If you read the last entry, you will understand why I strategically drank no water before taking the overnight bus back to Quito from Azogues. One 3am bathroom adventure was enough for me ( Read more... )

The week in Azogues was excellent. I really hadn´t planned to spend more than a night or two with the folks in Quito, and as much time in Azogues, if they could stand it, but they were so welcoming and fun and, well, I´m still with the family ( Read more... )

I think the last time I wrote was about the great shoe mix-up, and yes Mom, I did bring Don Israel's shoes back to him. It was an epic journey ( Read more... )

Thanks to all for your concerns about safety. Everything turned out pretty well, and whether you call it drama or an exercise in intercultural communication, it´s over. Anyhow, what´s an international volunteer project without at least a little blood, sweat, and tears ( Read more... )

It´s been a dramatic week. I tried to update livejournal on Tuesday of last week from the nearby town, but they lost their internet connection while I was there and I couldn´t send any messages ( Read more... )

I think the last time I wrote Gonzalo and I were making a trail from the river where the houses are up the the top of a big hil/cliff where future volunteers will live and farm crops. Well, since then we finished the trail and have started on a well, in order to have water at the top the hill. For the first few days, the man whose house we stayed ( Read more... )

I have moved from Mindo, the main site of the project, to a small village called Estero de Platano. It´s a very small fishing village right on the coast, and I´m staying up the river a little bit in the house of a guy named Don Dimo. There are a few houses clustered there together, and a bunch of little kids who are pretty fun ( Read more... )

I learned how to use a machete today. We cleared tall cow-grazing grass from a section of the reserve. My machete skills are still, of course, a bit lacking, but I think I will have plenty of time to improve ( Read more... )

Mindo is gorgeous. It´s a small town of dirt roads, mostly contructed houses and very friendly people surrounded by green mountains and often covered in clouds ( Read more... )

Some of my best conversations so far have been with taxi drivers ( Read more... )