, streams and waterfalls. Even when the dense, suffocating fog descended down from above, utterly encompassing everything in its wake, the scenery was still breathtaking. I really hope I managed to capture some of its natural beauty with the (many) pictures that I took. I look forward to describing the experience in even more detail to anyone and everyone willing to listen.
Before I head out, I wanted to mention one final thing about yesterday evening. I´m not entirely sure what for, but there was some sort of celebration going on yesterday, I think for one of the saints. Earlier in the afternoon I saw some dancing/performances. And then later at night they had live music, some floats and an impressive fireworks show. They had constructed a tower piecewise earlier in the day, and bit by bit it became part of the display: starting from the bottom and slowly moving up over time, it was equipped with lots of different fireworks which added to the exhibition. There were quite a few people in attendance; the tower was in open area, and most of the people had gathered on a large staircase above the square. The most impressive part of the whole experience was the utter lack of precaution: throughout the show, the crowd was frequently showered with sparks. Even the occasional misguided rocket would land in the frenzy. The real surprise, however, came with the finale. Unbeknownst to us, or at least to me, the stairs were all lined the fireworks, which went off in unison at the end of the show. So basically, as the final part of the tower went up in smoke and sparks, so too did the crowd. It was quite the sight. Fortunately I don`t think anyone got hurt. All in all, the whole experience was rather reminiscent of the church burning I witnessed in Spain for the Dia de San Juan. But then again, the Spanish at least had the foresight and common decency to station a single, unapt guard in between the burning inferno and the thousands of rambunctious onlookers. I mean, comon Ecuador, get with the program.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Life´s Little Lessons: Wet Cobblestone Is Terribly Slick
Day two of my exploration of the Southern Highlands started off early and hasn´t let up. I woke up this morning, said my goodbyes to the wonderful Hostel Oasis, and promptly worked my way over to the Riobamba Saturday market (And, what´s this? It´s Saturday?! ...Man, my foresight is unmatched!). There are actually two markets, one for all your delicious culinary needs (fruit, veggies, whole boars, intestines -- and, ah yes, raw cuy of all sizes, specially skinned and flayed for your convenience). The food market was impressively large, and I was impressively hungry. I happened to come across an interesting doughy, pancake-esque creation grilling tantalizingly at one of the stands. Upon questioning its creator, I came to discover that it was a tortilla de maiz. Now, I´m sure you´re sitting there, in the comfort of your kitchen or bathroom or wherever you are, thinking -- "comon now Zac, a corn tortilla? Is that really something to rave about?" Well STOPPIT. You couldn´t be more wrong. This thing was heavenly. Not only was it fresh off the grill, making it wonderfully warm and delicious, but the inside was still doughy and gooey -- almost as if it had some heavenly filling (though I´m pretty sure it was all just maiz). It could possibly have had a hint of egg or cheese -- who am I to say? In any case, it was an absolute delight. I´m drooling now just thinking about it.
As for the craft market, it really wasn´t anything special. There were some handmade crafts, but it consisted largely of things you could buy at a store: nike shoes, brand-name tshirts, etc. So far, nothing has really held up to the wonder that is Otavalo (the huge street fair North of Quito that I visited earlier in the trip). I´m currently hoping to find some time to venture back there at the end of my trip for some last minute gift purchases.
As for the rest of my morning in Riobamba, my goal was to try to check out a museum of religious art before catching my bus, but due to scheduling conflicts this ultimately didn´t happen. The main reason I wanted to go was to see the 1 meter tall monument made of solid gold with a silver base, adorned with 1500 jewels of various types and weighing in at an impressive 360 kg. But, alas, I had to leave this golden opportunity behind in order to catch my bus. Oh well.
Next came a 6 hour bus ride to Cuenca. Not much to talk about here -- a little reading and lots of sleeping. And a bit of snacking. I tried these salted nuts, not sure what they were called: quite good. I even shared some with the elderly woman next to me. She seemed appreciative. For lunch I had a croissant and cheese empanada from a panaderia at one of our pit stops; both were rather uninspired.
