Best Moments in Ecuador

Muchisimas Gracias!

Have you become aware of the dozens of Rotarians who open up their homes and their hearts to provice us with this wonderful experience in Ecuador? In every city we visit, we are welcomed with open arms. In Cuenca, Cesar & Patricia Ugalde, Fernando & Janet Ramirez, Marco & Alicia Avila, and Alfonso, Clarice, and daughter Maria Christina represented their Rotary Clubs. I was personally hosted in the home of former District Governor Jorge Maldonado and his grandaughter Rebeca Harris and I enjoyed a great political discussion at morning breakfast. Everyone I have been in contact here asks about President Obama and have very positive comments about him.

Our short stay--only two days--in Loja was packed full of activity and hosted by Galo & Maria Aguirre as well as brothers Diego & Nelson Rodriguez and Alvaro Rodriguez. Jorge Bailon has been the Mayor for four years and was just reelected to a new term. Undoubtedly, the efforts of his wife Cecilia de Bailon have had a significant impact on his popularity. She has coined the term--Loja Para Todos--Loja for all. In a very short period of time she has been involved in health care, education for children of parents who work in the market, alcohol/drug abuse treatment, unwed mother care, hipotherapia--just to name a bit of what we observed.

Our drive to Zaruma was about 5 hours--including two hours on rock and dirt windy road. But it was well worth it as we arrived in a movie-set type of city with wooden structures and narrow streets. The Zaruma Rotary Club does not receive many outside visitors and extended such a warm welcome. Laura Astudillo, President of the Pinas Rotary Club in the nearby town, hosted an evening reception and she and Jenny Romero accompanied us the next morning. Rene and Pilar Romero and Ruby Harfau touched my heart with their kindness.

On our way to the District Conference in Manta, we had an evening with the GSE team here from Austria. Having spent a year there as an exchange student--many, many years ago--it was fun to hear and speak a wee bit of German. What a great group they are!

The Manta Rotary Club was very involved in the work of the conference but I spent a very nice time in the home of Gonzalo and Narcisa Escobar and accompanied them to a pool-side fiesta one night and a formal dinner/dance the next. That is one huge cultural difference here--when the music starts up, EVERYONE is on the dance floor. The Ecuadorian men are fantastic dancers.

We are now back at the Marcelius Hotel in Guayaquil where we started our adventure four weeks ago. So much has happened and we have met so many wonderful people--it is hard to take it all in. I would like to end with part of the message I delivered at the District Conference which was accompanied by many pictures of the people we have met. Some were not able to attend so this is for them--

Estamos muy felices por estar aqui en Ecuador con ustedes. Durante nuestro tiempo en Ecuador, hemos sido muy afortunados al poder observar como se ejercen nuestras profesiones en las diferentes ciudades de su hermoso pais. Hemos visitado muchos lugares turisticos, conocido gente muy amable y distrutado de su comida. Ademas, hemos tenido la oportunidad de visitar varios proyectos rotarios, estoy muy impresionada del gran trabajo que estan realizando. FELICITACIONES! Muchas gracias por darnos la oportunidad de visitar su pais, por recibirnos en sus hogares y por ofrecernos su amistad.

Muchisimas Gracias Amigos y Amigas!

Beverly

Last Night in Ecuador

Janene and I are in the hotel in Guayaquil on our last night with the GSE in Ecuador. Tomorrow Bev and I return home and Ben and Janene have booked separate tours to the Galapagos. Our trip has been amazing. At this point a list of the names would take far too much time but we are extremely grateful to the hospitality of our Rotarian friends in Cuenca, Loja, Zaruma, Pinas and Manta. You guys made this trip an unforgettable experience!!!

