A Visitor

For the first part of this month my good friend Russell Carroll was in Ecuador (on vacation from Nicaragua where he is working for a year) and we had the chance to go on a number of adventures. I’ve known Russell since 6th grade (11 years now!) and having him here in Ecuador was great fun.

We started off with some time in Quito; my family let him stay at our place for a small fee and even though it was cramped (we shared my bed for example) it was much better than if he’d been at a hostel. One highlight for me was finally having someone who could share in my urban bike adventuring. Most Ecuadorians seem to think I’m a bit crazy biking around the city but I’ve found some sweet lines and having someone to share in these delights was priceless:) We also spent some time in the children’s hospital I have been volunteering at, which as Russell speaks Spanish very well he fit right in with the kids. I was a little worried we’d have trouble entering as it was getting on in the evening but like every other time they didn’t even ask a single question. Somehow I think if I were dark-skinned this wouldn’t be the case. Racism here can be subtle but it is ever-present.

Next up we headed for Baños, a perennial favorite destination of mine. We rented some bikes and ventured out along the valley road. This all sounds pretty tranquil, but throw in almost all uphill for the return, huge muddy swaths, pouring rain, and the necessity to share a 300m + long, pitch-black tunnel with speeding buses and it quickly turned into a venture we won’t soon forget! The tunnel was especially hairy, we got off to run our bikes (have you ever tried riding a bike in a dark tunnel? It’s hard to say the least) and would have to jump into the water-filled ditch ever 30 seconds or so to avoid vehicles speeding by. The next day we both participated in a cayoning tour, which basically consists of rappelling down waterfalls.




(Me descending the warm-up fall.)




(Russell on the same one.)




(Me in the middle of the finale, a 46-meter descent.)


From Baños we bused down to Tena, a 4-hour trip down into the beginnings of the rainforest. The bus we hopped on was packed full and so we spent the first 1.5 hours standing until a few seats opened up. Not getting a seat in buses is actually pretty common here but until that voyage I had been pretty lucky in avoiding standing for long periods of time. The next day we signed on for a rafting tour with an agency run by British ex-pats (a shock at first, I asked a white guy I thought was going on the tour who we needed to pay and he replied “me, I work here”!). The tour itself was great, good rapids, beautiful day, fun side trips, and arguably the greatest lunch I’ve ever had on a trip of this nature (make your own burritos with tons of ingredients, fresh fruits, and homemade chocolate cake for dessert!).




(A view back towards the mountains where we started at.)




(Russell with a small monkey-like creature we were introduced to at lunch by a local boy.)




(Me with said creature and boy to boot!)




(Russell exiting a narrow ravine we walked up a ways to find special mud they use for facials. Seemed just like mud to me. Cool lighting for the pic though.)




(Our boat at the day’s end: Russell, myself, two British girls, and our guide – who was quite the jokester if the picture doesn’t give it away☺)


We took a night bus from Tena to Quito, amazing how in a few hours one can go from lush tropical rainforest surroundings to the arid mountains of the sierra. At about the midway point the bus stopped. This is actually quite common and I often never figure out why. This time though things were more obvious. A policeman boarded and ordered everyone off the bus. We lined up to present our identification and have our belongings checked (for drugs). Russell had his real passport and got right through the check while I only had a copy (I never carry the real thing). This normally is fine but this particular officer seemed to have it in for me. He asked for more ID so I pulled out my bankcard and a worthless international student ID card I paid for at the Fulbright’s urging. Still not enough. He called over his supervisor who began interrogating me, what was I doing in this area, where was I from etc.

Officer: “The USA huh, I hear you guys have lots of hot girls, right?”
Me: “Umm, yeah, that's right.”
Officer: “Man, I’d like to meet some American girls; what do you think of the Ecuadorian gals?”
Me: “They seem nice…”
Officer: “What color do you like ‘em?”
Me: “That really isn’t a factor for me.”

My “interrogation” continued in this vein for another few minutes with several of the other nearby officers leaning in to hear. At the conversation’s end I left with their best wishes, my lack of documents and the search of my possessions well forgotten:) Times such as this make me glad I can speak Spanish.

Next up was a day trip to the famous Papallacta thermal baths with my lab compatriot Yosselin, her sister, and one of their friends.




(A view of the valley in which the springs enter.)




(We took a small hike before hitting the pools. This is a picture of one of the unique plants we found.)




(An old couple crossing a field.)




(Relaxing in the pools. L-R Russell, Yosselin, her sister Karla, and their friend Javier. The place had hot 10 pools feed by nearby hotsprings (several of them huge, as in 50 people could fit in easily!), 2 cold ones and even a small freezing river could be accessed for the brave. As we went on a Wednesday there may have been 10 other people in total. We pretty much had the place to ourselves!)


Only a little over 1.5 months left and so much I want to fit in. Just have to do my best:) Hope you’re all well.