Back to Work

After arriving in Cuenca and checking into our oh-so-nice little apartment, we wasted little time in getting back to business. This was, of course, after we enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning. We spent 7.5 hours of our Saturday afternoon and evening driving from Toachi to Cuenca, and it’s not exactly as straightforward as driving from Columbus to St. Louis (for example). Several of the towns we passed through aren’t really into the road sign thing, so we had to do a bit of guessing at certain points. While making our way through the town of Quevedo, a friendly couple on a motorcycle gave us a helping hand. Chelsea hates asking for directions in Spanish, but I made her do it this time! As we continued on, day turned into night to make things a little more fun than they already were. We went through about 15 minutes of pouring rain at 25 mph, and then we enjoyed some thick fog as we started to climb up the western slopes of the Andes. Thankfully the towns closer to Cuenca had good signs, so we made it without too much fuss.

After getting some much-needed rest, we picked up some groceries from Supermaxi to stock the new apartment. Ernesto mentioned that we are close to a co-op market, so we walked over and found that easily (it’s about two minutes away). There we found a paradise of fresh fruits and vegetables at very low prices. Chelsea is really excited about this. We then continued the day’s awesomeness by capitalizing on being able to see at night and to use electronic devices. Our homemade dinner was quite tasty, and the country songs playing from our iPod gave us a little feeling of home.

On Monday morning, we went back to Mazan to visit the frogs. They weren’t, however, quite as excited to see us. We put in a nice solid search, but we didn’t find anything but spiders, lizards, and bugs. I suppose that’s how things go when you’re studying a critically endangered species whose individuals are never longer than 2 inches and live underneath rocks and razor-sharp plants. When we got back to the house, we set about removing things from our room there to bring down to the apartment. We pretty much filled the car, and we still had more things to bring down. For you ladies, I will say that we enjoyed Valentine’s Day with our favorite chocolate cake and a little bit of dancing to Josh Turner (including our wedding song).

Speaking of the car, we decided to give it some attention on Tuesday. Some nice person decided to right “Lavame” (wash me) on it during its stay in Toachi, so we thought we’d grant their request. There just so happens to be a car wash right down the street from us, so we left them the car and made the waiting room our home. Ninety minutes and 8 dollars later, we had a clean car inside and out. Given its two month hibernation while we were in the US, we also figured the car could use a little electrical check-up. The new battery that we bought after the old one died with the car at the top of the road to Mazan during the biggest holiday of the year happened to come with a one year guarantee. This guarantee includes quarterly check-ups. Good for us. So, we pulled into the electromechanic’s (as they’re known here) shop, and a boy who, Chelsea remarked, didn’t even look old enough to drive a car tended to our battery. He also tightened the clamp on one of our radiator hoses because, apparently, we were slowly losing coolant. I’m glad he caught that. I’m also glad that I now know what a radiator hose is thanks to watching Chelsea’s dad replace the radiator on my Accord from approximately 8-11:30 PM on New Year’s Eve.

But back to Ecuador, you say. The aforementioned services would have been free, but Chelsea reminded me to ask if they could replace our burned-out tail light. Sure, they could. In fact, they went ahead and replaced both even though the right one was working. This made Chelsea feel much better. Burned-out headlights and tail lights aren’t really a big deal to Ecuadorians (Ernesto’s tail light has been out since September) because safety isn’t really a big deal to them. I hope Dr. Smith from the Center for Injury Research at Children’s Hospital in Columbus never visits here. Ever. If he does, I’m pretty sure he will be struck deaf and mute for the remainder of his life at what he sees. The police don’t really do anything, either (except take bribes like pros). They just ride around in trucks and on motorcycles all day long, and I’m not sure if anyone really knows where they’re going. In any case, they don’t give people tickets for having burned out lights on their cars.

