trip to the coast

Friday:

When the trip began, I felt sic, but after one or two bus stops, and Pepto, I feel better. I was so afraid that he had been sick during the trip, I was very afraid. But I was lucky, but many of the people I saw during the trip without access to health care, and this is not fair. Our guide, Andres, said that the situation of the people there are super different it is in Quito.

We had lunch with typical coastal fish, green soup, and rice. I like that most people in Ecuador local food rather than food that was imported from afar. The village where we ate is very different from Quito or Cumbaya. The town's social economic status was lower viably. for example, the condition of the road, shops, and cars are signs. Also, it appears that the farther we are from Quito, the population increases Afroecuatorianos.

When we arrived at the biology, my first thought was that this place looks like a movie. I've never seen a type of a rainforest and it was fantastic.
Then we went to the island for a demonstration Muisne Marimba and traditional dance. I liked the dance with all of its energy and life. also if the dancers were dancing Kalamazoo students. It was funny. Moreover, poverty is obvious Muisne.

Saturday:

Saturday, unfortunatly did not go to see the howler monkeys. We went by canoe to the mangroves. The trip on the river was super fun and interesting. I saw many types of different tropical birds, including pelicans. At the same time, our guides explained on one of the industries, production Charcol. But, the most important to me that all the land under sea level is public, so much people in Muisne, and the remaining area, house built in flood areas because it's free. A mangrove tour of the island had Congal: transitional ecosystems, upland forest, recovery areas, mangrove regeneration, organic gardens, pool aquaculture. We learn a lot about the island's fruit, including pineapple, papaya, mango, and coconut. we also learnedabout the importance of shrimp farming and how the shrimp bust effected the population. we got stuck int he mud in the mussel and clam fields in the mangroves. can not imagine a woman doing this work with their children nearby. after all were hot and tired at the end of the tour, the best thing that happened, refreshing coconut water.

We ate lunch on a beach in Muisne, was beautiful. It was almost nobody on the beach and sand forever. I enjoyed the time at the beach lot. by this time, I think Kalamazoo needed some time to relax.

We returned to the station to go to the bar. to watch the local football match Ecuador v. Uruguay. As I do not like football much but I like the atmosphere. I played the daughter of the other guide during the game. The owner of the bar gave us a fruit I've never seen before, guava. The guava is different than any kind of fruit I've seen in my whole life, but the flavor was so rich. Unfortunately, Ecuador lost the match and returned to the station for an incredible soup and popcorn

Sunday
before returning to Quito, we walked to the community of Bunche. A poor village, built by the land under the sea level. But this town is improving with a new mayor. The children played outside with us without thinking of a dangerous. The need to care for children reminded me of poor children on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Then we went to the beach resort of Atacames, a spectacular beaches, restaurants, artists and people. Atacames was similar and different Muisne beach. Atacama had more tourists, then more silver. But both are home to Afro-Ecuadorian people, a marginalized group in the country.