Tabuga Library Project Idea

Before I head off the the Galapagos, I would like to put this out there:

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a wonderful end of winter.

As most of you know, I am currently in Ecuador, and have been living in the Amazon, the Coast, Quito, and soon I will be in the Galapagos. I will finish my trip with a month long internship living in a poor town on the coast of Ecuador called Tabuga. It is wonderful there, but as you probably know, Ecuador is a third-world-country. An average family from the northshore of Chicago probably has more wealth than an entire town here on the coast.

After seeing all the poverty, I realize that just a little help could really make a difference in Tabuga. For example, the only non-Ecuadorian in town is a Peace Corps volunteer named Kara who built a library with only $250. It is not very big or fancy, but it is the only place in which many people of the town have seen a book. Kara started their first school, and they have their first graduating class coming through. No adults read at all, and the children’s only opportunity to read books is through this library. Education in this area can bring the town out of poverty and provide them with more opportunities.

Sadly, the town is on one of the last areas of untouched jungle/dryforest on the coast of Ecuador. Without other job opportunities, the people are left with no option but to cut down their trees and sell lumber. There are also many medicinal plants endemic to the area that would disappear before we could find a use for them. These are bad situations, both economically and environmentally.

Kara has a lot of good things going, but the work here is not nearly done. There are only a few books in the Library, and I want to get the town its first computer - it doesn't matter the model or age. The people are so kind and welcoming, and I find it sad that they do not understand basic health issues because they have not had the opportunity to learn to read. They do not understand how to eat healthy or exercise, so a lot of women have heart disease or are obese. The average age of pregnancy is 15, yes, the AVERAGE- all because they do not have access to a better education.


So, why am I telling you all this?


Well, my birthday is coming up, and I’m going to pull a Julia Roberts from Eat, Pray, Love. Instead of going out and spending money on drinking or other things for my 21st birthday, I would like to ask for donations. I am completely inspired by this town, and it is amazing how far just a little money can go! After discussing this with my professors and Kara, we have figured out a good way to do this. You can make a tax-deductible donation to an organization called CEIBA (http://www.ceiba.org/donate.htm). They will then send the donated funds to Kara and me to use here in Tabuga. Checks can be made out to Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation with the memo Tabuga Library (very important). Tax-deductible donations can be sent to:

Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation

1202 Williamson Street

Madison, WI 53703

Can you imagine how much of an impact just a little bit can do? Not only are we helping an entire community, but also many others in Ecuador, and ultimately the world due to the environmental benefits that this project can provide. Please consider helping out just a little, and together we can take on a small project with big benefits!

I would not need money until mid/late April. Also, if anyone has any books in Spanish, or an old computer, that would be extremely helpful as well!
(I understand that not everyone has funds to be willing to just write a check, which is fine. Even leaving me words of encouragement or of luck would mean so much! I want to know that people have read this letter at least, and know what this is all about!)

I would not be asking for this unless I was truly committed, which I am. This will be my home for the last month here, and I want to do everything in my power to help these people! I will be blogging as I go along as well, so you can view information about this town beginning April 19th on my blog: www.denaexplorer.blogspot.com


Thank you SO much for your time and support, and have a wonderful spring!