Cuenca introduced us to a liquor called zhumir which we drank warm. We drove to the Cajas which is a beautiful national park where llamas roam, and sometimes dance like in the video. There are many lakes and there is an outdoor chapel near the entrance to the park. Cuenca also gave us the chance to visit a museum of religious artefacts in a monastary in the old part of the city as well as the Panama hat factory (this is where we must remind you that panama hats are actually only authentic when made in Ecuador). At the factory there is a woven wedding dress. We are told quality varies as does the price depending on the tightness of the weave. More expensive can be $800-$1200 and can be rolled so tight that they can pass through a wedding ring.

These pictures are of the dress and the hats drying after being washed and bleached.

Our last day in Cuenca we were treated to a trip to a small city that specializes in silver jewlery as well as taken through an orchid greenhouse. The greenhouse also had some very noisy residents that we fed oranges to after the tour, Here I am with our hosts daughter Christina and one of the birds.

Loja was our next city. It was a short but wonderful visit with a great group of people. President of the club, Galo and his lovely wife Maria took us for a walk in the amazing city park that has replicas of famous buildings around the world. We were shown a great number of municiple projects by the wife of the mayor who we met with in his office in the afternoon. We also were treated to a concert by a band of musicians with special needs and a trip to the University which included the ceramics factory. Here we are with the mayor.

After leaving our friends in Loja we moved on to Zaruma then Manta for the conference with a night in Salinas in between. Hopefully we'll get some time soon to update you on our last cities but for now bed is calling....

Catching up part of Ambato and Riobamba

Though we have internet access frequently, we run quite short on time as we are always on the go meeting amazing people and seeing the sites. Ben will update more on Ambato but I will briefly say that it was a great city and we got to spend some time with Peter and Holly who are Rotary exchange students from Germany and Cananda. Thanks for the visit guys!! This included a few hours in the Amazon. We´ll post photos when we can.

Riobamba
We arrived in Riobamba on May 12th and were met by wonderful Rotarians Maria Theresa, Roberto, Lionardo and Lorena. Lorena was a great help with translation as a former GSE traveller to San Diego. First off they told us to wear comfy shoes because we were off to climb a mountain, yes readers, a mountain - Chimborazo. Bikes were borrowed and put on top of the van and off we went. This mountain is over 5000 meters and Bev and I were both feeling the altitude. We waited at base camp while Janene and Ben climbed with Rotarians and two British travellers we assisted to the camp. Sugar and cacao tea helped and we played Cuarenta while we waited. This club was also amazingly prepared for this trip, they brought fruit and sandwiches and drinks and they made sure we had warm clothes. Thanks a bunch guys!!

Ben and Janene touch snow at 5000m!


When the climbers returned from the top, Janene and Ben hopped on the mountain bikes and headed off down the mountain.

There are curious animals on the mountain that look like a cross between a deer and a llama. Here´s one if anyone knows the name:


Our next stop was a music school where children from all over the area come to be part of an orchestra. Some kids walk 2 hours to take a bus to get to the school. We were treated to a small concert before dinner and relaxing with our Riobamba families....

Day two in Riobamba started at a TV station, little did we know we were on live television as we toured the station (one of our families told us later). We went to a school for hearing impaired children where the students get vocational training including ceramics, metalwork and card making. The club presented us with pictures made by these talented kids from dried flower petals. The card shop could use some supplies to make more paper from recycled phone books. The metal and ceramics shops also need equipment. The kids here are very happy, they put on a country western style dance for us and it was a real treat. The next stop for Janene and I was at the local hospital where our host families work. The hospital has separate wards for men and women, they were surprised to hear in Canada that men and women are sometimes in the same room. We are greatful to our hosts for showing us around the hospital. After lunch we were off to the military base (joined by Lorena´s lovely 5 year old daughter Valentina)

The base had an explosion a few years ago, many people were injured, a few were killed but the base has been rebuilt since. We went through two museums showing the older tanks and other military vehicles and showing what military life was like in the past. They let Janene and I hold authentic 1920s Colt revolver and for the grand finale - A RIDE IN A TANK!!! This is us in front of the tank and Janene in the back (Ben was resting at home today)















The day was not yet finished, we returned to the TV station for the afternoon show where Maria Teresa did most of the talking and Bev and I looked pretty. Janene watched from the waiting room and recorded it for us on her camera.

