Cerro Azul...el paraiso mio
Trip Start
Feb 08, 2006
1
7
23
Trip End
Apr 2008
Cayambe, Ecuador
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Estoy aqui en Cayambe otra vez. Por fin, no hay paros, ni problemas aqui en la sierra. Tenemos solo dos semanas mas de entrenamiento, y ¡voy a ser voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz!
Bueno, and for those of you English speakers I am safe and sound here in Cayambe anxiously awaiting our swearing in date to become official Peace Corps volunteers! Having just arrived this afternoon, I am still reeling from my site visit to Cerro Azul. ¡Que increible! I just may have received the best volunteer site in the history of Peace Corps...
Cerro Azul (as you will notice in the photos) is incredibly lush and green with crazy tree species and plenty of drippy orchids. There is a gorgeous waterfall about an hour hike from the center of town, along with several other trails still to be discovered. The town itself is home to about 30 families (about 5 of which I have already met!), one elementary school, a store and a police station.
During my week stay in Cerro Azul, I was privelege to the company of the Pinela family (including Dina, Manuel, Carlos, Gerardo, Jonny and Sandra). Their hospitality was unrivaled and made my leaving quite difficult. The food served by the lovely Dina was fabulous...coastal food rocks! Speaking of which, my last day in the region was spent at Jambeli, an island beach near Machala. And there, at a boardwalk restaurant I had some of the best seafood in Ecuador (and also received one of the worst sunburns!)
¿Que mas? On Saturday afternoon I traveled an hour up into the hills to witness a bit of small scale gold mining. From large chunks of rocks to sandy, pan-swishing action, I saw the whole process. Though my opinions of mining and its effects on the environment do not entirely coincide with those of the miners, the experience was great. Manuel and his cousin Jorge displayed skill and patience in those 5 hours and in the end they had extracted almost 12 grams of gold. I was in awe.
Around 8:30 that evening we finally made it back down the hill a little ways to the house of Maria, Dina´s sister...for my first baile! (That is dance in Spanish). ¡Que chevere! Although in the first few moments I was quite nervous...in fact I feel I should describe the scene to justify my anxiety. There we were, the center of the sala cleared for salsa dancing, benches on either side of the 15 x 10 room. About 20 people, all family and friends, staring at one another while the music commenced. Before I knew it the young man sitting next to me seizes my hand and pulls me to the center of the floor. Aaaahhh! I was practically paralyzed. And then it happened. Within seconds the floor was filled, benches emptied, booties shaking and laughter abound. I love this place! We were up until 2:00 in the morning, music loud as can be, dancing, dancing, dancing. Oh, I must not forget the vino...a baile is not a baile without a bit of the good stuff (in this case...a box of peach wine)!
In summary, my time in El Oro (though prefaced by a brutal 12.5 hour bus ride) was unforgettable. I hope that you can all capture a glimpse of my experience through not only my words, but also my photos....enjoy...
CHAO!
Comments
Pride...
Hi Lisa,Those are some awesome pictures!It sounds like you are adapting very well to your new way of life!I load these different pictures that you send as screen savers and when someone asks 'where are they from?',It gives me the opportunity to bragg about you and what you are accomplishing.I can't wait to read about your next great adventure!Stay cool,Soccerchic:)
Hope to talk to you real soon.
Love Jeff
Buenos Noches
How's that for spelling honey (above)I thought I'd drop a note on your travelpod. I haven't checked it for awhile. I love the picture your using for your home page of your travelpod! Not much happening here. The nights have cooled off a little bit which is really nice. Jeffrey and I painted some more on the porch today. I took some pictures yesterday and will be sending them to you so you can check them out on Thursday. Hope you have an enjoyable day and evening. Talk to you soon
Love,
Mom