Before coming to Ecuador I had never really considered how important infrastructure is in holding together a country. In fact, I am still not even sure that I am spelling the word correctly. However, during my time here I have come to appreciate its importance.
Ecuador is a country that really does not have enough money and also is lacking stability. There have been 8 presidents (I believe?) in the last ten years, with the present president facing an huge struggle with congress that could easily lead to his dismissal. It also is a country with a huge foreign debt, and that has not used the natural resources and money that it has wisely, often losing enormous amounts of money to corruption (I think that Ecuador was ranked as the second most corrupt country in the world fairly recently).
Therefore, there is really no significant infrastructure in place. Some quick examples, the sidewalks are not done by the government, but are instead mainained by the private landowners, meaning that they are not at all uniform and often are in terrible condition. The roads are in even worse condition, often death traps. While in the United States there are bridges being built to service towns of 600, the roads between cities in Ecuador are often 1 car wide and made of dirt. The buses are again privately owned, meaning that there is very little regulation of the condition of the municipal buses that domiante the city. The same is true of health care, of education, everything.
This lack of infrastructure is really holding Ecuador back. Something that is not even really thought of in the United States is an incredibly important issue here, where basic services are either extremely bad or lacking entirely. For the rich this actually is not that big of an issue, there are private services here that equal many of the best in the United States, private hospitals, private schools, and a car market with top of the line vehicles. However, for the majority of the country this is an obstacle that is extremely difficult to overcome, and until it is , may well be crippling for the country.
What is the solution? I must admit at this point the situation is extremely difficult, since the country is broke and divided. Serious steps would need to be taken to eliminate corruption before anything could be done, which would mean a shake up of many of the old powerhouses. Also, at least a reconstruction of the payment of the foreign debt would be necessary, since otherwise that will use what little money there is. In truth, foreign aid is probably needed to get the process started, with a careful management of how funds are spent. The other most effective but also maybe most controversial step would be for Ecuador to take more control of its oil resources, since that would represent a huge disposable income, similar to how Venezuala is currently generating income.
This is an issue the United States would be wise to start paying more attention to. The opening of the markets in Ecuador has not helped the majority of people, and they are beginnign to express their anger by moving towards the Chavez model. If the United States is serious about combating the power of Chavez in latin America real aid will be needed, far more than the United States is providing now. The United States had this opportunity nearly 20 years ago, choosing to fight against a popular and effective Ecuadorian president who did not embrace free trade rather than compromising in order to help the Ecuadorian people. That in many ways set in action the last 20 years. What will we do now?
Friday, March 16, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The End Approaching
I woke this morning suddenly realizing that I only had about 2.5 months left in Ecuador. For the first time it did not feel long until my return to the United States. I panicked, I need to do more, see more experience, learn more Spanish, take everything in that I can before I leave. Also, I really began to think what I have learned during my time here.
Once of the most rewarding experiences for me has been learning to just accept a different state of life. Growing up in an upper middle class family in the ‘burbs of Boston I was accustomed to a certain style of life. I do not think that I was too spoiled, I certainly had to work and was not allowed to spend wantonly. However, I also lived a fairly charmed life.
Living here has helped me grow, to experience a somewhat different life. That is not to say that I live in poverty, in fact by Ecuadorian standards I still live a fairly good life. I am in a very nice apartment in the middle of Quito, with a beautiful view and am certainly not suffering. However, I also get woken up in the morning every morning by about 10 roosters (who I am going to shoot if I can ever figure out where they are). I have to turn on the electric heater for the shower 3 hours before I take a shower if I want it to be hot, otherwise no hot water for the house. Even then if Erin, Libby and I all want to shower they all better be under 5 minutes, because the hot water only really lasts about 10 minutes, then it’s a cold shower unless you want to wait another 3 hours. The water pressure is terrible, half of the I half to hold the shower plug while I shower or else it just is a bath, and even then my head is buried in the soap dish (better than the electric shower at my host family’s where if you wanted anything remotely hot you couldn’t have more than a drip). We are lucky in that we have a washer (in my host family the laundry was done by hand on a stone, still fairly common here), but we certainly do not have a dryer and hang all of our clothes to dry. For our stove we have a propane tank, and when that runs out we yell out the window at the gas truck to get a new one. Also, the oven doesn’t have temperature markers, making all baking just sort of guess work. Vacuum cleaners are really expensive so when we want to clean the rugs we just broom really hard, etc.
