Day 1: Stockton and NYC
On January first I arrived at Stockton University around 2:30 P.M. It was one of those slow winter days where the sun stays low in the sky, it was cool, and everything was quiet. The campus was empty and lacking its usual hustle and bustle that exists during the semester. Excitement was building in anticipation for this long-awaited trip to Ecuador that had been in the making for nearly a year now. There had been hurdles to jump to get vaccines, many articles and documents read and written about, a three-day camping trip to Ricketts Glen and now it was all coming together. Although, it still did not feel as though we were leaving for a country thousands of miles away for over two weeks. I left my car in a lot and said goodbye to south Jersey as we boarded a bus bound for New York City. The long and bouncing ride left me with mixed feelings. I had been looking forward to this adventure for many months and now that it was happening, I was not feeling the excitement I thought that I should be.
Upon checking into the hotel in New York, pizza was ordered and the whole group crammed into one room to eat. The air was filled with the smell of cheesy pizza and excitement and anxiousness shared between everyone and it began to make it feel more real and even more so when our first presenters began. The classes T.A. Greg Fischer began the night with a presentation that covered basic geology which led into the geology that is more specific to Ecuador and to the Galapagos islands. Some members of the group seemed to find the subject somewhat dry or boring, but I was very intrigued by the topic. Mostly because it was new information to me, aside from the basic geology such as the layers of the earth and that earthquakes make the ground shake and volcanoes explode. My interests have typically been towards the animals of the natural world and not so much rocks, so this presentation proved to be quite educational for me. It was new to me that there are the different ways that rock and plates move along each other, each with its own specific action. There are convergent, divergent, as well as transform movements. We also learned of different P and S seismic waves and how they move through materials and what damages they may cause. From there we moved onto the topic of the different types of volcanoes and how they each function. There are many volcanoes in Ecuador as well as many earthquakes. There is nearly constant seismic activity present in the country and it is just accepted as a part of life, much like we deal with hurricanes on the east coast of the United States. Ultimately the presentation ended with the question of whether or not volcano activity is linked to earthquake activity. This is a subject that is debated and, as of now, no one knows the answer to that question. To me it seems that it could be likely that they are linked.
The next presentation was done by Class members Maddie and Lauren on the topic of diversity in the Galapagos and the Amazon. The presentation focused mainly on species diversity although ecosystems and genetics were touched on as well. Most of this information was already well known because of previous readings and reflections that had been done for the prep-course. But, it was a great refresher and warm up to get us all excited for the first part of our trip; The Galapagos Islands. The topics discussed included different ecosystems from the aquatic, to arid, to humid and more lush landscapes in the Galapagos. Many of the species in the Galapagos are endemic only to those islands. This makes this area a unique biodiversity hot spot. The fact that three different major ocean currents converge on the islands brings types of organism from tropical and colder more temperate regions of the world. There are seals living alongside penguins, alongside aquatic Iguanas. This is a sight that I am very excited to see and experience.
Day 2: NYC and Quayaquil
After a night with nearly no sleep due to the excitement and jitteriness of leaving for a trip unlike anything I had ever done before, I groggily found my way to the lobby of our hotel with my roommates to eat breakfast. Everyone ate in relative silence as we checked phones and stared off into space. After breakfast we packed up and all gathered into our professor’s room turned classroom for a presentation done by Hailey Wilmot about tourism and its effects environmentally on the Galapagos Islands. This subject I was looking forward to because I had not much knowledge on the topic and I felt that this presentation was done well and gave me a better understanding of what is happening on the Islands. The one idea that bothered me is the fact that tourism is overall detrimental to the ecosystems and naturalness of the Galapagos Islands and yet we are going as tourist to experience it like anyone else. Of course, we are looking at this trip through the lens of being environmental science and sustainability students.
There was a video shown in the presentation that showed how new housing developments were being constructed on the islands and how they must meet certain environmental codes and standards in order to be “green”. My first thought was “Why do we need to build more?”. It seems that wherever people go we have to build and take away from what grows and lives and occurs naturally in that area. I had the same thought driving into New York City. There were lights and buildings and concrete sprawling as far as the eye could see. I would like to know why we are so programmed to expand and take over. This is something that bugged me about the new buildings being made on the Islands. Whenever I see a beautiful natural place, I always ask myself why don’t we just leave it alone? As far as our human impact on the place. I see places that I would love to go and see myself just like anyone else, but at some point it is almost as if the place is so special, and so much older than we are that we should just leave it alone and let it be how has been for millions of years.
To go against my own thoughts, I understand that our human caused impacts from around the globe cause damages worldwide. So, it is necessary to have a presence there to clean up after ourselves and to make sure that what may happen thousands of miles away is being taken care of to the best of our abilities. Also, there is the perspective of looking at things that tourism is inevitable and makes a place well known and popular. This allows people to see a place and begin to care about it and therefore cause people on a larger scale to want to protect these areas. There was a quote used in Hailey’s presentation by Sir. David Attenborough that was something like “The Galapagos would not exist without tourism”. This may be true because a large portion of tourism revenue is used in order to protect the Galapagos. But there seems to be a cost because wherever humans go, there goes trash, and waste, and environmental degradation. If we can find an equilibrium between tourism, and managing the human impact and protecting the Galapagos, this would be the ideal system. But is that just wishing for a eutopia?
