Day 13. January 13, 2020. Quito/Mindo, Ecuador.
Today, we take our flight over to Quito, the capitol city of Ecuador, also a valley city. This will be our last main stop along the trip, although once we get there, we will first be staying a night in the cloud forest of Mindo. The flight from Cuenca to Quito is the shortest flight I have ever been on in my life. It was nice. Once we arrive, we stop first at the center of the world, Mitad del Mundo. This is directly at the equator. Ecuador is the highest point along the equator, and therefore, this area specifically is most famously known as the middle of the world. At Mitad del Mundo, the equinoxes take place on March 21 and September 23, where the sun is directly above. Even the name of the city—'Qui’ meaning middle and ‘to’ meaning Earth, just go to show how important Mitad del Mundo is for the people of Quito, which is the second highest city in al of South America. It’s awesome and the group gets to explore some activities that go along with the center of gravity, and we learn more about the indigenous peoples too. There are some weird phenomena that happen at the equator, due to gravity at the center of the globe. I was not able to balance an egg on a nail unfortunately, although I watched a couple of my peers do it and make it look all too easy. I think the side I attempted it on was a little off balance with the equator, because no one was able to complete the task on that side! Seems fishy. We also got to see how water travels in different directions on either side of the equator. When funneling down a drain, for example, the water will flow from different sides depending if you are on Northern or Southern hemisphere from the equator, and directly on the equator, the water funnels straight down. This has to do with the Coriolis effect—an acceleration imparted by Earth’s rotation. Another weird phenomenon that happens is when you try to close your eyes and walk in a straight line down the center of the equator. It ends up feeling like you have drunk goggles on and can hardly balance at all. It was a great experience, and to be able to say that I’ve been to the “center of the world” is definitely a mark off my bucket list.
We head to Mindo, and the cloud forest is pretty, and quite similar to the Amazon rainforest in lushness and moistness, but with different vegetation and much foggier. We are going to get lunch in town, and then everyone has decided that we should go ziplining. I was scared absolutely shitless all day at just the thought of it, I hardly had an appetite at all. Of course, I bit the bullet and went for it. I know that the things that scare us the most are usually the most worth it to do, and I was not the only one who was scared. We all went ziplining through the multiple-line course that allowed you to zip high up across the canopy of the forest. I must say, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of a lifetime. I would do it repeatedly a million times if I could! The feeling of ‘flying’ high above the trees was unlike any other. I know that I’ve said that about many of the experiences throughout this trip, but this time I seriously mean it. Best day ever. All the anxiety was definitely worth it, and in the end, I am just glad that I didn’t chicken out!
We are staying at the Sacha Tamia lodges in Mindo tonight, and after dinner we have two presentations to hear. First, Nicholas Toth and Cassandra Shank, two of my fellow environmental students, are presenting on the cloud forest of Mindo, which we got a taste of today as we hiked to each zip point along the course. Most cloud forests lay at around 3,000-10,000 feet and are also referred to as elfin woodlands or montane rainforests. They are characterized by being covered by thick clouds and fog and usually are very misty. The main difference between the cloud forests and typical rainforests are that the rainforests are usually at much lower elevations. Cloud forests get an average of 99 inches of rainfall per year and have an average temperature of 66.74 degrees Fahrenheit. An interesting fact about Mindo is that it is known as the “capitol for bird watching” in Ecuador because there are just so many amazing species that find solace within the foggy clouds. Even today, as we left the grounds where we ziplined, we saw a few big beautiful yellow-throated toucans! Such amazing birds and very uncommon to see, the birders of the group were so excited. Of course, there are some threats to the cloud forests, just like any other, but since rain and cloud forests in particular are so sensitive to certain environmental and tourism induced pressures, they are always the most at risk. Dangers to the cloud forests at a global scale include deforestation, habitat loss and overall degradation as well as fire, interestingly enough. Tourism also negatively influences these sensitive lands through certain infrastructure, like habitat loss for development, increased waste as well as land and water pollution, and air pollution due to transportation.
After Nick and Cassandra’s presentation, Victoria Saunders, a sustainability major at Stockton, gave a quick but informative presentation on the TOP theory, or the Treadmill of Production. We learned a bit about the TOP theory in the book we read before coming on the trip, titled “Ecuador’s Environmental Revolutions,” and so Victoria spent some time reiterating those facts and figures and making the idea a bit easier to understand. The theory brings together three main ideas—the economy, society, and the environment and considers the relationship between them. These three areas are broken up a little farther and are represented by The Corporation, The State, and The Citizen Worker. Corporations’ main goal is to increase profits. The states’ main goal is to increase the “base of power” and provide jobs as well as ensure citizen’s safety. The citizen worker prevents environmental degradation and social dislocation by putting pressure on the state, who makes the rules and regulations that corporations must abide by. In turn, corporations try to persuade the citizen workers, and this is the basis of how the Treadmill of Production operates. The ecological and social treadmills have a role as well, and in Ecuador specifically, citizen workers use transnational funders to attempt to support and sustain environmental goals. They organize in order to avoid exploitation and are highly concerned with social and environmental welfare. Nongovernmental organizations in Ecuador such as Fundación Natura promote policies and take action primarily to “guarantee the continuance of ecological processes primarily in the areas of environmental education, communications, conservation of biodiversity and environmental law”(Fundación Natura, n.d). It is important to understand the inside-out of the Treadmill of Production to start to be able to make changes in ones own community and globally, by fighting against large corporations and the negative practices that they deem onto not only the environment, but social welfare as well.
