Blog much? No, not really....

Welcome back! (I'm merely saying this to myself) I thought I'd take a moment and write an update to my one follower (hey Jack!).

I just finished up my last seminar in Pomona last week. I had to make it up due to Ashton being born. The next class is visiting the Middle East, and spent time learning about Muslims & Islam. We toured a mosque in Chino. This was a fascinating experience, to get the first-hand experience of a religion that often has "radical" attached to it.

Islam is a wide spread of a religion, much like any other. Some are radicals (9/11 terrorists) and murder in the name of Islam, while others take on the more pacifist and peaceful approach. At any rate, it is an interesting religion that I didn't know much about. I still don't know much about it, but I've at least been exposed to it.

It was nice to finish up the last seminar on a good note. It would have been nice to spend it with my classmates (and not Class 40) but regardless, it was good to meet everyone in the next class and wish them well before their big journey. I'm excited for them- they will represent the program well.

Real life is calling. Time to shift gears and get to work!

Synthesis

This morning I had the pleasure of talking about my trip to the Redding Sunrise Rotary. They were a cheery bunch (especially for 7 AM) and all seemed to enjoy my presentation. I didn't notice any nodding off at least...

I took over 1,000 photos on my journey, and I condensed these down to 30 powerpoint slides and talked for 20 minutes. This was a chore, trying to condense over two weeks of experiences into 20 minutes. I merely focused on the major locations I visited and only included a few side stories- other than that I had to focus on the basics. I finished my speech with two minutes to spare for questions (and my long-winded answers got me over my time allocation). I think it went well, as I had many people come up to me afterwards and shake my hand, telling me how great of a job I did. I had the President of the group also trying to recruit me, which I may have to consider.

Later today I'm traveling to Williams to have a synthesis session with my fellow classmates (or at least my northern California contingent). I get the opportunity to talk more about this amazing experience and reflect upon it. Since I have been back, I have been very busy and had little time to reflect on this blog. Tonight at synthesis, I will have a good chance to take some notes (maybe I'll pack my computer) and put my scattered thoughts down in print. If they are worthy enough, maybe I will share them on here.

Reality?

Haven't posted much since I've been back home. I've considered it, but work deadlines (argh, gotta get this appraisal done!), baby and the CPA wife in tax season keep me pretty busy this time of year. Last weekend had a few rounds of friends over to share some Peruvian food (ceviche!), try my hand at Pisco Sours and go through the slide show journey.

I was just asked to select five pictures for our 'synthesis' session next week. It wasn't easy picking five, so I just closed my eyes, and tried to recall some of the more memorable aspects of the trip. From that, I tried to select different pictures that represented those experiences. Were they the five best pictures of the trip? No. They meant something to me, that's all that counts. I get to explain these five different pictures to members of my class. I'm looking forward to seeing what others selected.

In addition to this, I need to start working on a 20 minute presentation. I have been asked to talk for the Redding Sunrise Rotary on my experience and had another request to talk in a public forum. As usual, my response was a yes! Need to start thinking about the powerpoint... better yet, I better get back to work!

Otovalo, Ecuador to Redding, CA

The next morning we woke from our slumber with a slight headache of the abundant South American wine flowing from our finale dinner. We boarded the busses and headed into Otovalo. The first stop was a livestock auction. When I was younger, my parents had an office at the Shasta Livestock Auction, so I essentially grew up around the livestock auction culture. Basically this wasn’t my first rodeo. When we arrived I was awestruck by the loosely organized chaos that was termed an auction.

Animals of al shapes and sizes were moo-ing, clucking and snorting. The alpacas stood their ground off to the side and held their heads high, obviously the nobility of Ecuadorian animal agriculture. The pigs were rooting around for the coolest spot they could find, as the sun was already starting to get high in the sky. Large crates of chickens and chicks were tended to by various locals. The cattle were the most abundant animals around- the Holsteins there were very skinny and in poor flesh. The oh so famous cuy were often found in large burlap sacks, people pulling them out one by one and examining them. I walked around with my camera dangling from my chest, finger on the shutter snapping photos in an inconspicuous fashion- I wanted to give these people respect with their culture and not be a slob tourist (pretty tough being light skinned with a camera around my neck!).

