Day 9. January 9, 2020. Zamora, Ecuador.
We head all the way from Cuenca to Zamora today. It is a 5-hour drive, but we stop half-way through in Loja to get lunch. I had pizza for lunch, but only because I am getting a bit tired of rice and beans with fish. The pizza was pretty good, but I also got chips and queso, just because. Loja is a very small city in Ecuador, but they are prominent for many reasons. For one, Loja was the first city to start recycling and using hydropower and solar farms in Ecuador. They are very fond of sustainable energy and started a whole new chapter in their small country once they got on board with it. Additionally, the Cinchona tree was discovered between Loja and Zamora, which is known to cure malaria in the people. An interesting fact about this that Diego shared was that the tree was famously named after the Queen of France who was the first outsider to contract malaria and then be treated with the Cinchona medicine. During the bus ride to the Amazon basin, we have been switching back and forth between hearing facts and stories from Diego, listening to music, and sleeping. Diego talks a lot about lands that we travel across, and as we wind up and down the mountains, he points out plants and grasses to acknowledge. Special grasses native to Africa are planted here in the plains to feed cattle, and the people that live here along the countryside have just recently began to enjoy this sort of food. Typically, Ecuadorians treasure cuy, which is guinea pig, from the Inca times up until conquistadors introduced chicken, cattle, and some other animals for meat later on. Cuy is still a very special/traditional food today, specifically with indigenous groups. People of the countryside still prefer to cook with wood, although propane gas is extremely cheap in Ecuador, at only $1.60 for a tank, which would provide propane for a month. Additionally, the condor, which is the country’s national bird, is also extremely important to the people. They are quite endangered, with only 175 left in Ecuador. There are at least 12 nests, however, that Diego knows of, and we hope to get to see some condors eventually.
Tomorrow we will be hiking through Podocarpus National Park, which will provide a lot of nature for us to discover. According to the Parque Nacional’s official website, “The area around Podocarpus is considered a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation,” because of the high biodiversity and endemism; and is a prime example of mountains in tropical latitudes (National System of Protected Areas, n.d). This amazing park goes all the way from the Andes, across the Amazon rainforest. We are staying at the Copalinga in Zamora, at the Jocotoco Foundation Lodges. It has such a beautiful vibe and the rainforest surrounds us. Birds are chirping, there are monkeys in trees, and green mountains sport panoramic views. The lodge is home to many hummingbirds that buzz by frequently, drinking from feeders just outside the open dining area. This is my favorite place so far, even considering the uphill hike to my lodge with Taylor and Victoria. There is no presentation tonight, and everyone relaxes and hangs out for the evening. Tomorrow is a brand-new day in the Amazon rainforest!
Reference
National System of Protected Areas. (n.d.). NATIONAL SYSTEMOF PROTECTED AREAS-- Podocarpus National Park. Retrieved from http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec/en/areas- protegidas/podocarpus-national-park
Day 10. January 10, 2020. Zamora, Ecuador.
I’ve been feeling bad for my roommate, Taylor, as she has been getting very sick and is going to the hospital today. We were all supposed to be hiking to the waterfall at Podocarpus National Park, but under the circumstances, only a handful of us are going now. While Tait was deciding what the group would do, I sat in the open dining area, eating a lovely breakfast and drinking horchata tea. This tea is something very special in Ecuador and is made of a wide variety mixture of medicinal plants. It has a lovely aroma and a dark pink color to it. While I sat, I got to observe an adorable capuchin monkey eating bananas that the lodge owners left out for him. It is such a cute sight, and I get to watch him so close, eating his bananas so methodically; and all the hummingbirds whizzing by and drinking sugar water. Tait and Diego bring Taylor to the hospital, and Greg goes into town with some of the other group members that have no interest in participating in the physical activity. I find this very odd, but the small group makes the hike to the waterfall that much better. Hiking to the waterfall, seeing all the beautiful orchids and flowering plants along the way, and then showering under the fresh, freezing, Amazon rainforest waters is one of the best experiences of my life. I would not trade that moment for anything else! I felt so free, and open to all of nature’s energies around me. It was a decently intense hike and I felt like I got a really good workout in for the day. It started raining only as we were heading back to the lodges, but it felt perfect and I didn’t’ mind getting rained on in the rainforest.
