Boobies and other cool stuff

To say the least, the last week was very eventfull!

The Peace Corps project for the home of the eldery is now fully funded! Thanks to everyone for your love and support for this great project in a rough economy. The group I am working with to implement the project is equally as eager as I am to begin once the funds are transfered.

Earlier in the week I was lucky enough to go to Isla de la Plata with some of my friends. What an amazing place! It is a small island off the coast of Puerto Lopez (Ecuador) and is part of the National Park of Machalilla. It is home to multiple species of birds, the most famous being the Blue-footed Booby.

This time of year is particularly good because Humpback whales migrate to the warm waters of the equator to breed. On the boat ride out to the Isla we were able to catch a few whales breaching, and even one feeding!

It is also a very special time on the Isla because the boobies are in the peak of their mating season. The male and female have very distinct and different calls, and the males even have a dance and a present to go along with the whole charade. The male will waddle and lift his legs to impress a female. And, as a sad attempt to prove that chivalry is in fact, not dead, he offers his inamorata the nearest twig as a token of his love. To me the male´s call sounded a bit like a little kid blowing on a Kazoo without knowing how to play it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYmzdvMoUUA
(copy and paste the link into your browswer) This video is not mine, but captures the same scene we saw.

The pictures below are mine






Another new experience for me on this trip was surfing. I was able to rent a board and get lessons for 2 hours for a rate of $25. Worth every penny! My instructor, Miguel, was a good teacher and could really explain to me what I needed to do to correct my mistakes.

Things I learned:
1. The general principles of how to surf
2. Swallowing large amounts of sea water leads to an upset stomach
3. Yes, it is possible to belly flop off of a surf board
4. Surfing (or drowning in style) is fun


Flyfishing, one more thing I can check off of my long list of things to do before I get too smart or too old to do them, whichever comes first. Flyfishing, as far as the list and reality go, is not dangerous. Similar to my surfing experience, I am by no means an expert; I learned much of the basics. However, it was much less painful and had tastier results than surfing. I did not catch anything on a fly rod, but reeled in a good sized Rainbow trout on a standard rod.

I did not just go and rent some fishing gear, I learned from some real fishing experts. Several expats here in Cuenca started the Cuenca Flyshing Club. All of the members are extremely nice and willing to help any newbies get into the sport. Kent, one of the founders, was the one who showed me how to handle the fly rod. It is much more elegant than regular reel fishing. Watching a good fly fisherman is like watching a great painter paint. There is a relaxing beauty to the dance of the weighted line as it flies in front of, and behind the angler.

After the sun had set it was time to drink a nice homebrewed beer and cook our catch. Gutting the fish was a new experience for Joey, Michael and I. while doing it, I was unsure of how to pull out the guts once the incision was made. Michael explained to me what he did and I had an aha moment! I located the gills and pulled. Ta-da! As it turns out, it is pretty easy thing to do once you know what you are doing.






Here are a few shots of Cuenca!