After the fascinating walk through the auction, we took our lives in our own hands and crossed the road towards the central market area. Otovalo is famous for hosting the largest Saturday market in South America. We first took a walk through some of the produce stalls, looking at the variety of products. The colors were vibrant, the food looked fresh and healthy. The meat department was filled with the usual roasted pigs and piles of chicken feet. Touring the meat department is always a personal highlight.

The textile market was next on the agenda. This market held anything imaginable, colors as bright as you could imagine and all sorts of crafts and clothing. We walked around, haggled over a variety of goods I wanted to take home. I was enjoying the bartering process, ah, the free market at work.

Our small group retreated to a coffee shop along the edge of the market and I enjoyed some espresso. Eventually our class converged at the designated meeting spot and we meandered back to the busses. Back at the hotel, we had a quick talk by one of our Campus Coordinators- Dr. Thomas (animal science professor at Fresno State). In the typical Dr. Thomas fashion, he covered the potential to transmit animal diseases from the livestock auction. He especially talked to Joyce and I (Joyce is a poultry farmer in Riverside County) because we spend a lot of time around animals. Heck, I have cattle in my front yard, so he explained the best quarantine procedures for me and my clothing. I sanitized my shoes with bleach and took a long shower, scrubbing every square inch I could to prevent the introduction of some nasty Ecuadorian endemic animal disease to our livestock. It’s going to be hard to not get out on the ranch as soon as I get home- I’ll take my quarantine more as hibernation in my bed!

We had a ‘Synthesis’ session at the hotel, which consisted of discussing the various aspects of our trip. We talked of the extremes we witnessed, the arid deserts of the Peruvian coast to the Amazon rainforest. Discussions rambled from oil exploitation to agricultural systems. Before we knew it, the time had come to board the bus and start the lengthy trip back home, bus to Quito, flight to Lima and then on to Los Angeles.

Once we arrived in Quito we knew we were in for a long trip home. The LAN Airlines are based out of Santiago, Chile, which had just suffered a 8.8 quake. Their computer system was down and they had to hand-write our boarding passes. It was a nightmare. When we arrived in Lima, we discovered our flight was cancelled. Miraculously, we wound up on another flight (all 23 of us!) and were headed home, although delayed. We witnessed many class mates at near break down mode- but luckily nobody completely snapped. Landed at LAX, I had to hustle through customs and barely made my flight to Redding.

I'm back, Shasta County!!!

Otovalo, Ecuador & crossing the equator

Straddling the Equator

The class arrived down in the lobby, anticipating the last leg of the journey. We noticed that one of our fellows, Mr. Rick Stark had broke the code of conduct and shaved his Amazonian beard. This sorely disappointed the rest of us, especially me. I can’t grow a beard at all- and this beard growing experiment merely just showed the class how little facial hair I can produce (I like to consider that I’m just more evolved). We boarded the bus and were on our way to Northern Ecuador.

The first stop was at a major tourist attraction- the equator. Expecting a bright red line (similar to the yellow first down lines in the NFL) again I hit a major disappointment (#2 for the day). In typical Ag Leadershilp fashion, the class set into formation and we took a class photo. We were getting this class photo thing down.

Heading north, we soon were at our next stop, Hacienda La Compania de Jesus. This hacienda was a very interesting stop- we had coffee (the best all trip) and snacks awaiting us as we arrived. Also throughout the house were elaborate bouquets of roses. These Ecuadorians sure know how to grow a rose. Massive bouquets were located throughout every room in the house. We took a tour of the grounds, including their own chapel. We had a little girl walking around and giving us each one rose… and once again, the mandatory class photo and we were back on the road.

Arriving in Otavolo, we could barely make out the mountains (volcanoes) surrounding us amidst the fog and mist. The first stop was for lunch at a place famous for its Cuy (guinea pig). Looking over the menu, there were many options to choose from- the mandatory Cuy, rabbit, blood sausage and other mystery meats. I was being adventurous (as usual) and ordered the combo plate, which consisted of all of the above. I also tried some fried Cuy livers as an appetizer, and let me tell you, that was some appetizer!

