Week 3 - 12 September

(Sorry about the delay. I have been too busy recently to post on here but I will try to put week 4 on here this week, too. I´ve also added some photos to week 2.)

The week began with some hard work. The roof of the outdoor kitchen needed repairing as the beams were old and deteriorating. We had to go into the woods and cut down some trees for new ones. The problem, or one of them, was that we had to go in quite far to find some the right size and straight enough. This meant to bring them back we had to walk over some very bumpy ground. There were three volunteers to carry tree trunks that were about 10cm in diameter and 6m long, weighing over 100kg. We had to carry them on our shoulders and because of the ground, the weight shifted a lot and we sometimes felt like we were going to collapse under the weight. We only brought two back but travelled about half a kilometre with them. Later in the week it got even harder as we went back along a trail we'd cleared before to carry some more planks and posts. J and I worked as a team. They weighed a lot again as it was hard wood and even with using padding for our shoulders, the six times we carried them (one on each shoulder), even further than on Monday, we were really exhausted. I said it was probably the heaviest work I've done in my life. However, the next day, in the afternoon, I had to dig some holes for fence posts which was hard on the hands because of using hole diggers which have 2 poles that you push apart to close the metal parts that then lift the soil out. I'd been macheteing the main path with others that morning so my hands were feeling tender with blisters on my thumbs again but digging about 10 holes for 2 hours was not at all fun.

 (Volunteer house)

J, from Australia was here with his girlfriend and he quickly became a good friend to me. We got on well straight away but it was a shame they were only here for three weeks. He and I did some construction work a the school this week to re-lay the sandpit area with stone slabs and we sectioned it off better with bamboo poles to keep the sand in. It took us all morning but we were pleased with the result, especially as it was the first time for both of us to do this kind of thing.

At the weekend, we went to Mindo which was relatively nearby. It is quite a nice small village with more modern things than Salasaca but the weather wasn't very good so we went to the butterfly sanctuary in the morning which was nice to see as they have many varieties of butterflies there. It rained too much in the afternoon to do any of the outdoor activities but there were some good cafés there (even one which only sold veggie burgers).

The hostel we stayed in was made of wood but very thinly and with many gaps in the walls so we could hear every sound in there, which started about 5.30 in the morning when the owners and their small kids got up. It turned out to be a bit of a waste of a weekend but at least we saw somewhere different.

(The vegetable garden)

The weekend (8-11 Sept)

We arrived in Baños in the evening and checked into an Israeli-owned hostel which was cheap at $7 a night including breakfast. We went out to eat and I just had a slice of veggie pizza which was enough. After meeting up with the others again, we went to a bar called Mocambo. Baños is an interesting place as it is quite touristy and lively even though it's only a small village in the central highlands. It had a good feel to it and we stayed in that bar for the night, drinking cocktails and dancing to rubbish latino-electro music.

The next day, everyone wanted to go bike-riding for 60km, which I didn't feel like after being out late last night but I had to do it as I didn't want to just wait around on my own there. It turned out to be enjoyable and only about 18km, mostly downhill. We went around to see the waterfalls and the last one was amazing as it was very strong and you could go up close to it.

When we got back and checked out of the hostel, I went to get some money out and realised I'd forgotten my bank card. Fortunately, Josh lent me $60 for the rest of the weekend. He and his girlfriend were staying there but we moved on to the south to go to Alausí as H wanted to go on the train ride to the 'Devil's Nose' which was a mountain with a shape that supposedly resembled that. The bus stopped right outside the hostel and the Chinese restaurant which the guide books said was good so we ate there. The women were all tired so went to bed straight after eating and I just read in bed for a while. The room that N and I had was right over the street and we could hear every car stereo that went past. I stuffed my ears with paper and managed to fall asleep quite easily.

In the morning, we got up early to get the train and missed the first one. We went in to get tickets and they needed our passports just to buy them and the process took about 15 minutes. But we got it and went on the train ride through the mountains with some great views of rivers and steep drops. It was a 2 hour round trip and afterwards, we looked around the town and ate a papaya at the foot of a huge statue of St. Peter, but he didn't let us in.

As we were now quite far south, we didn't want to do the whole bus ride back in one go so we found out about an indigenous village halfway back which had a handcrafts market on the Sunday. We got there early evening and found a sign pointing to the hostel. We walked along a desolate country road for some minutes, not seeing very much and then saw the next sign telling us to turn left. We followed it and again, there was no building to be seen. I joked that we'd find it was not yet built or was just a wooden hut somewhere but we finally reached it. There was nobody there. Then an old lady turned up and told us to shout for someone. It was a building on a farm and a boy cam over to talk to us. He said it was $14 for the night with breakfast which was very expensive for the typical prices here. He showed us one room which looked quite normal and then said there was also the attic. We went up and were amazed with what we saw. It had a straw and bamboo roof with 13 mattresses on the floor, all with nice blankets and pillows, chests of drawers and bins. It looked fantastic. But we were short on money so when the father and owner arrived, we said we'd just sleep there but eat in town. He, Alonso, was a very nice man who also did voluntary projects there. Looking at the building closely, I could see that it was very nicely made and the kind of eco-building that I would like to make.

