Ecuador and La Mitad del Mundo

I was able to experience another new country in South America a couple of weeks ago - Ecuador! I did not know much about the country, so I did a quick Google search to see if there were any "must sees" near Quito if we had time. Luckily, we did have time and I did find something online that turned out to be possibly one of the coolest places I have ever been - la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world.)

The equator runs across the top half of the South American continent, and right through Ecuador just north of Quito. I thought being able to stand with one leg on each side of the equator would be cool - and apparently others did as well because we found not one, but two large tourist destinations just to do this.

The first monument was erected with the help of the French government back in the 1970's. This monument was in honor of the first expedition to what is now Ecuador back in 18th century by French Academy of Sciences to measure the roundness of the earth. It was also during this expedition that the actual equator line location was determined. It is a giant monument with a museum about the expedition, and then the rest of the park is full of souvenir shops and restaurants.

The funny thing is that this monument is HUGE and it was  built to mark the equator...but they were wrong! New advances in technology have actually figured out the equator is about 240 meters north of here. Enter, the second tourist site over the REAL equator.

This site has the Museo de Sitio Intinan. This much smaller museum and tour sprung up in recent years when technology moved the line of the equator. For $4, a guide will take you on a short tour to discuss the indigenous cultures of Ecuador and then the "actual" equator line. I'm not sure if this is just another tourist trap, but I was highly amused. They showed us experiments with water - directly over the equator water drained straight down, on one side it swirled clockwise, and then on the other side it drained counter clockwise! They also talked about how the pull of gravity here is different - so we could balance an egg on the head of a nail. And, apparently, you weigh less on the equator. (No complaints here!) Again, I have no idea about the science behind this and whether it is all real, but it sure was fun!

I had to share this one. Supposedly a real shrunken head. Eeew, right?

Maria and I at the "real" equator line. 

Who doesn't love a random llama?

Quito was really nice, but I didn't see much due to work. However, I will share with you an (unbeknownst to me and also highly shocking) fact about Ecuador: they use US Dollars. No, I don't mean they'll take your USD and give you back their own currency. I mean, that's all they use. They got rid of their currency a few years back in order to have more stability with the dollar. So, money that is printed in the US is someone sent to Ecuador to be used by everyone. And, have you ever wondered what happened to all of those $1 coins that were made a few years back? Remember the campaigns to entice us into using coins instead of bills? Remember how that didn't work and the coins went away? I found them...in Ecuador!!

-Amber

Monteverde

While my colleagues were in town a few weeks ago, we decided to brave the notoriously  bad roads to Monteverde to have the experience of seeing the cloud forest and hanging bridges.

Monteverde is high up in the mountains on the other side of Lake Arenal from Arenal volcano. The only way in and the only way out is a dirt road. A really, not so comfortable, dirt road. I've never been because I just didn't think Sally May (the Hyundai) could take it. So, it's always been the just out of my reach vacation destination. But, nothing makes you do the things you've been putting off more than company! So, a few weeks ago when my colleagues were in town for a team meeting, my friend Daniella borrowed the 4x4 we needed for the roads and we took off to Monteverde...for a little less than 24 hours!

It is hard to get there. Not only do the dirt roads slow you down considerably, but so does getting lost. And getting lost is probably the easiest part of the journey since most places in Costa Rica don't believe in signs for some reason. So we, like every other tourist that has never been there before, took about an hour and a half detour down the wrong dirt road. That was fun...

The area known as Monteverde is actually a couple of small towns outside of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. In the 1950's a group of Quakers and general pacifists from Alabama moved to the area to sustain themselves on dairy farming and get away from the Korean draft in the US. Even though the area is one of the big tourist attractions in the country, the Quakers and other locals have fought the paving of the roads into Monteverde in order to make it harder to reach and keep the tourism numbers low. However, as of last week, it looks like they have finally lost the battle. The roads to Monteverde are to be paved in the coming year(s). It is a beautiful area and town, so hopefully it can maintain some of it's mysterious charm, even with easier access to outsiders.

The big draw is the Cloud Forest Preserve, and the big "thing to do" is walk through the preserve on hanging bridges. And by hanging, I mean bafflingly long metal bridges that seem to just be suspended in the air. My brain can't even begin to figure out the engineering that went into these things. They are a marvel, and a little scary! My theory on things like high suspended bridges and zip lines in Costa Rica is that they are always going to be super safe - killing a tourist does not bring in the revenue quite as well as keeping them safe and happy, right?

I should be ashamed of myself. Scratch that. I am ashamed of myself. I left my good camera at home for this trip (on accident.) So, I apologize in the advance for the quality of my photos...taken with my phone...

Until the next adventure,
Amber

Montezuma

Immediately, and I do mean immediately as in about 26 hours after I returned to Costa Rica from the Christmas break, my neighbors and I took off to Montezuma - a small beach town at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula. I had been hearing about Montezuma for months - the waterfall, the endless beaches, the way it is kind of "out of the way," etc. So, off we went on a Friday night around 6:00 pm to catch the ferry at Puntarenas, across the Gulf of Nicoya, and to parts unknown to me and Sally May (the Hyundai.)


As I mentioned, we first had to catch the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera. For a car and 4 people it costs about $30 USD. This is us on the ferry.

Once off the ferry, it took about 2 hours to get to the beach town of Montezuma. It's not a bad drive - mostly rural areas. But the last hour is on dirt roads, which are tricky to drive at night when you can't fully see the pot holes. So, it was slow going, but we eventually made it, checked into our hotel and went straight to bed. 