After a very large lunch we were ready to visit the Universidad Technica del Norte- the main agricultural university in Northern Ecuador. We unfortunately were on a bit of a time schedule, but were treated to a great tour regardless. The highlight of this particular tour was the cuy production facility. Little did we know we’d see confined cuy. We took a quick walk down to some grain production trials. This school contained 500 agricultural students led by 25 faculty members. This university was very well maintained, unlike the university farm we visited in Cusco, Peru. You could feel the pride that the students had in their projects.

After the university visit, we had a special treat lined up for us. We had representatives from the Benson Institute, a group that has developed a nutrition program in rural Ecuador. This program analyzes current diets and works with families to help integrate other crops and livestock into their diets to help improve their health. We had a few family visits and were able to see this first hand. The institute would provide things such as technical support, seeds and seed stock livestock. One family for example were provided a few cuy and grew that into a thriving enterprise of 90 cuy.

Family in their garden plot

Another family working with the Benson Institute

The family visits wrapped up and we hopped back on our busses. We headed to the Hacienda Cuisin, the location of our final night on our trip. When we arrived at the site, I was pleasantly surprised. The grounds were expansive and immaculately manicured. We walked around and checked out everyone else’s rooms. Many of the females in our class had their own cottages… this place was great! We cleaned up and met for our finale dinner.

We had a large banquet room all to ourselves. The food was great, but the toast was the highlight of the night. None other than Mr. Peterangelo Vallis gave an elaborate toast to the class. There is no way I can capture this moment in words, or even by pictures. Peter, with glass of wine in hand, roved around the room, and told the many stories that we had from our experience that was coming to an end. Fellows were dropping like flies due to the hysteric laughter. We saluted ourselves in one last great toast, here’s to a great trip!

Sincha Pura & Quito, Ecuador

I awoke after the thunder and lightning storm to a completely soaked camp. The rain had just let up right as we were waking up. We ate a basic breakfast of sliced fruit and moldy bread. We gathered up the few belongings we had at the village and we ready to go. On our way out, we had one of the villagers show off his pet boa constrictor. I was a little uneasy that when he went to go retrieve it, he didn’t walk very far. I probably wouldn’t have slept so well knowing a boa constrictor was so close to my cot.

We walked out of camp and hiked back to the bus. Walking over the large bridge was easier this time. I made it once, I can make it again, right? We made it over the bridge and the bus was awaiting. We boarded the bus, and were supposed to go straight to Quito, as our bags were in the bus. Our guide Norby informed us that we needed to go back to beautiful Tena to retrieve his bag. Que? Did he miss this memo as well? Alas, it was one more chance to go back to Tena, jewel of the Amazon. I thought this was a good opportunity to find a good souvenir shop to find a shirt, “Happiness is Tena.” No such luck unfortunately. By the way, we decided that our guide Norby and our slick driver Jose were actually running drugs to Quito via a tour bus filled with Americans, thus the ‘pick up’ of bags at the hotel in Tena. There’s always an angle.

The day was bright and sunny, quite a contrast from our trip in. As we left, we were treated with magnificent views of the surrounding peaks and the seemingly infinite jungle. We were a bit under a time constraint, as we needed to be near Quito at a flower producer’s facility by 12:30. Our bus driver didn’t get this memo as well. He took his sweet time, stopped to get gas as soon as we left Tena (why he didn’t fill up in the morning before he picked us up I have no idea). He did try to make up some time by passing even slower vehicles (there were a few) on blind corners. At one point, we turned a blind corner and some large flatbed truck was making a U-turn in the middle of the road. Jose slammed on his brakes and we nearly t-boned the guy.

Another interesting aspect of our trip was the condition of the bus. Once we got to the Andes and started climbing, a smoky smell started to seep throughout the bus. Upon further inspection, our transmission appeared to be smoking. When asked, Jose the driver said that it was normal in these higher conditions. Yeah, right. We were finally getting acclimated to the crazy driving and the lack of attention to his vehicle when suddenly the bus pulled to a stop in the middle of the road. What are we doing? Jose said he needed to check the tire pressure with a smile. Great, he’s taking care of his rig. I watched Jose go back behind the bus and relieve a little pressure of his own near a tree. Nice. His tip is getting diminished rather quickly.

