Time to roll our sleeves up...

Well our time in Quito has now come to an end, as we have headed down from the Andes to the Ecuadorian rainforest. After a one-night stop in Baños, we´ll be heading to the small town of Mera tomorrow and from there to an animal rescue centre where we´ll be doing our next stint of volunteering.

The project is called Merazonia (http://www.merazonia.org/). We´ll be helping with tasks such as building trails, constructing animal cages and tending to the organic garden. Our accomodation will be at the centre itself, in the middle of the rainforest, which will be quite a change from being in the middle of a capital city - our wake up call will change from the sound of revving vehicles to the calls of monkeys!

After having much enjoyed our time in Quito, we are now looking forward to a different challenge, ready to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in with some hard work!

Chiva Chiva Chiva + Viva QUITO!!

Chiva Chiva Chiva + Viva QUITO!!

Yes the once in a lifetime CHIVA bus experience is very different to the UK. Racing around QUITO city clinging to the top of a bus whilst dodging neck high power cables and branches may sound like a health and safety exec’s nightmare. However throw into the mix a band, whistle, a flag of Quito and obviously copious amounts of the local pop and you soon discover how fun a lack of nanny state rules can be. Yes we have just experienced our 1st Chiva journey and have survived albeit with a chochuci to tell the tale!

Yes it is the beginning of fiesta season here in Quito with the once a year fiesta de Torros coming to town. This has kicked off well with a party which will see us say goodbye for now to the Explorers club and our language institute and send us off to the rain forest for our conservation experience. The fun in Quito never seems to stop and it has been a great place full of great people. Still time is pressing and there is more to be done. Looking further to the future though and the accommodation for the RIO CARNIVAL is now confirmed and I guess some preparation is required. VIVA QUITO!

Chilin in the Parque!

Chilin in the Parque!

What is it that a local parque can offer? Well in the case of Quito the atmosphere and attractiveness of the parque can change quite distinctly over 24 hrs. During the night it’s a great place to mug people, during the day its s great place to soak up the rays, but most interestingly immediately after work it’s the place in Quito to head to and chill out.

It appears that after work the people of Quito come here in their droves to gamble over the volleyball competition or card games that can become really quite heated, whilst simultaneously consuming some comida and an optional beverage. Having visited the parque several times now it really is where the real action is in Quito directly after work. Yep we are now accepted as the local gringos and are able to enjoy this same spectacular social gathering, watching the dollars change hands for the victorious volleyball champions or the arguments over cards that have fallen from the deck. As things heat up we tend to sneek away avoiding the highest of the tensions. So if you are looking for a dose of emotional Quito reality where the fall of a card or pelota beyond the line can turn into a 20 minute argument then head to the parque, what ever time of day it is!

“Mas Vueltas!”

However people in the UK are suffering right now as a result of the global economic crisis, it’s nothing compared to how the poorer people of Ecuador live. Children at the Bruce Ecuador project live in single rooms with their whole family, rather than in houses or apartments (which even then is luxurious compared to the hole-riddled dilapidated shacks we saw in Nicaragua, which were cobbled together from any bits of wood and metal people could find). While some of the children are clearly well loved and cared for, it is evident that others have a very tough time at home. All of them love hugs, but the type of hugs they give can vary enormously. Little Esteban’s hugs are joyful and playful (and usually accompanied by a shout of “Mas Vueltas!”, meaning ‘Spin me round again!”), whereas some of the little girls’ hugs can be incredibly quiet and sad. The Bruce Ecuador centre therefore is much more than just a place of education; it is somewhere that the children know they can go to every day and feel safe and loved.

Having said that, the educational progress they have made since the centre opened just two months ago is fantastic – most of the children couldn’t write any numbers or letters when they arrived but now many of them can write whole sentences. They are now also all well drilled in aspects of hygiene, and don’t need to be told to wash their hands after going to the toilet or to brush their teeth after breakfast. This is all thanks not only to the class teacher but to the dedication of unpaid helpers such as Alex (an Austrian volunteer), who have been there from the start and whose hard work, energy and patience have given the children a belief in themselves.

That’s not to say that the centre can cure all the children’s ills. Bruce Ecuador is struggling with various financial and organisational problems, and it is somewhat unclear where exactly the money from volunteers’ fees goes to (if organising a placement with them from abroad, volunteers are asked to pay $500 per month for board and lodging). This may be in part due to their somewhat strained relationship with their sister project Bruce Peru. Anybody considering volunteering with Bruce Ecuador can be assured that their help would be greatly appreciated by the children but that they would be best advised to approach the organisation directly when in Quito. This negates the need for any financial transaction (I have been able to rent accommodation and buy food for much less than $500 per month), and should volunteers want to make a donation it would probably be better to donate materials such as colouring pencils or help buying the bread for breakfast or help with the fundraising events they organise (pub quizzes etc).

