2007 Itinerary
 Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Gather at RDU Airport Wednesday morning. Continental Flight 2223 LV: RDU 11:35 a.m. via Houston AR: QUITO 11:13 p.m. Clear immigration and customs, meet Monica & Sandra of Heifer staff. Proceed to Hostal Los Alpes, our base for the first three nights. We’ll preview each day the evening before, answer questions and provide suggestions on what to wear and bring. We will meet each evening, before or after dinner.
Thursday June 28, 2007
Altitude adaptation day in Quito. First stop: the offices of Heifer Ecuador. Receive an orientation to Heifer projects and assemble teaching boxes for Saturday’s workshop in Paraiso. City tour of Quito. Nightly Group Meeting & Reports: groups share daily ecological, meteorological and cultural observations. We begin the nightly ritual of composing a daily journal entry and answering questions from students who are following along via the Museum’s website. Overnight in Quito at Hostal Los Alpes.
Friday June 29, 2007
Travel to the ‘county’ of Cotacachi. Meet with teachers and students at Morochos’ community school. Lunch with leaders of UNORCAC (Unión de Organizaciones Campesinas de Cotacachi = Union of Farmer Organizations). Hike up to the paramo and the Alpacas project. Nightly Meeting & Reports. Overnight in Quito at Hostal Los Alpes.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Early departure, travel to Pichincha Province. Breakfast and a surprise at Mindo Loma. Travel to El Paraiso, located in the northwestern Pichincha Province to meet with the community and do a workshop with area teachers and students using the teaching boxes created by Ecuador Culture and Ecology Institute 2006 teachers. Nightly Meeting & Reports. Overnight in Mindo at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Hotel.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Cloud Forest Hike and Birding Excursion in the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. We will be watching for hummingbirds. (Ecuador has more species than any country in the world!) Nightly Meeting & Reports. Overnight at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Hotel.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Pack it up. Travel to Quito airport. Fly to Manabi Province. Visit UPOCAM Project (Unión Provincial de Organizaciones Campesinas de Manabí = Union of Farmer Organizations in Manabi Province) Meet with the community. Will we see Burrowing Owls? Nightly Meeting & Reports. Overnight in Portoviejo, one of the oldest cities in Ecuador, at Hotel Quinta San Juan.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Pack it up. Travel to the town of Montecristi, producer of fine hats and other handicrafts. Did you know that “Panama” hats are actually made in Ecuador? Next stop, Jipijapa (say:Heeppy-hoppah) to visit the school of teacher Veronica Conforme, Ecuador ’04 participant, where we’ll observe the school’s distance learning project. Travel to Puerto Lopez. Overnight in Puerto Lopez at Hosteria Mandala, located on the edge of Machalilla National Park. This park encompasses dry tropical forest, coastal marine habitats and humid fog forests on its highest mountains.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Leave early from Puerto Lopez for a boat ride to La Isla de la Plata. Marine mammal observations. Will we see Humpback Whales? Coastal bird hike. Back to the mainland. Closing Meeting. Reflection on the experience. Overnight at the Hosteria Mandala. Happy 4th of July!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Journaling Session at Los Frailes Beach. Travel from Puerto Lopez to Guayaquil on the Sun Road. Dinner in Guayaquil and depart for airport.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Back to the USA! Continental Flight 818 LV: Guayaquil 1:10 am AR: Houston 6:22 am; Continental Flight 2028 LV: Houston 10:30 am AR: RDU 2:17 pm
Maps of Ecuador |