Running very late, we finally arrived at a gas station near Quito to meet our next hosts. We were only two hours late, yet they still were very glad to see us (or were very good actors). We followed them towards their greenhouse facility, where they realized that our large bus would not make the very rough road. The people were driving a small compact four-door Chevy truck, with five occupants already in it. We parked our bus and started to shuttle our group up to the greenhouses. We were able to fit nine people in the first load, and with five in the cab- a grand total of 14 people in that truck. I commented that our program director who is typically overly concerned with our safety would crap a brick if he saw us. I couldn’t reach my camera let alone snap a photo of the situation. We safely (barely) arrived without the tailgate flopping open to the greenhouses. We were greeted and shown around the facilities.

We soon were walking in a sea of roses of every color imaginable. There were approximately 35 acres under glass in predominantly in rose production. The main markets were the United States and Russia. We walked into the packing facility and saw how they sorted and boxed the flowers.

The class was in and out quickly. We sauntered down the road to the bus and made it back in to Quito during rush hour traffic. Slow as molasses down the main roads into town we finally reached our end destination- the lovely Hotel Quito. Civilization at last! We quickly made our way inside, checked in and hit the showers to wash off the jungle grime.

A select group of adventurous types met up for a highly recommended place in downtown Quito- ZaZu. The cuisine was amazing and affordable. We enjoyed some South American wine (recommended by none other than the Peterangelo Vallis). After some varied appetizers of ceviche, fried calamari and oxtail ravioli, we were set for the main course. I opted for the salmon- which turned out to be a wise choice. After dinner an even smaller group of us took the taxi back to the hotel. Across the street was a nightclub called Flashback- an 80’s retro place with some very loud 80’s music. When we arrived, the dance floor was empty. Cara from Morro Bay was the first to get out and shake her tail. After her lead, the dance floor was soon throbbing with people dancing to Billy Idol and Michael Jackson. We ended the night and ventured back across the street- we had a long day the next day in Otovalo and needed all the rest we could get.

Buenos Noches Quito!

Sincha Pura, Ecuador- Jungle Fever

Our class woke early to prepare for our trip to the village. We were apprehensive as we were finally given more information about what we had in store for us. The lodging facility was described as ‘primitive’ with ‘local building materials’ and ‘very rustic.’ Who would have thought we were just having drinks with the US ambassador in Quito, wearing suits and ties and here we are looking like jungle commandos. We had to hike in to the village, so I consolidated things into my day pack. The rest of the luggage was stored on the bus, as we all decided we could live through life not going back to the hotel. We were very clear that we didn’t feel safe having our belongings stored at that location, as we probably wouldn’t have anything left when we got back.

We set off to the village, still un-named as of yet. The paved road soon turned to gravel. The gravel road turned to little more than a trail, I was amazed our bus made it this far. We finally got to a spot that was just large enough for the bus to turn around, “Here we are everyone.” Grabbing my backpack and walking off the bus, I was greeted with the image of a long footbridge that was eerily reminiscent of something out of Indiana Jones. Our group assembled at the entrance of the bridge, and our guide Norby instructed us that we had to walk about 15 feet apart, only ten people at a time. Stepping on the first planks, I realized that this was going to test my adversity to heights. I took a deep breath, and put one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t keep looking ahead, as there were a large amount of planks that were rotten or huge gaps between them. I tried as hard as I could to not look down at the water, and completely blocked out the beautiful scenery that was surrounding me. With a large amount of people on the bridge, it was swaying side to side.

We walked through the jungle down a narrow gravel road. We crossed a stream channel hopping from rock to rock, surprisingly everyone had kept dry. Norby our guide took a small path carved out of the jungle, and we walked single file line, penetrating the jungle. This small path winded around and soon we could hear the river in the distance getting closer with every step. We heard a hacking sound and came across two men hacking down some vegetation, clearing a plot for a future subsistence garden. The trail opened up and we were soon in the village of Sincha Pura.

