Day of the Dead

Biking in Ecuador—Starting in Quito.  By Les Liman. 

To celebrate the Dia de Los Difumitos (the Day of the Dead) we decided to partake in the long held Quito tradition of eating Guagua or dead babies.  The guagua was a sub roll baked in the shape of a baby’s torso and head.   Drawn on the bread with red and green cake decoration were hands, feet, a face and a smile.  A colado morado or “purple strain” was served in a glass to symbolize the blood, and I tore the baby’s head off, covered it in the blood, and swallowed.  Yummm.  Think chunks of challah dipped in a warm fruit berry smoothie.   The rest of my lunch in the La Ronda section of town included Aji, a spicy orange sauce that Linda will remember from our first trip Ecuador, and stewed goat meat (a first for me)  with rice.  Four bucks.  

Bob Weiss and Rod Morgan are my bike tour companions here, guided by Bob’s  twenty-nine year old daughter Rayna, who has been living in Quito for 3 years.  She launched the non-profit “Pedal for Change” that takes teenagers on volunteer service and bike touring trips in this country of fourteen million.  We three guys, somewhat beyond teenage years, did a city cycling tour led by Rayna on Tuesday; that was followed by her leading a delightful Yoga session for us and others (her early class was in Spanish, ours in English) at her apartment/yoga studio/bike storage facility.  Then Luis, a yoga class participant, gave salsa lessons, and as more of Rayna’s friends arrived, it became a beer and barbecue party.  Dinner was served at 11pm.  Yes, we stayed up that late. 

Today we drove out of the city at 7am in the tour van, and by 9 we were on our mountain bikes riding 86k mostly down (with one 20k climb and a few shorter ones thrown in) from a mountain pass near Quito at 3200 meters, all the way to the jungle/rain forest climate at 600 meters on the first leg of our ride to the sea. The gravel, rocky roads were rough on the shoulders, tush and hands (for braking), and we stopped to stretch out from time to time.  The frequent roadside homes and villages have chickens, perhaps the greatest risk for a cycling disaster.  At the sound (or view—how well do chickens see or hear?) of our bikes they ran—fast—in one direction or another in a comical feathered long gait and rush to safety.  My strategy was to aim for the bird knowing it would rush off from wherever it currently stood (Why did the chicken cross the road?...).  I also know why urban keepers of chickens are not permitted to have roosters in American cities—here they get started with their wake-up calls at 4am.

We are spending the night at Alphonso’s indigenous  (the Tsachila people) ecological reserve that grows plantain, yucca, banana, papaya, and corn.  It is called Bua.  Alphonso sports close cropped hair on the sides and longer, red painted hair on top.  The color comes from Achote, and nut that grows in bunches on a tree. You crack the nut and little berries inside drip the red-orange dye.  The   paint dries like glue and  looks real weird, but is traditional, Alphonso tells us.  I’ll send a photo.

We three guys headed to the river for a skinny dip bath (not a pretty site) and to wash some clothes.  The accommodations are “rustic”; basically outdoor with 3 inch mattresses on an elevated board, tree stumps for end tables and stools (bordering on luxurious),  mosquito nets, and a shed roof in case it rains, which it did (I hope my clothes dry by tomorrow at noon when we leave for more riding). 

Whiteman Students PEDAL adventure in Ecuador

After spending a month in Ecuador, the Lowell Whiteman Students finally have returned to Colorado.  For the first few days in Ecuador, the students explored Quito, camped the famous crater site, Quilotoa, and got to know their home stay families in Quito.

Only after one night of rest, PEDAL for Change took the students on a bike tour deep into the Amazon where they volunteered for the Quichwa community, Sinchi Warmi, for a week building cabins and stone paths.

Mosquito bitten, sunburnt and with amazing attitudes, the students headed deeper into the Amazon to Cuyabeno for a 6 day safari.  They saw sloths, gators, monkeys and Anaconda snakes.

Upon return to Quito, the students spent the last few days volunteering at a center for students with special needs.  They also went to an artisan market and spent the last day rock climbing.  But enough from me…. Let's hear what the students have to say.

A blog on leaving Sinchi Warmi from Josh Paquette '16!


4/19/14

Today we left Sinchi Warmi. It was very emotional, and there were a
lot of sad faces. We took a group picture, and then left for a new
adventure. We biked 40km over steep and rocky roads. It was a little
warm, but the scenery was gorgeous – at times we could even see a
distant volcano wrapped in clouds. I also saw a line of ants carrying
leaves.

When we got to the end of the biking, we all thought we had to hike to
a campsite and set up tents. But the leaders were joking, and we
actually had a surprise boat ride to an ecolodge that was really nice.
The group played guitar around the campfire and we napped on our porch
with a hammock. It was a fun and relaxing day!

A blog from Noah Zedeck '16, in Ecuador! 4/15/14


The people at Sinchi Warmi have put us to work! We have done some
challenging work, but it has been satisfying.


After our usual 7:45 breakfast, we climbed into the back of a truck to
go collect rocks at the beach for the path that we our building here.
After piling an enormous pile on the beach, we had to make a line and
throw the rocks to each other to get them up a hill. Once over the
hill, we again had to toss them down a line to get them to the road.
After that, we put them in the truck, brought them back, unloaded
them, and put them on the path. Not only was this tiring, but the
Amazon is extremely humid so we were drenched in sweat. Working with
the locals has been fun. Additionally, when we returned from our last
beach collection, we were greeted with a heap of fresh sandwiches made
with local breads and South America's traditional "queso fresco," or
fresh cheese. We also had the opportunity to try Inca Cola, a popular
South American soda that tastes like bubblegum. After our work, we got
to relax and learned how to make traditional Kichuan bracelets with
some of the local women.

Our group has been great, as we all get along and make the most of
every situation. I am excited to spend a few more days here, and I
will be very sad to leave the people here that I have grown so close
to.