Sure I will enjoy having many of these things when I return to the United States, especially a shower that is hot and has pressure (and we are lucky, in many apartments even in Quito hot water is a luxury). Still, you quickly begin to realize how much you take for granted that isn’t really necessary in the least. How much less could we live we before the quality of life begins to really suffer? Quite a lot.
Once of the most rewarding experiences for me has been learning to just accept a different state of life. Growing up in an upper middle class family in the ‘burbs of Boston I was accustomed to a certain style of life. I do not think that I was too spoiled, I certainly had to work and was not allowed to spend wantonly. However, I also lived a fairly charmed life.
Living here has helped me grow, to experience a somewhat different life. That is not to say that I live in poverty, in fact by Ecuadorian standards I still live a fairly good life. I am in a very nice apartment in the middle of Quito, with a beautiful view and am certainly not suffering. However, I also get woken up in the morning every morning by about 10 roosters (who I am going to shoot if I can ever figure out where they are). I have to turn on the electric heater for the shower 3 hours before I take a shower if I want it to be hot, otherwise no hot water for the house. Even then if Erin, Libby and I all want to shower they all better be under 5 minutes, because the hot water only really lasts about 10 minutes, then it’s a cold shower unless you want to wait another 3 hours. The water pressure is terrible, half of the I half to hold the shower plug while I shower or else it just is a bath, and even then my head is buried in the soap dish (better than the electric shower at my host family’s where if you wanted anything remotely hot you couldn’t have more than a drip). We are lucky in that we have a washer (in my host family the laundry was done by hand on a stone, still fairly common here), but we certainly do not have a dryer and hang all of our clothes to dry. For our stove we have a propane tank, and when that runs out we yell out the window at the gas truck to get a new one. Also, the oven doesn’t have temperature markers, making all baking just sort of guess work. Vacuum cleaners are really expensive so when we want to clean the rugs we just broom really hard, etc.
Sure I will enjoy having many of these things when I return to the United States, especially a shower that is hot and has pressure (and we are lucky, in many apartments even in Quito hot water is a luxury). Still, you quickly begin to realize how much you take for granted that isn’t really necessary in the least. How much less could we live we before the quality of life begins to really suffer? Quite a lot.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Los Galapagos
If anyone has not been to the Galapagos you should make a point to go at least once in your life. My family, Erin, and I just returned from 5 days there and it was of the most incredible and unique experiences in my life. I truly feel like I just returned from Paradise, and now have to go on living my normal life. From snorkeling with sea lions, sea turtles and sharks to lounging on a white sand beach with iguanas and blue footed boobies, the experience was unbelievable from start to finish. It is the only place I have ever been where wild animals are not the slightest bit scared or sometimes even interested in you, knowing that humans are no threat to them.
The trip was also incredibly informative and thought provoking, teaching about the natural cycle of life among animals, and the effects that humans have upon on that cycle. Each animal in the Galapagos has evolved mechanisms to survive in its habitat. Either by directly killing the animals or by introducing other animals which have an effect on the habitat, humans nearly eliminated many of the most amazing creatures. Only in the last fifty years have strict laws been enforced to stop this process, and the rangers are still struggling to eliminate animals such as rats and goats which destroy the natural cycle on the islands.
I felt like a privileged guest just to be there, with a part of me wondering if I should be there at all. We were restricted to small parts of each island, and were not allowed to touch or go to close to any of the animals, but are humans still having a negative effect? Without the money from tourism it would not be possible to maintain the area and to sponsor institutes like the Darwin institute, so is any other option really possible?