And now, I have officially arrived in Cuenca. After roaming the city for a bit, I currently find myself typing away at a local internet cafe, conveniently located right next door to my newest habitation, a hostel called Turista del Mundo. This hostel also came with recommendations from Natalie and Chris, and so far it is definitely standing up to the praise they gave it. It is run by a wonderfully amiable woman, named Esperanza, and her son. My room is small but clean, equipped with a private bathroom and shower, pretty much everything I could ask for. Also, above and beyond what I might ask for, there is a balcony atop the building with an impressive view of the city. I have yet to spend much time up there, but anticipate it will make for some wonderful pictures (sunset, perhaps?). There is also a TV with movies upstairs, though I´m considering maybe heading to the actual movie theatre tomorrow for some fun in the afternoon.
As for the city of Cuenca, my guidebook describes it as Ecuador´s second my important and beautiful colonial city (after Quito). Though I was rather uninpressed as I first left the bus terminal and traveled through the downtown area, as I got a bit farther out a started to see its true charm. It really is a gorgeous city. Pretty much all of the streets are made of cobblestone, and the houses are all very quaint and similar in style. I´m looking forward to doing some more substantial exploring tomorrow. My guidebook also describes some so-called "hanging houses" on the cliff down by the river, which certainly sound intriguing. More to come on that front. For the rest of the evening, I´m planning to walk over to one of the restaurants mentioned in my guidebook called Guajibama for some delicious dinner. After that: who knows? The possibilities are endless in a city as wonderful as this. Speaking of which, when I was asking about available rooms, Esperanza asked me how long I would be staying. I told her one night, perhaps two. As she finished checking me in, she said something to the effect of "Oh, and by the way, you´re going to go ahead and want to stay two nights instead of just one. Cuenca is a great and beautiful city". Well Esperanza, my goal for tomorrow is to try desperately to prove you wrong and, with any luck, to fail horribly.
As for the craft market, it really wasn´t anything special. There were some handmade crafts, but it consisted largely of things you could buy at a store: nike shoes, brand-name tshirts, etc. So far, nothing has really held up to the wonder that is Otavalo (the huge street fair North of Quito that I visited earlier in the trip). I´m currently hoping to find some time to venture back there at the end of my trip for some last minute gift purchases.
As for the rest of my morning in Riobamba, my goal was to try to check out a museum of religious art before catching my bus, but due to scheduling conflicts this ultimately didn´t happen. The main reason I wanted to go was to see the 1 meter tall monument made of solid gold with a silver base, adorned with 1500 jewels of various types and weighing in at an impressive 360 kg. But, alas, I had to leave this golden opportunity behind in order to catch my bus. Oh well.
Next came a 6 hour bus ride to Cuenca. Not much to talk about here -- a little reading and lots of sleeping. And a bit of snacking. I tried these salted nuts, not sure what they were called: quite good. I even shared some with the elderly woman next to me. She seemed appreciative. For lunch I had a croissant and cheese empanada from a panaderia at one of our pit stops; both were rather uninspired.
And now, I have officially arrived in Cuenca. After roaming the city for a bit, I currently find myself typing away at a local internet cafe, conveniently located right next door to my newest habitation, a hostel called Turista del Mundo. This hostel also came with recommendations from Natalie and Chris, and so far it is definitely standing up to the praise they gave it. It is run by a wonderfully amiable woman, named Esperanza, and her son. My room is small but clean, equipped with a private bathroom and shower, pretty much everything I could ask for. Also, above and beyond what I might ask for, there is a balcony atop the building with an impressive view of the city. I have yet to spend much time up there, but anticipate it will make for some wonderful pictures (sunset, perhaps?). There is also a TV with movies upstairs, though I´m considering maybe heading to the actual movie theatre tomorrow for some fun in the afternoon.