The final part of the day was our meeting. These guys really outdid themselves. We were treated to another concert by the music school we visited earlier and then some traditional dancing. Rotaract presented us with hats, the club presented us with mementos and we took lots of pictures (this one is blurry but it´s us with the dancers). It was a fun meeting and the next day we were off to Cuenca. We´ll post more when we can.....

Computer Access At Last!

It´s been a week without computer access and so much has happened. Kathleen shared our Otavalo adventure that would have not happened without the kind assistance of our driver Carlos and Gilberto & Marta Ruiz, the owners of the Hostel Los Geraniosin. Besides arranging for interesting places for us to visit, Carlos helped us all to do some great shopping at the world famous Otavalo market. He is our hero!

Ivan Endaro and Luis Gutierrez of the Ibarra Rotary Club gave us a tour of their club building the day after we arrived. They are involved in two major projects through Rotary matching grants--prothesis and cleft palate repair.

The Rotary Club of Ambato Cosmopolita were our hosts last Sunday and Monday. A lot was packed into this short visit. A trip to Banos showed us hot springs fed directly from a volcano. My favorite activitiy was a ride in an open gondola across a deep gorge to view a beautiful waterfall--spectacular. Afterwards we went on a very long down hill hike to view yet another waterfall up close. It was magic...as was the fact that I was able to get back up that hill to the car!

On the way back to town we visited an area where fifth-year dental students were surveying the dental issues of the indigenous people living in that area. Many problems are being caused by a high percentage of flouride in their water. Guillermo Lopez Ulloa of the Ambato Cosmopolita Club, who is a dentist, is gathering this informtion to apply for a Rotary Matching Grant to help these people.

Many thanks to Lourdes Garcia, Guillermo and Marta Lopez, and Miryan Auz for giving us such a fun day. Our evening was spent at their Rotary meeting and our presentation ended a stay that was much too short.

Our next stop was Riobamba. Maria Teresa Rivas from the Riobamba Rotary Club warmly greeted us. We had many adventures there that will be much better described by the rest of the team along with pictures. Many thanks to Roberto Didonato, Lorena Rivera, Leonardo Mora, and Maria Teresa for giving us so much of their time and making us feel like we were at home amongst friends.

We have now arrived in Cuenca after a 6-1/2 hour ride through the most beautiful countryside. The hills are planted way up to the very top. One spectacular canyon is called the Nose of the Devil.

Our stay in Ecuador has been nothing less than incredible. We have been hosted by warm and generous Rotarians in their homes, treated to delicious food, experienced great adventures, learned about how our professions are conducted here, and have only to ask and our every wish is fulfilled. I am daily impressed with the great work the Rotarians are doing to assist the poor in their country. We are so fortunate to be having this experience and will have tons to share when we get back home.

Beverly

Otovalo and Ibarra

Hello Readers!!

We´ve had very little internet access in our last few towns and very little time so we will update the blog separately but we might overlap a bit. Additional pictures will have to come later because I don´t have them with me. This is lunch at the hotel in Otavalo courtesy of one of our Ibarra Rotarian hosts.

Following Quito we were driven by Captain Carlos to Otavalo where we were hosted in the most wonderful hostel. Our rooms were on the top floor and looked out over a courtyard. It was an oasis in the middle of the city called Hostal Geradio. After dropping off our bags and having lunch we were accompanied by Carlos and Pablo to an active volcano, Cotacachi. There is a lake in a crater and we took a boat ride around it. We saw bubbles rising in the lake and the boat driver said it indicates that the volcano is still active. This is a picture of Bev on the lake and another of me with the volcano in the background.

