Frogs, frogs, frogs

We got back to work on Monday morning. Our plan was to drive into Cajas and hike up to 4200 meters in order to collect tadpoles from pools there. This is basically the upper limit of the range of the frogs that Chelsea is studying. Everything went well until we got almost to the top of the trail, where a thunderstorm was producing marble-sized hail. So after our 1 hour walk up to the top, we immediately turned around and headed back down. We found a few tadpoles in a pool at 4000 meters, but our hands were barely working due to the cold at that point. We went back to Mazan in the afternoon and Fausto taught us how to make aquariums for one of Chelsea’s projects with raising tadpoles.

After packing our clothes for a couple days, we headed down to Cuenca to stay at Jose’s apartment. We arrived to find that Jose’s apartment had flooded due to a burst pipe. His parents kindly invited us to stay at their house which is located just around the corner. When we got to their house with items from Jose’s apartment, his Mom remarked: “Now you see that children never really leave their parents” (or something kind of like that). We enjoyed probably the best showers we’ve had in Ecuador that evening, and Jose’s dad made us delicious orange juice in the morning.

After departing the Caceres’ house, we met Amanda and Ernesto at the mechanic. Ernesto’s truck apparently has been working right since he got it washed last week, but the mechanic had too many cars to be able to work on it. By the way, we were just there on Saturday because a rock or something on the mountain road bent something underneath our car (it’s fine now). So we then drove over to Amanda’s parent’s house so Ernesto could leave his truck there for the day. A sweet old lady ran a stop sign and almost t-boned us on the way, but really it was an uneventful trip.

Then we all set out in the Lead Bullet (I’m pushing this nickname for the car because the Spanish name for the color translates to mean “lead”) for the southern road of Cajas. The point of the trip was for Ernesto to show us more places where we can find frogs and tadpoles. Ernesto was able to find a species he’s never seen before while using the bathroom along the side of the road (this guy has the golden touch). After searching a bit more, Chelsea found a beautiful gastrotheca female full of eggs. We took plenty of pictures and then continued on our reconnaissance mission. We were able to find tadpoles at another point along the road, which was great.

On the way back, we stopped at some hot springs that have frogs and used to have snakes that Ernesto studied. Just as we got out of our car, we heard an animal calling. Ernesto asked us if we knew what it was, and of course we didn’t. He then told us that it was a species of poison dart frog that used to be very common in Cuenca. We hopped down in the marsh next to the river and were able to find four individuals. We also recorded their call with our cameras. Then we met the owner of the hot springs, and he invited us to come back some time. We plan to use this place to combine work and relaxation.

On another note, our house at Mazan has been without power since Thursday. Hopefully the park agency will fix it soon. It is very dark at 6:30 up there, and we’re running out of hot chocolate!

Ingapirca

We decided to take a day this past weekend to be tourists. Ingapirca, a complex of Incan ruins, is located about 90 km from Cuenca. So, we got in our Vitara and hit the Panamericana pavement. The drive took about two and a half hours from our mountaintop, and it was full of great views across the various vallies. We had a quick lunch once we got to the ruins, and then we started our visit. Our guidebook says that the entry fee includes a guide, but we started out with just ourselves to interpret what the different structures may have been in the past. Luckily there was a group of Americans (college students and teachers, we think) just ahead of us with an English-speaking tour guide. We stayed close enough to this group in order to hear most of the guide’s description of the ruins. The most entertaining part was when the llamas became angry at the large group and huddled together to protect their territory.

After enjoying the Temple of the Sun, we headed down a short trail to see the “Inca face” in a nearby rock wall. It was nice to take a little stroll, and we got back in our car with the hope of being home before dark. We were soon stopped by a police officer who asked to see me driving credentials. I calmly handed him my international driver’s license from AAA, and he calmly pretended that he sees them all the time before wishing us well on our way. We then stopped at a town named Biblian in order to check out their church which is built into the side of a mountain (literally). We happened to arrive just in time for the Gospel reading, so we decided to stay for the rest of the mass. Chelsea then had a hankering to stop for dinner at one of the pig roasts along the road. We found one close to the town and had a nice meal of pork and mote (corn). The sunset created absolutely beautiful colors in the sky during the rest of our drive back to Cuenca, and we arrived home after a satisfying day as tourists.