Later in the day, after lunch, I hike a couple more trails around the lodge. They are extremely beautiful—the rainforest is like no other, and Diego guides us on one hike where he talks about the amazing nature that surrounds. The Amazon has very dry, infertile soil. This seems to not make sense because there is so much life here! But, the perfect combination of sun and rain makes for a very warm and moist area. This makes it easy for plants to grow and thrive. However, much of the biomass is in the canopy rather than on the ground, where the sun does not hit. In contrast, temperate forests keep the organics in the soil better, which is the reason why colder, more humid forests have greater fertility in the soil. Trees in the Amazon rainforest send new roots from their crowns, which then take many years to reach the ground and grow a new tree. Diego also told us that the rainforest is much more active at night than during the day, however there are still chances to see the very rare stream-creepers and white-breasted parakeets, which are endemic to this area and currently in danger of extinction. Nature is amazing, and native to this area are also orchids that mimic the shape of a fly on its leaves and fungi that have been known to parasitize the bodies of ants, lead them to plants and trees to climb about 1 meter up, and then rot their body, leaving nothing but the fungus behind to thrive. There are also Dracula orchids, which resemble the face of a monkey.
I tried to push myself to do one last pretty steep hike after I was already worn out from the day’s activities, but I ended up turning back and going to take a shower, so I could be fresh for dinner. I sit down at the dining area to watch the birds and journal for a while. After dinner, we had a very yummy fruit called babaco, which is Andean papaya specifically from Ecuador, often served with vanilla ice-cream. It was crazy delicious. Afterwards we have a presentation from Moira Sweedner and John Escobar, two of my fellow Stockton students, one an environmental major and one a sustainability major. They presented on life at high elevations, which we all got a taste of at Cajas National Park in the Andes. They talked about life in the Andes and the inner Andean agricultural region. They went over some of the physiological effects and symptoms of increased altitude gain, where both pressure and oxygen decline. If met too quickly with increased altitude, it can cause some serious physiological issues like hypoxia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and in the worst-case scenario, even death. Basically, to deal with these effects a person must acclimate slower to the increasing altitude and drink a lot of water. According to the National Health Service of the UK, if someone believes they are experiencing altitude sickness, it is imperative that they immediately stop and rest where they are, and do not continue to climb higher for a few days. Being sure to drink plenty of water, avoid exercise, and avoid alcohol and smoking. A person’s judgement can become very clouded when experiencing altitude sickness, and that is why it is important to tell whomever you are traveling with what you are experiencing, even if it seems mild (National Health Service, n.d). Luckily, none of us experienced anything horrible when quickly climatizing to the Andes. Many people had shortness of breath, but we generally made sure to drink plenty of water, and whoever felt that they could not go on with a hike stayed on the bus, which was the smart thing to do. Besides climatizing, Moira and John also covered information on the Paramos region, which is essential in that these mountain summits of the tropical Andes are the main water source for the people of the country. Between the tree line and the snow line of the mountains, vegetation works as a filtration system for the water, which is why in the city of Cuenca, water is particularly very clean and safe, being that it is within the Andes. Besides the water, some other major characteristics of the region include 86% of the plant species there being endemic to that area, and it is the fastest evolving biodiversity hotspot! They talked about farming in the steep Andes, where terrace farming and irrigation practices are very important. Volcanic soil from eruptions within the region also help to add minerals to the soil, so overall, it is a good place to farm.
Tomorrow, we are sadly saying goodbye to the Amazon rainforest, and heading back towards the Andes and to the countryside to meet with the indigenous peoples.