Dena

Town of Tabuga

Some children at the Eco-Center

Marine Biology

I started my Marine Biology class on Monday. We have 3 hours in the morning at USFQ, and then 2 more hours in the afternoon. It is a crash course in Marine Biology so we are ready when we get to the Galapagos. I have already filled up half a notebook, and my writer's bump is as big as ever.
Thursday morning, bright and early, we have a 6:30am flight to Manta. There, we will camp on another beach and study the intertidal zones on the coast. On Sunday, we have a 5:00am flight from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands, where we will load onto a boat. There are 2 boats, and I was put on the Eden with half my group, and a few scientists. I am lucky to be the girl that got her own room because I apparently was yelling in my sleep at the other places, so they put me in my own room. On the boat, we will have snorkeling stops for 7 days straight.
On April 3rd, we arrive on the Island of San Cristobal where we will continue with our Marine Bio course and then conduct some sort of research that is allowed to be done on the Island. The rules are very very strict, so we must simply observe.
I will be turning 21 on April 10th, and we will be on the middle of our studies. I had to buy a mask, fins, and snorkel today. I got everything but the snorkel. Apparently, you can't find contact solution or many other toiletrees on the Islands, and if you do, they are extremely expensive because they were imported a few times. I never realized how expensive toiletrees are in Quito until I had to buy a small bottle of contact solution for 20$ today. Oy.
Anyways, I am super pumped for the Galapagos, and my birthday. I can't believe time is going so fast!

(PS- I started watching Off the Map a few days ago, a new TV show from the producers of Grey's Anatomy or something, but anyways, it is very similar to how I have been living here and what it is like-minus the horrible emergencies-or at least with my group. If you want to get a taste of the unique things here, watch the show. I have seen most of the things mentioned or shown on the first few episodes!)

Banos for Spring Break

Here I am, I actually reached my Spring break after a ton of testing, projects, and papers... a well earned break. My friend Rosaria and Tenzin and I decided to go to Banos, Ecuador, which is known for all of the activities and natural baths. Our friend Amanda came along as well.

Our room in the hostel

The four of us took the 3.5 hour bus ride to the town of Banos, and found our hostel "Canela y Miel" (Cinnamon and Honey). After we arrived, we decided to take a walk around. There were many areas for shopping, and amazing restaurants. We went to a place called "Casa Hood", which was recommended in our guidebooks, and for good reason. It was DELICIOUS! Our waiter was Italian, and seeing as Rosaria comes from an Italian family, they bonded over that.

After lunch, we went to book our rafting trip for the next day. We came across "Geotours" which would eventually turn in to our favorite place in Banos. The guys that worked in Geotours were so nice, and we booked our rafting for the next day. They all met me as "Dinamita", and by the next day, all of their friends, meaning the whole town, knew my name or had heard it.

That night, as we were wandering around, a waiter approached us and told us to come to his restaurant. It was strange, because he took us away from the same restaurant to go to another, but it was worth it because the atmosphere and food in the second one was just delightful. We had a glass of wine and a wonderful Italian dinner. The waiter told me he would marry me and asked us to go dancing. We took photos with the staff because there were not many people in there. Because it was Sunday, nothing was open, so we had to wait for the next night for any nightlife.

me in my wetsuit

The four of us ready to go

in action

under the waterfall

The next morning, we went rafting. We were greeted by a guy named Dario who was adorable, and he took my camera to take photos of us on our raft. We had a few other guides, and practiced our rowing on land before the water. Once we were in the water, they told us it was Class III-IV rapids, meaning that they are strong. At one point Tenzin fell out of the raft. It was so smooth, and Dario happend to have gotten it on video. They also took us to a small waterfall to take photos, and then to a point at which they have no control of the raft, so it could tip over. Amanda, Tenzin, and I got out before that point, but Rosaria stayed in the raft.

After rafting, they gave us lunch. We then drove back to Banos, and Dario invited us out for the night. He was adorable and doesn't speak much English, so we all loved him.
We signed up to go horseback riding at an agency called "Jose and Two Dogs" when we were told at Geotours that we couldn't go paragliding. 

We later decided to try out the local spa, so we went around the corner to get massages with oils, hot stones, and a facial. My new friend from Geotours, Oscar, the secretary, walked us to the spa. After the wonderful experience there, we walked past Geotours again. They all came out and said hello and asked what we were doing later. We went back to the room to change, and went out to meet them.