As for the city of Cuenca, my guidebook describes it as Ecuador´s second my important and beautiful colonial city (after Quito). Though I was rather uninpressed as I first left the bus terminal and traveled through the downtown area, as I got a bit farther out a started to see its true charm. It really is a gorgeous city. Pretty much all of the streets are made of cobblestone, and the houses are all very quaint and similar in style. I´m looking forward to doing some more substantial exploring tomorrow. My guidebook also describes some so-called "hanging houses" on the cliff down by the river, which certainly sound intriguing. More to come on that front. For the rest of the evening, I´m planning to walk over to one of the restaurants mentioned in my guidebook called Guajibama for some delicious dinner. After that: who knows? The possibilities are endless in a city as wonderful as this. Speaking of which, when I was asking about available rooms, Esperanza asked me how long I would be staying. I told her one night, perhaps two. As she finished checking me in, she said something to the effect of "Oh, and by the way, you´re going to go ahead and want to stay two nights instead of just one. Cuenca is a great and beautiful city". Well Esperanza, my goal for tomorrow is to try desperately to prove you wrong and, with any luck, to fail horribly.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Exploration and Edible Enlightenment
Ah, what a fantastic start to my weekend adventure! I made it safely to Riobamba this afternoon; I spent several hours exploring (read: getting lost in) the city. My major goal for today was to find a spectacular view of the surrounding hills/valleys, as well as Chimborazo, an inactive volcano and the highest peak in Ecuador. Natalie and Chris had told me that the views from Riobamba were incredible, and that's pretty much the reason I came here. After some time, I finally found a suitable view from a viewpoint (go figure) in one of the city parks. It was fantastic. I really with I could have gotten closer/higher. I spent some time taking pictures, which I'm sure won't do it justice.
I wandered around for the rest of the afternoon looking for an even better view, but never really got one. I had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Abuela Rosa's, which came recommended by my handy travel guide. The restaurant served up tasty Ecuadorian treats a la carte; I ordered three dishes, each of which was absolutely fantastic, including a chicken tamal (very tasty -- it was the second one I have tried so far in Ecuador; both were unique and flavorful), humitas de sal (similar to a tamal and made from corn -- savory and delicious, it was probably my favorite dish I have tried so far), and a quimbolito (a sweet pastry also made from corn). All three were wrapped in some sort of husk or leaf. Oh yeah, they also served me a really interesting appetizer consisting of these small, seasoned nuts (I think) that tastely remarkably similar to the ceareal Smack's (the one with the frog on the box -- I actually had to Google a list of breakfast cereals to remember the name). All in all, it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I had been hoping to have a meal like this for a while now, actually. Like I mentioned before, the meals here are often very similar in type, though they do still manage to make them unique in their own ways. I never really get to choose what I want for breakfast or dinner, since it is cooked by the midwives. As for lunch, I'm always with the other students, so choosing for myself can be hard; we usually end up going to a place that serves "almuerzos" (this directly translates to lunch, but refers to the fact that they serve a single, set meal for lunch rather than having an a la carte menu -- the meal itself is as I described previously: soup, rice, meat, veggie. Tasty, but repetitive. Also, it is waaay too much food more me. However, the fact that almuerzos are super cheap and offer a lot of food is the big selling point for some of my compatriots). Long story short, I haven't had much opportunity to do much exploring in the way of local foods -- the foods they serve up at the street carts always catch my eye (and nose), and the few I have tried have been phenomenal -- or to get my hands on some of the local delicacies that come highly recommended from previous visitors of the wonderful land of culinary delights.
Ah yes, speaking of which, I also got to try something new on the bus ride over. I bought it from a stand at one of the bus stations (of which there are usually lots). I had seen this food before, but had yet to try it. They serve it in a little handheld plastic bag with a spoon. The one I got today had some sort of little corn-like kernels, potatoes, and a meat (beef?) that had an interesting crunch to it. They had sauces to top it off with, which made the whole dish quite delish.
