Water, Water, Everywhere!

Day 15

QUITO'S YAKU WATER MUSEUM

For anyone interested in water, Quito's modern "hands on" water museum is a must. Elevated on the hillside of Pichincha, the "Yuka Parque Museo del Agua" offers stunning views across Quito, with the old town lying directly beneath. Taking the old quichua name for water, "yuka", the museum has been built on top of one of Quito's first reservoir tanks at El Placer. Higher up the valley, tanks are still in use, with trunk mains in places visible bisecting the museum walls.

Via a series of tubular slides, an interactive guided tour takes you on the journey water travels from its highland source down to the customers tap in downtown Quito. On the way a giant washbasin filled with washing up liquid gives children young and old the chance to create bubbles the size of umbrellas, and experience the behaviour of water in all its molecular forms.

www.yakumuseoagua.gov.ec

HIGHLAND SELF-SUPPLY

Meanwhile, a venture off the beaten track amongst the hills overlooking Quito in the west reveals an abundant water supply that is being utilised by the farmers who traverse the steep slopes high above the city. One can imagine that households some 100m above the city's centre would not be connected to a mains supply. Eva and I found a pipe leading from one of the farmers households that had been placed in a trench that followed the contour of the hill. On inspection the trench merely contained a trickle of stagnant water, and the guazed end of the open pipe hung in the open air.

We followed the trench up the hillside to find a strong stream of running water. A path followed the stream into thick vegetation. Battling branches and brambles aside we continued, with the ferocity of rushing water being our guide. Along the route we noticed man's hand at channelling and guiding the water via concrete conduits and embankments. The sound reached its crescendo at the foot of a waterfall some 15m high - a torrent of rapid flowing water cascading rocks neighboured by thick hanging moss. Amidst the jungle-like environs it was easy to forget a city of 1.4 million inhabitants lay only 40 minutes away.

Our journey now takes us north to the region of Imbabura where we will be working with villages and households situated in similarly steeped slopes, to provide access to sources water such as this. From our observations so far it seems that Ecuador does have an abundant supply of water, which at first sight appears hidden and difficult to reach.

Tom

Warning: "Los Ladrones"

Day 14

PICK A POCKET (OR TWO)

For anyone travelling in South America, I imagine the following story is not a new one: an organised theft aimed at distracting the unaware tourist. However, I hope that anyone reading this can avoid the incident that happened to me.

We were in the old part of Quito, "Centro Historico", which is awash with colonial buildings, churches, squares and souvenir stores. At the same time the old town is a thriving commercial hub that draws crowds of shoppers from across all of Quito. Being a big tourist attraction the area is well-known for theft.

I had heard of stories of theft on the streets of La Paz whereby muck of some sort Is dropped onto the bags or clothings of travellers, with people on hand to "clear-up" the mess, only with the intention of pocketing a valuable item.

On this occasion I can recognise the mistakes on my part, that led to the theft of my camera, so please don't make the mistakes I did:

1. I chose to look around the old town alone, when up till now Eva and I had travelled together throughout
2. I had my camera on show hanging to my side
3. I walked to the Plaza San Francisco and observed the view of the square with a thoroughfare behind me
4. I noticed a man walk past behind me and heard a splat of some sort - (afterwards I realise that he had poured a yellow liquid onto my bag and back) that had the same smell as bird poo
5. A second man approached me and pointed out that I had muck on me, and had tissues at hand
6. He directed me into the church, saying that I could clean up inside
7. I followed him with a sense that he may not be genuine
8. Once I put my bag and camera down on a stand in the church, he distracted my attention to cleaning the muck, and once he had my eyes turned away he took the camera and fled the church
9. On realisation I went to exit the church, but was met with two other men waving their hands and saying the thief had passed back into the church, which I soon realised was a means of delaying me so that the thief could escape to a side street

Only a while later, on a crowded bus not far from the city centre, a pickpocket goes unnoticed - until the traveller feels down for his mobile phone to find an unzipped pocket in his trouser leg.

For anyone travelling in Quito it is well worth either:

- not taking valuables out with you unless you have to

- keeping valuables hidden or somewhere that cannot be accessed from the outside

- travelling together and being aware of the people around you

Thanks to these two incidents I will learn to be more careful and aware when out an about, but at the same time my trust of the people I meet is not diminished.

Safe travels

Tom

Sea-Life: Whales, Gunao, Sulphur Pools and Hammocks

Day 10

Lashing rain, thunder and lightning has descended on Quito this afternoon, as I retreat to the comfort of the kitchen and an internet connection

We were blessed with a beautiful trip to the coast this last weekend, taking a night bus from Quito to Puerto Lopez, some 10 hours away.