We spent Tuesday afternoon working on the internet, and we enjoyed another delightful evening in Cuenca. We returned to Mazan the next day, and Chelsea found a little Atelopus exiguus. That always makes it a good day of work for us. We transported down the rest of our things from the research house, and then we walked into the center of town to meet with Ernesto. We all had a good opportunity to catch up on goings on over the past few months. One key development is that Ernesto installed wi-fi in the zoo office, and we are welcome to use it as we like. One piece of bad news is that German stopped collecting data in El Tiink (the rainforest) at the end of January. Using her grant money, Chelsea left enough funds with Ernesto to pay German to gather data on the as yet undescribed Atelopus species during January and February. Because we had to stay for my interview in Richmond, we arrived to Cuenca in the middle of February. In typical Ecuador style, nobody asked us if we had money to keep the project going (which we do), and they just stopped. German will have recommenced the field studies by the time this is published, but we still lost 20 days of data during a time when the frogs should be breeding. Oh well, that’s life down here.

We were tired on Thursday, so it ended up being a rest/computer day. We went back to Mazan on Friday to check on some tadpoles that we are experimenting with in the lab. While Chelsea was in Cuenca this time last year, a momma frog just hopped right into the research house at Mazan. Carlos grabbed her up and gave her a new home in the lab. These tadpoles we are working with are her children. We’re trying to get them to develop and metamorphose into frogs, and they seem to be advancing well in their new conditions. Saturday ended up being a relaxation day, and Sunday we went into Cajas park itself in order to find tadpoles and download information from a data logger that Chelsea left in a pool up there. She commented that this is why she needs a ToughBook laptop, but unfortunately our friend Mohammed bin Zayed’s grant isn’t quite big enough for us to afford one.

We had more luck again in Mazan on Monday: Chelsea found an exiguus frog that is older and more mature than any of the ones we found during the fall. He still isn’t a full grown adult, but we were able to tell that he is a “macho,” as they say here. Good news! We got some unexpected news, however, while checking our email later that day. Apparently, Ernesto was able to work out our next trip to Patul (the tiny little mountain village). He didn’t have any balance left to call us, though, so we found out Monday night that we will be making this 3 day trip on Wednesday morning. Great. So much for our schedule this week.

Our apartment

Our first week back

Right now, we’re sitting at the table of our new apartment while we wait for our car to be washed inside an out ($8.00). While we wait, we thought it might be a good time to reflect on the past week here. We took care of business on Quito, picked up our car in Toachi, and drove the road by way of the coast to return to Cuenca.

While we were in Quito, we stayed with Giovanni and the girls at Casa Marianista. As always, it was an interesting blending of cultures, languages, and personalities. Dinner Friday night was particularly enjoyable because there was a full table: Brother Giovanni, Mayra, Silvia, and Father Cecilio were accompanied by Etilo (from Italy), Mario and Francesca (a father and daughter, also from Italy), and ourselves. As usual, there was pasta, cheese, wine, bread, and an array of fruits on the table. Spanish, Italian, and English were spoken and the switch between languages was fluid. After dinner, we washed dishes together in the kitchen while the older men reminisced and sang songs from a different time.

During our stay at Casa Marianista, we were able to take care of both the things we wanted to do and the things that we needed to do. The first order of business was to deliver the reagent to the Catholic University so that my samples can be processed. While there, we met with Santiago (the professor who runs the lab) and Andrea (the student who will process my samples). We also met with another staff member, Eduardo. Eduardo spent two field seasons at Mazan studying Atelopus exiguus (I know it’s been awhile, this is the cute little green one with the yellow belly). We met to discuss a publication we are planning to write among several of us who have studied this same species during the past 30 years.

The next order of business was to visit the consulate and jump through all necessary hoops to make our visas valid. You have to get a card called a censo, but it isn’t as easy as walking into the office and asking for one. First, you walk into this crazy, overwhelming room where there are desks and people and you’re not exactly even sure which people go with the desks. Then, none of the desks are labeled correctly, so when you ask where you need to be you are shuffled over to a line, only to wait in it until it is your turn when they tell you to go to another line. Then, you get to the correct line and they tell you that you need to make copies of this and that, and to get a folder , an envelope, and a copy of something to show that you have a place of residence (e.g. an electric or water bill). So finally we get all of our things in order, we wait in line again (this time we meet some other nice folks, a couple of girls from Belgium, a girl from England, and a guy from the Netherlands—all trying to go through the same process as us) and when we get to the front of the line, they take our passports and tell us to come back tomorrow. Apparently you have to leave your passport overnight to get registered, then you can come back the next day (and make ANOTHER copy, this time of the registration stamp) and then you can get your censo.