This village was very small, yet was maintained more than the village of Huamani. There was a large open area that was cleared out. I quickly noticed the abundance of yellow grass in this area- sure sign of a Glyphosate (RoundUp) application. There was a large futball area and a small structure that served as the school. Overlooking the river was the open-air dining hall, on stilts and with palm fronds as the roof. This was as authentic as you can get.

There was another small covered porch down closer to the river, with hammocks strung up to catch a weary traveler. Off to the side of the village was a decent amount of huts on stilts- these were the ‘barracks’ where we’ll be staying. What, no dirt floors? They had very basic cots with insect nets above them- which only provided a limited amount of reassurance. Two cots and a candle per room, nothing more. Guess that’s all you need, right?

We dropped off our luggage and congregated in the dining hall, which also served a dual purpose as a meeting hall. We had a warm greeting by the head lady of the village and were welcomed to Sincha Pura. We had a quick discussion of the language, as they still speak the native tongue of Ketchuwa?. A few were bilingual and knew Spanish.

The class brought some school supplies for the children of the village. We went to the small school and provided the kids with some supplies... which brought out some nervous smiles.

Next on the agenda was learning about subsistence farming. We learned about their native crops and how they farmed in the Amazon. They integrated a variety of bananas, yucca and other crops into the landscape. We harvested some native tubers- which would be later served at dinner. A little later the group went down the river to another small hut and had a demonstration on cooking methods of Chincha- an alcoholic drink that was enjoyed by the villagers.

At this point, we noticed our group had grown by two fresh new faces. A man and a woman, I assumed European (we later found out they were French) were doing a documentary on eco-tourism in Ecuador, and this was one of the villages they were studying. We realized that we were soon being videotaped and photographed… a little unnerving at first but hey, whatever.

Back to the village we went, and had a little free time before dinner. I went upstream on the river and waded in the river, the fresh, cool water felt great in the humid environment. Soon it was time for dinner. We ate a soup and some presumably free range chicken that was tough as leather. I got some stuck in my teeth and had to use the string from a tea bag as floss to set it free.

After dinner, we had a presentation on the Shamanistic rituals and met the village medicine man. We took our chairs from the dining area and formed a circle and the shaman came out and sat in the middle. He explained the rituals and their medicinal use of Jimsonweed as a psychedelic. Their ‘trip’ could last days or weeks. Often times the subjects of the medicine man may never come back to reality from the Jimsonweed journey. He asked if anyone wanted to be ‘cleansed’ and a few in our group went for it. They took their chair out close to the shaman, took their shirts off and the shaman would drink some potion, and spit it out over their bodies and into their hair. This ritual was a cleansing experience. I considered getting myself a little cleansing myself, but stopped myself short.

Next we traversed the large area with our chairs and prepared ourselves for the next event- a traditional dance. Soon, men came out wearing little more than palm fronds and then girls of the village and women came out in quasi-traditional garments. The music soon started and the dance began. We were excited to share this amazing experience. The girls went back in the tiny hut and I could see them out peering at our group and laughing. Next thing we knew, Norby announced that they would like us to dance with them, and the girls ran out and picked their dance partners. Greg, David, Josh, Cannon and I were ‘selected’ and we went out and cut a rug. Soon, the entire place was dancing and we got Greg to show off some major dance moves. We taught them an important lesson, white men can’t dance. The dance was soon over and we retreated to our cabins. Pulling the insect net over me, I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Around 4:00 in the morning, the scent of rain came associated with powerful thunder and lightning. I’ve seen bigger thunder and lightning storms at home in Shasta County, but keep in mind it was behind the comforts of an actual, not a hut. I spent a little time out on the porch of the hut, amidst the downpour and lightning. Watching the jungle light up with every bolt of lightning was a sight I’ll take to the grave. It wasn’t too long until I heard something very large rustling in the bushes nearby, so I quickly retreated to the hut and the comfort of my cot (which really didn’t offer much physical protection, more mental protection). I listened to the rain and eventually it put me to sleep.