Finally, the whole experience really brought home to me how little we still know about maintaining and helping to preserve nature. Many experiments have been tried on the Galapagos to try and regain some of what was lost, and only some of these experiments have been successful. For the vast majority, the verdict is still out. What is our role in nature, should we simply let nature take its own course, or should we be actively trying to reverse our damage? Also, how can we act to preserve other amazing areas like the Galapagos? There are many parts of the world with incredible wildlife and plants that are being destroyed. Even on the other side of Ecuador there is a real struggle occurring in the rainforest, where the discovery of oil is leading to the destruction of huge swaths of forest. Any efforts to preserve the rainforest need to happen quickly, before the damage becomes irreversible. What is being done?
The trip was also incredibly informative and thought provoking, teaching about the natural cycle of life among animals, and the effects that humans have upon on that cycle. Each animal in the Galapagos has evolved mechanisms to survive in its habitat. Either by directly killing the animals or by introducing other animals which have an effect on the habitat, humans nearly eliminated many of the most amazing creatures. Only in the last fifty years have strict laws been enforced to stop this process, and the rangers are still struggling to eliminate animals such as rats and goats which destroy the natural cycle on the islands.
I felt like a privileged guest just to be there, with a part of me wondering if I should be there at all. We were restricted to small parts of each island, and were not allowed to touch or go to close to any of the animals, but are humans still having a negative effect? Without the money from tourism it would not be possible to maintain the area and to sponsor institutes like the Darwin institute, so is any other option really possible?
Finally, the whole experience really brought home to me how little we still know about maintaining and helping to preserve nature. Many experiments have been tried on the Galapagos to try and regain some of what was lost, and only some of these experiments have been successful. For the vast majority, the verdict is still out. What is our role in nature, should we simply let nature take its own course, or should we be actively trying to reverse our damage? Also, how can we act to preserve other amazing areas like the Galapagos? There are many parts of the world with incredible wildlife and plants that are being destroyed. Even on the other side of Ecuador there is a real struggle occurring in the rainforest, where the discovery of oil is leading to the destruction of huge swaths of forest. Any efforts to preserve the rainforest need to happen quickly, before the damage becomes irreversible. What is being done?
Friday, January 26, 2007
Contradiction
At times I am amazed by the contradictions of Ecuador. My writing is inspired by the death yesterday of the Ecuadorian minister of defense in a helicoptor accident that is still extremely mysterious and confusing, with hopefully more details available after the investigations.
However, the point of this story is that the Ecuadorian minister of defense was a woman who was never in the army. This in the country where the first acceptable questions to ask someone you just met are: are you married? and, do you have kids? For everyone in Ecuador, but especially women, it is an extremely big deal if you are not married by the age of 25, let alone 30. In general, the stereotype of the genders are the norm here, the men are the breadwinners who do very little around the house, with the women cooking almost all of the meals and cleaning all of the clothes by hand.
My spanish teacher, who considers herself progressive, asked Erin and I to write recipes as a practice to using commands in spanish. Then, completely serious, she told me that if I wanted I could write the recipe to a sandwich. This was not even to cook the recipe, you don't need to know how to cook to look up a recipe in a cookbook, but this is simply what is expected of men in Ecuador. Needless to say, she was stunned when I came in the next day with a real recipe, a little more than putting two slices of bread together with something in the middle.
However, in this same country it is possible to install a woman defense minister. In fact, it was just announced that the replacement minister will also be a woman. Compare that to the United States, which in many ways is far more progressive, yet where it would still be extremely difficult to imagine a women Secretary of Defense in a position dominated by aging white men. Does that mean that Ecuador is more progressive than the United States, no absolutely not. Instead, I see it as a symbol of the contradiction of Ecuador and as a statement of the fact that the United States still has a fair way to go.