After dinner I starting making my way to the hostel I had planned to stay at, which came recommended both by Natalie/Chris as well as my travel guide, known as Hostel Oasis. After a while it started to get dark, so I decided to play it safe and hopped in a cab for the rest of the way (I figured I could spare the $1). Right now I'm in the lounge using a laptop. The hostel is absolutely perfect; it is every traveler's dream. The rooms are centered around a little garden and located behind the owner's house. Just as I heard from the recommendations, she is a wonderful host. The rooms are small but wonderfully clean and tidy, and include a small TV and nice little bathroom. It is a super cute place that I would definitely recommend to anyone. It cost me $12 for the night.
One last thing before I sign off. I realized I forgot to talk about my 4th of July extravaganza in my previous posts. I wouldn't want you to miss out on even a minute of my wonderful Ecuadorian antics, so here it goes. Even though I was still recovering at the time, we decided to meet up with some other freedom-loving American's that Natalie knew for a good ol' fashioned BBQ. They work for a company here called Runa, which is run by American students, employees and interns. I still don't completely understand what they do, but I know that they work with a local tea known as Guayusa, which is really popular here, particularly among the Kichwa natives. Anyway, we went to their house in Tena. We were told to bring out our stuff to grill, so we started by buying some veggies and a pineapple. We were going to get some raw meat, too, but we ended up passing some street vendors selling precooked kebabs on the way, and we figured that would be a much easier (as well as much more seasoned, and thus more delicious) alternative. We were right on both accounts. I got a beef kebab and a mixed sausage one -- both were really good. I can't wait to (carefully) try my way around some more street food. The party itself was fun; we lit off some fireworks and had a generally good time celebrating liberty, justice, hamburgers, and all that jazz. Makes me miss home a bit -- I know by the end of my trip I will certainly be ready to return to the land of the family, friends and the familiar; as for now, let the adventure continue!
I wandered around for the rest of the afternoon looking for an even better view, but never really got one. I had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Abuela Rosa's, which came recommended by my handy travel guide. The restaurant served up tasty Ecuadorian treats a la carte; I ordered three dishes, each of which was absolutely fantastic, including a chicken tamal (very tasty -- it was the second one I have tried so far in Ecuador; both were unique and flavorful), humitas de sal (similar to a tamal and made from corn -- savory and delicious, it was probably my favorite dish I have tried so far), and a quimbolito (a sweet pastry also made from corn). All three were wrapped in some sort of husk or leaf. Oh yeah, they also served me a really interesting appetizer consisting of these small, seasoned nuts (I think) that tastely remarkably similar to the ceareal Smack's (the one with the frog on the box -- I actually had to Google a list of breakfast cereals to remember the name). All in all, it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I had been hoping to have a meal like this for a while now, actually. Like I mentioned before, the meals here are often very similar in type, though they do still manage to make them unique in their own ways. I never really get to choose what I want for breakfast or dinner, since it is cooked by the midwives. As for lunch, I'm always with the other students, so choosing for myself can be hard; we usually end up going to a place that serves "almuerzos" (this directly translates to lunch, but refers to the fact that they serve a single, set meal for lunch rather than having an a la carte menu -- the meal itself is as I described previously: soup, rice, meat, veggie. Tasty, but repetitive. Also, it is waaay too much food more me. However, the fact that almuerzos are super cheap and offer a lot of food is the big selling point for some of my compatriots). Long story short, I haven't had much opportunity to do much exploring in the way of local foods -- the foods they serve up at the street carts always catch my eye (and nose), and the few I have tried have been phenomenal -- or to get my hands on some of the local delicacies that come highly recommended from previous visitors of the wonderful land of culinary delights.
Ah yes, speaking of which, I also got to try something new on the bus ride over. I bought it from a stand at one of the bus stations (of which there are usually lots). I had seen this food before, but had yet to try it. They serve it in a little handheld plastic bag with a spoon. The one I got today had some sort of little corn-like kernels, potatoes, and a meat (beef?) that had an interesting crunch to it. They had sauces to top it off with, which made the whole dish quite delish.