We left for Guayaquil from New York around mid-day and arrived roughly six hours later. The flight was long but relatively comfortable, but it felt good to finally land. We gathered our bags and were met outside the airport by Diego, our guide for the two weeks. He was very friendly and provided a lot of valuable information. He introduced himself as we took a bus over to our hotel. Once there we crossed the street to have dinner. I had been looking forward to the food very much and was not disappointed by the mushroom risotto. By this time, it was late and we were off to bed to wake up and leave for the Galapagos in the morning.
Day 3: Guayaquil and Galapagos
This day we woke up early and had breakfast downstairs of the hotel in Guayaquil. After eating we piled our gear into a van and departed for the airport only a few minutes away. We made it through the check in process and were on our way to the Galapagos. The flight was only about an hour and excitement was building as we approached the islands. Getting off the plane was interesting due to the fact that we merely stepped off the plane and right onto the tarmac. From there we paid our $100 dollar fee to enter the park and took a shuttle and boat onto Santa Cruz island. Here we drove up into the highlands and briefly viewed the “twins” sinkhole and continued on our way through the highlands. We began to descend and shortly thereafter we entered into Puerto Ayora and checked into our hotel. After this we walked down the beaches, swam in the ocean and got to see the Galapagos from a tourist point of view. We ate dinner late and came back to the hotel for a presentation.
That night, Mrs. Isabell from Ecuador’s university ESPOL gave a presentation outlining her work in GMaRE with the university and their goals. Her main focus was ocean acidification as well as other various small, but very important, studies of the marine biology of the Galapagos islands. She stated how the university is expanding its education opportunities with new master’s programs that students can enroll in and help with the research that is being done. Her other main focus was how research and connections are very important. As well as collaboration. For instance, she studies ocean acidification in the Galapagos, but her results may be useful to other scientists worldwide. Also, other scientists on the other side of the globe may be studying marine volcanic geology and have results that are very important for her to use in her research.
Additionally, she spoke of how there is a political part to science. This I was very aware of because of my own experiences in New Jersey. I worked on a Bobwhite Quail restoration project prior to college and was able to see firsthand the politics and games that go on between scientist, the people, and the politicians. There is a line that is danced on to appease everyone and to also get the job done to conserve wildlife and natural resources. This is essentially what she spoke of in her presentation. There are laws in place where she cannot stay in the Galapagos for more than five years. This is difficult as a researcher because her research should be continued for decades as she is doing good for the ecosystems and the community. Unfortunately, that does not matter and after five years she will have to find a new job. This is where laws should be put into to place because her presence is very beneficial and for her to leave would do more harm than good, even though the law is in place with good intentions.
Day 4: Galapagos
Today we arrived in Isabella via a long and bumpy boat ride and promptly went kayaking and snorkeling. Snorkeling was amazing. I never thought I’d be able to see the marine life that I did firsthand. I had always grown up watching Blue Planet or Planet Earth and been amazed by the tropical fish and clear blue waters. It is an entirely different world than back home. It almost feels like it isn’t real. I think this whole experience is something that I will look back on and realize how special it really is. I am so overwhelmed by how new and unknown everything is that it becomes hard to dissect. It will be something I never forget, and I believe I will garner a greater and greater appreciation for everything as time goes on. I am very glad that we are here as an environmental science class rather than some vacation trip. I would not enjoy this nearly as much without learning topics that I am interested in. Today we talked about the importance of flamingos and their presence on the islands. This topic will require me to do more research because the flamingos were not gone over in great detail in the field. Another topic we touched upon is the sewage and waste management on the islands. I learned that the people who live on the islands directly pump their waste into the ocean. There is no waste management program her at all. This is somewhat surprising because of all the environmental precautions that we had to go through to get onto the islands. I would think if there is that much care taken that there would be care taken to manage sewage properly.
Day 5: Galapagos
Hiking up the trail to Sierra Negra volcano was very fun and memorable. It felt good to get some exercise and see the beautiful plants along the way. The trail was pretty much a green tunnel without any views until we reached the rim of the volcano. It was far more vast than I had expected. I had some questions on how the volcano flows when it does erupt. I ultimately found out that the whole massive crater does not fill up and spill lava, but rather leaks out of one or a few areas that are far smaller than the whole caldera. Nonetheless, it still releases huge amounts of lava and gasses. It was very cool to be standing there knowing that it is still very much an active volcano. I would like to look more into how volcanoes function and how countries who live with them cope with the dangers of them. Much like we cope with the dangers of large storms. I may write about this in my term paper.
Later in the day we biked and then hiked to the wall of tears. The wall was an impressive sight, although gloomy knowing the circumstances that led to its construction. Climbing up higher in elevation to overlook the town we were staying in and 360 degrees all around the island was spectacular, especially later in the afternoon. Here we talked about waste management in the Galapagos and how it is progressing, or lack thereof.
Day 6: Galapagos
Today we woke up with the sun and took a boat back to Santa Cruz Island. The Charles Darwin Research station was very interesting. I was able to read facts about Darwin’s presence on the islands and his work as well as his colleagues. It was hard to focus being very tired. Although I wish our tour guide had more to offer. That is how much of the Galapagos tours have been. I do not want to complain or seem ungrateful, but I wish that the tours had more to offer. Now I will be doing more outside research on top of what I already will be doing. But, that is how some things go. Upon returning to Guayaquil I anticipate things switching gears. I look forward to moving on to different sights and different ecosystems and different cultures. I enjoyed the Galapagos, but I hope to get away from all the tourist attractions and experience more of everyday Ecuador. I understand that the tourism industry is huge in the Galapagos and one of the main sources of revenue, so therefore tourism is the everyday life for some in the Galapagos. The Galapagos is the one thing that I know most about so I think that exploring the rest of the country will be even more of a learning experience for me.
