Guess we can't stay put too long, even in beautiful Oregon. Next stop: Spain, where we will spend eight months teaching English in Asturias (and more than a few weekends roaming the rest of Europe). If you enjoyed keeping up with our South American adventures, please visit claireryan-spain.blogspot.com for new postings and pictures beginning October, 2008.
Frogs croaking, hamstrings tender, hot cocoa in hand and rain beginning to fall, we settled in for our second night on the Inca Trail. It was a trying, but rewarding, day for everyone. We awoke at 6am to begin the 3,000 ft ascent up Dead Woman`s Pass which summits at 4,200 m (12, 600 feet), and racked up a good 18 km (over 11 miles) before hobbling into Camp 2 around sunset. The mileage didn`t weigh on us as much as the 3 consecutive mountain passes that had us climbing and descending for hours on end. The knee-jarring Inca Steps got the best of even the toughest hikers. But the views of alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks kept us going, eager to know what lay beyond the next bend.
another amazing lunch. The meals that were provided were always excellent. We then tirely trekked to the nearby Wiñay Wayna at 2,650, the ruins known as the little Machu Picchu and meaning ¨Forever Young¨ in Quechua. It was there we witnessed the clouds parting and the sun casting its brightness on the white peaks opposite us. They looked straight out of the Himilayas. Ruben explained that it was a center for meditation practices of the ¨childrens of the sun, knowledge peoples... like me,¨ which made sense with such a drastic landscape. Blue sky with spots of grey clouds met jagged peaks abruptly turning to jungle before slamming into the river valley where the mighty Urubamaba flows. Just as he explained the flag of the Inca, comprising all the seven colors of the rainbow, a huge rainbow painted itself between the mountains and valley. He quickly took us to the main quarters where he explained the strategic position of the seven windows facing that same valley; each time a rainbow forms, it is in the same spot.
Flashlights in hand, we left camp at 5am to complete the last 2 hours of the 49 km (31 mile) trek to Machu Picchu. When we reached Intipunku, the Sun Gate, by 6:30am, the sky had become light but was covered in heavy mist. We could hardly see 20 m ahead. As other tour companies marched on discouraged, Ruben proceeded to stand on the ledge and blow exasporatedly. ¨I blow clouds away, you got ITTT, the view, it`s incrEDIble.¨ Sure enough, the mist was gone in a matter of minutes,
exposing the ruins we`d pushed ourselves so hard to get to, far below.
We honestly lack the words to describe the journey from here on out. We descended to Machu Picchu as the sky grew brighter and clouds thinner. We marveled at the stonework, only 80% complete when the Spaniards arrived in Cuzco (never to Machu Picchu) in 1533 and the Incas fled to the jungle. Ruben gave another enthusiastic tour before we were given free time to bask in the sun on the terraces; the 10:30am sweet-smelling crowds from Cuzco had yet to arrive. Ryan surmounted the energy to ascend the steep Wiñay Picchu, and got to see the birds-eye view of the condor-shaped ruins.
We all know how much Ryan likes to take photos, and each one tells a bit of this story. Hope you enjoy! They may appear cloudy, but we actually lucked out with a sunny final day at the ruins. We´re headin´ home! See you Monday! For the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/clapoma/PilgrimageToThePicchuS
Breathing heavily as we ascend Cuzco`s steep, narrow streets has become our daily training circuit before the 4-day Inka Trail hike which starts tomorrow. At 10,200 ft (about the height of South Sister) Cuzco is one of the world`s tallest cities... and one of the most unique at that....
... but before we disclose it`s many wonders, we should describe the long, haggard trip that brought us from Ecuadorian highlands down the deserted coastline of Peru. Cuenca, Ecuador`s most colonial city, was our first stop after Rio Verde. The three rivers dissecting its heart and mountains (yes, MORE mountains) rising from all sides presented an intresting contrast between the red-roofed, heavily populated city. We stayed just long enoug to visit two archaeological museums (one with an Incan site, Pumapungo, in its backyard), see our first Ecuadorian soccer game (Cuenca vs. Macara... and a tie....), and dine with a special friend from back home, Jaclyn, who`s been teaching at an orphanage for the past two months.
Lima greeted us with ocean breezes and scorching sun, and brought us full-circle back to the coast. We reunited with the waves after 3 months of highland/jungle travel, and reflected on our journey from the hostel´s quiet backyard. Its sheltered courtyard shut out the noise of the 9.2 million locals and tourists sipping Starbucks and downing Happy Meals while shopping in the expensive botiques of Miraflores.
The alarm rings at 6:30 am and we hit snooze, once….twice…three times before we finally roll out of bed and hustle to get dressed – breakfast was the usual fried eggs and rice, so we didn`t miss much by ¨sleeping in¨. Our last day at El Placer (the school we`ve appropriately named ¨el zoologico¨) has arrived. We should have worn pads under our clothes to prepare for the borage of students who nearly held us captive at the end of the day. ¨No se vayan – Don`t leave!!!!¨ they pleaded.
motivation to want to learn the language – a skill that could potentially earn them job security in the future. We found the best teaching method was through play, by relating a new language with fun tasks such as mask making, color-by-numbers, songs, useful dialogue and fortune tellers, of course all in English. In the short month we´d hoped to have left the students with a basic knowledge of the language, but primarily attempted to peak their interest while exposing them to a new culture.