Patul: more photos

Patul: a remote Andean village

Last weekend we had our biggest adventure yet. We traveled to the tiny village of Patul, one of the few remaining isolated villages in the Andes. It takes 5-6 hours to hike there, and the path is so difficult that it is used as a prayer path. It is a really old way that has been used for perhaps thousands of years. We started at a place along the road in Cajas at 3200m, hiked up to 4200m then back down to 3700m where we were greeted warmly by a local family. They had no idea we were coming because there is no phone service in the village, and they just got electricity a few years ago. Their isolation has helped keep the traditions of the Andean indigenous people alive, and it is rare that they receive visitors from other places.

We began the trip by shopping for groceries, and were surprised by the items that our friend Amanda chose. When we go on backpacking trips, we usually buy food that is light, easily packable, and rich in calories. Instead, we bought things to make sandwiches, a bag of rice, cans of beans, peas, and corn, coffee, tea, cookies, 2 liters of drinkable yogurt, raisins and chocolate. We were unable to purchase the correct type of fuel for our camp stove (it had to be ordered from Quito, and didn’t arrive until after we left for the trip), so I had no idea how we were going to prepare the food. Then we had to pack. There was a chance there would be horses going back to Patul that we could hire for $5/ horse to carry our things, but it was likely that we were going to have to carry everything ourselves. We needed to pack warm clothes, rain jackets and pants, sleeping bags and pads, tents, field supplies, and all the food. Wow were our bags heavy! I could barely lift mine to put it on, and Brad’s seemed twice as heavy! When we got to the start of the trail, we were not lucky enough to find horses waiting.

After a hard day of walking, complete with several necessary breaks for food and rest, we arrived at Patul—sort of. When we got there, the fog was so heavy that we couldn’t find the house where Ernesto knows the family. Instead, we sat and watched the fog until it lifted to reveal first a beautiful mountain ridge, then a lake, and finally the village. What a welcome! Then we were able to find the house, a small adobe dwelling complete with a thatch roof, the typical style of the Andean people. Dona Maximina and her son-in-law Don Reynaldo greeted us with smiles, and we apologized for showing up unannounced (remember, there is no phone service). They invited us in for tea, and we were eventually treated to a meal prepared in a traditional Andean kitchen. There was a fire pit in the ground which she cooked over, guinea pigs in one corner, a few shelves, a pot of water on the dirt floor for washing the dishes, and more smoke than Brad or I could stand to inhale. The entire inside of the kitchen was covered in a black gloss from the smoke. However, we enjoyed tea prepared from orange leaves and a big dinner of rice and beans. It turns out that in return for the inconvenience of taking care of us, Ernesto usually brings enough food to feed everyone. Dona Maximina prepared our food for dinner, and added some of her own, too. After dinner, she invited us to sleep in a room with 2 beds (probably the beds for her sons). The beds were wooden frames with a few blankets and sheep skins instead of mattresses. We put our sleeping pads and bags on top, and it was nice to not be sleeping in a tent on the ground. However, our friend Ernesto is quite tall and people from the village are quite short. His legs hung over the edge of the bed almost to his knees! He had to sleep on a diagonal, and although our bed was slightly longer, Brad also had to scrunch his legs to fit. On the day we were scheduled to leave, she made us rice with eggs from creole chickens, a soup of cabbage and her own home-made cheese, coffee with milk from her cows, and a shot of cane alcohol to “give us energy for the trip home.” The food was delicious, but the cane alcohol was stronger than we could handle! Overall, I was amazed by the generosity of our host family and how willing they were to share so much of their home and their food with us. It made carrying the heavy food all worthwhile, so that we had something to share in return.

We spent a full day doing field work around the village. The frogs I am looking for in this area, called Atelopus nanay or the black harlequin frog or locally “sapo negro,” live in the upland habitat adjacent to the streams. The village is near a lake which is the confluence of three separate streams. If you stand near the lake, you can see the 3 waterfalls that cascade down into a wetland which flows into the lake. From the lake, the river Patul flows to the coast. During the day we were guided by Eduardo, the 7 yr. old son of Dona Maximina. He showed us the places where he has found the frogs and where his much older brother –in-law has found the frogs. He was so full of energy as we hiked all day through the mountains, and then would occasionally lay down in the grass for a quick rest. He helped me catch tadpoles of another species in the wetlands, and although I gave him a net, he was more successful with his bare hands! By the end of the day, we were all exhausted, and Eduardo fell asleep in the kitchen while we were waiting for dinner.