The evening presentation covered the topic of invasive species on the islands. As we discussed afterwards, the content was as if we did not know much at all about the Galapagos, but the presenter knew his information very well. Had he been given our level of knowledge on the topic I am sure he would have been able to give a far more involved presentation. I was surprised by some of the numbers that he brought up in the presentation. Especially that forty-two percent of invasive species have been brought to the islands intentionally. Of course, they were not brought with the intention of being invasive but brought here for mostly some sort of production or profit. One topic that piqued my interest very much that I want to investigate more, is the illegal pet trade in the Galapagos. Initially, I was not interested in invasive species very much and disregarded it as a topic for my research paper but now after this presentation I see that there is a lot of information out there that is very interesting. I liked learning of the different strategies in managing the invasive species and I very well may choose this to be my paper topic. For now, I will hold out because I want to wait and see if there is anything else that really speaks to me in terms of a topic worth writing a whole research paper about. On another note, I was very surprised to learn that there is no correlation between someone in the environmental industry and their environmental impact. That person may simply be more aware of their environmental impact but not do anything about it.
Day 7: Galapagos/Guayaquil
Today we got up early for our last morning in the Galapagos. We had breakfast and loaded into a bus for our trip back to the airport. Here we checked in and waited for several hours before taking off. It was a bit sad to see the islands go, knowing that it is unlikely that I will ever see this special place again. But it is an experience I will never forget and I will think of often. Finally being able to see the place that has always been talked about in science classes wince I was little was a surreal feeling.
When we first arrived in Guayaquil, I had seen these bogs out of the plane window. I had heard of there being some cranberry production in South America before but was not convinced that that is what they were. It seemed too muddy and close to the coast. I also saw the bogs again on the way back into Guayaquil from the Galapagos and was going to ask what they were. But, my question was answered for me when Natalia Molina began her presentation. They were shrimp farms. I had no idea how big shrimp farming is in Ecuador or that it was even possible to farm them. It was also very interesting to see how much damage the farms cause to the ecosystems, specifically the mangroves that grow in Ecuador. The shrimp are a top export from the country and employ tons of people. With Ryan and Val’s presentation I found the economics to be a little confusing. That is only because that is a topic that I don’t necessarily enjoy a lot and therefore makes it more difficult to understand. Ultimately, I learned that countries that rely upon natural resources for their economy often are countries that have an unstable economy. This is due to the easy fluctuation of demands for those natural resources. I am curious to see as we move away from fossil fuels how countries like Ecuador who rely on oil will fare.
Day 8:
Today was a very busy day. Waking up and driving to the mangroves was very cool. It was amazing to see how that part of the country leaving Guayaquil was so “third world”. There were plumes of smoke everywhere from burning brush piles, a dead horse on the side of the road, and people trying to sell fruits to drivers going through the toll booths. Our first look at howler monkeys were when we got to the mangroves to pick up our guide. We suited up in mosquito nets and went down to the river for a boat tour. The sheer abundance of birds and diversity was amazing. After this we quickly walked into the woods and observed some plants and saw some more howler monkeys. It was a very special experience. After this, we made our way down to a neighboring shrimp farm. This was very interesting and we learned that one bog can produce thousands of pounds of shrimp in the matter of five weeks. To prevent thievery, they even have guard tower to protect the farm at night. Shrimp is one of Ecuador’s top exports and is worth a lot of money. The money made far outweighs the penalty fine that would have to be paid for cutting down mangroves and disturbing the ecosystems.
From there we ascended into the Andes to Cajas National Park. This was my favorite part of the trip thus far, and still is. The high elevation at nearly 14,000 feet was unlike anything I’ve experienced; I did not feel the altitude like a few others but I was under the weather with a cold, and the air did seem thin. The cooler weather was great to feel after many days in the hot and humid weather. Many of the plants there were small and had various medicinal purposes for the locals. That Night we went to visit an expat named Paul Anthony and he was very kind in letting us into his home to feed us and tell us about his experience as an expat from Philadelphia now living in Cuenca. There were many reasons for his moving, mainly stresses from work, and moving to Ecuador was a way to retire and live off the money he made from selling his house. Money goes a lot further in Ecuador. He seemed to be happy living this way, but I could not help from thinking of how lonely I think that I myself would feel. Being away from family, having to adapt to an entirely new culture, language barriers, and many other obstacles. But this was a very new experience to me and I was very interested in everything Paul had to say about his experiences.
Day 9:
This day we left Cuenca and made our way south and into the amazon basin. Here we arrived in Zamora and lodged at a lodge dedicated to ecological preservation. Here we were able to hike and explore the surrounding jungle right outside of our bungalow shack dwellings. This night our presenter was not able to come, so instead we talked more about Paul and his experiences as an expat. I was glad of this because it was good to reinforce this topic. We covered the pros and cons of leaving America and living in Ecuador, or other south American countries. I would say there was a fifty-fifty split when we were all asked if we would do what Paul did, or move to South America now. I personally do not think I would be able to do it and be happy. I value being close with my family and I also have strong feelings about things happening in America. For instance, I am a part of an organization called Backcountry Hunters and Anglers who are advocates for public land and giving everyone opportunities to use our public lands in the US. I myself am active in using our public lands in the US through hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and many other things. This tie to the land and what I think is a fairly unique situation in America would make it hard for me to leave. In a sense I feel like I would miss this part of “culture” in America. Not many countries have access to millions and millions of acres of public land, and this is something that I hope to help preserve one day as a career in some way.
