January 5th, 2016 - Day 5
Our fifth day consisted of traveling from Quito to Guayaquil.
As soon as we hit Guayaquil soil many of us could feel the immediate altitude change. Not much was planned after our arrival so we decided to walk around the city and found the style to be most comparable to cities back home. We walked along the bay in the enormous heat, saw some ducks, iguanas and birds among the trees (one pooped on me and brought me good luck) and also came across a theatre. As we kept walking alongside the water we came across a village in the Santa Ana hills near a blue and white lighthouse that reminded me of a picturesque Greece. Although the environment of Guayaquil reminded me of a city back in the States, the park we were walking through had a few more sustainable innovations that I have yet to come across in the states such as a system that collects rain near the front gates of the park, and the unique and artful presentation of recycled materials.
Before and after our walk along the bay, we were provided with two presentations - one from Sydney and Sarah discussing Energy and Transportation and the other from Nick and Shannon discussion Ecuador Volcanoes and Galapagos Geology.
As soon as we hit Guayaquil soil many of us could feel the immediate altitude change. Not much was planned after our arrival so we decided to walk around the city and found the style to be most comparable to cities back home. We walked along the bay in the enormous heat, saw some ducks, iguanas and birds among the trees (one pooped on me and brought me good luck) and also came across a theatre. As we kept walking alongside the water we came across a village in the Santa Ana hills near a blue and white lighthouse that reminded me of a picturesque Greece. Although the environment of Guayaquil reminded me of a city back in the States, the park we were walking through had a few more sustainable innovations that I have yet to come across in the states such as a system that collects rain near the front gates of the park, and the unique and artful presentation of recycled materials.
Before and after our walk along the bay, we were provided with two presentations - one from Sydney and Sarah discussing Energy and Transportation and the other from Nick and Shannon discussion Ecuador Volcanoes and Galapagos Geology.
January 6th, 2016 - Day 6
Another busy but amazing day!! We met a new guide, Eddie, that Tait had been in touch with via e-mail; little did we know he was a photographer too... Our day consisted of amazing fresh new fruit, a relaxing boat ride through the mangrove estuary with the possibility of seeing 385 different species of birds along the way, hiking through the howler monkey trail, and ending the day on a cacao farm learning how chocolate is made! Yum!
In terms of providing information and keeping our group engaged, Eddie was a much better speaker and teacher than Gabriela was, although her genuine kindness was incomparable. Eddie touched upon a few topics that I never heard of before, such as annually paying for a burial plot in order to optimize the most amount of space in this city. He also taught us that 12 feet underneath the ground is where water lies so there is no under ground construction. He also taught us the history and beauty behind the village of Santa Ana. Santa Ana hill was full of huts and poverty in 2000 but was fixed up to what it is now using the donations left over from the park along the waterside. But only the outside of the buildings were refurbished, the inside was extra. The government of Guayaquil also implemented an idea to make the city look prettier and helping the homeless by providing the homeless with jobs to make murals to get rid of the old graffiti on the wall, in turn receiving enough money for shelter.
On the way to the mangrove estuary we made a pit stop at some fruit stands on the side of the street with some of the most delicious and exotic fruits you can find such as Guaba, and Zapote and other classic fruits like bananas and pineapples.
Because it was not torrential downpour and we were riding on a boat, the mangrove estuary was the most peaceful activities we did. The views were beautiful and we encountered about a dozen species of birds, the most popular being the brown pelicans. I don't remember the names of all of the birds but I know JoAnn (another professor from Stockton University) really enjoyed herself, being an avid bird watcher.
The land we walked through to look for howler monkeys was a primary forest that made me feel like I was on the set of a new King Kong movie, so I was a little happy that we did not see monkeys close up, although we definitely heard the loud screeches. Interesting enough we passed through a colony of dangerous fire ants, which apparently have the ability to harm humans. I think these were all signs that the howler monkeys did not want us in the natural habitat they call home. By the way Tait, I am glad your mosquito netting protected you!
The cocao farm was the coolest thing because the process of how chocolate is made is quite a surprise. We began with a fresh chicken and rice lunch (too fresh if you ask me) and then learned about the process of how chocolate is made and even got a first hand experience in making it! Every step of the chocolate making process was a surprise, including the fruit the cacao beans hide in. A large oval shaped, purple colored fruit grows on trees that are actually altered to shorten the growth time of the fruit. This particular farm alters their trees by way of attaching new roots to roots from old trees, shortening the time it takes to grow and increasing productivity. Once the fruits are ready to harvest many years later, they are cut open to extract the cacao beans which are actually covered in a white slime for lack of a better time, but the best part about the slime is that it's edible! Its sweet and tastes like lychees. To speed up productivity, they soak vats of cacao beans to get rid of the white outer shell, and after the cacao bean is finally extracted out of the fruit, the beans sunbathe for a few days, then the comes the chocolate making! After the cacao bean has been extracted and dried, they are officially ready to be roasted and melted down to create chocolate (my favorite sweet). Because the chocolate is so pure the cacao content was extremely high, therefore more bitter tasting than would you would imagine chocolate to be. After some chocolate samples and a chocolate herbal tea, we all bought some chocolate and went on our way back to the luxurious hotel.