So we left the consulate (without our visas) and went to enjoy a chocolate brownie from Kallari, a nice lunch, and a stroll in the park. While sitting in the park, the Belgian girls spot us and come show us a list of what they were told they needed to jump through the second set of hoops to actually get the card made (they were a step ahead of us). No, they aren’t kidding about needing a proof of a place of residence. Yes, you will need to make more copies and bring passport photos. No, they will not complete the process without an envelope. So we thanked them, and planned to return the next day completely prepared.

When we arrived the next day, they weren’t ready yet. We took the opportunity to get some ice cream first, then some lunch, and returned in the afternoon. We were thrilled when they handed us back our passports, we ran down the street to make copies, and absolutely ecstatic when they handed us our censos. In our celebrations, we forgot to look at the cards themselves and didn’t notice until we returned to Giovanni’s that they were only issued for 6 mos. Instead of one year. But that doesn’t really matter. 6 mos. Is longer than we were planning on staying anyways. We have our censos, and shouldn’t have any problems getting out of the country this time.



We were planning on taking a bus to Toachi to pick up our car on Friday, drive it back to Quito to pick up our things, then drive to Cuenca on Saturday. However, plans changed. I was able to set up an appointment on Friday with presumably the best amphibian biologist in the country, Luis Coloma, and Giovanni decided that he would be going to Toachi on Saturday. So we went to meet with Coloma Friday morning. This is the guy that lost his job with the Catholic university, and he’s showing them that he isn’t going to let it keep him away from doing great things for the frogs. He is in the process of building an even better captive breeding conservation and research center with the help of many of the Catholic university’s former staff, at his parent’s house just outside of Quito. Our friend Elicio is working for him, and helped us navigate the bus system so that we could make it to the meeting. Elicio showed us the property and the plans for it, and also told us about a second captive breeding center at Otokiki where the climate is more appropriate for lower altitude species. The meeting itself went great, and Coloma was happy to share what he knows about the species that I am working with and offered some advice as I continue to pursue my research. It really was an amazing opportunity to sit down and talk with him for an hour about something we are both passionate about—frogs.

Saturday morning, we got up early for a quick breakfast and packed all of our bags into Giovanni’s car. There were five of us, plus all of our luggage, plus their backpacks with things to stay for a few days. Along the way, we confirmed my UD professor’s statement that Giovanni drives “like a bat outta hell” and we also stopped several places along the highway to look for plants and enjoy the view. We were almost there when we stopped for “some coffee” which actually was an entire meal in itself. We had sweet cucumber, pineapple, corn prepared two different ways, and some strong coffee (grounds and all). The Giovanni asked a young girl, Lety, 12, to go with us for a mechanic to make sure the battery is working and then to get our car from the parking lot. She didn’t know exactly where we were going, so we got off the bus a little early and walked the rest of the way. Then we had a terrifying ride in the back of a pick up to go and get our car. It turned out the battery was just fine and we didn’t need to go through the hassle of getting the mechanic (or paying him $10) but it was what Giovanni recommended. Meanwhile, he had worked out payment with the parking guy, paid him $15, and left our bags. However, the parking guy wanted more money when we got there (although he didn’t name an actual amount), and we were surprised to see our bags because we had planned on staying the night at Toachi. We loaded everything into our car (including several additional kids who seemed pretty excited to go along for the ride), drove to the house at Toachi, and carried all of our bags to the house. It was locked and Giovanni and the two Italians were nowhere around. We weren’t ready to leave yet, we still had to pay Giovanni for the parking and we hadn’t even said goodbye. So Brad and Lety went to find him, and startled him because he had thought we were leaving. He thought something was wrong, and he was abrupt in the way that he responded. The Italian girl stuck in her two sense, which only further upset Brad. We waited at the house for their return, upon which Giovanni was hospitable and very helpful, but decided that it was still appropriate for us to leave. So we started off for Cuenca.