The best part of the boat ride was the ¨special¨volcano juice they serve you after. This is one time where it´s OK that we don´t understand all of the language. I think it was moonshine mixed with chardonnay and sugar. Tasted a little like paint thinner but it sure cleared the sinuses. Ben was a trooper and helped us finish. We moved on to a small town that specializes in leather products for some shopping. Back to the hotel where we had dinner and found out that the owner´s son Danny will be going on a GSE exchange to Austria towards the end of the month. We were invited to join Pablo and Danny at a local bar to listen to some traditional Andean music. The music was wonderful and the video likely doesn´t do it justice.

The next day we were able to meet the owner of the hotel we had lunch at yesterday. He is a Rotarian from Ibarra and we visited over breakfast. Afterwards, we were turned loose in the famous Otavalo Indian market. Trades and crafts from all over the country are brought into town for the market every Saturday. We haggled for some good deals and tried out some musical instruments. This is a must see if you´re ever near Otavalo.

We moved on to Ibarra after the market to meet with the Rotarians at their beautiful character building. They also have a prosthetics lab on the premesis where they have all the tools to build, fit and assist patients with new arms and legs. What a fantastic project!! The club took us out for some fantastic ice cream and then we were off to be tourists again.

This time Danny´s dad was our own personal tour guide and we headed off to the Milk Tree and Condor park. My camera ate all my photos but I´m hoping Janene and Ben can edit some in later. Condor park had a bird show and Ben and Janene both held a hawk.



Afterwards we went to the waterfall. This was a hike through the woods to an amazing waterfall. Then a hike up the stairs to the top of the waterfall, then a crawl through a dark tunnel to the river on the top of the waterfall.

That night we headed out for Pizza and who should be playing at our local pizza joint but the same band from last night! Otavallo was a great place and we had a wonderful time there. We´ll keep updating as we are able but for now, I´m off to bed.

Quito School Visits

We visited a couple of interesting schools in Quito that related to my special education the field. The first was the Fundacion de Enseñanza Indiviualizada Para Niñas y Adolescentes (EINA). This school has been working with Luis Eduardo Burbano and his Rotary Club who are helping fund the school.

The school provides services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Besides regular academics the school has a vocational program where they provide training for qualified individuals in woodworking, ceramics, sewing and other vocations. The school made has made a great achievement being the only school in Ecuador that provides an accredited certificate to its students that is recognized by the Ministry of Education. The accreditation allows graduates to provide proof of their training in a particular vocation so they may achie ve employment upon graduation.

The visit ended with a 1950s rock dance performance by six of the students. With dance moves like the twist the troupe gave us an excellent show.

The second visit came about through a series of fortunate events which resulted in what has been my most applicable vocational experience. My search for autism related programs in Quito came up with two possibilities. Following a lovely discussion with Rocio Almedia about autism she went to the phones and started making some calls. From her research , Rocio found a parent group that met about their children with autism

Rocio Almedia at Triangulo

Through a happenstance connection at a Rotary meeting that our team presented at, Rocio discussed autism and found an organization that was started by one of the mothers from this parent group. A few more phone calls from Rocio led to meeting with the Fundacion El Triangulo.

The school is an incredible acheivement built entirely through private funding raised by selling brick by brick to friends , family and community members. The school´s administrative director Sonia Mancheno de Mora led the tour and shared with me her passion for bettering the lives these students. Sonia, a parent of one the students showed me many of the amazing programs and therapies offered at El Triangulo including: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Dog Therapy, Dance Therapy and Theatre. The school also has a dedicated autism program (the first I´ve seen in Ecuador) and an almost 1 to 1 student teacher ratio with 1 teacher for every five students, numerous teachers aides and other professionals with a total of 40 employees for 70 students.









The school also has a vocational program in which they teach pre-employment and social skills so students can function in the world. The school has a supportive employment program where students manufacture products including woodworking, crafts and an incredible (and delicious!) chocolate line The products are then sold and funds support the school. The students are paid for their work and the money is used to send the students to summer camps. The school is also in the process of raising funds for a second building on an adjacent property to grow the supportive employment program and provide respite services for the community.