Day 10:
Tonight, John and Moira presented on life at high elevation. Most of this information was already known by seeing and experiencing high altitude firsthand. I was surprised at how much more UV exposure there is at high elevation. When in Cajas we were at 60% more UV than at sea level. Another interesting statistic was that 98% of Ecuador gets its water from surface water, making the highlands extremely valuable in their ability to filter that water for safe drinking. It can be seen that these areas are warming and being affected by climate change much quicker than other places and this poses a great threat for water supplies in Ecuador. Agriculture was also touched upon. In ancient times, terrace farming was used and we were able to see this the next day in Saraguro. The terrace farming was a way to create flat surfaces out of steep mountain slopes. Most of the food that people eat in the Andes are grown by those who live there, so changing climate is likely to severely affect the people who live there and depend upon those ecosystems for food and water. This result of climate change poses a very serious threat for those who live in Ecuador and other countries in similar situations. There must be a greater effort world wide to mitigate and reduce the effects of human caused climate change.
Day 11:
On the eleventh day we woke up in Zamora and promptly ate breakfast before leaving in our bus back north for several hours up to Saraguro. Saraguro was a smaller mountain town situated up higher in the Andes. Being back up in high elevation was certainly a stark contrast from the past couple days in the jungle. As soon as we arrived we toured a hat making shop where the traditional hats of the people who live there are made. They are made of sheep wool and are very hard as they are hardened with a glue. It is said they can be run over with a car and merely need a simple crack fixed. Upon leaving the shop, we shuttled our way down the valley to a local home where we were warmly greeted and dined on guinea pig and juice made from the agave plant.
That evening the presentation was given by a tourism agency that was just starting in Saraguro. The goal of the company was to bring the community together to create tourism in the city that would both bring in revenue while also accurately depicting and describing the way of life for the the native people. The goal was not for every other family to open a restaurant or hotel but to keep doing what they are doing and making a profit from it. For example, the man who made the hats had opened his shop up to us to give us a demonstration of what he does every day and made a profit off of it. Compound this idea over many different individuals in the city and soon enough, the idea is that there will be a booming and healthy tourism industry.
Day 12:
We woke up in Saraguro and experienced just how chilly it gets at night in the mountains. From there we piled into the van and made our way several hours back to Cuenca. Here we toured the panama hat factory and a local ceramic art shop. From the shop we overlooked the city from an overlook and got to see how the city nestles into the mountains. Here they experience trouble with the low lying city having smog and warmer air trapped in the city. Similar to that of cities in southern California. Here we also discussed the dangers of building on steep slopes and on un-sturdy ground. This can be seen in Cuenca as the population grows and has no where to go but up the hillsides.
Afterwards we were able to go and tour the local shops and buy souvenirs. Her e I purchased an alpaca wool sweater and some other small things. On our journey back to the hotel we walked into a pizza shop for dinner. The pizza is not the same as what I am used to in New Jersey.
From there we went back to the hotel for a presentation on a local Ecuadorian man who has opened his own business to help move expats into and out of the country. He said that there is enough of a market for it that he is doing quite well and does not see any sign of it slowing down. Ultimately he helps those expats who are mostly from the U.S. He will ship their belongings over on shipping containers and once landed will ship every item right to he door step. I think he has cornered the market on something that has a lot of money in it and it very popular and profitable.
Day 13:
This day we flew from Cuenca to Quito and from there drove into the cloud forest of Mindo. Mindo was much like the Zamora part of Ecuador and here we enjoyed zip-lining and dinner. After dinner, we had our presentations for the night. First was Nick Toth who talked about Mindo itself and cloud forests. He highlighted what makes it a rainforest such as the rain shadow effect. He also highlighted typical animals that inhabit the area. After nick, Victoria highlighted the treadmill of production in Ecuador and the relationship between state, citizen, and corporation.
Day 14:
This was our second to last day on the trip and I was definitely looking forward to returning home. But, I was also feeling that it would be sad to leave this beautiful part of the world knowing that it would be unlikely that I will have the opportunity to return. This day we rode back to Quito where we took a gondola ride up Pachincha mountain. Here people take lifts up to ride bikes down much like we take lifts to ski down in the U.S. After the Gondola we toured the local botanical garden in the city. Here we had the opportunity to see a wide variety of different plants that grew in the area. There were green houses dedicated to carnivorous plants alone and bonsai trees. This was definitely the highlight of Quito. After that we made our way to the Picari chocolate store. Here we were given a presentation on the background of the company. They pride themselves on being all natural and fair trade as well as going above and beyond the fair trade requirements. After this we loaded our bags with chocolate and lightened our wallets.
Day 15:
This day we visited Quilitoa. This was a volcano that has now formed a caldera that has filled in to form a lake. We hiked several hundred feet down in the crater and had a few moments to take in the vastness of the crater. The sheer size of it was hard to fathom, even while being down in the middle of it. To imagine that this crate had once erupted and spread fire for miles seems unfathomable. This volcano at one point was a stratovolcano that has now transformed into a caldera due to a collapses of its cone. These stratovolcanoes are typically very explosive and often produce more ash and pyroclastic flows than lava itself. After Quilotoa, we made our way back to Quito where we went to look for dinner. The next morning we flew out of Quito back to Guayaquil, where we boarded a plane to New York.
