Hummingbirds, hiking, helping

Days three and four, in Mindo, finds the group split into two.  One group will hike to the Las Tangaras, a biological birding missnetting activity and the other will hike to the waterfalls. Then we switch the next day.


The stay in Mindo is full of environmental and biological activities.  

We are starting day four in the Mindo village.  We are surrounded by hills and in the mornings very low lying clouds blanket the green canopy of trees and plants. By mid morning the clouds give way to blue skies….but only for a few hours.  The afternoons and evenings bring dark clouds and rain.  The group activities continue….my rain coat gets used every day. We spend part of every day having a session or two or three with Massimo.  Then we go out and practice newly taught photo skills on local subjects.  We travel by "taxi" (a white small pickup truck with special rails attached so that 8-14 people could stand and hold on).  Michael thought road surfing was fun and that he would like to do that everyday. I say road surfing because the roads are dirt and full of pot holes.  We bumped and jiggled along slowly… there was not a chance to fall because we were tightly compressed against eac other.

On day two we spent hours trying to take portraits of hummingbirds. Very difficult but so cool when we finally got a good photo.

The afternoon was spent taking photos of the town and highlighted by a surprize,special chocolate making class. 

In the evenings we bug hunt. Yes, we turn over leaves and look behind rocks to find the nocturnal insects and frogs waiting to be uncovered by us.

Mindo, Massimo, Mariposas

The day started with a photo workshop with Massimo. After lunch we headed out for the Mariposas Reserve to take pictures and practice the photo lessons from the morning.  Lots of beautiful butterflies flew around but few enjoyed posing for their portraits.  However, the students managed to get some nice photos.  Then the next part of the day was the much anticipated white water tube ride.  We split into two groups, put on some wet and cold life jackets and boarded the tube raft.  The water was mucho frio. Heading down the river was exhilerating.  Having the ice cold water hit your body was breath taking. After getting completely drenched the body aclimated and the water did not seem as cold until the next dip and surge of water. The ride gave everyone a big adreneline boost.  Even those in the group who were a little nervous about the excursion had a fun time and felt good about conquering a fear.  We have seen this lesson several times like when Sarah Jane and Callie held giant beetles in the palm of their hands.

The internet is very spotty here.  When the students have free time in the evening is when they want to use it and it has not been working.  I get up earlier than the group and have some quiet time and have been able to connect. Speaking of getting up early....Massimo and Sam said they were going birding at sunrise this morning.  Last night when the students were invited to join them many said yes.  How many do you think got up today and went sunrise birding?

Visit to the equator and new destination Mindo

Madeline flew in late Friday and I was happy to see her join the group.  Luis cooked us eggs for breakfast and then we loaded up the bus and took off for Mindo.  Quito is so spread out that it felt like we were driving for an hour before we ever got out of the city. First stop, the equator monument.  Callie asked how wide was the actual equator line…this sparked interesting comments but in the end we did not know. However, a nice 3-4 inch wide yellow line was painted at the monument site and we spent lots of time sitting, standing, and laying on the two hemispheres.  We loaded back on the bus and drove through hills and valleys and saw the scenery change to the lush green cloud forest of Mindo.  Mindo is a small tourist destination village.  The big draw is birding.  It is said that more birds have been spotted in the Mindo area than any other place in the world.  You will need to verify this information yourself…this is just what I have been told.  Anyway, we drove through the small town area… the paved road ended and the dirt road to our Bambu Hotel began.  Up the muddy road was our destination.  Jorge, the bus driver, decided to back the bus up the very narrow, muddy road. About 100 yards up the road the incline was too much for the bus to handle and Jorge announced that he could not go any further. We needed to get our bags and walk the last 50 yards up the road to the hotel. All I could think of was how much fun I was going to have dragging my extra heavy rolling suitcase up the muddy road.  Others had the same problem but they are about 1/3 my age and 5/3's stronger…but we all made it.  Our accommodation is remotely situated.  We are in wood cabins.  The windows are unscreened with wooden doors. The lighting in the room is dim.  I have to use my flashlight to look for things. It feels like we are in the country.  I can hear insects talking like they did when I was a kid camping out on the Brazos river on a warm summer night.  The grounds are very green and the plants are overly healthy looking.  Lots of flowering plants add color. It feels like we are on an adventure, not a vacation even though there is a nice pool and hot tub. We spent the afternoon and evening walking to town, eating and having a big photo lesson with Massimo.  Massimo Bassamo is our Nat Geo photo expert.  I worked with him two years ago when we took this program to Tanzania.  He traveled 27 hours from Italy to come and work with us.  He is a great guy.