Ecuador v ROTW - one win each

  La Hesperia, Ecuador
Saturday, June 9, 2007

A bit more about the reserve I´m at. The basic schedule is 7:30 brekkie then we work Monday - Thursday 8:30 - 12:00 and 2:00 - 4:00 or 5:00. Grub at 12:30 and 7:00 quite often followed fairly shortly by sleep or maybe a bit of hammock lounging,reading or playing cards. On Tuesdays at 4 we get a talk from one of the owners of the reserve on various topics that should last an hour but did go on for near 2.5 last week (she´s kinda passionate about some topics and also prone to tangents and anecdotes - but its all good stuff). On Wednesdays we also finish earlier to play in the traditional  locals v gringos football match. In the first game I played, despite a valiant affort from the Hughes including a five (yes 5, count them, 5) goal haul from the Hughes we went down 10-7, due in part to the Ecuadorains cheating ability to be able to run for more than 5 yards without gasping for breath. However in the return match the following week, which was playd folloing a late ptch inspection due to torrential flooding the gringos triumphed 4-2, again helped by a Hughes double.

a. muddie but victorious

Work here includes lots of tree care, growing them from seeds inbags, planting them and then caring for them until theyé big and hard enough to take care of themselves. We plant all endemic species plus mahogonay which although not found in the area normally is pretty much extinct in the wild so a few are being grwn here as hopefully it willbe a safe pace for them.
See that tree - I planted that!

c. A tree (hopefully one day)

Other jobs I´ve done so far is going through a banana plantation with a big machete cutting everything that wasn´t a nana tree down - thoug a few came close.

d. bananas for tea then

Weeding the veggie patch, milking a cow, making natural insecticide from ash and vegetable oil (th ash coming from the fire which we have every week to burn thebog paper - slghtly gross job that which was my pleasure this week). Picking and shelling coffee beans an then making coffee - tasted just like, well coffee to be honest whichwas both reassuring and a bit dissappointing. I´ve also worked out aplan to mozzie net our outtside living room which will hopefully makeit a bit more relaxing so oig to be working on that in the next week or so - me doing carpentry, nothing good can come from this. We´v also made a chicken coop using cob which is a mixof clay, sand, grass and water - stll dryinglast time I loed but personally  think it looks pretty cool. Everything here is done organically which is cool butalso hard work as when you need fertiizer for te trees its either a trip to the goat or cow enclosure wth a shovel and wheelbarrow or a hike up very muddy trail with lots of bags to getsome leaves. Every day you pretty much end up covered in mud and sweat and then have to brave a cold shower (though some people see that as ore of a weekly chore - La Hesperians reading this you know who you/they are).

One week we have friday off and the next go for a hike in the morning around the reserve and I´ll tell you about yesterdays in my next entry.. 

Which I´m abot todo so don´t go anywhere - maybe get a cuppa.