On January first I arrived at Stockton University around 2:30 P.M. It was one of those slow winter days where the sun stays low in the sky, it was cool, and everything was quiet. The campus was empty and lacking its usual hustle and bustle that exists during the semester. Excitement was building in anticipation for this long-awaited trip to Ecuador that had been in the making for nearly a year now. There had been hurdles to jump to get vaccines, many articles and documents read and written about, a three-day camping trip to Ricketts Glen and now it was all coming together. Although, it still did not feel as though we were leaving for a country thousands of miles away for over two weeks. I left my car in a lot and said goodbye to south Jersey as we boarded a bus bound for New York City. The long and bouncing ride left me with mixed feelings. I had been looking forward to this adventure for many months and now that it was happening, I was not feeling the excitement I thought that I should be.
Upon checking into the hotel in New York, pizza was ordered and the whole group crammed into one room to eat. The air was filled with the smell of cheesy pizza and excitement and anxiousness shared between everyone and it began to make it feel more real and even more so when our first presenters began. The classes T.A. Greg Fischer began the night with a presentation that covered basic geology which led into the geology that is more specific to Ecuador and to the Galapagos islands. Some members of the group seemed to find the subject somewhat dry or boring, but I was very intrigued by the topic. Mostly because it was new information to me, aside from the basic geology such as the layers of the earth and that earthquakes make the ground shake and volcanoes explode. My interests have typically been towards the animals of the natural world and not so much rocks, so this presentation proved to be quite educational for me. It was new to me that there are the different ways that rock and plates move along each other, each with its own specific action. There are convergent, divergent, as well as transform movements. We also learned of different P and S seismic waves and how they move through materials and what damages they may cause. From there we moved onto the topic of the different types of volcanoes and how they each function. There are many volcanoes in Ecuador as well as many earthquakes. There is nearly constant seismic activity present in the country and it is just accepted as a part of life, much like we deal with hurricanes on the east coast of the United States. Ultimately the presentation ended with the question of whether or not volcano activity is linked to earthquake activity. This is a subject that is debated and, as of now, no one knows the answer to that question. To me it seems that it could be likely that they are linked.
The next presentation was done by Class members Maddie and Lauren on the topic of diversity in the Galapagos and the Amazon. The presentation focused mainly on species diversity although ecosystems and genetics were touched on as well. Most of this information was already well known because of previous readings and reflections that had been done for the prep-course. But, it was a great refresher and warm up to get us all excited for the first part of our trip; The Galapagos Islands. The topics discussed included different ecosystems from the aquatic, to arid, to humid and more lush landscapes in the Galapagos. Many of the species in the Galapagos are endemic only to those islands. This makes this area a unique biodiversity hot spot. The fact that three different major ocean currents converge on the islands brings types of organism from tropical and colder more temperate regions of the world. There are seals living alongside penguins, alongside aquatic Iguanas. This is a sight that I am very excited to see and experience.
Day 2: NYC and Quayaquil
After a night with nearly no sleep due to the excitement and jitteriness of leaving for a trip unlike anything I had ever done before, I groggily found my way to the lobby of our hotel with my roommates to eat breakfast. Everyone ate in relative silence as we checked phones and stared off into space. After breakfast we packed up and all gathered into our professor’s room turned classroom for a presentation done by Hailey Wilmot about tourism and its effects environmentally on the Galapagos Islands. This subject I was looking forward to because I had not much knowledge on the topic and I felt that this presentation was done well and gave me a better understanding of what is happening on the Islands. The one idea that bothered me is the fact that tourism is overall detrimental to the ecosystems and naturalness of the Galapagos Islands and yet we are going as tourist to experience it like anyone else. Of course, we are looking at this trip through the lens of being environmental science and sustainability students.
There was a video shown in the presentation that showed how new housing developments were being constructed on the islands and how they must meet certain environmental codes and standards in order to be “green”. My first thought was “Why do we need to build more?”. It seems that wherever people go we have to build and take away from what grows and lives and occurs naturally in that area. I had the same thought driving into New York City. There were lights and buildings and concrete sprawling as far as the eye could see. I would like to know why we are so programmed to expand and take over. This is something that bugged me about the new buildings being made on the Islands. Whenever I see a beautiful natural place, I always ask myself why don’t we just leave it alone? As far as our human impact on the place. I see places that I would love to go and see myself just like anyone else, but at some point it is almost as if the place is so special, and so much older than we are that we should just leave it alone and let it be how has been for millions of years.
To go against my own thoughts, I understand that our human caused impacts from around the globe cause damages worldwide. So, it is necessary to have a presence there to clean up after ourselves and to make sure that what may happen thousands of miles away is being taken care of to the best of our abilities. Also, there is the perspective of looking at things that tourism is inevitable and makes a place well known and popular. This allows people to see a place and begin to care about it and therefore cause people on a larger scale to want to protect these areas. There was a quote used in Hailey’s presentation by Sir. David Attenborough that was something like “The Galapagos would not exist without tourism”. This may be true because a large portion of tourism revenue is used in order to protect the Galapagos. But there seems to be a cost because wherever humans go, there goes trash, and waste, and environmental degradation. If we can find an equilibrium between tourism, and managing the human impact and protecting the Galapagos, this would be the ideal system. But is that just wishing for a eutopia?
