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Visitor Center, Machalilla National Park, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Machalilla National Park surrounds Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. Two monkey species and more than 270 bird species, including the endangered Waved Albatross live in the park. Whales mate and birth just off the coast and turtles hatch on the beaches. If you like active outdoor vacations, this is the place for you! Activities in Machalilla National Park Hike, bike and horseback ride Dry forests – from sea level to midway up the hills, the dry desert-like flora is brown for about half the year, waiting for water Cloud forests – always green hills where monkeys, orchids and a wide variety of birds live Hike beaches – Playa Los Frailes is often referred…
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Dolphins – Puerto Lopez #AtoZChallenge
Dolphin pods sometimes play in Puerto Lopez bay. They swim too quickly for me to photograph. This immobile Hosteria Mandala sculpture includes a real dolphin skeleton. _________________________________________ Around Puerto Lopez in 26 words. A look back Last year, I wrote Digging up Manteño History
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Wasp Nest Removal – Not A Recommend Method
“Remove the nest at night time. Wasps are more docile during this time so are less likely to sting” — Pretty much every ‘Wasp Nest Removal’ guide, like this one Two young girls had an unhappy meeting with wasps and had no interest in more encounters. It was up to us to remove the threat on the lot next door. While clearing brush, buzzing around us increased, letting us know we were closing in on the nest. It’s size impressed us once we found it. Active wasp nest in tree I suggested we return at dusk to remove and burn the nest. I was voted down. Paul…
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Baby Llama at the Inca Ruins
“Mama Llama’s always near, even if she’s not right here.” — Anna Dewdney, Llama Lama Red Pajama Llamas and Inca Ruins A baby llama (a cria) running around Inca ruins adds lively entertainment to a leisurely stroll through history. Cria at the Inca Ruins The terraces in Cuenca’s Pumapungo Inca ruins (which I wrote about here) are filled in with grass. Llamas tethered to the ground are moved around the grounds to keep the grass short. Like most baby animals, crias stay close to their mother so they are not tethered. They are able to run and bounce around, learning about the world around them and making friends. On this day,…
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Ecuador Rice Fields – Beauty, Predators and Allies
Planting rice is not a joke Just bending all day long You can’t even stand still You can’t even sit down. — Traditional Filipino Folk Song Ecuador rice Rice is a staple in Ecuadorian meals. It is generally served with your main meal regardless of what the entree is. A typical meal might include soup, chicken, rice, green salad, potato salad, and juice. The other side dishes vary but rice is always included. On separate occasions, I have served chili and spaghetti to guests and been asked if there was any rice (I had not made any). When eating out, I have been served a side of rice with my…
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When The Rooster Crows
“Where the rooster crows there is a village.” — African Proverb I spent most of my life thinking roosters only crowed at dawn. I was wrong. I had not lived among roosters before moving to Ecuador. These roosters are truly free range. They and their hens live in the open, without fences or cages, in every village. Roosters, hens and chicks run around the neighborhood like dogs and cats during the day. They return home each night to sleep. In Ecuador, roosters crow at any time of the day or night. This curious habit made me wonder what makes roosters crow. Hey Mister Rooster – Why do you crow day…
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3D Technology Helping Animals in Cuenca, Ecuador #WATWB
Welcome to June’s installment of the We Are The World Blogfest, where we share positive stories on the last Friday of each month. The basic rules are: Keep the post below 500 words. Link to a human news story that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood and share an excerpt. No story is too big or small as long as it goes beyond religion and politics. Thank you to this month’s WATWB hosts: Belinda Witzenhausen, Lynn Hallbrooks, Michelle Wallace, Sylvia McGrath, and Sylvia Stein. Veterinarian brings 3D technology to Cuenca, Ecuador I have selected a story found in the Cuenca Dispatch about veterinarian Johnny Uday and electronics engineer and robotics expert Gabriel Delgado, who have brought 3D imaging…
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Zoo – I live in one! #AtoZChallenge
Someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo. — Paul Simon When I wrote my first post for the A to Z Challenge, I did not know the what the remaining posts were going to be about. While blogging about my life in Ecuador for the past month, I realized that I live in a zoo. A natural, wild, amazing zoo! Let’s recap what is in my zoo. Wildlife in my zoo Throughout the month, I introduced the following zoo residents: (click link to open post) Blue-footed boobies Humpback whales Iguanas In a park At my home A Monkey Owls A Frog Sea Turtles Rounding out my zoo…
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Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles) #AtoZChallenge
The beach is in our blood. Everyone in our family returns to the beach instinctively, just like the sea turtles. — Sandy Archibald Four sea turtles species live off the coast of Ecuador. Green Turtles, Leatherbacks, and Olive-Ridley are endangered and Hawksbills are critically endangered. People are working to improve their numbers and chances of species survival. Sea Turtle Isla de la Plata, Manabí, Ecuador Sea turtles live the majority of their lives in the ocean but are born on beaches. Female sea turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay eggs. Each egg nest is marked to prevent human damage. Each nest is marked with caution…
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Quick stories – Rare Frog, Heated Toilet, Happy Snake #AtoZChallenge
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ― Mark Twain Rare Frog We saw a cool frog in Puerto Lopez. Took some photos. Figured we’d see more like him over time. Did some research. It is a rare Ceratophrys stolzmanni (Pacific horned frog) found only in Ecuador and Peru. Haven’t seen one since. Ceratophrys stolzmanni (Pacific horned frog) Heated Toilet Our friends rented an apartment. The owner assured them that there was hot water (many homes in Ecuador have only cold water). Turns out he had installed a hot water heater for the building’s only incoming water pipe. There was no cold water. Happy Snake Some…
