Jun
30
2010
Planting Trees on the Equator, Part Three (Finale)
Author: JesseMonday was another good change of pace with work. Having just moved into their current location and preparing to receive our next volunteer that evening, Clay thought it a perfect opportunity to get some organizing and cleaning done. My chores included dusting the outside of the building, constructing the next volunteer bunk, and cleaning the stairwell and bathroom. My mother would attest to my cleaning abilities; everything looked like new!
Elodie, our new girl from France, came in around 8:30pm in time for dinner. We ate a pumpkin/carrot/ginger/ahi pepper soup with mashed potatoes and a blackberry apple tart for dessert.
Tuesday, Elodie’s first day in the field, was spent showing her the green house (now commonly referred to as the serpent house). We built more corrals, transfered bottled baby trees, cut new bottles, watered, and weeded. Orlando also let me plant an avocado tree in my name. Literally. He cut the seed in half and poked the inside of it through my shirt sleeve, leaving colored marks displaying the letters of my name. Four years from now (June 2014), wherever I am, I will be able to think about my avocado tree dropping fruit somewhere in Ecuador!
For dinner I tried my hand at three Ecuadorian dishes, two of which were a success while the third was a bit bland. Margarita began to think the recipe in the book was a bit off, however, my arroz con leche, stuffed avocados, and newly experimented Caña were a delicious hit.
Wednesday began a new site for machete cleaning: La Y. Half the size of the green house site, it would only require two days between the four of us – my final two with a machete and my final two to keep my snake experience alive! Thus far I had seen 5: 4 “equis” and 1 garden. Sure enough, not even an hour into the day, I was being called from elsewhere in this coastal jungle to see the next find: a five foot Boa constrictor. This was Elodie’s first and my largest. I could see alertness and flight mode instantly filling her mood, as it did mine after the equis Orlando killed in the field. Boas may not be poisonous to the bite like the equis, but they sure can squeeze the life out of you!
That afternoon I introduced Elodie to the English/Spanish park classes at 4pm that Orlando and I had been enjoying about three times per week. This particular class was also joined by Nadine (a Canadian now living in Bahía for over two years), Ramon, and Cheo (another hilarious native Bahían). Getting to know the friendly people that make up most of Bahía’s population, with such profound and appreciated nature always around you, will be one of the things I remember most about this town. After a good hour, Ramon made mention of wanting a drink and we found ourselves on the beach with the sun setting and the high tide crashing at our feet with a liter of wine being passed around. Oh the fresh air – EVERYWHERE! To finish the night, we ate a delicious gallena al horno, another one of Margarita’s gems.
Thursday we wrapped up our “house cleaning” at La Y. One of the rare sunny days in this normally overcast dry season, I embraced the equatorial sun without any sunscreen and went to work. It is a gringo rule to have tanned skin (farmer’s tan doesn’t count) upon returning home from any tropical location, and I was going to do my best to fulfill my stereotype. As we walked around to make sure every tree had been accounted for, we stumbled on the perfect bird’s nest no bigger than your two palms together:
As we sat down for a descanso before heading back to the city, the question came from Clay as to whether or not anyone had had a snake encounter. Literally, ten seconds after a resonating “no” from each of us, Orlando loudly alerted Clay to the four foot garden snake that had camouflaged itself into the color of the tree and was now slithering its way towards Clay’s backside. After a brief scramble, we were at safe distance and a photo session ensued:
That afternoon, I ran to the internet before meeting Ramon, Elodie, and Nadine at Plaza Indio to make our way up to Cerro Seco for a yoga session and day hike. People began catching on to my comments about yoga’s benefits to relieve tension and help with surf preparation while Ramon and Clay wanted a more thorough session than was offered at Punta Gorda on the beach the weekend prior. Orlando and Clay met us atop Cerro Seco inside the foundation community. After getting to know a few of the locals here, we walked out to a perfectly situated, wide open hilltop plaza to begin my first yoga and meditation session as a teacher in half English/half Spanish.
With dirt as our mat, a partly cloudy sky as our light, and the fresh ocean breeze awakening the leaves of the trees that were our walls, we worked slowly and freely through body strengthening and relaxing moves. When the time finally came for a rejuvenating mind/body meditation, we were ready and deserving. Within seconds of my instructions to relax every muscle to reach that meditative connection with your breath, I was trailing off into the serene, natural silence that would have been inevitable without any of my talking. 