We left for Guayaquil from New York around mid-day and arrived roughly six hours later. The flight was long but relatively comfortable, but it felt good to finally land. We gathered our bags and were met outside the airport by Diego, our guide for the two weeks. He was very friendly and provided a lot of valuable information. He introduced himself as we took a bus over to our hotel. Once there we crossed the street to have dinner. I had been looking forward to the food very much and was not disappointed by the mushroom risotto. By this time, it was late and we were off to bed to wake up and leave for the Galapagos in the morning.
Day 3: Guayaquil and Galapagos
This day we woke up early and had breakfast downstairs of the hotel in Guayaquil. After eating we piled our gear into a van and departed for the airport only a few minutes away. We made it through the check in process and were on our way to the Galapagos. The flight was only about an hour and excitement was building as we approached the islands. Getting off the plane was interesting due to the fact that we merely stepped off the plane and right onto the tarmac. From there we paid our $100 dollar fee to enter the park and took a shuttle and boat onto Santa Cruz island. Here we drove up into the highlands and briefly viewed the “twins” sinkhole and continued on our way through the highlands. We began to descend and shortly thereafter we entered into Puerto Ayora and checked into our hotel. After this we walked down the beaches, swam in the ocean and got to see the Galapagos from a tourist point of view. We ate dinner late and came back to the hotel for a presentation.
That night, Mrs. Isabell from Ecuador’s university ESPOL gave a presentation outlining her work in GMaRE with the university and their goals. Her main focus was ocean acidification as well as other various small, but very important, studies of the marine biology of the Galapagos islands. She stated how the university is expanding its education opportunities with new master’s programs that students can enroll in and help with the research that is being done. Her other main focus was how research and connections are very important. As well as collaboration. For instance, she studies ocean acidification in the Galapagos, but her results may be useful to other scientists worldwide. Also, other scientists on the other side of the globe may be studying marine volcanic geology and have results that are very important for her to use in her research.
Additionally, she spoke of how there is a political part to science. This I was very aware of because of my own experiences in New Jersey. I worked on a Bobwhite Quail restoration project prior to college and was able to see firsthand the politics and games that go on between scientist, the people, and the politicians. There is a line that is danced on to appease everyone and to also get the job done to conserve wildlife and natural resources. This is essentially what she spoke of in her presentation. There are laws in place where she cannot stay in the Galapagos for more than five years. This is difficult as a researcher because her research should be continued for decades as she is doing good for the ecosystems and the community. Unfortunately, that does not matter and after five years she will have to find a new job. This is where laws should be put into to place because her presence is very beneficial and for her to leave would do more harm than good, even though the law is in place with good intentions.
Day 4: Galapagos
Today we arrived in Isabella via a long and bumpy boat ride and promptly went kayaking and snorkeling. Snorkeling was amazing. I never thought I’d be able to see the marine life that I did firsthand. I had always grown up watching Blue Planet or Planet Earth and been amazed by the tropical fish and clear blue waters. It is an entirely different world than back home. It almost feels like it isn’t real. I think this whole experience is something that I will look back on and realize how special it really is. I am so overwhelmed by how new and unknown everything is that it becomes hard to dissect. It will be something I never forget, and I believe I will garner a greater and greater appreciation for everything as time goes on. I am very glad that we are here as an environmental science class rather than some vacation trip. I would not enjoy this nearly as much without learning topics that I am interested in. Today we talked about the importance of flamingos and their presence on the islands. This topic will require me to do more research because the flamingos were not gone over in great detail in the field. Another topic we touched upon is the sewage and waste management on the islands. I learned that the people who live on the islands directly pump their waste into the ocean. There is no waste management program her at all. This is somewhat surprising because of all the environmental precautions that we had to go through to get onto the islands. I would think if there is that much care taken that there would be care taken to manage sewage properly.
Day 5: Galapagos
Hiking up the trail to Sierra Negra volcano was very fun and memorable. It felt good to get some exercise and see the beautiful plants along the way. The trail was pretty much a green tunnel without any views until we reached the rim of the volcano. It was far more vast than I had expected. I had some questions on how the volcano flows when it does erupt. I ultimately found out that the whole massive crater does not fill up and spill lava, but rather leaks out of one or a few areas that are far smaller than the whole caldera. Nonetheless, it still releases huge amounts of lava and gasses. It was very cool to be standing there knowing that it is still very much an active volcano. I would like to look more into how volcanoes function and how countries who live with them cope with the dangers of them. Much like we cope with the dangers of large storms. I may write about this in my term paper.
Later in the day we biked and then hiked to the wall of tears. The wall was an impressive sight, although gloomy knowing the circumstances that led to its construction. Climbing up higher in elevation to overlook the town we were staying in and 360 degrees all around the island was spectacular, especially later in the afternoon. Here we talked about waste management in the Galapagos and how it is progressing, or lack thereof.
Day 6: Galapagos
Today we woke up with the sun and took a boat back to Santa Cruz Island. The Charles Darwin Research station was very interesting. I was able to read facts about Darwin’s presence on the islands and his work as well as his colleagues. It was hard to focus being very tired. Although I wish our tour guide had more to offer. That is how much of the Galapagos tours have been. I do not want to complain or seem ungrateful, but I wish that the tours had more to offer. Now I will be doing more outside research on top of what I already will be doing. But, that is how some things go. Upon returning to Guayaquil I anticipate things switching gears. I look forward to moving on to different sights and different ecosystems and different cultures. I enjoyed the Galapagos, but I hope to get away from all the tourist attractions and experience more of everyday Ecuador. I understand that the tourism industry is huge in the Galapagos and one of the main sources of revenue, so therefore tourism is the everyday life for some in the Galapagos. The Galapagos is the one thing that I know most about so I think that exploring the rest of the country will be even more of a learning experience for me.