We went back into town to find somewhere to eat. There wasn't much choice as it was a small place with all indigenous people who were very short compared to us but friendly. I didn't mind them all looking at us, it felt nice to be the novelty people for a change. We ate in a small café that was not much more than a room. We got simple plates of meat or egg with rice and chips and liked being there. The potatoes were being peeled by a mother and her daughter, while another girl served us and the little brother walked around. The simplicity and friendliness made it a great atmosphere and we also had some local milk drinks after eating. When H asked for the bill, we were shocked to hear it cost $4. That is, $4 for everything – 5 meals and 3 drinks, meaning 80c each. This stop-over turned out to be the nicest part of the whole trip for me.

We went round the market in the morning but it wasn't very special – just normal touristy-type stalls although I don't think many tourists come here. We bought a few things then got the buses back. This also turned out to be a nice surprise as it didn't take as long as we expected and got back at about half past two in the afternoon.

Apart from the unpleasant number of hours on the buses, it was a good weekend.

As we still had most of the day left, I finished making my third cushion cover which was my best one and tighter than the other two. The others appreciated my efforts, which is what it's all about.

(I´ll add some photos when I have time.)

Week 2, part 1

Monday was my birthday and we had to clear a stream of leaves and plants so the water would flow better. It was quite hard work but rewarding to see the progress we made. In the afternoon I was put on seed planting which sounds easy enough but it's not fun. We have to sit on the ground, permanently crouched over to get the soil and it is so monotonous, filling bags with soil and a seed for two and a half hours. It really makes your back hurt so after this I wasn't in a very good mood. I went over to the kitchen to get a drink and went inside where some volunteers were. H didn't want me to be there as she was cooking. I knew they were making pizza but I'd realised they were doing something for my birthday, too. I didn't ask and when we ate, they'd also made hot chocolate and after we'd finished the pizza, they brought out a cake which they'd made. It was a really nice surprise and really well made.

But that was not all. N and J had been into town to get the ingredients and also some drinks for the party we had that evening. They'd been out for hours trying to get everything and I was very grateful to everyone who had done something for me. We listened to Ecuadorian music in the common room and drank some beer. Overall it was a very pleasant birthday.

During the rest of the week I wanted to get more involved in making things. We needed things like chairs, tables, shelves for the bathroom and so on and one day when I was working in the garden, we heard a massive crashing noise. It sounded like something big had broken. It was in fact a tree in the home garden. The roots had been destroyed by a previous maid and it just lost its balance and fell down. It was about 7m tall and very thick. Fortunately it only broke one fruit tree and there was no other damage but this meant I could have lots of wood to make things (I also wanted to make a soil table so we didn't have the back-breaking work of planting seeds).

I did my first tree planting session this week. It may sound like something easy to do but it is considered the hardest job of the week. The reasons are that you have to work on slopes which are sometimes quite steep and unsteady and to make room for the new trees to be planted, you have to cut through the plants already there, and don't forget, this is a rainforest. I had a very dense patch to cut through and it is really hard work. With my partner, we managed to plant 15 trees in 3 hours.

Fortunately for me, the aching after these activities that I feel doesn't last long and I'm usually recovered by the afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoons we play football with the local workers on the football pitch at the school. It's all a fun event with the cook (she's quite good!) and her daughter. The Ecuadorian men take it more seriously but it's a good way to end the working day.

On Thursday, seven of us had the plan to go and visit a few towns for the weekend. Three of the volunteers were leaving this weekend and two of them came along; in fact, in was H's plan to do it. We had to travel on buses as, due to the terrain, there are not many trains in Ecuador. The aren't so bad and even though they get quite hot and go quickly round the mountain roads, they are quite cheap. They always show violent action films; it seems to be the only type that they watch here and considering that there are also children on the buses sometimes, it's not very appropriate.

You also get food and drink sellers who get on a various points. Their style, as is the bus drivers at the stations, is to say what they have (or where they are going) repeatedly and very fast. There is no logic to this as it would work just to say it slowly a couple of times rather than “Aguaguaguaguagua” or “Quitoquitoquitoquitoquito”.