Fully alive and enlightened, we then began our ascent to the utmost height of Cerro Seco through a few centuries old forest and beautifully maintained hiking path. We got a few looks of Bahía down below as well as the sun beginning its decent out on the ocean horizon:
However, the most unique aspect of this particular hike was the ability to see the trees I was planting and caring for in full form, some hundreds of years old:
Our path back to sea level was steep and passed through a valley that opened up into beach, sea, and sunset:
The last ten meters to beach landing was particularly steep. One at a time my friends slowly made their way to safety, leaving me as the last. Let’s just say I went it a bit less cautiously and paid for it. I lost my footing on the last few steps and slid down and off a miniature five foot cliff onto the sand and rocks below! Fortunately, it resulted in only a few scratches. My camera, which was in my hand, was just fine. Once it was clear that I was good to go and the laughs began, Elodie made it known that she had it all on video! Don’t worry, I am already working on having her share it with me on Youtube or Facebook. All in all, it was another beautiful, nature-filled day in Bahía and, returning to the house, we were again welcomed by Clay’s masterpiece pizza.
Friday, my last day working for Planet Drum, began with a walk to a vacant lot where a full Pachiche had dropped its seeds and babies were sprouting their heads. This was not the best place for these little guys to fight for their survival, so we uprooted about a hundred and took them to the green house for proper care. Orlando and I prepped the dirt (regular earth dirt, rice shells, sand, and compost dirt) while Elodie prepped bottles and Clay took pictures. Once the puzzle pieces were ready, we finished the job of temporary bottle planting. Near the end of our work I was able to capture a few action shots too:
With my three weeks of work now in the books, I would like to give an account of my parting sentiment. Aside from coming out of it with a solid knowledge of trees and an appreciation of their important place in nature, something that could be inspired from the right book or a NatGeo article, I was able to see this aspect of nature that will always outlive humans! To see the baby Seibo, whose horns had their way with my hands on Thursday, and then the four hundred year old equivalent was a surreal experience. Further, I give Clay and Orlando a lot of credit, not just for the work they do but also for the dedication and passion they exhibit day in and day out. I noticed it whether we were laboring with machetes, working on a compost pit, or finding seeds on a weekend hike. They were always pointing out fully grown equivalents of what we were planting, trying to find more or new types of seeds, and spotting every single empty soda bottle around the city for reuse. It was a wonderful environment to work and learn in, and I would not only recommend it to those that are curious (any age is welcome as a 50 year old couple just left) but also would like to come back someday and do it again!
That night we invited Orlando, Cheo, and Ramon to dinner: sautéed white fish, rice, chifle, and sautéed veggies. We paired our food with some leftover Sangría or passion fruit and sugarcane rum cocktails. My farewell dinner was scrumptious, per usual, and my company the best in Bahía! We stayed up till midnight chatting, playing (learning) the card game Cuarenta, and drinking every last drop.
Saturday would be a day of some tourist activity, but it began with a community mural painting on an ocean side plain white wall. With representatives from Planet Drum, Cerro Seco, and nearby elementary schools, we spent four hours surrounded by an array of colors for use on the beautifully sketched outline. Such activities that make one feel like a kid again always bring an easy smile to my face, and this one was no different:
That afternoon, after ceviche for lunch and a descanso, Ramon accompanied me to the Bahía museum and to visit Miguelito, a 250kg Galapagos turtle straight from the islands themselves. He has a taste for guineos (bananas), so I brought two fresh from the market that morning:
Back at the house we played some Cuarenta and shared a caiparinha. For dinner, we (Elodie, Margarita, Clay, Sol, and Margarita’s family) went to our favorite weekend spot, Churro. At a cost of $4, I had two pork chops cooked over an open flame grill, chifle, rice, beans, a tangy, spicy salsa, and a sprite. Those of you who know me know I do not drink soda, however, the soda in Ecuador is high fructose corn syrup free. It uses real sugar, and you notice the difference! Afterwards, we had a Ron con Pasas ice cream dessert near the point before relaxing in the lively Plaza Indio and watching the high tide waves crash nearby while Clay chased Sol around the fountain. This would be my last view of the Pacific on my trip down here.
The next morning I was up at 6:00am, which became surprisingly easy, to say my thank yous and farewells to Clay and Elodie who were heading to catch waves in Canoa. Then Margarita insisted on using their eco-taxi to get to the bus terminal. We loaded up the bike’s front bench with my bags as well as her and Sol and I was able to squeeze in a quick workout by pedaling across town to make my 8:00am departure to Santo Domingo de Los Colorados. From here I would catch a connection to Latacunga, smack in the middle of the Avenue of Volcanoes in Central Ecuador’s Sierra mountain range.
My first leg was somewhat unexciting being the same landscape as I had experienced for three weeks and now this time through a bus window. However, although cramped and a bit smelly at times, my second leg was a scenic 2,000 meter climb through cloud forests and steep mountainside cliffs. Finally clearing the pass and clouds, the view opened up into my final adventure in South America, the chain of active, snow-capped volcanoes. I was officially in the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador.