(Tenzin falling out of our raft)

We found the bar they were telling us about, called "Leprechan Bar", and found Dario right away. He asked me to dance, and we danced Salsa for a while. Later, the city's only rock climbing guide, Paulo, came and asked me to dance as well. I found out that his Uncle is Jose of Jose and Two Dogs, and he had his brother call so we could get into paragliding! It was a wonderful night. We later walked across the street to another bar, and met up with more Geotours guides. I talked to the Jungle guide for a while because I knew a lot of what he knows from my program. He later walked us all home.

The next morning, we got up, and went to Jose and Two Dogs where Paulo's brother walked us to the stables. We got our horses, and I happend to be the only one with any expirience, which is very little expirience, but it was alright. Our horses were not obedient, and our knees and butts hurt so much after just a bit. We rode them up and down the mountains, which was a bit scary. After 2.5 hours, we got to the zipline place, and went down a long zipline that was very high up. Rosaria, Tenzin, and I did the zipline superman style, and Amanda was a bit afraid, so she did it sitting down. It was cool, but only one line and not long enough.

with our horses

Tenzin's horse

View from the ride

(zipline)

Us on the volcano

My horse, Red

We rode the horses back to the stables, paid, registered for paragliding, and then went back to the hotel to pass out. We slept for four hours! We felt really refreshed after, and decided to get a late dinner. As we walked by one of the bars we hear "DINAMITA! DINAMITA!". It was Oscar and his friends. They told us to come, so we changed, and met up with them. Oscar and I danced all night and went on a walk where he showed me more of Banos. Tenzin danced with the same boy as the night before and they took a walk. Rosaria also took a walk, and Amanda went home. It was another beautiful night.

The next day, we got up and went to the Banos (baths) that Banos is known for. We had met this adorable girl named Paula, who was the sister of a Geotours guide. She came with us and hung out with us for a while, so we had an Ecuadorian guide. The pools are yellow from minerals, or regular blue. They get really crowded and dirty though, and after an hour, we went back to change for paragliding.

 

Zip line

We arrived at the place and were driven to the paragliding training center. It turned out that Dario was a pilot as well, even though they had said there was only one in town. Tenzin's friend from the nights before, Henry, was our other pilot, but he was only training. By pilot, I mean the person that stairs the parachute. We were all trained on how to take off and land, and then we were driven to the site. I sat in the trunk with Dario, and he showed me his music the whole way there. He asked me what the Katy Perry songs translated to in Spanish and some other hilarious songs. They don't sound as good in Spanish.

Dario Chilling in the Trunk with me

When we got there, it was SO BEAUTIFUL, and SO COLD! They said that the winds were so strong, they needed to heavier people to go first, and no one else would be able to fly. Of course, I was the smallest, yet heaviest, which actually worked in my favor!

My favorite view

More beauty

Pre-flight

Dario, our pilot, getting ready

Waiting for my turn!

Take off!

In the air!

Rosaria went, and some of the Swedish people in our group, and then it was my turn. I flew with Dario, but the first time we went up, we needed to do an emergency landing, because the carabiners were unbalanced. We landed, and then waited. It was finally my turn, and we took off much cleaner and flew above the mountains. It was AMAZING! We landed a lot more smoothly, and I went to sit down. The winds ended up working out, so everyone got to go. We sat up there for 4.5 hours, and froze our butts off. By the time we were done, it was dark.
We drove back with Dario and joked around the whole ride. He kept saying "oh my gato", (oh my cat), and we couldn't get enough of it. It is now our new phrase!

My pilots- Dario on the left, and Henry on the right

When we got back, Paulo asked me to go out later, so we made plans to meet up.

We drove back and rushed through dinner because it was time for our ride up the Volcano. We had run into our friend Jennifer (my Amazon cabin-mate) who was there with her boyfriend, and they met us for the Volcano ride. They drove us to the look out spot, and gave of Canilazo (cane sugar cider/rum), and we got ice cream and drove back down. The bus was lit up like a party bus, and they played music like a party bus. We got some good photos from the lookout point, and they explained the history of Banos.

