Oyacachi, Papallacta, Cotopaxi

or...

A week in the field and I smell terrible

I am behind by a week on my daily reports, which means a lot has been happening...Last Monday I arrived fresh from south Quito in the office of Central Equatoriana de Servicios Agricolas (CESA) and about 30 minutes later a shorter stout man burst through the door and gave me a kiss on the cheek. This is Oscar Rojas, highly skilled Spanish speaking hydrologist, my partner in field work for the project.

We spent the first part of the day attending meetings with funders and developement money pots of sorts. Then we got on busses for North Quito, then to Papallacta then into a the lovely red Toyota truck for Oyacachi. In Papallacta we joined with Estalin who works in animal husbandry (the sweetest man you could ever meet) and Enite who works in microcredit and social relations/components of the projects. We arrived early Tuesday in beautiful Oyacachi after visiting the meteorological station ("met" station) near the continental devide, and the irrigation canal which is a 8km tunnel through the continental devide supplying a limited ammount of water to Cangahua.


The Paramo is soooooo cold! I don't care what kind of NorthFace, Marmot, HellyHansen you are wearing...it is F#@$*&! COLD !!!

In Oyacachi I spent my time walking around getting to know the place and people, there also happened to be a visit from USAid folks while I was there...they have a new credit cooperative, a artisan woodworking shop, three queserias (cheese making), trucha production (fresh water trout ponds), grazing lands for cattle, and a river flowing through the cuenca/watershed. I also include poverty in that list. But this is only my first understanding after one trip, and I am an outsider....a caucasian with medium grade Spanish, a good thing for you to keep in mind.

After two days in Oyacachi we were out of gas so we re-crossed the continental devide and drove to the drier country, Cangahua then Cayambe. We looped back around and spent the night in Papallacta where CESA also has a developement project.

Then Friday traveled to the province of Cotopaxi to download data from another meteorological station where I met this intelligent young man, Juanito(below). Above in the first picture you see all of us together Oscar, Stalin, Don Juan and Juanito.

I write this post from Saquisili/Latacunga in Cotopaxi, a city in another province in Ecuador (Google it!). Today I go into the field with CESA's Daniela Cruz, somewhere in the La Costa region. I was planning on relaxing and sleeping, but going to the coast is also nice since I already have the Sierra and Amazonia under my belt.... (ha! that is a little cocky...there is a lot I don't know!)

Well my platano frito (fried plantain or "chifles") is cold and so am I, and the church bells are already ringing. Even at 730 on a Saturday evening, a sort of reminder as you put on your best shoes, polish them and prepare to drink and revel in the chilly Andean night.