Puerto Lopez is both a thriving fishing centre and a big draw for tourists looking for sunshine, sea and sand. The town itself feels low key, yet active: open backed trucks pass by laden with fruit, fresh fish - and ice, to be taken to the shore for the mornings catch. Presidential campaign slogans decorate street walls, the loudspeakers from the town's church greet the evening air, as others gather under a tent pinned up across the street for the summer's main bingo event.

The coast is thriving with life: small crabs dozen in numbers scamper across the sand, diving into their burrows as humans step close, some sort of sea mollusc buries itself into the sand at low tide. In the early morning, fisherman return with their catch: the fish are quickly de-scaled and taken into the town to be served for lunch. The fisherman tend to their nets as tourists take to the sea - for the hope of whale sitings and a visit to 'the island of silver', so named for its reflective (and at the time tempting) appearance from the 'guano' of the rare bird species that covers its cliff tops.

We were indeed blessed to see the wildlife up close: Whales with their powerful fins and tails smashing he ocean's surface, with pairs dancing in and out of the water in courtship. The arid island itself is home to rare and unusual species, that makes one think of Darwin's trip to the Galapagos: birghtly blue footed birds gargle to remove salt from their pallets, and stand in pairs posing for photos (the male emits a high pitched eek, and the female bellows back with a strong warble). There may be a danger of the island becoming over-used by tourists with dozens of boats speeding back and forth each day. However, for the moment at least, both the wildlife on land and below the sea's surface don't bat an eyelid at the visitors

Further up the coast we visited a village built around sulphur pools - the smell of egg very strong to the nostrils. The people here appear cut off from neighbours - the journey to the nearest town is nearly an hour away, but they are not without their amenities: a school and satellite dishes. A piped system suspended by wires carries the sulphur rich water to irrigated plots of land, and one of the pools is dedicated to laundry, with the locals praising its detergent properties.

Plants and produce grow in abundance around the pool: as we enjoyed a tour through a banana plantation - experiencing first hand how amazingly strong banana leaves are when bound as rope.

The coast of Ecuador has a relaxing feel yet is a hype of activity: both for humans and the wildlife. As hundreds of birds nest down for the night on a string of electric wires, the beach becomes alive with late evening volleyball and dancing in between the deckchairs and hammocks. Whilst we board the night bus to Quito, taking the motion of the sea waves with us as we sleep

Tom

City Life

Day 7

QUITO - 9 to 5

We have now been in Ecuador for almost a week. During the week of Spanish classes we have been able to explore and get to know the city of Quito and the people of Ecuador a bit more.

The atmosphere here is very welcoming, from taxi drivers to shop tenders, we are greeted with smiles and where are you from? - I feel a sense that people have a genuine interest to why we have come to their country.

One fun example was our dialogue with a one-man street theatre group. In Quito's central park, which is so attentively well kept, filled with playground facilities for children and home to the popular sport here of volleyball, we were drawn by a crowd that had gathered to enjoy the story-tellers anecdotes. Very quickly he noticed us and engaged us as part of his comedic routine - there were some big laughs after the some of the things he said, but I don't know what they were!

Quito can be explored on foot - but steep inclines still get me out of breath due to the altitude. The sun has been shining over the last few days, but rain at 4pm remains clockwork. The streets are busy with yellow taxis, express buses expulging thick black smoke, and a bustle of commuters on their way to work in this commercial district. Two businessmen impromptly use a sheet of cardboard as an umbrella, a poodle-like dog has his hair shaved at a vetinarian's clinic, and I meet a friendly elderly Nun in a German bookstore/library.

There is quite a large German influence in Quito. This weekend we travel to the coast with a group of Germans we have met at the school.

OREGANO - CURE FOR SICKNESS

We did experience our first bout of illness yesterday, after taking lunch at the restaurant directly next to the house. We have identified the fruit juice as the culprit - pointing towards the tap water. For me it highlights the massive impact having clean and safe water to drink - our illness knocked us out for at least 24 hours - we lost liquids, nutrients and felt very weak.

The teachers at the school helped us out by giving us Oregano tea (quoted to aid stomach problems). This included a tour to the local supermarket - an incredible array of tropical fruit and vegetables, spikey skins, massive in size - some familiar: papayas and green bananas and some unfamiliar: "tomatoes of the tree" (sweet tomatoes)

We have one more week in Quito to sharpen our Spanish before heading to Ibarra, where we will be based for the next 6 months

Tom

Urban Jungles - Quito and Mindo

Day 4 in Ecuador

QUITO - CITY OF SURPRISES

We are now starting to settle into our new environment here in Quito. Let me give you a feel for our experience so far. Life in Quito with our homestay family feels little different to any loving household: as I write now sat at the kitchen table, Sophie is preparing dinner, Carlos is selecting south american songs on youtube and now singing has begun!

