Well, I'm back in quito again, but planning on heading down to baños tomorrow.
About two days ago I was staying at a hostel in Pululahua Crater. The crater sits right on the equator and is one of only two inhabited craters in the world. Like most places in the andes, it was beautiful. A nice change of pace from the city. Depending on which side of the mountains you are on around the crater, you can see an extreme variety of plant life. One moment you are walking among cacti and eucaliptis trees, the next you are in a jungle-like cloud forest.
At the hostel, Renato and Paulina gave me a place to stay, food to eat, and work to do. Renato spoke Spanish and English, and his wife and the locals mainly only spoke Spanish. So, it was a wonderful place to practice my language. Within an hour of arriving (after a long journey of hitching buses and rides), Renato put me to work cleaning up trash. In Ecuador, many people throw their garbage in the streets. Even in Pululahua, the local park ranger's front lawn was littered with beer bottles and wine boxes. Garbage is recognized as bad, but little is done regarding the issue. So, i had the fortunate opportunity to pick up trash around the small town of Pululauha. In the process, i met some local people who passed in the street. I met their livestock too, such as cows, pigs, horses, and donkeys, which were often sitting in the streets. Most of the people eyed me down, probably wondering what a gringo was doing picking up trash. Some laughed at me. Some gave me their vocal support. One señora (the park rangers wife) did help me clean the garbage on her front lawn. The animals sniffed me hoping for food. Sorry pig, only basura. By the end, i must have collected about 8 garbage bags full of trash.
My third day in Pululahuah, Renato and I walked down to the school house to talk with the children about the trash problem. The middle school in the crater was one room with one teacher for 7 grades. The teacher kindly allowed us some time to speak with the students. Renato and I talked about the impact of trash locally and globally, taught about recycling (an unfamiliar term), and distinguished the category of bad trash versus organic wastes. Afterward, we went outside and cleaned up the garbage ridden schoolyard together. It was a rewarding experience for me and hopefully for the children also.
After our talk at the school, Renato put me to work on the organic farm feeding the pigs and weeding the alfalfa. It was amazing to see the cycles of the farm. Also, it was nice to get to know and work along with the locals. Every plant and animal fit into a sustaibable mode of production for crops and livestock. Much of the food we ate that week came from the farm. It was delicious.
Some other travelers my age, one from alaska another from canada, showed up at the hostel my fourth day, and i headed back to Quito with them. And thus, the travels continue...
About two days ago I was staying at a hostel in Pululahua Crater. The crater sits right on the equator and is one of only two inhabited craters in the world. Like most places in the andes, it was beautiful. A nice change of pace from the city. Depending on which side of the mountains you are on around the crater, you can see an extreme variety of plant life. One moment you are walking among cacti and eucaliptis trees, the next you are in a jungle-like cloud forest.
At the hostel, Renato and Paulina gave me a place to stay, food to eat, and work to do. Renato spoke Spanish and English, and his wife and the locals mainly only spoke Spanish. So, it was a wonderful place to practice my language. Within an hour of arriving (after a long journey of hitching buses and rides), Renato put me to work cleaning up trash. In Ecuador, many people throw their garbage in the streets. Even in Pululahua, the local park ranger's front lawn was littered with beer bottles and wine boxes. Garbage is recognized as bad, but little is done regarding the issue. So, i had the fortunate opportunity to pick up trash around the small town of Pululauha. In the process, i met some local people who passed in the street. I met their livestock too, such as cows, pigs, horses, and donkeys, which were often sitting in the streets. Most of the people eyed me down, probably wondering what a gringo was doing picking up trash. Some laughed at me. Some gave me their vocal support. One señora (the park rangers wife) did help me clean the garbage on her front lawn. The animals sniffed me hoping for food. Sorry pig, only basura. By the end, i must have collected about 8 garbage bags full of trash.
My third day in Pululahuah, Renato and I walked down to the school house to talk with the children about the trash problem. The middle school in the crater was one room with one teacher for 7 grades. The teacher kindly allowed us some time to speak with the students. Renato and I talked about the impact of trash locally and globally, taught about recycling (an unfamiliar term), and distinguished the category of bad trash versus organic wastes. Afterward, we went outside and cleaned up the garbage ridden schoolyard together. It was a rewarding experience for me and hopefully for the children also.
After our talk at the school, Renato put me to work on the organic farm feeding the pigs and weeding the alfalfa. It was amazing to see the cycles of the farm. Also, it was nice to get to know and work along with the locals. Every plant and animal fit into a sustaibable mode of production for crops and livestock. Much of the food we ate that week came from the farm. It was delicious.
Some other travelers my age, one from alaska another from canada, showed up at the hostel my fourth day, and i headed back to Quito with them. And thus, the travels continue...
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