Floods and Erupting Volcanoes

Hola mis amigos,

More about the Ecuador experience  

State of Emergency:

No, the state of emergency was not declared because of my 

presence in the country, just happened 

to coincide with it.   All joking apart, due to excessive and continual rainfall severe flooding was occurring 

all over the country but most especially along the coastal plains where there is much poverty with about two 

million people living in shacks around Guayaquil, the country's second city.   This area was a disaster and with little in the way of emergency services one cannot imagine how these people will be coping. 

  

Loss of crops

I drove past thousands of acres of drowned banana plantations and paddy fields.   Plantain is fundamental to the ecuadorian  diet along with rice.   Not only that, Ecuador is probably the biggest supplier of bananas to europe and the united states.   All lost.   Add to this the serious problem of disease which will result from the floods one can see why the government declared a state of emergency.

Land slides

Serious derrumbos (land slides) and sliding boulders caused considerable danger and  blocking of  roads in the Andes.   The  journey, by road from Guayaquil to Cuenca, which would normally take 4 hours, because of the derrumbos, a washed away bridge, torrential rain, appalling pot holes and then not being able to see more than a few metres because of cloud, took us 12 hours!

Erupting Volcanoes

Another unexpected hazard!   Ecuador has quite a collection of volcanoes, some of which are extinct and some of which are decidedly activo and one of these fuming giants, namely Tungurahua,  had decided to errupt causing the virtual isolation of Baños, a popular town with

tourists, situated right under Tungurahua. The following week I had the extroadinary experience of sleeping in a hotel in Baños which could not possibly have been one step closer to the erupting volcano, I prayed that Tungurahua would have a peaceful night....

Cotopaxi

Magnificent in its isolated glory towering over its National Park, Cotopaxi at 6,000m. is the highest active volcano in the world.   Snow covered from just over 4000m. the peak is more than often enshrouded in cloud.   However, its beauty is apparent and alluring.   At 4300m we abandoned our vehicle to a bitingly cold and fierce wind  and began climbing through snow covered ash, extremely hard going I might add, towards the refuge at 4800m from which the

which point the more serious climbers begin their ascent to Cotopaxi's peak.   I would like to proclaim a personal record here which is:   this is the highest point above sea level to which I 

have  ascended (in this life that is!) without being violently ill from altitude sickness.  Mmm.....the summit next year?

One of earth's great wildernesses, Cotopaxi National Park.

Chow amigos, hasta la proxima.

Welcome

Hola amigos buenos,   

This is my first blog and so I would like to begin by saying that I have just returned home safely to England after a 4 week trip to South America (no abductions this trip just floods and erupting volcanoes, but more about that later)  My travels this year took me to Ecuador, where I spent 3 weeks travelling around the country and also presenting a seminar to the Baha´i communities of Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil. 

I also visited the town of Otovalo, 2 or 3 hours north of Quito the second highest capital city in the world at 2,800m.    Otovalo is famous for its arts, crafts and weavings and all those south americans that we encounter in our markets here and abroad playing the panpipes and selling their wares hail from Otovalo.  

This is also the town  where the first south american Baha´i radio station was established  some 30 years ago.  Radio Baha´i is a huge success and transmits from 4am to 8pm 6 days per week.   Transmission starts at this unearthly hour because the Otovalians get up at this hour to maximise the use of daylight hours for working in the fields.  Being on the equator there is only 12 hours of daylight all year round.  I was fortunate enough to be in one of the studios during the transmission of a programme by some youth of 12 and 13 year olds discussing family  values and the importance to them of their family. 

Also just outside Otovalo is the Raúl Pavón Baha´i School.  The school is beautifully located and provides an all-round education, based on Baha' i principles, for girls and boys from 5 years to 18.  There are 200 students altogether.   This is a truly great place buzzing with energy and enthusiasm and run by a dedicated team lead by Jorgi who, very kindly with his wife and baby, drove me all the way back to Quito one afternoon.  Thank you Jorgi.    It costs USD200 per year to educate a child at this great school and many of the children have been awarded a grant for the fees  at the discretion of the school, depending on the child's academic potential, family economic and social situation.   Anyone is able to fund a grant to provide education for a suitable indigenous child.    I felt so inspired by this hive of activity and energy that I set up a grant there and then to sponsor the education of a 5 year old little girl called Angie Mishel.  What is more I had the delight of meeting this little angel.  This is a photo of her  and also one of some other children  at break time... : Anyone interested in sponsoring the education of a child at this school, please contact me for details.

Ecuador is a delightful country which takes its name from the equator (Ecuador is spanish for equator) which passes through the northern part of the country.   It is a country of great diversity of landscape and climate:   from hot and humid coastal plains to the rich and fertile sierra of the mighty Andes to majestic snow capped volcanoes, some of which are seriously active!

This is all for today, more about my journey will follow.

Chow amigos!