Extraction from the islands....
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
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30
34
Trip End
Apr 08, 2008
Galapagos...back to Quito,
Ecuador
Friday, March 21, 2008
I also spend time with Wild Aid...a group that's been here for quite some time....led by this British wild-grey-haired man who is very willing to share his knowledge and experience with me. Wild Aid also works with the Park Service....they put out some very explicit magazines and pamphlets outlining the problems....I speak with a scientist from France who has been studying the fresh water supply on the Galapagos...that's really interesting to me...the islands restrict population growth...they have a very limited supply of water, inadequate sewage treatment, plus they deal with the issue of salt water infiltration. I'm realizing that there is this whole undercurrent of envt'l concern beneath all the visible tourism.
I'm really excited about spending the day with a bunch of scientists at the Charles Darwin Research Center. I get some great interviews.... many of the scientists are other than Ecuadorian, but there are also a significant number of locals working at the center. I'm told that the inclusion is very intentional...if anything is to be accepted by locals it needs to be initiated by locals. And it is the enthusiasm and drive of the employee more so than the academic background that results in successful projects. I meet with people trying to control invasive species....and what a task that is! But in this self-contained ecosystem the goal is to eliminate non-natives. So there are massive weeding projects and a nursery for native veg plus PR in the community to ensure that all plantings are with native plants.
I move over to the folks working on the marine reserve and learn all sorts of stuff....too extensive to go on about at this point but detailed in a video interview. I'm so impressed with the scope of the work done here and with the sincere intention and commitment of the staff...AND with their willingness to dialogue with me and show me around. Their work makes me think about the world's capacity to become one interwoven ecosystem, bounded only by climatic regions. The Galapagos is very intentionally striving to maintain its ecological uniqueness....one of the few, maybe the extensive area on the Earth with the ability to do so at this point. I'd love to spend more time here...to volunteer for 6 months, a year....if I could...maybe down the line...it's an option...
But for now it's off back to Quito...to reconnect with Lisa...and to go to the infamous Holy Friday celebration....I've seen pictures....want to be there in person for the parade thru the streets.
March 21 Holy Friday...
So it's the Friday before Easter...and it may seem that I keep reporting in on these religious themes...well one doesn't have to search hard to realize that Catholicism is a cornerstone of life here...the uniformity of religious belief as compared to the diversity in the US is striking. And the integration of that religion into all parts of living. No separation of church and state...or church and anything else. So the parade....
Quite a scene...I guess there are other places in the world that celebrate similarly but I've never seen anything quite like this. Lots of men dressed up as Jesus and carrying these heavy weight crosses for miles in the street...barefoot and sweating...worn down...crown of thorns (looks more like barbed wire) and all...exhausted by the end. Others with long railroad tie-like pieces of wood across their shoulders...some with chains around their ankles...everyone has their burden...and I believe there's a sort of atonement going on here for past regressions. And then there are just loads of people, mostly men, with purple hooded robes on with eye holes...kind of freaky given our history of similarly pointed-head white robes in the states. Well you check out the photos and see for yourselves...maybe you've been to such an event already...But on this day in Quito, there are throngs of people in the streets....everyone is out...not only for the whole very serious religious theme going on for Semana Santa but also to socialize and to festivalize... Quito at its best as far as I'm concerned...must be time to move on...
Comments
JESUS!!
Jesus, leaping, smiling lizards, and sweet smiley sea lions... all in one set of pix. Love the variety! Also the sunset of last entry were unbelievable... as you said, 'clouds on fire'! Beautiful!!