This evening a few of us experienced the Ecuadorian equivalent of a laundromat. I'm lucky I went with a few friends from the trip because we got lost trying to find a laundromat that was apparently only 3 blocks away. After some time of searching we decided to put all of our Spanish speaking skill together and ask for directions, although that didn't quite work.. The man we asked to help us ended up not understanding us so he ended up calling his English speaking cousin and had him translate over the phone! And then the man whom we couldn't communicate with walked us to the laundromat. Laundry is very cheap in Ecuador compared to taking clothes to the dry cleaners in the states. An entire basket full of clothes was only $6 and was ready for pick up the next day.
P.S. if Guayaquil is too confusing to pronounce, try saying "Why I Kill" in Amanda's Spanish accent.
In terms of providing information and keeping our group engaged, Eddie was a much better speaker and teacher than Gabriela was, although her genuine kindness was incomparable. Eddie touched upon a few topics that I never heard of before, such as annually paying for a burial plot in order to optimize the most amount of space in this city. He also taught us that 12 feet underneath the ground is where water lies so there is no under ground construction. He also taught us the history and beauty behind the village of Santa Ana. Santa Ana hill was full of huts and poverty in 2000 but was fixed up to what it is now using the donations left over from the park along the waterside. But only the outside of the buildings were refurbished, the inside was extra. The government of Guayaquil also implemented an idea to make the city look prettier and helping the homeless by providing the homeless with jobs to make murals to get rid of the old graffiti on the wall, in turn receiving enough money for shelter.
On the way to the mangrove estuary we made a pit stop at some fruit stands on the side of the street with some of the most delicious and exotic fruits you can find such as Guaba, and Zapote and other classic fruits like bananas and pineapples.
Because it was not torrential downpour and we were riding on a boat, the mangrove estuary was the most peaceful activities we did. The views were beautiful and we encountered about a dozen species of birds, the most popular being the brown pelicans. I don't remember the names of all of the birds but I know JoAnn (another professor from Stockton University) really enjoyed herself, being an avid bird watcher.
The land we walked through to look for howler monkeys was a primary forest that made me feel like I was on the set of a new King Kong movie, so I was a little happy that we did not see monkeys close up, although we definitely heard the loud screeches. Interesting enough we passed through a colony of dangerous fire ants, which apparently have the ability to harm humans. I think these were all signs that the howler monkeys did not want us in the natural habitat they call home. By the way Tait, I am glad your mosquito netting protected you!
The cocao farm was the coolest thing because the process of how chocolate is made is quite a surprise. We began with a fresh chicken and rice lunch (too fresh if you ask me) and then learned about the process of how chocolate is made and even got a first hand experience in making it! Every step of the chocolate making process was a surprise, including the fruit the cacao beans hide in. A large oval shaped, purple colored fruit grows on trees that are actually altered to shorten the growth time of the fruit. This particular farm alters their trees by way of attaching new roots to roots from old trees, shortening the time it takes to grow and increasing productivity. Once the fruits are ready to harvest many years later, they are cut open to extract the cacao beans which are actually covered in a white slime for lack of a better time, but the best part about the slime is that it's edible! Its sweet and tastes like lychees. To speed up productivity, they soak vats of cacao beans to get rid of the white outer shell, and after the cacao bean is finally extracted out of the fruit, the beans sunbathe for a few days, then the comes the chocolate making! After the cacao bean has been extracted and dried, they are officially ready to be roasted and melted down to create chocolate (my favorite sweet). Because the chocolate is so pure the cacao content was extremely high, therefore more bitter tasting than would you would imagine chocolate to be. After some chocolate samples and a chocolate herbal tea, we all bought some chocolate and went on our way back to the luxurious hotel.
This evening a few of us experienced the Ecuadorian equivalent of a laundromat. I'm lucky I went with a few friends from the trip because we got lost trying to find a laundromat that was apparently only 3 blocks away. After some time of searching we decided to put all of our Spanish speaking skill together and ask for directions, although that didn't quite work.. The man we asked to help us ended up not understanding us so he ended up calling his English speaking cousin and had him translate over the phone! And then the man whom we couldn't communicate with walked us to the laundromat. Laundry is very cheap in Ecuador compared to taking clothes to the dry cleaners in the states. An entire basket full of clothes was only $6 and was ready for pick up the next day.
P.S. if Guayaquil is too confusing to pronounce, try saying "Why I Kill" in Amanda's Spanish accent.
January 7th, 2016 - Day 7
Our last day in Guayaquil was a relaxing day. This evening Emily and I had to present the topic of Biodiversity in the Galapagos, a perfect transition since the following day we arrived in the Galapagos.
My classmates ventured out on their own, some decided to go to the iguana park, others to the markets, and the others to the "Boardwalk". I spent this day hanging out in peace and quiet in the hotel room preparing my portion of the presentation to present in front of a bunch of environmental and sustainability majors, one of which I am not, so I had to fact check multiple times and be prepared for any questions that could have thrown me off guard. For dinner Emily and I decided to get a pizza from the Pizza Hut next door and gorge ourselves on cheese slices before the presentation.
My classmates ventured out on their own, some decided to go to the iguana park, others to the markets, and the others to the "Boardwalk". I spent this day hanging out in peace and quiet in the hotel room preparing my portion of the presentation to present in front of a bunch of environmental and sustainability majors, one of which I am not, so I had to fact check multiple times and be prepared for any questions that could have thrown me off guard. For dinner Emily and I decided to get a pizza from the Pizza Hut next door and gorge ourselves on cheese slices before the presentation.