Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!

Okay, really just one bear and though Santa Martha has lions, it doesn´t have any tigers at the moment. Still, bear was the theme for this week. The goal: rehab the bear enclosure. The bear looks cute and cuddly, standing about about five feet. However, looks are deceiving for sure. She easily reaches through the cage with long claws. Every morning we worked to fix her enclosure, she pulled on the rope of her trap cage, hoping to escape. Thankfully after she received breakfast at about 11am, she relaxed. The bear is destructive, but I think she really just needs lots of entertainment. When we started the rehab construction, her enclosure was littered with scraps of branches and planks of wood that she had torn apart. Her waterfall was kaput. A bad rain caused mud to block the flow of water at the source.

Everyday this week I worked on the enclosure. The main tasks involved finding and carrying large branches, macheting and sawing wood, and creating platforms for the bear. Seems simple, but the lack of tools meant lots of long hours. One day, two girls went under a man-made waterfall the fetch a large log. Along with some other volunteers, they hoisted the prized log up a huge steep incline of mud. Once on flat ground, I worked with four other volunteers to carry the log at least fifteen minutes down muddy stairs to the bear enclosure. That same day I found myself standing in a mesh of fallen trees and sticks chopping two large branches for the enclosure.



Another day I worked for five hours measuring, chopping and wiring branches to a corner of the enclosure to make a platform over the waterfall. When Thursday and Friday came around, I debated about choosing an easier task for the morning work. However, it was so nice to be in the sunshine of the bear enclosure and to feel a sense of accomplishment.



Yesterday before leaving for a weekend in Quito, we got news that the bear will go to a rehabilitation center in April. Hooray! If I recall correctly, it has taken almost a year to get the paperwork approved. The bear will get to use our enclosure for a month and then will be on her way to wild freedom. Who knows, within a month she might destroy all our hard work (though I hope not). Oh, and the waterfall is working now too!



Win for the week...Friday it didn´t rain at all for the whole work day!

Hasta Luego,

Becky

Baños

*I wrote the entry below last weekend, but wasn´t able to publish until now. Pictures to come soon.

Another weekend, another mini trip. This time to Baños. The guide book says about three hours from Tambillo, but alas, it took us five. We bused to Ambato. Upon arriving, we realized that we were not near the terminal for Baños buses, so we piled (literally) into a taxi to the next terminal. From there it was another hour to Baños. It´s Carnival weekend, a big holiday in Ecuador, so families are traveling everywhere. We actually had to stand up the entire first bus ride.

After arriving in Baños, we finally ate lunch at around 4pm. Then we did a bit of shopping and walking around town. At 8pm we met up with a group from Santa Martha that had just spent two days in Puyo´s secondary rainforest. For a few days people had been talking about a great restaurant with vegetarian options. It wasn´t until we were walking to dinner that I figured out we were going to Cafe Hood. That´s the place I ate during our stop over in Banos last fall. What a neat coincidence! Of course, the food was yummy again. Later, we hit up Leprechaun Bar. Neat place with a bon-fire out back, dancing in the front and a balcony up top. However, because it was Carnival the place was jammed. Needless to say, I didn´t stay long. Maybe I´ll go back the next Baños go'round.



Today, I hope to take a walk outside town to see some scenary and sites. The guide book has vague directions, but probably smart to ask a local too. Some people are sleeping in and visitng the baths (supposedly with minerals from the volcano that clense the skin) and others have already left for a rafting trip. This afternoon we´re off to the grocery and back to Tambillo. Hopefully this time finding a more direct bus with seats.



Recap from Santa Martha this week...
Tuesday was filled with hard work, feelings of accomplishment and a minor injury all together. In the morning I went on a trek through some overgrown paths with four other volunteers to find fallen trees. Luckily, we found a patch of three trees before too long. Mission: cut trunks in half so they could be used for rehabing the puma enclosure. Each of us had a go at cutting our own tree with a machete. The trunks were not extremely large, but still there was a feeling of pride and accomplishment when I finally hacked through the trunk. Carrying the trunks up muddy stairs was another story. Tricky and exhausting!

Later that day, one of our caracara birds, Duncan, was transfered to a rehabilitation center so he can be released in the near future. I was disinfecting the cage with another volunteer when I slipped on mud (can you tell it has been raining a lot!). My gut reaction was to grab the nearest tree. However, in doing so, I pulled something in my neck. Grrr. The neck pain put me out a bit for the rest of the week, but it is improving.

Two afernoons I cleaned the big bird cages. That´s the best option for cleaning unless there is an odd job to do. I´m becoming quite fond of the tucan. So beautiful. He´s actually mean-tries to bite my pants a lot, but his beak is completely harmless. Did you know that a tucan can´t even break a banana in half? He picks up his food with the tip of his beak and then swallows whole.

On friday afternoon I had the rather revolting job of sorting through trays of donated eggs to throw away the ones that were broken and rotting. Oh the smell...

In case you didn´t notice, I was finally able to upload photos yesterday. Take a peak at the other entries to see some of my adventures in Ecuador.

Cheers!

Becky

It´s Lovely to Feel Clean!

Saturdays are great at Santa Martha! We only work for two to three hours doing the essential jobs and then the rest of the weekend is free. Yesterday, I helped another volunteer feed and clean the rabbit and guinea pig enclosure. We also fed carrots to our adopted friend. The poor donkey loves people, but it is always tied up and has been soaking wet lately due to the rain. He belongs to the farm owner, but we like to give him TLC when we have some extra time. Another nice thing about Saturdays is that someone from each house cleans the kitchen, bathroom, and floors during morning work time. Great idea because otherwise the houses would never get thoroughly cleaned.

