Monday, January 31, 2011

Note on New Posts

Hello honeyhearts!

Currently, I am still in Ecuador. I just can not seem to leave this amazing country! Sadly, time on my visa is running out; otherwise, I would happily stay another month. I am totally in love with the town I am staying in right now, and will try to add a current blog about it tonight or tomorrow night. 

In the last few days I have published lots of new posts. Yay! Even though I just put them up, they are all dated in the past to reflect when I actually had these adventures. The newest ones are 01/12/11, 01/01/11, 12/28/10, and possibly more if I get really ambitious tonight and tomorrow. Also, I aim to add pictures to the blogs that currently have none. Hopefully that will happen soon.

Thanks for reading!

As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated - especially if you see anything that I could improve upon, such as writing style, types of things to omit or include, etc. etc. 

I LOVE YOU!!!
Bethany



Thursday, January 13, 2011

Adventures in Riobamba, Ecuador

On the way to Riobamba by bus, traveling with my new dear friends, Clayann and Colin (of the state of Washington,) we coincidentally hooked up with their friend Chris (of New Zealand,) and when getting off at the bus terminal we added Becky to the troop. “A gaggle of gringos” we were, adorned with our backpacks, filing down the street to find a hostel. It was my first time, ever, traveling with other backpackers. Even though we were much more noticeable, I felt like much less of an eyesore than when hunting down a hostel alone. We secured a place to stay, unloaded our bags, and explored the city together.

The next day, the 3 “C”s and I went on a shortened version of the famous train ride. It was the touristiest thing any of us had done on this trip. The train tracks are still being repaired, so we were actually in a small bus that rides on the railway. It was hardly worth waking at 5am for, but I did enjoy the stops in two local pueblos. The people were very welcoming to us, giving us smiles and genuine greetings of welcome. Plus, as always, trains are good for seeing the underbelly or backsides of buildings and neighborhoods, things never seen from the road.

The next day, we four had an adventure that I shall never, ever forget. It was like nothing I have ever done in this life. The previous day we had shopped around and procured a mountain biking tour. The owner was meticulous . . . as a way to put it. He talked with us for at least an hour and a half about the tour options, giving us every detail we could have possibly wanted, whether we did or not. That in itself was an experience! We had not even agreed to do the tour yet! Of course we did though. How could we not??

The next morning we all awoke early, to be picked up by our two fantastic guides in a truck loaded with all of the biking equipment one could desire. This is where we were joined by Martin (of Germany) and Diego (of Spain.)  Thus, the 6 of us rode in the covered back of the truck on two comfortable benches all the way to the base of Chimborazo. Chimborazo is a snow-capped, inactive volcano, which has the highest peak in all of Ecuador at 6,310 meters, or 20,702 feet. Many say that it is the highest point in the world, relative to the Earth’s core. Once parked at the base of Chimborazo, next to the first of two refuges for climbers, we unloaded and hiked to the second refuge, arriving at 16,404 feet! Here there are glaciers and lots of snow. It was incredibly beautiful. After having some tea to help us adjust to the high altitude, we descended back to the first refuge and the truck, where our bikes were ready for us to ride.

We biked from 4,800 meters (15,748 feet) to 3,100 meters (10,170 feet.) This took us all day. We began our journey at 8:15am and it ended at 6:00pm, including the drive up. I was the only one in the group that was not an experienced mountain biker. In fact, this was my first try at it. We were told that the trails were good for beginners to advanced bikers. I beg to differ. This ride was indeed not for the faint of heart! For the first little while I was emitting a low scream on the outside, and a loud wail on the inside, as my hands gripped the handle bars for dear life, and I silently prayed that my front wheel would not hit one of the many, many large rocks and potholes on the path. Later, this silent wish repeated itself, replacing my simply not wanting to tumble head over ass, with my strong desire to avoid careening uncontrollably off of the mountain ledges directly to my right and my left.  Occasionally, we would have to stop suddenly and hoist our bikes across wide cracks in the earth’s surface, or a small river.

As I became more comfortable, and more daring, I was following the two lead bikers. At this point, I was having the time of my life, leaving all of my fearful forecasts of broken limbs in the dust. I was flying down the path, carefree, with the wind whipping around me and breathtaking views all around. It was incredible! I cannot emphasize enough how naturally high I felt. Unfortunately, my confidence exceeded my ability. We came to a part in the path, which had deep ruts on either side of a raised, 3 foot wide ridge of grassy dirt. Riding in the ruts was scaring me, because I felt that a slight wrong turn of my wheel would throw me off. The lead rider, at this time, hopped up onto the middle, raised ridge of earth. That looked much safer to ride on. The second risk-taking rider, Colin, followed suit. It looked easy enough. Thus, I tried it and wiped out grandly. I fell hard onto my left side, smashing my hip onto the hard ridge, but the top part of my body fortunately landed in the soft dirt. I almost jumped up and said, “I’m allright!” but Clayann rushed to my side and said, lay there for a minute. This was good advice. The pain shot through me, and I feared that I’d fractured my hip. After a few moments, the majority of the pain subsided, and I realized that I was fine, only scratches and possibly a big bruise to come. This was the beginning of my discovering how well my brakes worked, and definitely learning not following Colin’s nor Chris’ example! Ha ha! (As side note, this new philosophy also held true for crossing the busy streets of the city. Either of the guys would dart out quickly to cross, and one would be very wise not to follow without carefully checking for cars first. Pedestrians have absolutely zero right-of-way here, cross-walks be damned.)