Week 1 – second half

During the rest of the week, I dug up some more weeds then later planted some peanuts there. The reason for this is to give nitrogen to the soil. After the peanuts have grown, the soil is in better condition to plant other vegetables. I was surprised to find out that we don't work on any Friday. We have every second Friday off but for the others, we can either go for a hike or stay here working. Obviously, I chose to go for a hike with the others. The reserve that we are in is very big and we were to hike through it for 6 hours. The first half was uphill and we saw the first campsite that only people from La Hesperia can stay at. It wasn't too much hard work getting to the top, in fact, it was much harder getting down! This was because the rainforest was denser and parts of it were slippery and steep. It was certainly interesting to get through it and I lost the others at one point after I had stopped to take a photo. I came down to a stream and didn't know where they had gone. If I continued going downwards I would have walked through the stream, which I didn't want to do in my walking shoes. I called out and C came back for me. I hadn't seen the path to cross over the stream but at least I wasn't lost.

It was a very long hike in the end and we finally got back at 3pm. That morning, I had proposed to the others about heating water in plastic bottles to use in the shower and make shower heads by putting holes in the lids. They all mocked my idea for some reason but I tried it and I had a beautifully warm shower after the hike and didn't need to use the whole 1.5 litres in the bottle. They don't know what they're missing.

On Saturday, we had our parade in the nearby village of Tandapi. We arrived at 11 in a place that was little more than one street that has about a hundred restaurants. This is due to the road being quite a main one for transport but I can't see how they can all compete with each other. We had our lunch paid for and I had my first beer in Ecuador. We did the parade and walked all the way down the street which was rather quiet. There was no music going on but we were with a trail of low-key floats. Ours was led by a donkey draped in flags as we were representing internationalism. We also had a loudspeaker passed between us to say hello in the languages of the countries we represented. I thought it was too dull so decided to sing through it. I did a version of Manu Chao's Me Gustas Tu but sang “Me gusta Tandapi …. me gusta La Hesperia …” The people liked it and the volunteers asked me to sing more so I sang The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Yellow Submarine.

When we got to the arena (a worn field with a few seats a the side) we were the second act on. We did it fine but we had rehearsed it more than we needed to. It was nice to see the other acts in such a small place. There were some good dances and I liked to be there watching it.

Later on, some of us went for a walk up the street. I'd bought some insect repellent from a chemist that sold ice cream and I met H and T when we got back. We decided to go for a drink but actually found it impossible to find somewhere that would serve us just drinks. It was all restaurants but we finally found one after we had tried both sides of the entire street. As we sat, we saw chickens, chicks and a tiny kitten walking around, both in and out of the restaurant, which was funny. I played with the kitten. It couldn't have been more than a month old and was so sweet.

After that, we went back to the arena to hear the results of the competition and we came second for our category of school acts. That was nice to know. We went to eat something which wasn't such a challenge and had fried banana slices, corn and other types of bananas. It was o.k. for $2 and we hoped to go for a drink as it was later and I had been told bars open after 7pm. But we had the same problem with the whole group this time. Some of them knew of a bar which had karaoke but when we found it, some guys in the street told us it wasn't open till 9pm. Basically, we ended up at the place I'd been to earlier but at least we could get some beer. We stayed there for an hour or so then some of the others wanted to go to the place where the beauty queen would be announced. I wasn't very interested and when I found out it cost $2.50 to get in, I didn't bother. Most of the others went in but I flagged down a bus with H and we didn't have to pay as they didn't ask us. We walked up the hill and arrived home at about 10.30. The other stayed out till 5.30 and it sounded like they had fun.

On Sunday, I planned to clean the place up. The shower floors were filthy and there was little else to do anyway. I went over for breakfast at 7.30. We had no milk and so I had oats with water and sugar. I cleaned the kitchen and the dining room then took the things over to clean the bathrooms and the common room which was equally dirty. I also decided to try and fix some of the chairs as I prefer to do useful things than just pass the time. I fixed some thin rope to make backs for two chairs then carved two pieces of wood to make a cross piece for a seat. I also fixed an old seat cover over one of the backs to make it stronger. Basically, I was just trying things out and enjoyed doing it. I also want to find some waterproof material to fix over the foam that is used for the seats.

The others took it easy as they were mostly recovering from last night.

We had to cook our own dinner as the workers weren't here at the weekends so we made some pasta with vegetables. It was good and we ate inside and chatted a bit before I went back to the house at 9.30.

Week One – first three days

Before I start, I still have no mobile phone signal and won't for a while. I think I'll have to get my phone unblocked or buy a temporary one. Email is my only method of contact at the moment. 