There are 12 of us currently residing in Gringoland. I´ve never been to this part of Quito, but I kinda like it. Hostels, restaurants, travel agencies, internet cafes and bars galore. Definitely more expensive than other parts of Ecuador. Kind of ironic that a meal costs almost the same as a night in a hostel. We are being tourists of course-visiting the cultural market, the equator, old town Quito, local bars and getting our fill (speaking for the whole group) of delectible goodies (such as burgers, good coffee, cake, Mexican food and french fries). Speaking of food, we also plan to hit up the local SuperMaxi grocery store to find all the goodies that are impossible to get in Tambillo. Kind of a funny name for a grocery, no?



Okay, now to reflect on the week a bit. After a few days of little rain and lots of sunshine, the rainy season returned in force on Thursday. The afternoon brought a downpour and lightning like I haven´t seen in years. Pouring buckets for at least 45 minutes. Luckily because it was lightning, we didn´t have to work until the rain let up a bit. Thursday through Saturday we were forced to dress in full waterproofs. Cleaning animal crap is bad when the sun is shining, but imagine crouching in a small bird aviary to clean when everything is soggy. The rain is cold and always brings in a thick fog. However, we all embrace the tasks and help one another out just to get the work done quickly.

All in all, I´m settling in at Santa Martha. If I could wave a magic wand and change some things, you bet I would. However, I guess that will probably be true for all places I volunteer in the next few months.



As a side note, I´ve tried to upload photos twice, obviously without succcess. Still getting used to my new camera and missing my Nikon. However, I have a few good shots to share. Think the connection is good in Gringoland, but unfortunately, I don´t have my USB SD holder with me. Lesson learned-always bring camera gadgets when traveling to major city!

Feeling clean and loving it...

Becky

A Lot

Work A Lot
Eat A Lot
Sleep A Lot

That´s life at Santa Martha Animal Rescue Center. We work hard from 8am to 1pm. And by work hard I mean carrying dirt up and down stairs, hauling water up and down hills to feed the animals and cut grass by hand. In the afternoon we work from 4 to 6pm doing easier jobs, such as cleaning cages and feeding animals. We´re dirty all the time-really disgustingly dirty. I thought about staying at Santa Martha this weekend, but I might need to go to Quito with the rest of the group just to feel clean.



We eat a ton! Breakfast is usually a big bowl of oatmeal with a banana. Snack is nuts or chips. Lunch is either two bowls of soup or something quick if I want to go to town. Dinner is two helpings of whatever we make. And I almost always wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Oh, and I have a feel spoonfuls of peanut butter each day-yum!

None of us have trouble sleeping because we are so exhausted from the work. We typically go to bed between 9 and 10pm. Last night I watched a whole movie, which was a feat in an of itself.

Okay...now a bit more about Santa Martha. The rescue center was created on land owned by a dairy farmer. There are no consequences for having wild animals as pets in Ecuador, but it is illegal. Kind of strange, right? Anyway, when police confiscate an animal, they often bring it to Santa Martha. We haven´t received any animals since I´ve been here, but the do arrive often. There are a plethora of wildlife-jaguar, pumas, birds, monkeys, eagles, speckled bear, turtles, iguana, ocelots and lions (yes, the African kind). Most of the animals were pets but the lions and jaguar were in a circus.



I live in the smallest house which is basically one room with three bunkbeds, a kitchen and a bathroom. The floors are cement, so we´re always feeling dusty. Our kitchen counters are also cement. We have a mini stovetop. If we want to use tv or an oven, we have to visit one of the other houses. Right now I´m living with a woman from Australia who owns farms. She´s great! Next week we are supposed to have three guys move in. The other volunteers are from Europe, Canada and the US.



It is refreshing to be outdoors all the time. The weather has been nice but it fluxuates often. Most days it rains a bit but then turns sunny. We have mountains all around us and the scenery is so green!

Until next time...

Becky

The Journey Begins

Sometimes our best intentions lead to disappointments. Like the fact that I decided to get traveler's checks and then ended up leaving them in DC. However, no need to feel wallow in anger (though I must admit I was frustrated for a time) because in all honesty, there are worse things that could have occurred.

I arrived at 10pm last night into Miami, which was 30 minutes earlier than expected. Another highlight was the fact that there were only about 40 people on the 737 airplane. The whole day I was looking forward to using the business center, so I could update the blog. But, guess what? The business center charges $5 for 10 minutes online. Are you kidding me!? I guess hotels with brand names in the heart of Miami feel they can charge an arm and a leg for a bedroom and then slap on more fees for the out-of-a-job-but-loving-it traveler. Anyway, I weighed my options, $5 for 10 minutes at the Hilton or $5 for 5 hours in Ecuador? The second option seemed far better, so I decided to wait.

Another musing from yesterday...
After reclaiming my luggage in Miami and carrying my hiking pack along with a heavy school backpack around a few places, I became bitter. What was I thinking when I decided to buy a hiking pack? Was I trying to look like a cool, adventurous, quasi hippie traveler or did I really think a hiking pack would be the easiest thing to get from point A to B to C and so on? Perhaps a bit of both. After a little practice carrying the pack and once snacks and vitamins start to decrease, I think (and hope!) I grow to love my pack. For now though, we have a tense relationship.

Well, after sitting for more than three hours in the airport and for over three hours on the plane, the last thing I want to do is sit at a computer. However, there really isn't anywhere to go outside my hostel. So, my elevation headache and I might just hit the bed. A good rest before convening with God's flora and fauna tomorrow is just what I need.

Night. Buenas Noches.

Becky