However, the point of this story is that the Ecuadorian minister of defense was a woman who was never in the army. This in the country where the first acceptable questions to ask someone you just met are: are you married? and, do you have kids? For everyone in Ecuador, but especially women, it is an extremely big deal if you are not married by the age of 25, let alone 30. In general, the stereotype of the genders are the norm here, the men are the breadwinners who do very little around the house, with the women cooking almost all of the meals and cleaning all of the clothes by hand.
My spanish teacher, who considers herself progressive, asked Erin and I to write recipes as a practice to using commands in spanish. Then, completely serious, she told me that if I wanted I could write the recipe to a sandwich. This was not even to cook the recipe, you don't need to know how to cook to look up a recipe in a cookbook, but this is simply what is expected of men in Ecuador. Needless to say, she was stunned when I came in the next day with a real recipe, a little more than putting two slices of bread together with something in the middle.
However, in this same country it is possible to install a woman defense minister. In fact, it was just announced that the replacement minister will also be a woman. Compare that to the United States, which in many ways is far more progressive, yet where it would still be extremely difficult to imagine a women Secretary of Defense in a position dominated by aging white men. Does that mean that Ecuador is more progressive than the United States, no absolutely not. Instead, I see it as a symbol of the contradiction of Ecuador and as a statement of the fact that the United States still has a fair way to go.
Living the life
Hey, so first apologies for no blogs in awhile. I have really just been living a normal life since returning from my travels and haven't felt inspired with anything to write. In many ways I feel that I am finally settling into living in Quito. Returning from my travels was odd in that for the first time I felt like I was returning home here. Although I still have some major issues with Quito, I have grown quite fond of it and am realizing that I will miss it when I leave.
In many ways it is truly a fascinating city. Quito now has 2 million people, up from around 300,000 people around 10 years ago. The city is literally exploding with growth and modernization, with the people just hanging on for dear life and trying to keep up pace. There are new buildings everywhere, each one looking much like the other, and none of them particularly attractive as the main requirement seems to be that they look expensive and are built fast. Also, the vast majority are built with no machines, instead there is a small army of men who built one floor and then stand on it to build the next. In another example, they are building a new airport because the present airport is too small and in the center of the city in a nice residential area. It originally wasn't built in a populated area, but the city has engulfed it and continued another 10 kilometers to the north. Truly incredible change on a scale that is just not seen in the United States.
The frightening aspect to all of this is that no one seems to be able to guide the change at all. All steps to deal with the issues are completely reactive in nature, such as the building of the new airport. However, unless someone does something the city will be disgustingly polluted and completely clogged with traffic in 5 years. It is already well on the way, and there seems to be no end in sight. Cars, which were not a major part of Quito 5-10 years ago are now everywhere, and the efforts at public transportation have not really made a significant impact. Also, there really are no emmission standards, with buses and trucks blowing out clouds of black smoke when they drive past you (really its disgusting, nothing to make you feel like the run was pointless when you inhale a giant black cloud of diesel).
Being in the United States you think about the effects of modernization (for instance there was no internet in 1993), but you don't really feel them. Here you can feel the flood of modernization and globalization and it is crazy. Within 100 kilometers you can go from a first world city to people who are completely capable of living without any machines in the jungle. Huge amounts of land in Quito is simply unowned, not like a national park, but like free for anyone to develope and own if they should so choose. Some of the modernization is definitely good, improving standards of living for millions of Ecuadorians. However, is all of it, or are there important things being lost? Here no one seems to be asking the question, instead they are simply swept along in the tide trying to hang on.
In many ways it is truly a fascinating city. Quito now has 2 million people, up from around 300,000 people around 10 years ago. The city is literally exploding with growth and modernization, with the people just hanging on for dear life and trying to keep up pace. There are new buildings everywhere, each one looking much like the other, and none of them particularly attractive as the main requirement seems to be that they look expensive and are built fast. Also, the vast majority are built with no machines, instead there is a small army of men who built one floor and then stand on it to build the next. In another example, they are building a new airport because the present airport is too small and in the center of the city in a nice residential area. It originally wasn't built in a populated area, but the city has engulfed it and continued another 10 kilometers to the north. Truly incredible change on a scale that is just not seen in the United States.