The evening presentation covered the topic of invasive species on the islands. As we discussed afterwards, the content was as if we did not know much at all about the Galapagos, but the presenter knew his information very well. Had he been given our level of knowledge on the topic I am sure he would have been able to give a far more involved presentation. I was surprised by some of the numbers that he brought up in the presentation. Especially that forty-two percent of invasive species have been brought to the islands intentionally. Of course, they were not brought with the intention of being invasive but brought here for mostly some sort of production or profit. One topic that piqued my interest very much that I want to investigate more, is the illegal pet trade in the Galapagos. Initially, I was not interested in invasive species very much and disregarded it as a topic for my research paper but now after this presentation I see that there is a lot of information out there that is very interesting. I liked learning of the different strategies in managing the invasive species and I very well may choose this to be my paper topic. For now, I will hold out because I want to wait and see if there is anything else that really speaks to me in terms of a topic worth writing a whole research paper about. On another note, I was very surprised to learn that there is no correlation between someone in the environmental industry and their environmental impact. That person may simply be more aware of their environmental impact but not do anything about it.
Day 7: Galapagos/Guayaquil
Today we got up early for our last morning in the Galapagos. We had breakfast and loaded into a bus for our trip back to the airport. Here we checked in and waited for several hours before taking off. It was a bit sad to see the islands go, knowing that it is unlikely that I will ever see this special place again. But it is an experience I will never forget and I will think of often. Finally being able to see the place that has always been talked about in science classes wince I was little was a surreal feeling.
When we first arrived in Guayaquil, I had seen these bogs out of the plane window. I had heard of there being some cranberry production in South America before but was not convinced that that is what they were. It seemed too muddy and close to the coast. I also saw the bogs again on the way back into Guayaquil from the Galapagos and was going to ask what they were. But, my question was answered for me when Natalia Molina began her presentation. They were shrimp farms. I had no idea how big shrimp farming is in Ecuador or that it was even possible to farm them. It was also very interesting to see how much damage the farms cause to the ecosystems, specifically the mangroves that grow in Ecuador. The shrimp are a top export from the country and employ tons of people. With Ryan and Val’s presentation I found the economics to be a little confusing. That is only because that is a topic that I don’t necessarily enjoy a lot and therefore makes it more difficult to understand. Ultimately, I learned that countries that rely upon natural resources for their economy often are countries that have an unstable economy. This is due to the easy fluctuation of demands for those natural resources. I am curious to see as we move away from fossil fuels how countries like Ecuador who rely on oil will fare.
Day 8:
Today was a very busy day. Waking up and driving to the mangroves was very cool. It was amazing to see how that part of the country leaving Guayaquil was so “third world”. There were plumes of smoke everywhere from burning brush piles, a dead horse on the side of the road, and people trying to sell fruits to drivers going through the toll booths. Our first look at howler monkeys were when we got to the mangroves to pick up our guide. We suited up in mosquito nets and went down to the river for a boat tour. The sheer abundance of birds and diversity was amazing. After this we quickly walked into the woods and observed some plants and saw some more howler monkeys. It was a very special experience. After this, we made our way down to a neighboring shrimp farm. This was very interesting and we learned that one bog can produce thousands of pounds of shrimp in the matter of five weeks. To prevent thievery, they even have guard tower to protect the farm at night. Shrimp is one of Ecuador’s top exports and is worth a lot of money. The money made far outweighs the penalty fine that would have to be paid for cutting down mangroves and disturbing the ecosystems.
From there we ascended into the Andes to Cajas National Park. This was my favorite part of the trip thus far, and still is. The high elevation at nearly 14,000 feet was unlike anything I’ve experienced; I did not feel the altitude like a few others but I was under the weather with a cold, and the air did seem thin. The cooler weather was great to feel after many days in the hot and humid weather. Many of the plants there were small and had various medicinal purposes for the locals. That Night we went to visit an expat named Paul Anthony and he was very kind in letting us into his home to feed us and tell us about his experience as an expat from Philadelphia now living in Cuenca. There were many reasons for his moving, mainly stresses from work, and moving to Ecuador was a way to retire and live off the money he made from selling his house. Money goes a lot further in Ecuador. He seemed to be happy living this way, but I could not help from thinking of how lonely I think that I myself would feel. Being away from family, having to adapt to an entirely new culture, language barriers, and many other obstacles. But this was a very new experience to me and I was very interested in everything Paul had to say about his experiences.
Day 9:
This day we left Cuenca and made our way south and into the amazon basin. Here we arrived in Zamora and lodged at a lodge dedicated to ecological preservation. Here we were able to hike and explore the surrounding jungle right outside of our bungalow shack dwellings. This night our presenter was not able to come, so instead we talked more about Paul and his experiences as an expat. I was glad of this because it was good to reinforce this topic. We covered the pros and cons of leaving America and living in Ecuador, or other south American countries. I would say there was a fifty-fifty split when we were all asked if we would do what Paul did, or move to South America now. I personally do not think I would be able to do it and be happy. I value being close with my family and I also have strong feelings about things happening in America. For instance, I am a part of an organization called Backcountry Hunters and Anglers who are advocates for public land and giving everyone opportunities to use our public lands in the US. I myself am active in using our public lands in the US through hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and many other things. This tie to the land and what I think is a fairly unique situation in America would make it hard for me to leave. In a sense I feel like I would miss this part of “culture” in America. Not many countries have access to millions and millions of acres of public land, and this is something that I hope to help preserve one day as a career in some way.