The first day at Patul (Sunday) was mostly reconnaissance work. Ernesto showed us all of the places where Atelopus has been found, and we didn’t have much extra time to actually look for the frogs. Monday we had a huge breakfast then worked for a couple of hours by the river closest to the house. Although I really wasn’t expecting to have luck, Ernesto found one male individual of Atelopus nanay! We were all so excited, and after the data was collected we had an extensive photo session. We kept looking, but without success. We began walking home at noon, and on the way stopped to look for several other species of frogs. With these other species, we had some luck. The genus is Pristimantis, and there are many species that live in Ecuador. They are unique because they breed on land instead of in wetlands or streams like most amphibians. They lay their eggs under a rock or among damp moss, and we happened to find some eggs. We could actually watch the embryos moving in the clear eggs, which was a pretty amazing experience!

All in all, the research trip was a success. We got back to the road just after dark and my field notebook contains data from 1 Atelopus nanay, 2 Pristimantis of a potentially new species, Gastrotheca tadpoles from two different pools, 9 Pristimantis philipi, 1 clutch of 25 Pristimantis eggs, and a whole list of sites to return to for both Atelopus nanay and Gastrotheca tadpoles.

We had skipped lunch on the trip home, and had only a handful of raisins and half a chocolate bar. After warm showers, we met up with Ernesto’s wife Amanda (she had been sick the previous week and wasn’t feeling strong enough to make the trip) to share our stories from the weekend over dinner. We went to a really nice parrilladas- style steak house, and the four of us managed to consume a large amount of beef, potatoes, salad, and juice. That night we went to bed exhausted but completely content.

Vilcabamba: more photos

Vilcabamba, valley of the strange fruits

Late in the day last Thursday, after our weekend plans changed from fieldwork to free, we decided it was time to take our wheels for a spin out of town. We made reservations at the Cabanas del Rio Yambala in Vilcabamba and decided that however things worked out we would be happy to be in a place much warmer than where we live.

Friday afternoon it was raining, Brad’s surgery ran late, and our friend Jose locked himself out of his house and needed us to come with our copies of the keys. We were not to be discouraged. We FINALLY got out of town and after driving awhile witnessed the most beautiful sunset either one of us had ever enjoyed. The sky was filled with layers of clouds, each reflecting the sun in different shades of pink and orange. The mountains were glowing. And traffic wasn’t too awful.

When we arrived in Loja, we were ready for a meal. Jose had given us directions as far as Loja, then he suggested that we ask someone there how to get to the road to Vilcabamba. So we stopped at an upscale restaurant that specializes in serving large quantities of meat and ordered the junior portion and a pitcher of lemonade—we figured we could ask the waiter for directions. After about 30 minutes, our meat arrived and was accompanied by a salad, fried yucca, choclo (large kernels of bland tasting corn) and two different sauces (one red and one green). The meat itself included beef, pork, and chicken served on a special platter with hot coals underneath the food. Yeah, I know, we don’t usually eat meat and have been known to go weeks without it. However, when in Rome… so we ate the meat, and we enjoyed it! Then we got directions from the cashier, the parking attendant, a police officer, and a young teenage couple. One step at a time, we made it out of town and on our way.

We got into Vilcabamba later than planned, and repeated the same course of asking for directions until a very gringo-looking teenage boy who was checking facebook on his cellphone greeted us at the entrance of our hostel. He spoke to us without an accent, then informed us that his mom is from England and his dad is from the US. He showed us the way to our own private cabana, then pointed out their house in case we needed anything. We settled in, and slept well until morning. Later we met his father, Charlie, who is a really nice guy who was particularly interested in talking to us about our Vitara—apparently he’s considering upgrading his truck to a small SUV. They own a large bioreserve, “Las Palmas,” which is adjacent to Podacarpus National park and where Charlie makes a little extra cash by harvesting and selling honey.

Sometimes these small towns shut down for the weekend at 1:00 on Saturdays, so I was anxious to have a look around while the shops were still open. We drove ourselves the 5km from our cabana into town and found that at 10:00 it was just starting to wake up. We walked into some artisan shops, one of which closely resembled a craft show in the Midwest, and quickly discovered that many of the shops and cafes are run by ex-pats. No need to speak Spanish here. We inquired at a few different places about horseback riding, and Brad chose the most expensive one. Gavin, the guy from New Zealand (although he’s been in south America for 30+ years), convinced us that although he charges more, the money goes into taking care of the horses. His horses looked great compared to some of the others we had seen, so we scheduled a 4 hour ride for Sunday morning.