Diego, two amazingly friendly Argentines who ran the restaurant ¨El Otro Lado¨, offered us a second home by allowing us to stay gratis (free) in their exotic cabañas in exchange for lending a hand in the restaurant during busy weekends. Claire took full advantage of the opportunity to waitress in español, while Ryan did his best to avoid taking photos every 2 minutes of the ¨straight-up-Sidhartha surroundings¨. Bonnie would have been in heaven, gardening in an ideal year-round climate and cooking up her famous Chick-a-Curry for an international crowd. Maybe she can take over the lease when the Argentines finish in August.
Germany. Their caring personalities not only showed through in the custom-made necklaces they crafted for us, but also in the form of generous tidings of homemade strawberry marmalade and garlic butter—which we took the utmost pleasure in accepting. They were such kindred spirits, helping us feel like a big part of their lives even if our stay was short.
It brought us back to Quito, where we reunited with our international amigos at Casa Bambu, a hostel that seems to grab you and makes it tough to leave the capital city. The biggest reunion yet came that Tuesday evening, when Ian, Ryan`s roomate, lived up to his word and arrived to spend a week with us during his own travels through Central and South America. It was a week of unplanned perfection which began with fiestas and parillados (BBQ´s) at Casa Bambu and ended with us back in Rio Verde to begin our month of volunteer teaching. The week was a much-needed reminder of our beautiful friends and family, as well as an opportunity to show Ian the best of our home for the past two and a half months. Between heavenly hikes and high altitude beer pong, cook-offs and concerts with compañeros, the short stay was over before we were ready to say goodbye. However, seven days were better than nothing and we split
paths with Ian as he traveled to Argentina in search of work teaching English; us on the other hand, began our job that very next day.
Despite many materials and weeks of anticipation, we could have never predicted how the first week would go. Upon arrival we had the slightest hesitation about the prospect of living under another family´s roof at our age and after having graduated college. But our worries were immediately extinguished by their generosity and warm hearts. Polivio, his wife Luisa, and family take genuine interest in us and are so great at giving us the respect and freedom we deserve as adults. The apartment-style living situation allows us our own cuarto con baño privado (room with private bathroom) and door of entry to come and go as we please, as well as provides us with a communal kitchen to interact with the four families that share the living space. We are also fortunate to live with a small number of our students, including our host ñaños (brothers and sisters) and cousins who have taken interest in learning guitar and acting as guides on nature excursions
around the area.
The students... oh the students..... Each week is divided between three schools in two towns: El Placer, appropriately named ¨the Pleasure¨ as most families have at least 6 children (one with 13!),
The first week was beyond successful: We initiated mask creation for all grades from Kinder-7th, resulting in monkeys and cats of vivid colors prouling around both towns after the dismissal bell rings. We hope the students also gained an understanding of the English language, having used games and songs to review colors, animals and computers. Perhaps by the end of the month we will have also allowed them a broader perspective of the world, slipping in lessons that include nature conservation tecniques (¨Your trash goes in the garbage can!¨,) as well as cultural differences (¨Not all of what you see in Hollywood movies accuratly portrays the U.S.¨). However, not all was completely successful: Our attempts at teaching English to a group of 25 energetic three and four-year-olds proved frustrating this Friday afternoon. A needed break for the poor teacher, the hour and a half-long locura (craziness) makes us so glad for the weekend.
Maybe we should have knocked on wood when we wrote the previous blog title ¨Mushroom Clouds, Mi Culo: Volcanoes Don´t Scare Us.¨
The Virgen de Agua Santa lived up to her name and helped us to escape a rumbling Baños minutes before the road that leads to Northern, Southern or Western Ecuador was closed. It all began around midnight when we awoke from a deep slumber to Bolivar, the hostal´s friendly night watchman, pounding on the puerta. He relayed to us the message blaring across all the radio stations: ¨The Volcano Tungurahua has increased activity and we need to get our clothes on and get ready to evacuate.¨ We scurried around the room to gather our most important things, before rushing to the hostels common area where we learned more about the situation at hand. Plumes of ash
We spent the next two and a half hours deliberating as to whether or not we should join the masses of fleeing tourists and Baños residents. This was the first time we´d been faced with such a prospect. Should we run to the safety zone, only a few kilometers away or wait for the ¨official alarm¨ to evacuate? Probably against our better judgement, we decided to wait it out in our room with the light on, thereby avoiding doing the same thing at a shelter a mere
We closed our eyes and awaited a siren or a shower of rock and lava, whichever came first. Dozing intermittently between booms, Claire dreamt that we left town. Just the definitive answer we were looking for. By then it was 5 AM, and the explosions and booms had intensified. We rapidly packed our bags and checked out, saying goodbye to Bolivar, who admitted he was finally becoming fearful but felt it was his duty to stay put until all the tourists had either left town or were in the safety zone. He confided in us that in all his life spent in Baños, he had never heard such loud and constant booms from the volcano. Tungurahua first became active in 1999, after an 80-year lull, and had an equal size eruption in 2006, killing six people and displacing thousands.