Reference
Fundación Natura. (n.d.). Fundacion Natura. Retrieved from https://www.global500.org/index.php/thelaureates/online-directory/item/707-fundacion- natura
Day 14. January 14, 2020. Quito, Ecuador.
Today is a really cool day because we are going to be seeing Quito from the top of Pichincha volcano, which we get to by cable car. It is kind of freaky, and I am really not a fan of heights, but overall the view from the top is beautiful; and after ziplining yesterday I am practically invincible anyway. Once at the top, we hike a bit farther up to get the best views of the city below, surrounded by mountainous volcanic topography. Quito was built at the foothills of Pichincha, which is about 13,000 feet high, whereas Quito is 10,000 feet above sea level. This city is the biggest in Ecuador, and there are many illegals living here. It has around 3 million people currently, although this number is probably not completely accurate due to that fact. The air was so fresh at the top, and I got an empanada con queso and an espresso, of course, because it is never not worth it. At least now I won’t be able to tell if my stomach is in knots from that combo, or the anxiety as we take the cable car back down the mountain!
After this we head to a big, beautiful botanical garden and this is one of the prettiest ones I’ve seen. I loved seeing all the different species they had here, specifically all the bonsai trees. Tait claims that they are bad luck, although that sounds like baloney to me. The orchid rooms where also a staple part of the experience because we got to see all the crazy variations that orchids famously make, like the Dracula orchid which resembles the face of a monkey, and the Trichoceros orchid, which mimics the look of a fly. Very unique and amazing to see in person. Later today we are going on a tour of the Pacari chocolate factory/store and the entire group is excited for this because the chocolate is just delicious.
Once in the tasting room at Pacari, I started to not feel well at all. I still participated in the tasting and had a good time, and even left with a ton of chocolate “souvenirs” for home. Pacari has been operating for 18 years and was founded in Ecuador, and they are very famous now in South America. Pacari means “nature sunrise” in Kichwa, and they are a very environmentally friendly brand. Additionally, they are 100% vegan and only use completely organic chocolate. Supposedly, they pay their famers much more than other companies like Hershey’s’ do, so not only do they like to stay environmental, but they also advocate for social wellbeing too. Our presenter explained the process from cacao harvesting to final chocolate bar. The pulp from the cacao is used for the main processes and must be fermented in a very particular way for best results. I tried some cacao pods raw, which I had never tasted before, but I found it very yummy and fruit-like rather than chocolatey in any sense of the word.
Later in the evening we are allowed to have a free night and go out to dinner and hangout in the town center, but I decided to stay in. My body was very achy, I felt feverish, my throat hurt, and I was tired. I am just happy that none of this hit me until the very end of the trip. I knew it better to get some rest and recoup rather than overdo it, and then end up feeling horrible tomorrow. I felt a little sad because Quito’s Foch Plaza looked super popping for a Tuesday. I drank a ton of water rather than whatever else it would have been if I had decided to go out. My tomorrow self will thank me.
Day 15. January 15, 2020. Quito, Ecuador.
Today is officially the last day we will spend in Ecuador, as tomorrow we head home to New York. I will miss this beautiful and dynamic country, and Diego especially. He has been an amazing tour guide. I am feeling a bit better today and am ready to tackle the Quilotoa hike and hopefully sweat out the rest of whatever is making me feel feverish. We have Dr. Theo Toulkeridis, a geologist, with us today as we embark on the three-hour drive to Volcan Quilotoa. He provided lots of important facts and some blurbs from his own research as we make our way. We stopped at Toachi Canyon, a beautiful forgotten canyon in Ecuador’s countryside, which made for some spectacular views and let us get off the bus for a bit. As we continue on, we end up at an indigenous family’s home. This was one of the most traditional and authentic homes I have seen to on this trip, as they were living in a grass house that had been standing sturdy for over 40 years. They kept with them many guinea pigs, which they would breed and use for food. They also had some crafts to sell, and accepted change as a token of our appreciation for being welcomed into their residence. They grow at least 25 different varieties of potatoes on their land, which I though was amazing; how these people live off their land and continue hybridizing their own vegetables and fruits to sustain life for generations.
We got to Quilotoa and embarked on the hike, after a nice lunch, which would surely take a toll on the knees, but it was well worth it. I hiked all the way down the volcano to the glistening blue waters which sit on the surface today. No one can expect when this volcano may erupt again, but for now, we can enjoy the views and even take a small kayak across the waters if we please. To get back up the volcano, one can purchase a mule ride, which I did. It was a very enjoyable experience. I will say, I felt a bit bad for the mules, but more so for their humans which trek them up and down the volcano day after day.
Quilotoa was beautiful, and so is Cotopaxi from afar. We get to see the gorgeous snow-covered mountain tops from afar, and tomorrow we will step foot on the national lands where Cotopaxi is set. We won’t get to climb to the top, but just to see where it lays is good enough. We are all quite tired, and ready to take the trip back home. Ecuador has been beyond our wildest expectations.