After a delicious but over-priced meal of Mexican food at “El Jardin Escondido” (the hidden garden), and stopping to purchase chocolate covered guava nibs, we headed back to our hostel. We tried to hike to the waterfall, but never made it because the directions (provided by the hostel) were a bit confusing. We tried to hike to the swimming hole, but it was much farther away than we anticipated and we had to make it back for 6:00 dinner (the hostel is obviously run by foreigners. People here don’t even begin to think about dinner until 7:00, and they really call it a “snack” and the portions are about snack size). We settled on great views of the valley and we dipped our toes in the lesser of the two swimming holes (which was okay by me because the water was COLD!) We hiked back and sat down to a delicious, uncharacteristically large dinner of mashed potatoes, salad, chicken in peanut sauce, and a piece of cake. Another young couple from England joined us and told us a bit about their 9 mo. Holiday through North and South America.

So our horseback ride. Gavin had told us that he wasn’t available to do the tour, but that his partner would take us on a great ride. We arrived at 9:10, and Gavin himself was standing there waiting for us. He apologized, and said, “My partner who was supposed to take you is still drinking, the other partner got p***** and said ‘you do it,’ and so I said ‘alright, I’ll do it,” all in a fading but still present kiwi accent. Apparently a local family had moved to Spain for 15 years and had just returned this weekend, spurring a large-scale celebration.

We decided to do a circuit in the mountains around the city hat would offer a nice view into the valley. I was not thrilled when the ride started off on paved roads, but eventually we made it to some pretty awesome trails that provided the horses with a bit of a challenge. I’ve been on horseback in the US, and typically they make you wear a helmet and the horses themselves are trained to walk as if they are half-dead. Not these horses. We walked, we trotted, and we galloped through beautiful, mountainous terrain. Along the way, Gavin pointed out gated communities and mansions owned by foreigners. He told stories about the man who had an elevator installed in his mansion after having a heart attack, the man who bought the land and put in a road but ran out of money before he started building a house, the man who heard $125,000 for a piece of land when the seller had only asked for $25,000. Apparently Gavin has published a book of stories called “Vilcabamba, valley of strange fruits” specifically about the eccentric and crazy foreigners who have changed the culture of the small town.

When we arrived back in town, Gavin showed us to a small shop where we could get a juice and the best chocolate chip cookies in town. They actually weren’t too far off from the oatmeal cookies I make at home, and after eating 5 we bought 5 more for the trip home. Then Gavin recommended a pizza shop called “Charlitos” where Brad and I shared a cheese pizza for $4.50, and it really was pretty good (or at least our idea of what is good has changed). At 3:00 we headed out of town.

I wanted to stop at a little town called Saraguro on the way back. It is known for the traditional style of dress, culture, and handicrafts. It was after 6:00 by the time we arrived, but the church was lit up and the center of town was in the process of being renovated. Mass was just starting as we walked up to the church, so we stayed awhile then got some drinks in a little café called “mama cuchara” where we were served by two girls in the traditional dark colored dress with beautiful and brightly colored beaded collars. For a natural juice of the fruit babaco and a sprite, it cost $1.05. Amazing. Unfortunately the market was closed so we’ll have to go back.

So we continued along the Panamericana, until the road won in the contest: tire vs road. It was dark, we were on a large highway at least 10 miles from the next town, and we had a choice: call the insurance company and wait for them to make the drive from Cuenca or change the tire ourselves. Brad elected to change the tire, and I was his look-out. Luckily, the government here requires you to have certain things in your car: a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and reflective triangles. We set up the triangles, put our headlamps on (seriously, you should ALWAYS have a headlamp with you) and got to work. The road really wasn’t too busy, and Brad had several minutes in between traffic to get the tire off, lift the car with the jack, and tighten the new tire into place. Success, after about 30 minutes we were on our way again—with plans to take the car in for the much needed, new tires on Monday morning.

All in all, it was a great weekend. We got to warm up and have some fun, and we succeeded in another adventure. This week, Brad’s back to work in the hospital and I’m back to work in the field. Yesterday (Tuesday) I began constructing a 3x3x2m house for my tadpole development project, then in the afternoon I found an Atelopus exiguus (the critically endangered, really awesome species that is the reason I’m here). Good news for the project, and a big relief for me!

Animals

This is just one of the many llamas that roams Cajas. The deer is called a pudu, and we saw it close to our house at Mazan. The frog is a juvenile Pristimantis.

Our View and Our Water Source

This is our view looking down the Mazan valley toward Cuenca. The roof is our house. The waterfall provides water that is piped into the house and also powers the turbine which charges the batteries that provide us with electricity. However, the intake pipe is the source of much of our frustration because it regularly gets clogged with leaves and requires cleaning.