I got a bus to La Hesperia at 11.30 and it took almost 3 hours to arrive. I saw the stone arch entrance that I had been told about in the office by Carmen and left my rucksack in the house there as it was a long walk uphill. It took about half an hour and I was sweating a lot by the time I reached the top.

I met Walter, an Ecuadorian worker, here who showed me to the others in the kitchen area which was separate from the dormitory house. I met the other volunteers who were making coffee by grinding and roasting the beans. At this time, I became the seventh volunteer here and there was only one other male. L showed me around the reserve and I saw the vegetable garden, medicinal garden, farm, lagoon, school and part of the forest. I went back to the kitchen and chatted to the others and helped out with grinding the coffee after being given some lunch by the resident chef.

After everyone had finished work for the day at 5pm, they got ready for dinner which is served at 6.

The food was quite good, it is often based on rice and plantains, which is a type of banana. Afterwards, the others went to bed! At 7pm! This seemed a bit strange but they had been working hard today and were all tired. I didn't think I could sleep yet but there was nothing else to do and it was dark with lots of insects flying around so I lay in bed and read my book a bit but by half past 8, I resigned myself to going to sleep.

This was quite a good idea because I woke up naturally at 6, due to the light coming into the room. There are no curtains and part of the wall is a fabric mesh which lets the light in as well as all the insects. I put a mosquito net over my bed which gave protection anyway.

It felt normal getting up at this time and I went down to hand-wash some of my clothes. There is no hot water here so the clothes will never get properly clean and having a shower requires a special technique so you won't freeze.

We went over for breakfast and to find out what the tasks were for the day. A section of the garden needed weeding so I was allocated that with three others. It wasn't too hard but took us the full two and a half hours we had but we cleared it. It was to be used to plant peanuts.

After that we had been enlisted to take part in the school parade. The Hesperia school was part of this foundation and had 13 children aged 3 and 4. They were doing a parade on Saturday and we had to sing the first verse of 'We are the world' as well as dance and clap the children as they danced and so on. I joked that this is what I had just left doing but here I was straight away working with young children. But I enjoyed it of course, although maybe I should have carried Miguel on my shoulders and swung them round after the morning's work...

We had a lot of food for lunch which is necessary with this work and it was good. In the afternoon, J and I had to go and harvest oranges. Walter led us through the trees with a large stick with a hook and we were required to fill a big sack. We struggled to get oranges down and then to pick them up in the undergrowth was a challenge. When we had exhausted one tree, we tried to find our way to two others that he had shown us. It was not easy but we carried on pulling some down. We thought we would never fill the bag but after some time, we had collected enough. J found it hard to carry the bag so I took it most of the way which put even more strain on my arms. I ended up doing more physical work than anyone else and in the evening, my arms were still shaking as I chatted to the others at the house. Now I could see why they go to bed so early...

The next morning, I was aching. My mattress was also sunken which didn't help so my back was hurting the most. Today was going to be planting trees which they said is the most physically demanding job. I really wasn't in the mood for this so managed to secure the job of taking the mule down the road to deliver the milk from the farm. This was a relief but Mula, as he is called, was hard work to get down the hill. To be fair, the stony ground was difficult for him to traverse and he kept stopping to eat the plants. It took an hour and a half to get him all the way down and I found that it was better to stay behind him and hit him with a stick if he stopped. It didn't hurt him as he didn't flinch at all. When we arrived, the villagers were waiting for us and I was bombarded with questions about me and my family and all our ages. They have a book which they get all the volunteers to write in. I even had to write down the prime minister's and queen's names for them as well as making up their ages! They also took some photos of me and the donkey and they were simple but friendly people. It was very pleasant to be with them.

I got back at 11.15 and waited for the others to come back. The tree planting had been hard but we all had to go straight back to the school to rehearse. It went the same as yesterday but I just couldn't pick up the children today. I kept telling them I'd do it tomorrow.

After lunch we had to paint flags on t-shirts, make sweets and signs for the parade. I was given the country of Australia and painted that flag on mine. I helped J with hers as she had trouble painting the UK flag. At least it was better to be able to sit down and not work too hard. I was also due to work in the plant nursery with N but I didn't know where it was. I was going to look for it when I saw N in the kitchen with J and H who were making sweets. We managed to stay in there and take it easy so I was glad to be able to rest today.

After dinner, J, H, C and I played cards in the common room which is actually an open corner of the house. As it was the evening it meant that we had to duck the countless moths that were going crazy around the light. The night before, I went there to read but to avoid insect bites, I wore my rain jacket with the hood up and my trousers tucked into my socks, as N had suggested. I might have looked silly but I didn't get bitten.

I have still been getting mosquito bites in bed. They can find their way through gaps in the net but I just have to learn to live with it here. I've already had loads of bites from things in the garden, too.