April 25,2009

I have recently returned from my technical training trip to the Oriente, which was awesome (to say the least)! We began our trip by traveling to Puerto Quito. Puerto Quito is a city that is near the coast and has coastal weather, which means hot and humid and man was it hot and humid! We stayed at a really beautiful cabin/hostel right next to the river. We visited an integrated farm there that grows cacao, coffee, bananas; they also had tilapia ponds, chickens and pigs. They grow a lot of other plants that are very common to the coastal region and that have medicinal purposes. We learned tons about organic pesticide, compost and how to take care of cacao trees. Were able to eat some cacao, which tasted so good! We didn’t eat the seed part, which is what is used for chocolate, but we ate the white, gooey outside which surrounds the seed and that is really tasty as well.
In Puerto Quito we learned how to make a Nivel “A” device which is a level. It was really cool to make and then go out and make ditches for irrigation with it.
Later in the week we left to the Oriente heading out to Puyo first. The first thing we did was visit Jardin Botanico Las Orquideas (a.k.a. Botanical Garden the Orchids).This place was beautiful! The man who owns the place started rebuilding the jungle 30 years ago by buying the land that was a huge field of grass. He began by rebuilding the soil and then slowly planting trees. In this “garden” he has a gallery/museum where he has documented all the different insects, reptiles and animals that have started to appear because of the fauna that now grows there. There where also so many different kinds of orchids! There where orchids that where so small that we where using magnifying glasses to look at them. Even those orchids had insects in them. There where orchids that smelled really, really good. He had various types of medicinal plants growing as well. We got to eat a lot on this hike. He had cinnamon trees growing and we got to taste the leaves and the bark and it tasted like big red gum it was great. There was also a plant that smelled like carne asada! It was so weird!
We also stayed out in a cabin in the middle of the jungle and it was a great experience. We slept to the sound of the cicadas, which have to be by far the loudest insect of the jungle! Out there we visited some communities that are working with an organization that helps them build coverings for composts as well as helping them with gardens. We also went to a sugar cane processing factory and saw how sugar cane is processed and made into panela (brown sugar).
In Puyo we talked to a Waorani woman who has an organization that supports Waorani woman and their artesania. The Waorani’s are another indigenous group of the Oriente, along with the Kichwas and the Shuar.
Later that day we went over to another park that was replanted. This park was replanted by the Shuars. One of the Shuars married and American who has also taken into his hands to take care and rebuild the park bring it back to original jungle fauna. At this park we also learned about dry toilets, soil erosion prevention and about the Shuar culture.
Then we traveled to Tena the next day and went to the Ruku Kausay Association and learned more about the Kichwa culture and more about cacao, naranjilla and then descended into some ancient caves that where really important to the Kichwa people. In these caves we walked thru stream, we swam in pools and sat under a waterfall! That had had to be one of the best experiences ever! We also had some grubs as snacks and they where not that bad. So the cave diving ended out tech trip and it was a great way to end an amazing trip.
This week we have finished up our training and are ready to be nominated for Volunteers and if all goes well I will be swearing in on Wednesday! Then Thursday I will be heading out to Tena to finally go and integrate myself into my site and start to put to test the new skills that I have acquired.