(Learning to) Expect the Unexpected

When you live in Ecuador, sometimes you just have to expect the unexpected. Going with the flow, rolling with the punches . . . these are important skills here. One day you may end up feeding lions and an Andean bear, another day you might find yourself at an Ecuadorian rock concert. Then one day your friend might tell you something like, “There’s a problem with the police. Watch your step, my friend.” Then you might check the news and find out that the National Police decided to go on strike and fire tear gas at the President because he supported a new austerity law that limits some of the benefits that they enjoy. Then the government might declare a State of Emergency, and the day might end with a televised military assault on the police hospital in order to get the President out of his hospital room. This is all true. I did not make one bit of it up. I promise. Really.

Sometimes good things also happen unexpectedly. Sometime just before the police began lobbing tear gas at El Presidente, I received an email saying that one of my grant proposals (submitted in December) was accepted! Whoever Mohamed Bin Zayed is, he is our new favorite person in Dubai, and probably in the whole United Arab Emirates for that matter. Thanks to his generous donation of oil money to species conservation, we FINALLY have funding for my project, and I am excited that I will be able to pay for the equipment, lab fees, and a small stipend for our living expenses. It’s such a relief to know that we won’t be going into more debt while we are here doing my research. However, it also adds more pressure to find the frogs! We spent all day Saturday looking at the known sites and at some new sites for Atelopus at Mazan, and still did not have success.

Okay, get this. On Sunday, Brad and I started the day by attending church. We hadn’t decided which church to go to (Cuenca is famous for how many churches there are in the city) so we drove to the central historical district, parked the car, and went to Santo Domingo because it was the closest. We walked into the church and found a seat near the middle. We were soon joined by a few more people, then a few more, and then a few more until there were more people in the pew than could possibly sit, or kneel, or worship in comfort. So we got a program and waited patiently for mass to start.

We were unaware, but this particular Sunday happened to be the fiesta for “La Morenica del Rosario.” Mary was regaled in through the middle aisle with a mariachi band and fireworks. They passed out posters of Mary, and the songs and readings were related to the festival. We were unable to follow along in the program outlined by the archdiocese because the readings were completely different. The priest walked up and down the aisle as he gave the homily, making eye contact with all of his parishioners. He again walked down the center aisle to give communion to everyone. We felt very welcome at the church, held hands with our neighbors to pray, offered the sign of peace to those around us, and the lady next to me tried to explain the celebration. Then everyone held up their posters of Mary and the priest blessed them with Holy water. The experience was so different from anything that we had experienced at home, but also really beautiful.

Afterwards, we went to Cajas to do some more field work. I’d been feeling pretty down about my work because I hadn’t been able to find the species that I’m looking for. Many of the wetlands are dry, and without wetlands I cannot find the tadpoles that I am looking for. To get to the site, we had to convince several rangers that we had official permission (the permit is still sitting at the park office, waiting for the signature of the director). After some hours of hiking and searching, we caught 15 tadpoles at 4000m! We gave thanks to Jesus on the spot.

If you can possibly believe it, we still have two more things to tell you about. So . . . Brad went to the public hospital on Monday, and he was asked by one of the doctors if he was available for a surgery at a private hospital the following day. You see, it seems that the doctor’s surgical assistant injured her shoulder and will be out of operative action for some time. Brad was asked to be the assistant for the surgery, and it was hard to say no in front of the five other people listening to the conversation. After he spent the morning being a surgical assistant in Spanish, we had some lunch and drove over to the site where our friend, Ernesto, is building his zoo. He knows several pools that are good spots for tadpoles in and around his land, so we went in hope of keeping Sunday’s momentum going. We were not disappointed, and we collected 30 more tadpoles at about 2600 meters.

The real fun for the day came as we were attempting to leave the zoo. The property is situated on a hill that overlooks the city, and the dirt road up to it is quite steep. We forgot to mention that it had been thunderstorming off and on all afternoon, making the dirt road a muddy mess. After our car fishtailed sideways on a bad turn, we called Ernesto for help. The photo clearly demonstrates the difficulty of the driving conditions, but we were able to get our car safely down the hill. Ernesto’s truck went sideways on the same turn, so then we helped him navigate his way down. Chelsea is reminded daily of the Jurassic Park ride that used to be at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. What people go to an amusement park for in America is just the daily commute for us here in Ecuador.

Finally, yesterday (Wednesday) Jose and I did some field work while Brad worked in the hospital. This was the first time I've ever done field work by motorcycle. Just imagine me hanging on for dear life on the back of a motorcycle, tadpole nets flapping in the wind, as we rode through the Andes. The view was spectacular, we managed to catch 15 more tadpoles, and Jose gave me a short lesson on using our new camera. I'm making progress, and you can expect to see better photos!