The frightening aspect to all of this is that no one seems to be able to guide the change at all. All steps to deal with the issues are completely reactive in nature, such as the building of the new airport. However, unless someone does something the city will be disgustingly polluted and completely clogged with traffic in 5 years. It is already well on the way, and there seems to be no end in sight. Cars, which were not a major part of Quito 5-10 years ago are now everywhere, and the efforts at public transportation have not really made a significant impact. Also, there really are no emmission standards, with buses and trucks blowing out clouds of black smoke when they drive past you (really its disgusting, nothing to make you feel like the run was pointless when you inhale a giant black cloud of diesel).
Being in the United States you think about the effects of modernization (for instance there was no internet in 1993), but you don't really feel them. Here you can feel the flood of modernization and globalization and it is crazy. Within 100 kilometers you can go from a first world city to people who are completely capable of living without any machines in the jungle. Huge amounts of land in Quito is simply unowned, not like a national park, but like free for anyone to develope and own if they should so choose. Some of the modernization is definitely good, improving standards of living for millions of Ecuadorians. However, is all of it, or are there important things being lost? Here no one seems to be asking the question, instead they are simply swept along in the tide trying to hang on.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Baños
From Casa Del Suiza, Erin and I returned to Tena, to then take another bus to Banos. Again, between Tena and Puyo (another large city in the rainforest) the road was completely unpaved, and a little wider than my drive way. However, the drive from Puyo to Banos was gorgeous, overlooking luscious green hills dropping down into a river as we steadily climbed back into the Andes. Banos lived up to its reputation as a great place to escape from Quito (it is only about 3.5 hours away). The scenery was stunning, green hills, a huge waterfall right outside our hotel, and tons of outdoor opportunities. Also, the town had more hotels, restaurants, and tour agencies per block than I would have thought was possibly sustainable. You pretty much couldn’t walk a block without seeing one of each, and often more.
We chose a slightly pricier hotel (still dirt cheap by US standards) because it listed squash, tennis, and indoor soccer, and we thought it would be great to be active, especially not being that active and eating a ton in the jungle. However, being Ecuador, it turned out that the indoor soccer and the tennis court were one and the same, meaning that the tennis court was almost completely destroyed. The squash court looked great, but it turned out that two out of their three rackets and the ball were broken. Oh well.
Still, we get to do some other great activities. On the second day Erin and I took a 4 hour horse ride (my first time really riding a horse) up and down part of the volcano overlooking Banos. It was really fun, especially the parts when I was less afraid I was going to die (as the horse descended down a fairly treacherous trail), but I have almost never been that sore in my life. I think I was mostly out of commission for 4 days, and that was including after a 1 hour massage. Nonetheless, we also got to do some great hiking and exploring, even though the weather wasn’t great (interestingly it seemed to rain more in Banos than the rainforest, who would have thought). We also discovered some incredible cafes that I would love to bring back to the states, where we spent most of our time when we weren’t outside.
Finally, on the 29th we returned back to Quito. The bus ride back was perhaps the scariest I have had yet, with the bus driver flying around cars and cliff edges at a speed that I wouldn’t be comfortable with in my car, let alone in a bus. Luckily we survived, and it even got a little better after Erin told the bus driver she was afraid she was going to die. Can’t say that I am thrilled to be back in the dirty city, on my second day back I was hit in the face with a black cloud of pollution from a truck that probably lasted 15 seconds. Hopefully we will be traveling again soon!
We chose a slightly pricier hotel (still dirt cheap by US standards) because it listed squash, tennis, and indoor soccer, and we thought it would be great to be active, especially not being that active and eating a ton in the jungle. However, being Ecuador, it turned out that the indoor soccer and the tennis court were one and the same, meaning that the tennis court was almost completely destroyed. The squash court looked great, but it turned out that two out of their three rackets and the ball were broken. Oh well.