After dinner I starting making my way to the hostel I had planned to stay at, which came recommended both by Natalie/Chris as well as my travel guide, known as Hostel Oasis. After a while it started to get dark, so I decided to play it safe and hopped in a cab for the rest of the way (I figured I could spare the $1). Right now I'm in the lounge using a laptop. The hostel is absolutely perfect; it is every traveler's dream. The rooms are centered around a little garden and located behind the owner's house. Just as I heard from the recommendations, she is a wonderful host. The rooms are small but wonderfully clean and tidy, and include a small TV and nice little bathroom. It is a super cute place that I would definitely recommend to anyone. It cost me $12 for the night.
One last thing before I sign off. I realized I forgot to talk about my 4th of July extravaganza in my previous posts. I wouldn't want you to miss out on even a minute of my wonderful Ecuadorian antics, so here it goes. Even though I was still recovering at the time, we decided to meet up with some other freedom-loving American's that Natalie knew for a good ol' fashioned BBQ. They work for a company here called Runa, which is run by American students, employees and interns. I still don't completely understand what they do, but I know that they work with a local tea known as Guayusa, which is really popular here, particularly among the Kichwa natives. Anyway, we went to their house in Tena. We were told to bring out our stuff to grill, so we started by buying some veggies and a pineapple. We were going to get some raw meat, too, but we ended up passing some street vendors selling precooked kebabs on the way, and we figured that would be a much easier (as well as much more seasoned, and thus more delicious) alternative. We were right on both accounts. I got a beef kebab and a mixed sausage one -- both were really good. I can't wait to (carefully) try my way around some more street food. The party itself was fun; we lit off some fireworks and had a generally good time celebrating liberty, justice, hamburgers, and all that jazz. Makes me miss home a bit -- I know by the end of my trip I will certainly be ready to return to the land of the family, friends and the familiar; as for now, let the adventure continue!
An Early Start To My Weekend Wanderings
Well, this is it, ladies and gents. The beginning of my first adventure as a solo international traveler. I´ve got my with my Kindle and travel guide in hand, some cash in my pocket, and little more than the clothes on my back, I am officially embarking on my several day quest for awesomeness.
So the plan was to kick off the day with some tubing down the river in Archidona, then head out in the afternoon. However, upon waking up to a rather fierce rainstorm -- probably the heaviest it has rained since I got here (it rains pretty frequently, but usually it´s light and brief) -- plans were changed. My up-until-now roommate and companion Danny took off for Quito, marking the end of his stint in Ecuadorian clinical medicine, whilst I myself headed off to Tena, where I currently sit, patiently awaiting the arrival of a bus, one which promises to take me to places so amazing I can hardly describe them. But what the heck -- let´s give it the old college try.
In just a few minutes, I´m going to set off to the first destination on my itinerary, a town called Riobamba. The bus ride should take about 5 hours. I´ll be staying there overnight, then making the rest of the long journey down to Cuenca the following afternoon. From what I hear, although the town of Riobamba itself isn´t particularly impressive, there are some spectacular landscapes, and there should be some fun stuff to do as well (more to come).
Just wanted to do a quick update. I´m going to head back to the bus station now to ensure that I don´t miss my ride. This is such an incredible feeling to be exploring a new place all on my own. I am super excited -- I have some pretty amazing things in store for the next few days. And now...I´m off!
So the plan was to kick off the day with some tubing down the river in Archidona, then head out in the afternoon. However, upon waking up to a rather fierce rainstorm -- probably the heaviest it has rained since I got here (it rains pretty frequently, but usually it´s light and brief) -- plans were changed. My up-until-now roommate and companion Danny took off for Quito, marking the end of his stint in Ecuadorian clinical medicine, whilst I myself headed off to Tena, where I currently sit, patiently awaiting the arrival of a bus, one which promises to take me to places so amazing I can hardly describe them. But what the heck -- let´s give it the old college try.
In just a few minutes, I´m going to set off to the first destination on my itinerary, a town called Riobamba. The bus ride should take about 5 hours. I´ll be staying there overnight, then making the rest of the long journey down to Cuenca the following afternoon. From what I hear, although the town of Riobamba itself isn´t particularly impressive, there are some spectacular landscapes, and there should be some fun stuff to do as well (more to come).