Reference
National Health Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/altitude-sickness/
We head all the way from Cuenca to Zamora today. It is a 5-hour drive, but we stop half-way through in Loja to get lunch. I had pizza for lunch, but only because I am getting a bit tired of rice and beans with fish. The pizza was pretty good, but I also got chips and queso, just because. Loja is a very small city in Ecuador, but they are prominent for many reasons. For one, Loja was the first city to start recycling and using hydropower and solar farms in Ecuador. They are very fond of sustainable energy and started a whole new chapter in their small country once they got on board with it. Additionally, the Cinchona tree was discovered between Loja and Zamora, which is known to cure malaria in the people. An interesting fact about this that Diego shared was that the tree was famously named after the Queen of France who was the first outsider to contract malaria and then be treated with the Cinchona medicine. During the bus ride to the Amazon basin, we have been switching back and forth between hearing facts and stories from Diego, listening to music, and sleeping. Diego talks a lot about lands that we travel across, and as we wind up and down the mountains, he points out plants and grasses to acknowledge. Special grasses native to Africa are planted here in the plains to feed cattle, and the people that live here along the countryside have just recently began to enjoy this sort of food. Typically, Ecuadorians treasure cuy, which is guinea pig, from the Inca times up until conquistadors introduced chicken, cattle, and some other animals for meat later on. Cuy is still a very special/traditional food today, specifically with indigenous groups. People of the countryside still prefer to cook with wood, although propane gas is extremely cheap in Ecuador, at only $1.60 for a tank, which would provide propane for a month. Additionally, the condor, which is the country’s national bird, is also extremely important to the people. They are quite endangered, with only 175 left in Ecuador. There are at least 12 nests, however, that Diego knows of, and we hope to get to see some condors eventually.
Tomorrow we will be hiking through Podocarpus National Park, which will provide a lot of nature for us to discover. According to the Parque Nacional’s official website, “The area around Podocarpus is considered a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation,” because of the high biodiversity and endemism; and is a prime example of mountains in tropical latitudes (National System of Protected Areas, n.d). This amazing park goes all the way from the Andes, across the Amazon rainforest. We are staying at the Copalinga in Zamora, at the Jocotoco Foundation Lodges. It has such a beautiful vibe and the rainforest surrounds us. Birds are chirping, there are monkeys in trees, and green mountains sport panoramic views. The lodge is home to many hummingbirds that buzz by frequently, drinking from feeders just outside the open dining area. This is my favorite place so far, even considering the uphill hike to my lodge with Taylor and Victoria. There is no presentation tonight, and everyone relaxes and hangs out for the evening. Tomorrow is a brand-new day in the Amazon rainforest!
Reference
National System of Protected Areas. (n.d.). NATIONAL SYSTEMOF PROTECTED AREAS-- Podocarpus National Park. Retrieved from http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec/en/areas- protegidas/podocarpus-national-park
Day 10. January 10, 2020. Zamora, Ecuador.
I’ve been feeling bad for my roommate, Taylor, as she has been getting very sick and is going to the hospital today. We were all supposed to be hiking to the waterfall at Podocarpus National Park, but under the circumstances, only a handful of us are going now. While Tait was deciding what the group would do, I sat in the open dining area, eating a lovely breakfast and drinking horchata tea. This tea is something very special in Ecuador and is made of a wide variety mixture of medicinal plants. It has a lovely aroma and a dark pink color to it. While I sat, I got to observe an adorable capuchin monkey eating bananas that the lodge owners left out for him. It is such a cute sight, and I get to watch him so close, eating his bananas so methodically; and all the hummingbirds whizzing by and drinking sugar water. Tait and Diego bring Taylor to the hospital, and Greg goes into town with some of the other group members that have no interest in participating in the physical activity. I find this very odd, but the small group makes the hike to the waterfall that much better. Hiking to the waterfall, seeing all the beautiful orchids and flowering plants along the way, and then showering under the fresh, freezing, Amazon rainforest waters is one of the best experiences of my life. I would not trade that moment for anything else! I felt so free, and open to all of nature’s energies around me. It was a decently intense hike and I felt like I got a really good workout in for the day. It started raining only as we were heading back to the lodges, but it felt perfect and I didn’t’ mind getting rained on in the rainforest.