Still, we get to do some other great activities. On the second day Erin and I took a 4 hour horse ride (my first time really riding a horse) up and down part of the volcano overlooking Banos. It was really fun, especially the parts when I was less afraid I was going to die (as the horse descended down a fairly treacherous trail), but I have almost never been that sore in my life. I think I was mostly out of commission for 4 days, and that was including after a 1 hour massage. Nonetheless, we also got to do some great hiking and exploring, even though the weather wasn’t great (interestingly it seemed to rain more in Banos than the rainforest, who would have thought). We also discovered some incredible cafes that I would love to bring back to the states, where we spent most of our time when we weren’t outside.
Finally, on the 29th we returned back to Quito. The bus ride back was perhaps the scariest I have had yet, with the bus driver flying around cars and cliff edges at a speed that I wouldn’t be comfortable with in my car, let alone in a bus. Luckily we survived, and it even got a little better after Erin told the bus driver she was afraid she was going to die. Can’t say that I am thrilled to be back in the dirty city, on my second day back I was hit in the face with a black cloud of pollution from a truck that probably lasted 15 seconds. Hopefully we will be traveling again soon!
The Jungle Excusion
One benefit of English teaching is that I got a 10 day break over Christmas and New Years. Erin and I had both been feeling a little confined by Quito ready, and decided that this presented the perfect opportunity to escape the dirty city and see more of Ecuador. Also, as it turns out, airfare around South America is really expensive, meaning that we could do a lot more if we stuck to buses. Eventually, we decided on a trip that would first go into el oriente (the rainforest), and then head back to Quito by way of Banos, a beautiful town set in the lower hills of the Andes. Being quite a bit, I will divide our trip into two blogs, the first about the jungle, and the second about Banos.
On December 21rst we started off, taking the bus from Quito to the jungle city Tena. Being two major cities in Ecuador you would imagine the road would be paved and fairly fast, but as it turned out we descended some 8000 feet on a dirt road only wide enough for two cars if one pulled over. Some 200 kilometers and 5 hours later we arrived in Tena. Tena was fine, prettier and less crowded than Quito, but still not quite what we were looking for. Luckily we were only staying there one night before continuing our journey to La Casa Del Suiza, where we would stay for 5 days, including Christmas.
Casa Del Suiza truly was unbelievable, everything that we thought that it could be. On a random note, most of the really nice hotels in Ecuador are Swiss, which I don’t really understand but if anyone has an answer I’d love to know. Anyways, we took a one hour bus from Quito to La Punta, which literally was just a point with a restaurant along a river. From there we took a motorized canoe to the resort, which was set a bit up a hill overlooking the river. It truly defined secluded in a way that I may never have experienced. There was a small town behind the resort, but from the balcony off Erin and my bedroom (complete with hammock), we could stare out across the river and jungle with no one in sight. Every day we went out with a local guide and explored the jungle or did other activities to get to know the area. It was truly incredible the different life skills that people there had, they truly used everything that they taught us, be it how to build a house, construct a roof from this leafy plant that was impenetrable to water, to get a medicine from a tree called dragon’s blood, or to shoot a blowgun. Our guide was a tiny man by the name of Jose (shorter than Erin), who nonetheless picked up huge logs and flung them around like it was nothing, utterly incredible to watch.
All in all it was perfect, utterly relaxing and a wonderful way to get back in touch with nature. We tubed down a river, built a raft and then rafted down the river, read, hung out, it was awesome. When we were there the resort was fairly empty, only around 15 guests. We met some fun people, spending Christmas with a British couple on their honeymoon, a Swiss couple on their honeymoon, and a Brit who had taught English for 8 years in Moscow. It definitely did not feel at all like Christmas, with 75 degree sunny weather and more humidity than I thought was possible. Still, I think that was better than hanging out in Quito and missing being at home with friends and family.