Just wanted to do a quick update. I´m going to head back to the bus station now to ensure that I don´t miss my ride. This is such an incredible feeling to be exploring a new place all on my own. I am super excited -- I have some pretty amazing things in store for the next few days. And now...I´m off!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Days After Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday
Having cleaned my wounds and bandaged my ego, I have now nearly fully recovered from last week´s endeavors (see post: A Minor Setback). Consequently, I am also once again going full-speed-ahead with my clinical experience. I spent Tuesday in the private hospital in Archidona and Wednesday and Thursday in the larger, public hospital in Tena. Both days had their ups and downs, which has sort of been the experience with all of the clinical time up until to this point. The Archidona hospital serves a smaller population, and is private, so things were rather slow. Or should I say sloooooow. We did some rounds in the morning, and then went to an early lunch around 11:30am. We came back around 1:30pm, but the docs still weren´t back. So we took a 20 minute nap at Natalie´s apartment -- still no go. Ok. Fastforward 45 minutes, after a quick stroll to the river: "Great! They´re bound to be back by now!"
You´ve got to be kidding me...
Anyway, I think you get my point. The doctors took a lunch until 3:00pm or so. We spent the afternoon with a gynecologist, which was ok, but he wasn´t the greatest teacher. I have found that there are three different types of doctors working on Ecuador, and I refer to them appropriately as 1) The Whisperer -- a quiet talker who is virtually impossible to understand in your native tongue, let alone a language you barely speak; 2) The Ecuadorian Fly Catcher -- a doctor who amiably welcomes you to spend time shadowing them, but then doesn´t say a single word to you the entire time you are there, as you if you were oh but a fly on the wall (...ahh, now I get it! -- I told you I named them aptly); and finally, everyone´s personal favorite, 3) The Educator -- a mentor/teacher who not only acknowledges your presence (and speaks in a tone within the realm of human audition), but also goes so far as to inspire young American doctors in the making, teaching them about the situation at hand and making darn sure they know what is going on (which is less often the case than you might expect). Man, what a guy/gal!
Wednesday in Tena there were much more patients, but the docs were still sorta hit or miss. I spent the morning with a gynecologist; we only saw a few patients, but she was a great teacher. At one point we were doing a checkup on a woman who was well into her pregnancy and presenting with new pains. It was just myself and two doctors in the room. Things were pretty slow. The one doing the exam said something to the effect of "ok, she is fully dilated". And that´s when s**t got real. All of the sudden, nurses started appearing out of nowhere. Before I knew it, there we like 20 of them in the room. They were popping out from behind doorways, poking their heads out from behind plants; I´m pretty sure one of them even emerged from a previously empty bathroom.
"Labor?"
"She´s ready?"
"Time to go?"
"Who wants icecream?" (ok, that one was me).
And that, my friends, was the day I officially witnessed my first birth. That´s right, friends. Danny and I were fortunate enough to get to tag along to the operating room and observe all of the shenanigans and tomfoolery that subsequently ensued. It was pretty cool. A bit gross, but cool. Nothing too spectacular of note, save for maybe my observation that the doctor delivering the baby was fully scrubbed in, but wearing crocs with socks on. Also, the baby came out pretty darn blue (I asked Danny how he would rate it on the normal to blue scale, and he appropriately relied "Avatar baby"), but everything turned out fine.
Today we did yet another stint at the Tena hospital. I went on internal medicine rounds with a cool doctor I had met the night before. Saw some neat stuff (one patient had necrotizing fasciitis, post surgery). I spent most of the morning helping the doctor with his charting, assisting him in filling out prescriptions and orders for tests. Though not particularly thrilling, it was pretty fun and certainly educational. I spent the afternoon in the ER and saw some interesting stuff there, too. Of note, a guy with a seriously broken arm who had been continuing to work for several months. I also identified a murmur in a patient with left ventricular heart failure (that is, befor anyone pointed it out to me). That was pretty darn gratifying, especially since heart and lung sounds are dang difficult to get down.