Later in the day, after lunch, I hike a couple more trails around the lodge. They are extremely beautiful—the rainforest is like no other, and Diego guides us on one hike where he talks about the amazing nature that surrounds. The Amazon has very dry, infertile soil. This seems to not make sense because there is so much life here! But, the perfect combination of sun and rain makes for a very warm and moist area. This makes it easy for plants to grow and thrive. However, much of the biomass is in the canopy rather than on the ground, where the sun does not hit. In contrast, temperate forests keep the organics in the soil better, which is the reason why colder, more humid forests have greater fertility in the soil. Trees in the Amazon rainforest send new roots from their crowns, which then take many years to reach the ground and grow a new tree. Diego also told us that the rainforest is much more active at night than during the day, however there are still chances to see the very rare stream-creepers and white-breasted parakeets, which are endemic to this area and currently in danger of extinction. Nature is amazing, and native to this area are also orchids that mimic the shape of a fly on its leaves and fungi that have been known to parasitize the bodies of ants, lead them to plants and trees to climb about 1 meter up, and then rot their body, leaving nothing but the fungus behind to thrive. There are also Dracula orchids, which resemble the face of a monkey.
I tried to push myself to do one last pretty steep hike after I was already worn out from the day’s activities, but I ended up turning back and going to take a shower, so I could be fresh for dinner. I sit down at the dining area to watch the birds and journal for a while. After dinner, we had a very yummy fruit called babaco, which is Andean papaya specifically from Ecuador, often served with vanilla ice-cream. It was crazy delicious. Afterwards we have a presentation from Moira Sweedner and John Escobar, two of my fellow Stockton students, one an environmental major and one a sustainability major. They presented on life at high elevations, which we all got a taste of at Cajas National Park in the Andes. They talked about life in the Andes and the inner Andean agricultural region. They went over some of the physiological effects and symptoms of increased altitude gain, where both pressure and oxygen decline. If met too quickly with increased altitude, it can cause some serious physiological issues like hypoxia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and in the worst-case scenario, even death. Basically, to deal with these effects a person must acclimate slower to the increasing altitude and drink a lot of water. According to the National Health Service of the UK, if someone believes they are experiencing altitude sickness, it is imperative that they immediately stop and rest where they are, and do not continue to climb higher for a few days. Being sure to drink plenty of water, avoid exercise, and avoid alcohol and smoking. A person’s judgement can become very clouded when experiencing altitude sickness, and that is why it is important to tell whomever you are traveling with what you are experiencing, even if it seems mild (National Health Service, n.d). Luckily, none of us experienced anything horrible when quickly climatizing to the Andes. Many people had shortness of breath, but we generally made sure to drink plenty of water, and whoever felt that they could not go on with a hike stayed on the bus, which was the smart thing to do. Besides climatizing, Moira and John also covered information on the Paramos region, which is essential in that these mountain summits of the tropical Andes are the main water source for the people of the country. Between the tree line and the snow line of the mountains, vegetation works as a filtration system for the water, which is why in the city of Cuenca, water is particularly very clean and safe, being that it is within the Andes. Besides the water, some other major characteristics of the region include 86% of the plant species there being endemic to that area, and it is the fastest evolving biodiversity hotspot! They talked about farming in the steep Andes, where terrace farming and irrigation practices are very important. Volcanic soil from eruptions within the region also help to add minerals to the soil, so overall, it is a good place to farm.
Tomorrow, we are sadly saying goodbye to the Amazon rainforest, and heading back towards the Andes and to the countryside to meet with the indigenous peoples.
Reference
National Health Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/altitude-sickness/