This mountain bike ride was one of the most adventurous and crazy things I have ever done in my life. I maaaaay try it again one day when I am feeling invincible. I am grateful for the experience, as I never would have done it without my new friends. They were incredibly supportive and praised me for how well I did. Thank you!

Pictures to follow as soon as I have 3 or 4 hours and descent wifi to post them. Refer back to this post at a later date to view them.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sign Language

I am in Riobamba, a much larger and busier town than I had imagined. From any high point, such as my hostel roof, you can look out, turn around in a complete circle, and have seen mountains and volcanoes throughout the entire 360 degrees. There are 5 volcanoes within sight of the city. Five!

Today was nice, as Chris (other random solo tourist) and I wandered around and explored the cities high points and searched for art in the parks and along walls. The best adventure was daring to enter one strikingly beautiful building upon the hill. It seemed to offer the best views in town. Turns out, that it is their Social Security office! The older and gentlemanly guard, who had been working there for longer than I have been alive, welcomed us. He got permission from his employer to let us go up several flights to have a look around. Inside, the building was receiving a fresh coat of paint. We had to be careful. Chris ended up with white sleeve from brushing up against something. The security guard was more than kind to us. After allowing us to take in the view of the city from different several rooms, he led us back down and outside, where he continued to show us his breathtaking city’s vista from all corners of the land lot. He pointed out each of the 5 volcanoes, and named many mountain peaks for us. He also showed us the different sectors of town that make up the whole. We could even see other towns and pueblos in the distance, from this vantage point, and he named many of them for us. It was special and unique, for moments like this are the reasons for traveling.

Later, we ended up in the main plaza. I ventured off to buy something from a street vendor. As I approached, I noticed that she was signing! I immediately began trying to communicate with her via sign language, but our country’s signs are different (of course.) Quickly I realized that she could hear. She had been signing with her deaf son, who by that time had wandered off somewhere. She and I excitedly talked for a few minutes.

You see, I have seen several deaf people in Ecuador. The first, was a young deaf man who happened to be sitting beside me at “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” a children’s play I attended with Cindy at an elementary school in Quito. He and I did communicate, but it was not easy, as Ecuadorian Sign Language and American Sign Language are all-together different languages. Another time, I passed a deaf woman at a bus station, but for all of my longing, I only smiled a genuine greeting as I passed by. The deaf person I most wished to talk to was in Baños. She was close to my age, and was signing away with a friend of hers. She appeared fluent in her language, and I urgently wanted to say hello, but fear kept me from it. “Who am I to interrupt, not knowing her language?” I feared that it would only be frustrating, and I did not want to be that person. You know the ones that barely know the alphabet, yet see a deaf person on the street and get all excited, run over and interrupt to say, “H-i! I-l-e-a-r-n-e-d-s-i-g-n-l-a-n-g-u-a-g-e-a-t-m-y-c-h-u-r-c-h!” No, I am a professional sign language interpreter. I am not that person. Consequently, my adverse ego prevented the experience.

As I was talking with the mother, running her portable tienda, her son came back. She introduced us to each other. I tried to explain that I am an interpreter in my country. He and I quickly switched to the use of pen and paper (only using it as an aid in the beginning.) When I expressed that I was from “The United States” he signed to me what looks like, “Really?” in American Sign Language (ASL.) So I replied, “Yes.” And this went back and forth until he began teaching me the Ecuadorian signs for the countries in South America, eventually coming to show me the sign for my country, which happens to look almost exactly like the ASL sign for “really?” except in Ecuadorian Sign Language it is with the pinky finger extended.

Though our languages are different, there are many signs that are quite similar, with only slight variations in production. The alphabet is identical except for S, T, and Ch. The numbers are very different. He showed me his numbers first, and when I asked if he wanted to learn mine, he said yes. I showed him, and he copied my hand shapes for each number. By the time we reached 20, he signed, “the signs are so different! So very different!” In that moment, I felt that we understood each other. He knew I was not that person.

We communicated for over twenty minutes, and the longer we did, the easier it became. He attends a school for the deaf right there in Riobamba. He said that there are around 150 students at his school, and that there is a much larger School for the Deaf in Quito.
Unfortunately, Chris had been patiently waiting for me this entire time. So I parted ways with my new friends. The next time I see a cool deaf person in South America, I will not shy away from saying hello, if the opportunity presents itself.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Río Negro



Back in Baños after spending 5 days in a small town of 500 people or so, called Río Negro. The lion was gone. Only a trace of his paws remained. Just weeks ago, having been startled by him, giving us all a hearty laugh, and then climbing him to pose for pictures made me miss his presence watching out over my favorite back yard in Ecuador.