View from the lookout point of Banos

When we got back, Rosaria and I went out to meet up with Paulo. Dario was there and had us evaluate his work like a little boy. We gave him all good ratings of course, and then they all left us to go home, and Paulo and I talked all night.

The next morning, we got brunch at a Mexican place, and went shopping for a bit. Oscar let us keep our bags at Geotours, and when we left, we exchanged contact info. We said bye to all of them, and then walked to find our bus home.

Paulo and I out

Beautiful church

Oscar and I- Geotours guy

Interior

Condolence Candles

Beautiful view!

Banos was a wonderful experience, and I left with two new Ecuadorian loves, and a quenched thirst for adventure and fun!

First Time on the Coast

I know that I have not written in a while and that is because I have been on the cost staying at an eco reserve called Lalo Loor. So here is a little of what I did:

Fruit Market

We started on Thursday morning and took about a 6 hour bus ride to the coast. On the way, we stopped at a fruit market with a lot of local fruit. There, I tried yucca bread, which has a weird rubbery taste, but is very good. I also tried a few new fruits and some coconut balls that were similar to macaroons.

Lady selling Peacock feathers

We also stopped a few times to see a cacao plantation, chicle trees (rubber and gum), sun coffee, oil palms, and palm hearts. We learned about sustainable ways to make all of these things. It was very interesting.

our room with all the mosquito nets

When we got to the reserve, we hiked up to a cabin in the middle of the forest that contained 8 bedrooms with 4 bunks and mosquito nets in each. I ended up rooming with a girl and two guys because I was last to claim a room. That night we ate dinner and went on a night walk. Cath taught us how to look for eye shine, which is the strong reflection of the light in different colors and sizes for different animals and bugs looking back at you in the night. I was lucky because I just bought a really strong flashlight for night walks, and my light was the best for eye shine. I spotted hundreds of spiders that night and a few tarantulas. Later, I found a ton of toads around the cabin, a few frogs, and a giant cicada being eaten by a giant spider.

Cool spider I found

Golden Orb Weaver Spider

Maybe a Phonuetria, not sure

Tarantula!

The guy working with us was a 35-years-old 12-year-old named Maximo. Everything that came out of his mouth was a joke, and you could not take him seriously. He was funny, and gave me the nickname “Dena-mita” or “dinamita”, which means dynamite in Spanish. Our TAs are really cool, and their names are Diana and Emilia. Dena in Spanish is closest to Diana, so some people call me that, but after Maximo, they can remember my name easier as the Dena in “dinamita”! I love it. I also learned an Ecuadorian card game called “quarenta” or 40. We played cards a lot.

The next day, we went on hikes through the reserve. My group saw a lot of birds and monkeys, and learned about a cool spider called a golden orb spider that weaves with gold web.

Lalo Loor is named after a man named Lalo Loor who owns all the land and asked CEIBA to manage it because the land all around him is being deforested for wood or to make pasture for cows. (He actually has his own yogurt business, and we ate a lot of it!) People sneak in to cut his wood, but the local police do not do much about it. Sometimes they will confiscate it, but then sell it themselves, so not much is helped in that situation.

We happened to be in the area for a special occasion called Carnival, which is a huge celebration throughout Ecuador in which everyone drinks and celebrates all over. Many people come to the beaches and spray everyone with water or throw water balloons at them. I’m lucky to have only been hit by a squirt bottle and not a balloon like two of my friends were.