Erin and my one concern about the whole thing was the difference in standards between the resort and the town. The resort was beautiful and immaculate, with electricity, hot water, and a swimming pool. The town was definitely much more impoverished, with some houses not having even electricity or running water. Still, after a bunch of thought we really think that the resort is doing good things for the town. The resort employs all people from the town, I think almost half of the town worked there. Also, it is helping in other ways, even installing a water tank that will provide drinkable water to the town and to the resort, which is more than we have in Quito!
On a final note, the last night that we were there it rained harder than I have ever experienced in my life. For those of you who know me well, I am an unbelievably deep sleeper, someone who could probably sleep through someone jumping on me. The rain woke me up at 2:30 AM, and sounded like a giant was pounding on our roof. In four or five hours of rain, the large river outside the lodge completely overflowed, erasing a small island in the middle of the river. It was incredible to witness, quickly reminding Erin and I why this was called the rainforest (up until then it had not rained very much).
On December 21rst we started off, taking the bus from Quito to the jungle city Tena. Being two major cities in Ecuador you would imagine the road would be paved and fairly fast, but as it turned out we descended some 8000 feet on a dirt road only wide enough for two cars if one pulled over. Some 200 kilometers and 5 hours later we arrived in Tena. Tena was fine, prettier and less crowded than Quito, but still not quite what we were looking for. Luckily we were only staying there one night before continuing our journey to La Casa Del Suiza, where we would stay for 5 days, including Christmas.
Casa Del Suiza truly was unbelievable, everything that we thought that it could be. On a random note, most of the really nice hotels in Ecuador are Swiss, which I don’t really understand but if anyone has an answer I’d love to know. Anyways, we took a one hour bus from Quito to La Punta, which literally was just a point with a restaurant along a river. From there we took a motorized canoe to the resort, which was set a bit up a hill overlooking the river. It truly defined secluded in a way that I may never have experienced. There was a small town behind the resort, but from the balcony off Erin and my bedroom (complete with hammock), we could stare out across the river and jungle with no one in sight. Every day we went out with a local guide and explored the jungle or did other activities to get to know the area. It was truly incredible the different life skills that people there had, they truly used everything that they taught us, be it how to build a house, construct a roof from this leafy plant that was impenetrable to water, to get a medicine from a tree called dragon’s blood, or to shoot a blowgun. Our guide was a tiny man by the name of Jose (shorter than Erin), who nonetheless picked up huge logs and flung them around like it was nothing, utterly incredible to watch.
All in all it was perfect, utterly relaxing and a wonderful way to get back in touch with nature. We tubed down a river, built a raft and then rafted down the river, read, hung out, it was awesome. When we were there the resort was fairly empty, only around 15 guests. We met some fun people, spending Christmas with a British couple on their honeymoon, a Swiss couple on their honeymoon, and a Brit who had taught English for 8 years in Moscow. It definitely did not feel at all like Christmas, with 75 degree sunny weather and more humidity than I thought was possible. Still, I think that was better than hanging out in Quito and missing being at home with friends and family.
Erin and my one concern about the whole thing was the difference in standards between the resort and the town. The resort was beautiful and immaculate, with electricity, hot water, and a swimming pool. The town was definitely much more impoverished, with some houses not having even electricity or running water. Still, after a bunch of thought we really think that the resort is doing good things for the town. The resort employs all people from the town, I think almost half of the town worked there. Also, it is helping in other ways, even installing a water tank that will provide drinkable water to the town and to the resort, which is more than we have in Quito!
On a final note, the last night that we were there it rained harder than I have ever experienced in my life. For those of you who know me well, I am an unbelievably deep sleeper, someone who could probably sleep through someone jumping on me. The rain woke me up at 2:30 AM, and sounded like a giant was pounding on our roof. In four or five hours of rain, the large river outside the lodge completely overflowed, erasing a small island in the middle of the river. It was incredible to witness, quickly reminding Erin and I why this was called the rainforest (up until then it had not rained very much).
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