As I mentioned above, Montezuma is known for it's beautiful waterfall and beaches. So, after a nice breakfast with monkeys on Saturday morning, we took off to the waterfall first. 

A lazy monkey watching us eat breakfast. He was only about 5 feet from the table here. 

                       

There is a "trail" to the waterfall. But most of it looks like this. You basically walk along the rocks in the river to get to your destination. It's not easy going, but it is fun!

                                   

And, at the end of the 30 minute trek, is a waterfall oasis in the middle of the jungle that is absolutely stunning. We joined the other locals and tourists there in swimming under the waterfall, jumping off a rock next to it, and just relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. 

                        

After a quick lunch in town it was time to explore the beaches. The most interesting thing about the beaches in Montezuma is that there are many small beaches along a trail and they are all different. Some are covered in finely ground shells, while others are covered in beautiful multi-colored rocks.   

  

Whilst laying on my towel enjoying the sun, I ran across this little guy. I named him Herbert. 

And, you wouldn't be a respectable Gringo in Costa Rica if you weren't wildly amused by monkeys just hanging out around town. In some areas here, they really are just like squirrels back in NC. The locals are not phased by them anymore, but people who aren't from "around here" are always fascinated and taking pictures. So, because I'm not from "around here," here's a few more pictures. 

On Sunday we hung out on the beach for a little bit and then drove back to the ferry at Paquera and onward to San Jose. It was a really nice, relaxing, and just easy weekend. And, a place I would visit again and 100% recommend!

-Amber

Jolly Old England

Normally I reserve this blog for my Costa Rican experiences and travels through Latin America. But today, I have to give a little time for my recent trip to England. Much to my mother's dismay, I flew to the United Kingdom right before Christmas and made it home on Christmas Eve (luckily!)

As always, I had a wonderful time with my friend and mentor Graham! We spent most of the time working, but I was able to capture some really beautiful shots of London at night that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

 The "Dynamic Duo"

                                                                          Leicester Square

 Along the Thames...

       

Oh, and did I mention we saw The Beatles in concert? Ok, it was a show, but still pretty impressive!

-Amber

Day of the Little Candles - Colombia

December 7th is a holiday in Colombia. This is the eve of the Immaculate Conception and called Dia de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles.) On this day, after dark, everyone in the country lights candles in their windows and in parks, they light lanterns in and outside of their homes, and they turn on their Christmas lights to mark the official beginning of the Christmas season. I compare it to how it is a big faux pas in the US to have your Christmas lights on before Thanksgiving is done.

I was lucky to experience this holiday while in Bogota last December and it was a really beautiful and heart warming tradition to experience. After the sun set, everyone in the city took to the parks with their families and friends. They sat in small circles and just enjoyed the time to be together. There were tiny multi-colored candles on every solid surface and the parks and green areas were all absolutely full. With the candles and the Christmas lights on, everything glowed and everyone seemed really happy. Definitely a tradition worth keeping in Colombia!

-Amber

Caracas, Venezuela

At the end of November my work took me down to Caracas, Venezuela. With everything we hear in the media about President Hugo Chavez's view of the United States, I have to admit I was a little nervous to go. And while I was only there for a weekend, it was an interesting exploration into a country with a political leader and system that we typically lump in with communism ( the evil of all evils to many US citizens.)

Let me clarify, Venezuela is not a communist country (currently) or a dictatorship. It is a democracy in the sense that government officials, including Mr. Chavez, are elected by the people. Chavez is part of the United Socialist Party. And whether we can believe it or not, just before my visit, Presidente Chavez was re-elected by the people for another presidential term. (It is unclear if he will be able to live that out due to illness.) This recent election did allow me the chance to view a lot of propaganda in support of Chavez's reelection.

Because Chavez is usually lumped into the same category with Castro and Kim Jong-il from North Korea, it was very odd to see so many pro-Chavez billboards, signs, and walls with graffitti. But, when you step back and think on it, he is elected and over half of the population love him. (From what I've gathered, it is mostly the lower class in Venezuela that supports him because of his Socialist views, whereas the middle and upper classes are not fans.)

There is a lot of obvious poverty outside of Caracas. Venezuela is known for these types of housing developments on hills just chock-a-bock full of tiny houses all cramped in together:

The other big observation I was able to make while there is just how expensive it is! There are two exchange rates for the dollar - one for essentials and one for other items. The essentials' exchange rate is lower, but even with that prices in the super market were all over the place. A 20 oz Coke seemed reasonable, but a medium sized block of not-so-special cheese was about $15. Apparently, it's not just a foreign exchange rate issue. I spoke with our teacher candidates about it and they discussed just how impossible it could be at times to be able to even afford the basics.

There is a lot more to be learned about Venezuela, but these were the few things that stuck out as interesting or odd. I can tell you that the people are gregarious and warm. They are full of life and energy and are the type of people you just want to be around.

- Amber

Feliz Año Nuevo!!

Happy 2013 y'all!! Thanks for being forgiving while I took a break from the blog in December. It was good to get back to NC for a few weeks and catch up with everyone. But, it's also good to be back in Costa Rica and back to my daily routine (and the stunningly beautiful weather!)

Over the next few days I will be updating the blog with some overdue posts as well as some new adventures I've had. As always, thanks for reading along!

- Amber