On our way from Cuenca to Quito in December, we travelled the road through the spine of the Andes. However, Toachi is along a different way from Quito to Cuenca that goes along the coastal plain. We weren’t sure how long it would take, and we knew that none of the towns were the type of place you would choose to stop and spend the night. We called Ernesto, and he talked us through the trip and said that we should arrive in Cuenca around 10:00. He would be waiting for us, and would show us to the apartment which we would be renting from his aunt.

We arrived at 10:00, picked up Ernesto, and drove just around the corner to an adorable little apartment. It is a tiny house just next to the house where aunt Evita, uncle, and three cousins live. We have our own standard iron gate with a small patio between us and the road. It isn’t on a main street, so there isn’t too much noise and the river Tomebamba is just across the street. When you come into the apartment, there is a combination kitchen and living space. We have a table with 6 chairs, a stove (no oven), sink, refrigerator, and cabinets stocked with some plates, silverware, pots and pans. We have a cushioned bench, a rocking chair, and a coffee table. There is a door that leads to the bedroom in which we have a bed, two nightstands, and a large closet. From the bedroom, there is a door that leads to a small bathroom complete with a hot-water shower. We still don’t have television or internet, but I couldn’t be happier with the apartment itself!

Monday we went to Mazan to do some field work (no Atelopus exiguus out and about) and to pack up some of our things to bring down to our new apartment. We packed clothing, food, kitchen supplies, and field equipment. We filled the car, and realized that the room wasn’t empty. We will have to return for our large laundry basket, our small book shelf, and the rest of our camping equipment. Instead of going out for Valentine’s day, we decided to unpack our things, make dinner at home, and enjoy two pieces of our favorite chocolate cake.

Conclusion: We’re here in Cuenca with our nice apartment. There is a convenient fruit market across the street and a car wash just down the street, and we are warm, happy, and ready to work!

Live from the Air

We’re on our way back to Ecuador. We’ve had a whirlwind of a trip to the US, and we’re looking forward to the next four months in Ecuador. The amphibian research is up and running, the clinic is off to a great start, and we’re thinking about sneaking in a trip to Peru if time allows. We’re a little anxious about returning, but we’ve been able to make some positive changes before we’ve even arrived. Our friends Ernesto and Amanda have lined up a furnished apartment in Cuenca—we’ll have reliable electricity and, more importantly, hot water. We’ll be closer to friends and farther away from the puma.

During the past two months we were able to enjoy time around the holidays with both families, attend residency program interviews , meet with advisors, restock on supplies, participate in our annual Branches community retreat, visit with friends, eat Jeni’s ice cream, eat Graeter’s ice cream, sleep in our warm and cozy bed, drive my car over the 100,000 mile mark, fix Brad’s car (again!), celebrate my birthday, attend a potluck, crochet an afghan, drink bubble tea with the knitting group, go thrift shopping, cheer for Buckeye football and basketball, watch the SuperBowl…. Everything but the annual re-gifting party (which I assure you will DEFINITELY be a priority on next year’s calendar!)

Some highlights from our time at home:
1. Singing Kumbaya around the Christmas tree
2. Eating Christmas cookies
3. Sharing foods and spirits from Ecuador with our friends in Columbus
4. Spending our first Christmas together
5. Learning to (sort of ) replace a radiator on New Year’s Eve
6. Girls’ night / Boys’ night
7. Mom’s home cooking (x2)
8. Birthday parties and potluck
9. Getting stuck in O’Hare Airport and arriving after 2 AM before my interview in Arkansas

We were so glad to have the opportunity to see so many of you while we were home, and we hope to keep in touch with you through the blog and emails now that we’re back in Ecuador. We return on May 31, and we’ll miss you until then.

* Note: This post was written on the airplane, well before we realized that our camera disappeared at some point during the flight. A post full of consternation will follow.