And now comes the fun stuff. I´m going to be doing a bit of adventuring this weekend -- questing, if you will -- all on my own. I´m not sure exactly how it´s going to look yet (I just found out that the bus trip I was planning to make in a single afternoon actually takes 13 hours, so I´m going to have to rework my itinerary a bit), but I have the essential idea in mind. My ultimate destination is Cuenca, where I will probably spend a couple days. There is a national park nearby -- Cajas, I believe -- that I will definitely be hiking during that time. I´m also probably going to make a stop in Banos (either on the way there, back, or both) in order to split up the bus ride a bit. They are famous for their volcano-fueled hot springs. And that´s that! More details will definitely come soon; I just wanted to give all you a bit of information on my upcoming adventure, as I knew you were all waiting with baited breath.
Ok. My companions are beckoning me to leave the internet cafe. More updates to come, along with fantastical adventuring and nonsensical antics. Stay tuned!
You´ve got to be kidding me...
Anyway, I think you get my point. The doctors took a lunch until 3:00pm or so. We spent the afternoon with a gynecologist, which was ok, but he wasn´t the greatest teacher. I have found that there are three different types of doctors working on Ecuador, and I refer to them appropriately as 1) The Whisperer -- a quiet talker who is virtually impossible to understand in your native tongue, let alone a language you barely speak; 2) The Ecuadorian Fly Catcher -- a doctor who amiably welcomes you to spend time shadowing them, but then doesn´t say a single word to you the entire time you are there, as you if you were oh but a fly on the wall (...ahh, now I get it! -- I told you I named them aptly); and finally, everyone´s personal favorite, 3) The Educator -- a mentor/teacher who not only acknowledges your presence (and speaks in a tone within the realm of human audition), but also goes so far as to inspire young American doctors in the making, teaching them about the situation at hand and making darn sure they know what is going on (which is less often the case than you might expect). Man, what a guy/gal!
Wednesday in Tena there were much more patients, but the docs were still sorta hit or miss. I spent the morning with a gynecologist; we only saw a few patients, but she was a great teacher. At one point we were doing a checkup on a woman who was well into her pregnancy and presenting with new pains. It was just myself and two doctors in the room. Things were pretty slow. The one doing the exam said something to the effect of "ok, she is fully dilated". And that´s when s**t got real. All of the sudden, nurses started appearing out of nowhere. Before I knew it, there we like 20 of them in the room. They were popping out from behind doorways, poking their heads out from behind plants; I´m pretty sure one of them even emerged from a previously empty bathroom.
"Labor?"
"She´s ready?"
"Time to go?"
"Who wants icecream?" (ok, that one was me).
And that, my friends, was the day I officially witnessed my first birth. That´s right, friends. Danny and I were fortunate enough to get to tag along to the operating room and observe all of the shenanigans and tomfoolery that subsequently ensued. It was pretty cool. A bit gross, but cool. Nothing too spectacular of note, save for maybe my observation that the doctor delivering the baby was fully scrubbed in, but wearing crocs with socks on. Also, the baby came out pretty darn blue (I asked Danny how he would rate it on the normal to blue scale, and he appropriately relied "Avatar baby"), but everything turned out fine.
Today we did yet another stint at the Tena hospital. I went on internal medicine rounds with a cool doctor I had met the night before. Saw some neat stuff (one patient had necrotizing fasciitis, post surgery). I spent most of the morning helping the doctor with his charting, assisting him in filling out prescriptions and orders for tests. Though not particularly thrilling, it was pretty fun and certainly educational. I spent the afternoon in the ER and saw some interesting stuff there, too. Of note, a guy with a seriously broken arm who had been continuing to work for several months. I also identified a murmur in a patient with left ventricular heart failure (that is, befor anyone pointed it out to me). That was pretty darn gratifying, especially since heart and lung sounds are dang difficult to get down.