As for Esteban, as long as volunteers are happy to continually provide “Mas Vueltas!”, they’re okay by him!

Another “one punch knock out” by Alexis Argüello

Another “one punch knock out” by Alexis Argüello (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIUQ1mcZ_U) and Daniel Ortega’s Sadinistas party in Nicaragua (http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12607338)

After my previous blog entry of “IT COMES IN 3’s” It would appear that not only do those with the biggest bangs finally make it into power, but also those who manage to pack the biggest punch legally or not at key moments in time. Similar to many of the fights in Alexis Arguello’s long and distinguished boxing career, this celebrity politician appears to have pulled a low blow that has not been recognised by an independent referee.

With the Sadinistas now claiming political victory in Nicaragua, the result in Managua and Leon has been called into question by the opposition. An independent Nicaraguan group, Ethics and Transparency organised tens of thousands of observers. When they were refused accreditation, they had to watch from outside polling stations. But the group estimates that irregularities occurred at a third of polling places.

It has been said that unless there is a proper recount, an ugly precident will have been set for the whole of Latin America. So alas although the fiestas are better and the bangs a whole lot louder than back home, the president elect isn’t always as officially recognised as Gordon Brown (or are they?).

Spanish Multiplication

All things seem to be multiplying at the moment in the world of Bruce Ecuador volunteering: the number of passengers crammed onto the buses on the journey across the city (good thing I got a padlock for my daysack otherwise it might not be safe in such close crowds); the number of parents wanting their children to join the class (two unfortunately had to be turned away yesterday as there simply isn´t any more room in the classroom); the number of children wanting to play the ´swing me round and round´game at break time... and that´s not to mention the actual multiplication sums I was helping the older children with today!

After class yesterday I caught the bus to Mitad del Mundo to see the monument on the equator line, fifteen miles north of Quito. A strange visitor centre / fake village has been built around it, with a museum inside the monument that doesn´t mention the equator or Charles-Marie de la Condamine (the frenchman who originally determined where the equator line lies, accurate towithin 150 metres of modern GPS measurements) once!

Other than that, Rob is hard at work multiplying the number of Spanish words in his repetoire,the number of cafes we know that do tasty almuerzos (set 3 course lunches in local cafés costing only $1.50) grows daily, and the number of options for onward travel following Ecuador continues to expand!

G'day Bruce!

Rise and shine! School starts early in Quito – 7.30am to be precise.

My first day of volunteering saw me getting up at 5.15am this morning to catch the first of three buses that would get me across the city to the Bruce Ecuador centre in the northern part of Quito. On arrival, the first job of the day was to dish out bread and fruit juice to the children for breakfast and then it was time for teeth-brushing... then we we setttled down to some learning!

The children range in ages from about 5 years old to 11, and their abilities vary greatly. I sat with the small ones, helping them to practise writing numbers and getting them used to what those numbers meant by drawing groups of objects (4 houses, 5 people etc). They welcomed me with open arms (literally – hugs all round!) and made me feel part of their class straight away.

As well as picking up some more Spanish vocabulary, I also learnt something else today: it is not possible to just pick one child up once and swing him / her around – once you start you have to do the same for all 20 children… at least twice!!

Viva la Revolución!

Ecuadorians of all ages united in Quito yesterday to campaign for a revolution in education: Dia Nacional de la Educación.

With live music, dancers and clowns, the event felt like a celebration but the impassioned speeches of the numerous children, young people and teachers representing their schools / colleges ensured that their message demanding better quality education came through loud and clear. The President of Ecuador was so impressed that he came out onto the balcony of the Palacio del Gobierno (Ecuador’s version of the White House) to wave to the crowds!

Continuing with the educational theme, Rob has studiously started Spanish classes again and I’ll be starting my volunteering at a school run by the Bruce Ecuador project on Monday. Bruce Ecuador was set up to provide an educational outreach service to impoverished children, helping them to reach a standard at which they can join mainstream schools (see

www.bruceecuador.org

). As the children at la Dia de la Educación rightly pointed out, they are the future of Ecuador, so hopefully I will be able to play a small part in helping to improve that.

So, let the revolution and the volunteering commence!

“Yo quito se dablo enchalada porquesa in quinto minuto! But I don't speak spanish.”

“Yo quito se dablo enchalada porquesa in quinto minuto! But I don't speak spanish.”