This photo, taken today, shows the ash (not snow)
on the dangerous side of the volcano
We hurried through deserted streets towards the bus terminal to tremor rattling storefront doors, seemingly applauding our decision. From the bus terminal, we could see the flames and red clouds looming in the darkness just above the tiny town of
Finally, after demanding ¡Vamos! (Let´s Go!) in multiple languages, we were off and avoiding a 15 hr detour East and through the Orient. It was a tiresome ride but we arrived safely in
We´re in Baños again... which could only mean one thing: out of the jungle. This time, our Amazon trip brought us north up the Rio Napo (one of the major tributaries leading to the Amazon River) to a small community called Mondaña, where we spent two weeks volunteering with the Yachana Foundation. An organization dedicated to preserving its 3,600 acre reserve, teaching local kids important sustainable agricultural and tourism skills, and providing healthcare to the community, Yachana was a perfect place to offer our hands. Much had changed since Claire´s last visit as a tourist in January, 2004: the Yachana Technical High School, built 2 1/2 years ago, now hosts 160 students who have been elected as leaders of their small communities to attend the school and return home with many new and valuable skills -- skills directly applicable to their way of life.
But some things remained the same. Delfin and Juan, the two guides with more information than an Amazonian encyclopedia, still lead groups of tourists young and old (mostly old) through dense rain forests, on bird-watching expeditions, grub-munching (yes, actual grubs) cooking classes, and on river floats. We spent the first few days getting adjusted by joining in on the fun with a group of 15 honorary grandparents from the midwest on their tours. We were also fortunate enough to join Tom, the reserve´s conservation manager, on a 4-hr trek through some of the area´s only remaining primary rain forest. The reserve hosts the highest diversity of plant species, remaining undisturbed during years of detremental agriculture, and which results in a dense and towering upper canopy... and plenty of fist-sized creepy crawlers! (It´s amazing how accustomed you become to the constant barrage of mosquitos, flying cockroaches, bullet ants and bizarre spiders.)
By the end of the two weeks one could hear the guitar riffs of Bob Marley and Ben Harper echoing from various corners of the colegio; we taught them song lyrics during two of their english class periods to live guitar, and many others took interest in learning such different music styles during their free time, watching Ryan intently as he strummed to a skank beat. Our other contributions included creating innovative silkscreen designs for the new Yachana t-shirts and introducing recycled paper-making techniques that Claire gleaned from her years in mom Daisy´s at-home workroom.
The rolling green mountains and rushing rivers have earned Baños the name pedazo de cielo, piece of heaven. What better place to recoup from our ayahuasca experience than a somewhere appropriately named ¨baths¨ or ¨bathroom¨, a spot we still visited frequently throughout the week?
The pueblo`s population isn’t listed in Lonely Planet; it was created by an increasing number of tourists coming to the Laguna Quilatoa, Crater Lake’s rival which rests at the town’s edge. A 4 hour hike around the rim brought us to the conclusion that it wasn’t as big as Crater Lake, but equally as beautiful. The emerald green water reflected the steep, heavily vegetated slopes leading up to jagged peaks, which we struggled to climb at such an altitude. After a chilly night’s sleep, we returned to Quito to feast on sushi (that’s right, SALMON in Ecuador!!!) and rest up before heading to Mindo, a tiny, saturated town in the rainy cloud forest 2 ½ hours north of the capital. A high-altitude jungle, the cloud cover holds in heat and creates a tropical environment which keeps you moistly comfortable. It has rained non-stop since we got here, providing us hours of mud-stomping…errr…hiking through beautiful forests. It also hums us to sleep at night, along with the never-ending drown of birds and insects. We continue to rest our soggy bones here before heading back to Quito to stay in a house with some friends we met in Quilatoa, followed by two weeks returning to the Amazon to volunteer at Yachana with the FUNEDESIN Foundation.
Where to begin? With dark tribal paint still tattooed on our faces, we’ve emerged from three days in the el oriente (Amazon Rainforest) near the jungle town of Puyo. After taking a course on shamanism during Claire’s last term at the UO, we received an email from her Chilean professor with an invitation to attend the Gran Ritual, an annual purification ceremony performed by the Mura Shuar de Yawints community of the Ecuadorian Amazon. All who wished to find new energy, dreams and family were welcome to attend. We needed no convincing. Two full days of travel brought us to the tiny town of 16 de agosto, only accessible by loading the bus onto a makeshift ferry and floating it over a raging river.