And now comes the fun stuff. I´m going to be doing a bit of adventuring this weekend -- questing, if you will -- all on my own. I´m not sure exactly how it´s going to look yet (I just found out that the bus trip I was planning to make in a single afternoon actually takes 13 hours, so I´m going to have to rework my itinerary a bit), but I have the essential idea in mind. My ultimate destination is Cuenca, where I will probably spend a couple days. There is a national park nearby -- Cajas, I believe -- that I will definitely be hiking during that time. I´m also probably going to make a stop in Banos (either on the way there, back, or both) in order to split up the bus ride a bit. They are famous for their volcano-fueled hot springs. And that´s that! More details will definitely come soon; I just wanted to give all you a bit of information on my upcoming adventure, as I knew you were all waiting with baited breath.
Ok. My companions are beckoning me to leave the internet cafe. More updates to come, along with fantastical adventuring and nonsensical antics. Stay tuned!
A Minor Setback
Just as all great epics have their conflicts, all protagonists have obstacles they must overcome, all adventurers meet with disappointment, and all heroes face their eventual downfall, so, too, does my tale have a minor setback of sorts. This is to be expected; what I didn´t expect, however, is that it would rear its ugly head so early into my vacation. But fear not, young lads and lasses! Akin to the great odysseus outwitting the cyclops, the brave perseus defeating medusa, or the fearless Hercules beheading the hydra, I also rose up to the challenge in the face of almost certain defeat, and today I stand triumphant. That´s right -- the hero of this tale has indeed recovered, the beast has been bested, and the epic shall continue.
The setback to which I refer is merely a bit or bout (your choice) of sickness that I ran into over the weekend. Or, rather, it ran into me...you know...like a truck. I woke up Saturday with a fever, nausea, stomach ache, and the worst headache of my life. By sunday I was feeling a bit better, my fever and headache had subsided, but my stomach was killing me. To make a long story short, I spent all of Saturday and Sunday holed up in my cabana. I went to town a bit on Monday -- where I also saw a doctor, since my stomach was still bothering me -- but I mostly just relaxed instead of going into the hospital with the others. All in all, it wasn´t much fun, but it was honestly probably the best time for me to get sick -- far better than during some of the weeks to come, when the adventure will really start to take off (just wait). My companions were actually feeling pretty lazy on Saturday, so they decided to skip clinic that day (it was only going to be a half-day anyway). Sunday was supposed to be a free day during which we would go for a hike and possibly go rafting, but it actually ended up raining a bunch. They still went on the hike and had fun, but I definitely don´t feel like I missed out too much. Overall, I´m just glad to be back on my feet, triumphant -- sword and shield in hand, with the head of this nasty beast adorning my mantel in decoration, its blood staining my boots, its bones comprising my throne, and its loins gracing my dining room table for tonight´s feast. And what a feast it will be! ...Now that I can actually stomach food again.
The setback to which I refer is merely a bit or bout (your choice) of sickness that I ran into over the weekend. Or, rather, it ran into me...you know...like a truck. I woke up Saturday with a fever, nausea, stomach ache, and the worst headache of my life. By sunday I was feeling a bit better, my fever and headache had subsided, but my stomach was killing me. To make a long story short, I spent all of Saturday and Sunday holed up in my cabana. I went to town a bit on Monday -- where I also saw a doctor, since my stomach was still bothering me -- but I mostly just relaxed instead of going into the hospital with the others. All in all, it wasn´t much fun, but it was honestly probably the best time for me to get sick -- far better than during some of the weeks to come, when the adventure will really start to take off (just wait). My companions were actually feeling pretty lazy on Saturday, so they decided to skip clinic that day (it was only going to be a half-day anyway). Sunday was supposed to be a free day during which we would go for a hike and possibly go rafting, but it actually ended up raining a bunch. They still went on the hike and had fun, but I definitely don´t feel like I missed out too much. Overall, I´m just glad to be back on my feet, triumphant -- sword and shield in hand, with the head of this nasty beast adorning my mantel in decoration, its blood staining my boots, its bones comprising my throne, and its loins gracing my dining room table for tonight´s feast. And what a feast it will be! ...Now that I can actually stomach food again.
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