Well we are here, South America. The trek through the Americas has allowed us to catch election fever in the US capital Washington and the historically predictive state of Missouri, then moving through bandit country in Central America… and elections in Nicaragua (won by Daniel Ortega's leftist Sandinistas), before arriving here in the land of the south to continue our Americas experience.

Yes we are in Quito a city which as far as I am aware is the 2nd highest capital in the world. The temperature is similar to that of Spring in the UK with sunshine days and cool nights. Slightly odd if you think that we are just 35km from the equator!

As for our plans now, well after joining the South American Explorers club in its headquarters in Quito http://www.saexplorer.org/, and have been gathering information for the remainder of the trip. As far as accommodation goes we are also now in a family stay with a Ecuadorian apartment that overlooks the city and the volcano. All very pleasant and very good for Spanish practice.

it comes in 3’s

Starting the great VW Camper van debate a vote for change you can believe in vote @ http://www.latinamerica-conquistadors.blogspot.com/

Well can you believe it… they say it comes in 3’s don’t they, but as luck may have it there are not 1, not 2, but 3 significant votes occurring this week. I obviously refer to the vote for the perceived most important person on the planet (USA if nobody mentioned it); Number 2, the Nicaraguan elections where you are urged to vote for none of the above and of course the countdown to the great VW campervan

..................................................................................debate .....................................................vote now!.

Closest to our hearts and ears right now are the Nicaraguan elections. This is due to the revolutionary cries, fiestas and of course the 1,000+ bangs caused by fire crackers which have been promoting the elections all this week. Similarities with other elections spring immediately to mind. Still never having witnessed the kind of top of mind awareness grabbing marketing techniques that quite literarily grip your mind from day break right through to night fall, then I have become transfixed with the political race. Here’s an example…

06:30 music for the revolution repeated for between 3 – 4 hours
….On the hour ..explosions
…………On the half hour ..explosions
……………..Quarter past the hour ..explosions
Quarter to the hour…… HUGE EXPLOSIONS to remind you to VOTE!
15:00 revolutionary music played for between 3- 4 hrs

Finally let’s not forget the vehicle precession around town… This essentially consists of 10’s of vehicles bikes and trucks… Each truck consists of 5-10 massive speakers… blasting out more tunes with a whirlwind of supports dancing away to the tunes with colours and flags waving everywhere….

This technique is pretty much repeated for every political party including the banned ones (vote for none of the above). I therefore conclude from watching in avid awe throughout this week, that voters must flip flop to various political parties from day to day to ensure they always receive an invite to the biggest fiesta… I know I would.

Finally what can international politics learn from all this…

1) The UK needs to buck its ideas up with more fiestas at election time
2) The more explosives your party has the better chance of victory; and,
3) Don’t forget to vote for change you can believe in VW Camper van

the great VW Camper van debate

The great VW Camper van debate vote for change you can believe in @ http://www.latinamerica-conquistadors.blogspot.com/

It’s almost time to leave Central America and head on to phase 2 of the trip in South America where we will begin volunteering with our new found Spanish language skills. The travelling has been great but now its time to put our skills to the real test with some voluntary work in SPANGLISH.

In the meantime and after much deliberation we are after feedback from you all on the geat VW CAMPERVAN debate?

Yes its your chance to vote for change that you can believe in! After spending some time whilst we have been here learning to surf the waves of the Nicaraguan coastline, we are slowly beginning to think that it might be fun to take this sport up in the UK. To do this there is only one way to be a proper surfer and that’s with a bay window VW Camper van (if you can’t surf at least look like you can).

To this end then we have added a voting box to the right hand side of the blog for you to cast your vote on the plan… That is should we really go for the camper van plan?

Simply tick the appropriate answer and cast your vote… or if you have an opinion add your comment to the blog.

Finally thanks for following our progress.

Surf’s Up!

Embracing the local lifestyle in San Juan Del Sur doesn’t mean climbing volcanoes or chewing the fat with a bunch of gauchos… it means riding the waves! So that’s exactly what we did. Or tried to do anyway.

Surf lesson number one resulted in countless bruises for Claire and a damaged adam’s apple for Rob (those pesky boards can get quite vicious!), but comparing techniques and wave time over ice cold toñas (the local beer) afterwards was a very satisfying way to end the day. We may not be quite ready to enter professional competitions yet, but thanks to a great coach (a Peruvian guy called Fred who looked like Willy Wonka from the original film) we both progressed enough during our time in the water to decide to take the plunge for a second time the following day. All that sunshine and physical exertion made Claire a tired girl, and I drifted off to sleep early that night, with Fred's words of "I like this wave for you, Claire" ringing in my ears...

Hawaii watch out!