We were also at Lalo Loor for a celebration of the completion of a special project called the three forest trail in which an American guy who came to Ecuador for his girlfriend who was in Peace Corps decided to help out the land by building a trail that stretches across three forests. This helps because of all the tourists that come help show that there is an advantage to not cutting down trees and using forest for lumber. They kicked it off with a celebration in the town of Tabuga with all of the locals and the locals from the town next door. This experience was amazing because I will be working in the town, so I met a lot of the locals at the party. It reminded me of a wedding with all the champagne and generations of families there. I met a boy named Arturo who had a mullet sort of thing and looked like he was from the old TV show Saved By the Bell. We danced Latin American style. The locals were very friendly and welcoming, and he asked me all about my family and what the US was like. It was hard because I am used to telling people about my sister having a chromosomal abnormality, but these people are not educated, and if they are its only high school. Obviously, their education is not at all like one you would receive in the US, so I had to really choose how to explain anything to him, but he was very interested in everything I was saying, I just wish my Spanish was better.

I also ran into the Herpetologist/Photographer that I had met at Tiputini named Paul Hamilton. Him and his assistant brought out a giant snake to show the community. It was an indigo snake which is a very big and harmless snake.  I held it and it wrapped around me as all the kids stood around petting it.

Also, I danced with a lot of the little kids. But the end of the night I got everyone to dance with them, and we had a lot of fun with the 5-10 year olds. They LOVED us. They do not see white people often, so it’s cool to them to see any “gringos”.

I met Kari, the girl from Peace Corps with whom I will be working in Tabuga. (Kari’s real name is Kara, but she had to change it because in Spanish, Caro/Cara means “expensive face”, and that would not be a good name.) We finalized my internship plans for mid-April. I will be working in the Library and with medicinal plants and publishing a catalog of all the plants they know in English, Spanish, and just visual for those who cannot read. I also am going to try and fund-raise for the library because the better the library, the better education the people can receive, and then more opportunities will be available for them.

We also had the opportunity to do some work either in the garden at Lalo Loor, observe monkeys, cleanup the Tabuga river, cut new trails, work on exhibits in the Eco-center, or try and destroy  a lot of the abundant the invasive snails. I chose to work on the exhibits in the center because a lot of kids come through. I walked around and gave all of my ideas for each exhibit because I saw a lot that could be improved. The Peace Corps guy I worked with, whose name was James, was very excited about my ideas and told me he had never thought of a lot of it before, and was impressed by how fast and how many ideas came to me.  I felt I had really helped because a lot of kids will come and see the exhibits I helped design.

Map of Lalo Loor

Frigatebirds

Another day we took a day trip to the Mangroves around here which are another type of forest. They are really interesting and have seeds that float through the water and plant themselves in the ground of the water and just sprout from the seed, so basically, the seeds are just little trees. These are the only plants to give “live birth”. There are red, black, and white mangroves. We also saw a ton of Frigatbirds, which have these weird bent wings and fly in abundance around the mangroves.

Isle Corazon

Mangroves

The last day we went to the beaches. Our first beach had a giant turtle cabana which just was built and is a really big thing for the local communities. They also have a natural stone arch, we took photos under it. After lunch, we went to our second beach where we set up tents. We spent the rest of the day at the beach and had a bonfire at night where our teachers, Cath and Joe, played guitar and violin for us. I also wrote a song, or part of one during the day.

HDR of the Beach

The tide was so much further in the middle of the night, so Cath took us down to show us the algae because it lights up when you kick the water. It looks like a hundred fireflies in the water, and when the waves come to the sand, they glow. It is an amazing site, and a marvelous place to sleep.  I was tent-mates with my friends Francesca and Jennifer. We opened the tent up to see the stars, and in the morning, we woke up before the sun came out to watch the sunrise.

Beach at Sunrise

Our tents along the beach

We are on our way back to Quito, and our final exam for the terrestrial part of the course is on Friday! I have a lot of studying to do, and then Spring break for me starts Friday as soon as we get out of the exam!

Sunset

Enjoying a run into the water

My favorite photo I have taken

Mangroves

View from the very top of the Mangrove Island

Stuck in Carnival traffic, we decided to get out and play

Everyone got out of their cars to walk around

I watched the beautiful sunset from a hill

James from Lalo Loor and our crazy guide

Some little girls I was talking to before my mangrove boat arrived

Can you spot the monkey?