whizbangworld

Ecuador update 2: Above the clouds (2.13.07)

We left the Hotel Zeus in Riobamba at 7:30 a.m. this morning. We drove forty minutes to the town of Palmir. This is the site of the local World Vision office for the projects we are going to visit today. They gave us a presentation on all of their activities in the region, from clean water projects to agricultural programs to education initiatives.

One of the interesting agricultural works is the alpaca project. Because the people live at such a high elevation, the vegetation is sparse and tender. World Vision has been providing alpaca to help conserve the environment and provide a more profitable resource for the local people than the sheep they have been raising. Alpaca eat a seventh of what sheep eat, just eat the tops of the plants and don't pull up the roots as sheep do, and have feet more like dogs so more vegetation survives under foot.

Our next stop is a school in the San José community. The trip there has us leaving the paved roads and hitting the much more rugged dirt and rock roads. The going is slow at times, navigating ruts, rocks and gulleys. In some places the road is like soft volcanic ash, like powder, that will cover us all before the day is over.

After some time, we reach the school. It is at an altitude of 11,500 feet. On the drive there, we were literally looking down on the clouds below us. On arrival, I could feel a sense of joy there. Though rustic, it was bright and colorful, and the kids and parents there seemed happy, even though we had been taken to the wrong school at first and they had been waiting for us 1 1/2 hours after school was over. The local director tells us that the students range in age from toddlers to age 14. We also learn that these kids walk 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to school, which starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at noon. We were able to view the library-combination-6th grade classroom and the seven year olds class. In the classroom, the director presented Big Daddy Weave with some colorful woven belts they had made, and all in our party with some small woven wool baskets with a yarn string to be worn around the neck to carry food.

We arrived in sunshine, but halfway through the visit we were covered in the middle of a cloud that had rolled through. Through this cloud, we walked outside to hear a presentation from the children. With banners flying, they marched in and sang us a song, accompanied by an adult on classical guitar. They all offered their thanks for the work World Vision has done there. The Big Daddy Weave guys brought the school a soccer ball and some other inflatable balls that they presented to the director. In closing, they brought us some boiled brown eggs, roasted potatoes and sliced tomatoes to hold us along the way.

The roads may have seemed rugged before, but they got even more so on the way to our next stop. Our van arrived in the community of Galte Laime with the van Big Daddy Weave was in nowhere in sight. They had unfortunately gotten lost. Those of us in our van decided to wait inside the van until they arrived. We now know what living in a fishbowl must be like. Visitors, let alone foreign visitors, are a rarity to this community that exists at 12,400 feet, is probably an hour's drive from the nearest paved road, and with the small school the only building in sight. Children gathered around the van, rapped on the glass and studied us with a look that said they hadn't seen anything quite like us before.

With time ticking away, the local director felt that we needed to begin and hope that Big Daddy Weave's van would show up soon. We sat on small school chairs on the front porch of the school. The local people gathered in a large circle around us, their clothes bright and colorful and most wearing the traditional felt hat. A group of girls about twelve years old sang us a song, a type of hymn, while an adult played a small portable keyboard. They were followed by a group of boys about the same age who were dressed as girls. Why, we don't know. Most played a drum, with one playing a pan flute and another a harmonica, doing a kind of stomp dance and singing. One boy had a live chicken hanging by it's feet from his belt while another had a live guinea pig hanging from his belt.

At about the middle of the boys' song, Big Daddy Weave arrived. Again, many thanks were given by the community. They had also made a special effort to cook for us. At a table in the classroom, they set out small silver bowls containing peeled roasted potatoes topped with something that was a first for all of us - roasted guinea pig. This was accompanied by a cup of a thick drink made with a type of grain.

During lunch, we asked where people buy their goods. We were told they must walk to the nearest paved road to catch the bus to Riobamba, and that they may do this once or twice per month. Considering it took us an hour to drive there, that is quite a walk, especially when you consider that they must carry everything they buy on the walk back.

As we said goodbye and walked to the vans, we were definitely feeling a bit more winded in this altitude. But, we weren't through ascending. Onward and upward to our next stop, the alpaca project.

The roads became even tougher, steeper and more rutted, and in some places, not looking very much like roads at all. After some driving to what felt like the top of the world, we stop to discuss what to do since we're not seeing any buildings or a farm. One of our local guides tells us that from here, we are not going to the alpacas. They are coming to us, and to watch the ridge above us.

Sure enough, in a few minutes the alpaca appeared, driven by a couple of the local men. We walked up to see them and take a few pictures. They are a very gentle animal and were fairly unconcerned with us.

By this time, it started to rain. We begin the long drive back to Riobamba. We are all pretty worn out from the altitude, the dust, the jarring rides and the emotional and spiritual experiences we've had today.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we close the night with pizza at Monaco Pizzeria across the street. It's very good, but tastes especially good tonight as we rest and visit with our new friends who have led us through the day. We make a short stop at the Cabinas Telefonicas (a business with inexpensive per minute phone booths) to call our families. Then, off to bed. Tomorrow, we leave Riobamba and head north to Latacunga.