June 22, 2008

2008 Itinerary

Saturday evening we celebrated the solstice with a traditional ceremony. Miguel guided us as he explained the significance of each part of the ritual. Several of us donned crocheted masks called “Diablo Huma”. The masks were made out of alpaca wool and had faces on both sides. Many of the masks had tongues sticking out and multi-colored horns and tassels. Wearing the masks, the celebrants danced around to honor the earth, our mother.

Holger talked to us about his village, El Cerrito, which we will visit on Monday. El Cerrito is a small village near the coast where Holger teaches local farmers how to reduce their reliance on chemical fertilizer and pesticides by using organic gardening and sustainable farming practices. He also teaches a regional literacy class on Saturdays to people of all ages. He said that he is able to help people learn to read and write effectively in as little as 3 months. The feeling of satisfaction and self esteem that comes from learning these skills is incredible and is very satisfying for Holger.

Monica and Martha told us about their jobs at Heifer International in Ecuador. Martha has been a veterinarian with Heifer for 18 years. She is the only female veterinarian in all of Heifer International’s programs. She works primarily with the Alpaca farmers, helping to teach them how to care for their animals. Monica is the assistant to the director of Heifer International in Ecuador. She supervises and organizes the study tours in Ecuador as well as overseeing all of the Heifer programs in Ecuador.

Saturday night we collected and identified moths that were attracted to the outside lights. Using her earring loop, Mary Ann showed us how to coax out a moth’s proboscis of the. One Hawk Moth had a proboscis 6 cm long, equal to the length of its body. Many plants in the cloud forest are pollinated only by moths and the length of a plant’s corolla matches the length of a moth’s proboscis. A group of us went for a night hike where we discovered bioluminescent spiders, Spiny Walking Sticks and Whiptail Scorpions.

Sunday morning we went on a hike with guides from Bella Vista, who led us along trails through the cloud forest. The forest felt primeval, with epiphyte-laden trees and vines hanging everywhere. Some trees were loaded with moss, ferns, bromeliads and orchids. Dripping rain added to the overall effect. On the way back it began to rain harder (what a surprise!). Several of us used giant leaves as umbrellas. After “una almuerzo riquisimo,” we boarded the bus and Carlos, our faithful driver, drove us back to Quito.

Q & A for June 22

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