Quito appears a very big place, yet so far we have been able to walk to everywhere we need. Quito has a fascinating complexion of skyscrapers sandwiched next to old churches covered in ivy, hemmed in by its eastern and western sides by snow capped mountains. This gives the city a higgledy piggledy feel, with no way of telling what lies around the next corner. On our walk to the school we pass big international banks, a new skyscraper is under construction and there is a blue coloured fairy tale castle that would appear more at home in Disneyland. Our home for these 2 weeks lies adjacent to one of these skyscrapers, yet is a 3 storey building, with a very determined dog (yet friendly once you get to know him) overlooking the property from the roof

MINDO'S JUNGLE - JEEP RESCUES AND FRESH COFFEE

Our first 2 days in Quito were spent on a trip with other students from the school where we are studying (Simon Bolivar Spanish School http://www.simon-bolivar.com/). Within 4 hours of arriving on Ecuadorian soil we were on a bus winding our way out of the valley where Quito lies, through dry barren landscape, to be greeted by incredibly lush, green overgrown forests in the hills 2 hours northwest of the city - to the town of Mindo.

Mindo is a hype of activity for tourists - both from abroad and from within Ecuador. Amongst the cloud forests virtually all outdoor activities are available: flying down a zip wire above the rainforest canopy, white water rafting in inflated inner tubes of car tyres tied together and plunging into cool waters at the base of waterfalls. The locals seem to love being in the water - one man and his son taking up a spot in the middle of a fast flowing river to enjoy a cold, but natural jacuzzi.

My two highlights in Mindo:

On our way up the hill to the waterfall, we noticed a rather large jeep had lost its footing on the earthern road, and had its two right hand side wheels hanging off the edge of the steep hillside. On our return down the same route 3 hours later the jeep still remained precariously perched above the jungle incline, but was not roped up against a nearby tree. Our party descended to join the already fairly large crowd of people inspecting the vehicles situation. Our guide quickly took the initiative to save the jeep - spades and hands dug out the under carriage which had become embedded in the ground, a rope was tied from the rear of the bus to the front of the jeep, some of us held ropes to keep the jeep from moving sideways, and with some wheel spinning later the jeep was free! All the driver needed to do now was fill up with petrol! (so off he went with a jerry can in his hand on the 30 minute journey into town)

Back in the town of Mindo I came across a coffee plantation, that grew, toasts, grinds and sells its rich produce across Ecuador and the world. I was kindly given a tour of the process - and returned with a bag of an incredibly rich and rather strong coffee - which now resides in our room here in Quito and is my aid for waking up in the morning, just from the smell!

Our adventure continues: a week of Spanish lessons and some salsa classes

Tom

Tom and Eva's arrival in Ecuador

Greetings from the (second) highest capital city in the world - Quito. Only 14 miles south of the equator, but with a climate not dissimilar to northern England - rain, 16 C, cold in the night and cloudy (however I am informed by my host family that this is strange weather for this time of year, and July should be sunny!)

Eva and I's stay has been nothing but warm and welcoming. We arrived safely at 3am on Saturday 2nd July, after a 24 journey that took us through the US that reminded me how friendly Americans are. We were kindly welcomed into our family homestay by Sophie, a mother of two adorable and energetic children, 4 and 10 years of age. This will be our home for the next 2 weeks as we enrol on an intensive spanish course.

So, for those of you who don't know the reason for my trip to Ecuador?

Myself and Eva Linnell have been selected by Engineers Without Borders UK (EWB-UK) to work as volunteers on water supply projects in rural mountainous regions in the north of the country, with the local NGO, PRODECI.

EWB-UK are a student-led charity that teams up young engineers based in the UK with projects with local NGOs around the world, that require specific skills and experience.

For the next 6 months we will be living and working in Ecuador, to oversee the design and installation of a number of water supply systems in rural areas. The new systems will provide a clean and reliable supply of water to households who currently either must walk long distances over rough and steep terrain, or use sources of water of poor quality. With water of a guaranteed safe quality near to the home, families will benefit from improved health, with less time and resources spent on dealing with illnesses from poor quality water, and more time for developing their livelihoods for themselves and their children.

Eva is keeping her own blog, so please check out:

I will be keeping a record of my experiences here in South America over the coming months. Please feel free to add any comments, suggestions or advice on my blog.

Chau for now

Tom