Day 10:
Tonight, John and Moira presented on life at high elevation. Most of this information was already known by seeing and experiencing high altitude firsthand. I was surprised at how much more UV exposure there is at high elevation. When in Cajas we were at 60% more UV than at sea level. Another interesting statistic was that 98% of Ecuador gets its water from surface water, making the highlands extremely valuable in their ability to filter that water for safe drinking. It can be seen that these areas are warming and being affected by climate change much quicker than other places and this poses a great threat for water supplies in Ecuador. Agriculture was also touched upon. In ancient times, terrace farming was used and we were able to see this the next day in Saraguro. The terrace farming was a way to create flat surfaces out of steep mountain slopes. Most of the food that people eat in the Andes are grown by those who live there, so changing climate is likely to severely affect the people who live there and depend upon those ecosystems for food and water. This result of climate change poses a very serious threat for those who live in Ecuador and other countries in similar situations. There must be a greater effort world wide to mitigate and reduce the effects of human caused climate change.
Day 11:
On the eleventh day we woke up in Zamora and promptly ate breakfast before leaving in our bus back north for several hours up to Saraguro. Saraguro was a smaller mountain town situated up higher in the Andes. Being back up in high elevation was certainly a stark contrast from the past couple days in the jungle. As soon as we arrived we toured a hat making shop where the traditional hats of the people who live there are made. They are made of sheep wool and are very hard as they are hardened with a glue. It is said they can be run over with a car and merely need a simple crack fixed. Upon leaving the shop, we shuttled our way down the valley to a local home where we were warmly greeted and dined on guinea pig and juice made from the agave plant.
That evening the presentation was given by a tourism agency that was just starting in Saraguro. The goal of the company was to bring the community together to create tourism in the city that would both bring in revenue while also accurately depicting and describing the way of life for the the native people. The goal was not for every other family to open a restaurant or hotel but to keep doing what they are doing and making a profit from it. For example, the man who made the hats had opened his shop up to us to give us a demonstration of what he does every day and made a profit off of it. Compound this idea over many different individuals in the city and soon enough, the idea is that there will be a booming and healthy tourism industry.
Day 12:
We woke up in Saraguro and experienced just how chilly it gets at night in the mountains. From there we piled into the van and made our way several hours back to Cuenca. Here we toured the panama hat factory and a local ceramic art shop. From the shop we overlooked the city from an overlook and got to see how the city nestles into the mountains. Here they experience trouble with the low lying city having smog and warmer air trapped in the city. Similar to that of cities in southern California. Here we also discussed the dangers of building on steep slopes and on un-sturdy ground. This can be seen in Cuenca as the population grows and has no where to go but up the hillsides.
Afterwards we were able to go and tour the local shops and buy souvenirs. Her e I purchased an alpaca wool sweater and some other small things. On our journey back to the hotel we walked into a pizza shop for dinner. The pizza is not the same as what I am used to in New Jersey.
From there we went back to the hotel for a presentation on a local Ecuadorian man who has opened his own business to help move expats into and out of the country. He said that there is enough of a market for it that he is doing quite well and does not see any sign of it slowing down. Ultimately he helps those expats who are mostly from the U.S. He will ship their belongings over on shipping containers and once landed will ship every item right to he door step. I think he has cornered the market on something that has a lot of money in it and it very popular and profitable.
Day 13:
This day we flew from Cuenca to Quito and from there drove into the cloud forest of Mindo. Mindo was much like the Zamora part of Ecuador and here we enjoyed zip-lining and dinner. After dinner, we had our presentations for the night. First was Nick Toth who talked about Mindo itself and cloud forests. He highlighted what makes it a rainforest such as the rain shadow effect. He also highlighted typical animals that inhabit the area. After nick, Victoria highlighted the treadmill of production in Ecuador and the relationship between state, citizen, and corporation.
Day 14:
This was our second to last day on the trip and I was definitely looking forward to returning home. But, I was also feeling that it would be sad to leave this beautiful part of the world knowing that it would be unlikely that I will have the opportunity to return. This day we rode back to Quito where we took a gondola ride up Pachincha mountain. Here people take lifts up to ride bikes down much like we take lifts to ski down in the U.S. After the Gondola we toured the local botanical garden in the city. Here we had the opportunity to see a wide variety of different plants that grew in the area. There were green houses dedicated to carnivorous plants alone and bonsai trees. This was definitely the highlight of Quito. After that we made our way to the Picari chocolate store. Here we were given a presentation on the background of the company. They pride themselves on being all natural and fair trade as well as going above and beyond the fair trade requirements. After this we loaded our bags with chocolate and lightened our wallets.
Day 15:
This day we visited Quilitoa. This was a volcano that has now formed a caldera that has filled in to form a lake. We hiked several hundred feet down in the crater and had a few moments to take in the vastness of the crater. The sheer size of it was hard to fathom, even while being down in the middle of it. To imagine that this crate had once erupted and spread fire for miles seems unfathomable. This volcano at one point was a stratovolcano that has now transformed into a caldera due to a collapses of its cone. These stratovolcanoes are typically very explosive and often produce more ash and pyroclastic flows than lava itself. After Quilotoa, we made our way back to Quito where we went to look for dinner. The next morning we flew out of Quito back to Guayaquil, where we boarded a plane to New York.