Hello from Ecuador

Above is a view of the city of Quito, where the Truth With a Camera workshop is based for this week. The city is situated in a beautiful valley, sandwiched between mountains and volcanoes, and is a combination of the colonial old, and high rise buildings. We have seen little of the heart of Quito, but upon first impression there are many commonalities with Guadalajara. There are beautiful plazas and historic colonial buildings, cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks where there are a number of vendors including the indigenous and small children on the sidewalks and at intersections.

Josh and photo instructor Dave waiting to purchase cell phones

Josh and Dave walking in old town, Quito

Above is a view of the campus el Colegio de Comunicación y Artes Contemporaneas, where the workshop is being held (we are 20 minutes outside of Quito, in the community of Cumbayá). The campus and facilities are incredible, and all of the studies are centered around the arts and communication. Josh and I both were imagining ourselves on an exchange at this university some day.

Fittingly, we are staying in Hotel Cumbayá, in Cumbayá. The family-owned hotel is spotless, and offers comfy little rooms. The sleep has been nice once we block out the street noises of car alarms and barking dogs.

Josh and Dave working in the cafeteria of our hotel. The breakfast we had previous to this is pictured below: croissants, coffee, tomate fruit juice, eggs, papaya and bananas.

On Saturday many of the students for the workshop had arrived, and we went on an excursion two hours north to Octavalo, where there is a live animal market every Saturday. The ride was beautiful, heading up and down past high mountains and lush valleys. And the market was incredible, where there were farm animals all around being poked and prodded and negotiated for, many of which were sure to meet a fate much different than that of Wilbur the pig.

View along the way to Otavalo

I tried to look past the disturbing fact that many of the animals were, well, being treated like animals, bound and tangled around a stake like the one pictured above.

Two "grown" nine-month-old pigs, working on digging a hole in the ground for cooling themselves.

Checking out the potential of this piglet

Josh negotiating a price for this little piglet.

Cuy, or guinea pig is a delicacy in Ecuador

Nine-day old calves

A pup checking out all the baby chicks

A woman checking out how much meat potential this chicken offers

Roosters being sold for fighting

After visiting the animal market we hiked in to see a waterfall

Upon leaving the waterfall, we encountered this woman who was quite popular because of her terrific contraption for peeling strips of mango, which were then doctored up with lime, salt and picante.

Tomorrow I will be leaving Quito and traveling on an overnight bus to a place called Rio Muchacho, an organic farm on the coast of Ecuador. The farm serves as a model for more sustainable farming practices and houses an environmental education center for local children. I will spend some time working on improving my Spanish, and hope to do much of the following (as noted on the Rio Muchacho Web site):

• Tour of the farm to see the recycling systems & tropical crops eg. yuca, turmeric sesame, coffee, pineapple, passion fruit, cocoa, banana, and examples of rice, ginger, balsa wood, and more.
• Make chocolate- from the bean to the cup
• Hike in the rain forest and tour the coffee plantation
• Visit a nearby water fall and swim in the river.
• Roast and grind coffee over an open fire.
• Milk cows and make flavored cheese.
• Fish river shrimp.
• Make a cup and/or and spoons from gourd.
• Cut palm seeds & tagua to make rings & pendants.

Sounds like a glorified week at summer camp! I will be without internet until Friday, but am sure to have a large posting soon thereafter.