Río Negro is a tiny town just outside of the jungle. Around 400 people reside there. I stayed at the Krishna Consciousness aka Hare Krishna Temple called Vrindavan. Vrindavan is a large reserve of land, nearly an hour’s walk from town.

As soon as I stepped off of the bus, arriving in Rio Negro, I saw two older-than-me gentlemen sitting outside of a local tienda. It reminded me of the old-time gas stations where you could always count on seeing the same groups of men sitting around “shooting the shit” as we call it in Tennessee. Thus, I asked if I might sit with them for a spell. So there we three sat, Olger, mid-fourties, Gonzalo, mid-seventies, and I, gringa, new-in-town. The conversation was delightful! After around 45 minutes had passed, they helped me flag down a “taxi” which was actually an ordinary truck. Somehow they are identifiable as taxis by people other than me. I hopped in and was off to Vrindavan!

The next day, I bathed in the river, had prasadam for lunch, and then leisurely walked the hour back to town. There, in the same place, sat Olger and Gonzalo. “Hola! Buenas tardes!” We had another happy chat, and made a date to play cards the next day. Thus, the following day, I again walked into town, only this time we moved into a local friend’s restaurant, where a felt cloth and cards were ready on the table. Four local hombres played the Ecuadorian version of Rummy for money with a gringa. Such a treat! Surely they thought I was easy prey. Since this was my first time playing Rummy by these rules, I was losing at first. However, Gonzalo passed his good luck on to me, and I ended up winning the most! I offered to buy them all a drink with my winnings, but they refused, saying, “Keep your money! You earned it! We shall have a chance to win it back the next go-round!” And with that, I headed back “home.”

By this hour, it was nearly dark, but that did not concern me at the time. After walking for mere 15 minutes it was closing in on pitch dark, the kind of dark where you cannot see your hand in front of your face, dark. As I began to wonder how many hours it would take for me to walk all the way back without being able to see, and what sort of creatures come out at night to feed on lone tourists at the jungle’s border, a truck stopped and offered me a ride. “Thank you so much for stopping!” He was a kind, young local, and he had been studying English for awhile. I willingly helped him practice, as we slowly made our way down the bumpy dirt road. “How much do I owe you?” “No charge!” I love this town.

Vrindavan was a special place, full of tranquility. Chanting gave me the grounding I had been seeking. Every night, I walked out into the road to star-gaze. The first time I did this, I saw 3 shooting stars in less than 6 minutes!  

Excerpt from my journal written in Río Negro:
Night reveals the glow head of an inch worm that only moves when you shine a light on it. Its’ head is like a glowing grain of sand. Today I saw a butterfly as big as a bird! Pitch dark. Stars blanket the sky. I am alone here in this place now, with only the sounds of the river on one side, and the cascade on the other. In bed, Shiva’s cascade at my head, the sonorous river at my feet. The former president of Quito’s temple is here, from Columbia, and an Italian Scorpio. My service of choice is dishwashing. The kitchen is open air. Like a rainbow kitchen, except with a real roof instead of tarps. The dishwashing station is fed from the river. My first day here I was served it as clean. I drank half the cup. Rats, bats and a cat. He thought there was a bat in his room, and I did not know that “murciélago” means “bat” in Spanish. A light went off in his mind and he excitedly proclaimed, “BATMAN!” Communication is the key, but oh that made me laugh so hard. I miss little Diego turning over in the next room, thus rocking the whole floor. It was comforting. Now I am here alone, surrounded by the breathing of the forest. 
This is where I bathed the first morning. Is the water cold? Yes, very!

View to the right

View to the left

This butterfly landed and began feeding on my towel.

It would not leave no matter what I tried!

Moths are messages



The insects are not bothered by people, and do not scatter for fear of them.
It is one big community of life!
Entering sacred ground

Shiva's waterfall
This is where I bathed for the next 4 mornings!
The waterfall is over 6 feet high, thus that rock is huge!





This day it was raining, so I hung my stuff up
inside of that dark space which is a cave.
This was my view out from under the waterfall.
Find the light switch.

The temple

Temple room

Hare Krishna!!!

See the triangular window on the right? That was my room.

The walk to town

Sometimes you've just got to scratch it!

Crossing the bridge into town

Saturday, January 1, 2011

This is how I like to start off the New Year

The road up - it was around an hour and 20 minute drive

The view from where we launched was incredible!



Two volcanoes

more of the view

He kept us company while we waited 1.5 hours for the wind to calm down.

The awesome Edgar tests the wind and finally gives the go ahead.

Go, go, go, go!

This is Sean from Canada. He went before me, so I took pictures.


INCREDIBLE!




This might be the guy that crashed into a farm below. No injuries.

Two flew at a time.


Proof! See the town below? I am happy.