A Day Trip to the Páramo...and other Cuenca activities

November 13th and 14th, Lance and I were lucky enough to participate in another great class offered by Passiflora-Courses.  This was the same outfit that offered the birding class that we took last August before departing for the states.   Passiflora-Courses were founded by Caty Frenkel.  They are educational, well organized, and fun.  Part of your time in the course is spent listening to lectures about the topic you are studying, and the remaining time is spent in the field exploring what you have learned.   

Recently, Susan Burke March, wrote an article for Cuenca High Life about Passiflora-Courses, which included information about the most recent trip that we took near Cuenca.  This course was entitled, The Grassland (Páramo) Ecosystem and its Common Plants.  In Susan's article she explains that the páramo's are the high plateaus of Ecuador, and that they are especially vulnerable to climate change, deforestation, and changes in land use.  Rather than re-writing what has already been written, I have included an excerpt from that article which was posted on November 17th. 

The Páramo course began in the “classroom”, where professor Fabián covered an introduction to páramo (grassland) ecosystems, adaptations of the flora and fauna of this area, and the efforts to conserve the area. The next day was in the field, where participants sought out and documented a wide variety of common páramo plants.

Terry and Chiyemi Doyle, experienced and intrepid travelers, were part of this latest adventure. Terry said, “On Friday the group traveled to Challaubamba where professor Fabián taught a comprehensive overview of the science of the páramo, including biology, water resources, importance to the environment (the “water towers of the Andes”), animals, and human history.  This was followed by delicious tres leches dessert and coffee and a ride back to Cuenca.

On Saturday we met early in the morning and traveled toward Gualaceo, stopping at the Mailas Lagoon. We spent the day hiking, listening, and learning, taking time for breaks and lunch. A highlight of the course was the extraordinary amount of information imparted by professor Adolfo Verdugo, a botanist from the University of Azuay, who enthralled us with his knowledge of medicinal uses, edibility, and other important facts about the vast array of plants, fungus, and lichen we observed throughout our day.

As the sun set we returned to Cuenca with our new friends and an appreciation of an area that exists here and nearby but nowhere north of Guatemala nor further south than Peru — a very special place."

All of the above is true, however, the article does not tell you about the weather we encountered on the trip.  The day started out pleasant, but by the time we arrived at our designated site, it had begun to rain.  Even though we had rain gear, many of us were soaked within a short period of time.

At the start of our journey, we needed to climb a rather steep hill, where a small river from the rain had begun to form, which made the climb up and down especially treacherous. Take special note of the mud that we needed to climb through as we explored this area.  (F.Y.I., many of the photos below were taken by Caty and shared with the rest of us.)  

Above is a picture of Fabian, one of the biologists who presented a lecture about the area the previous day.   Below, the gentleman in the blue jacket is Adolfo, another biologist who was our official guide for the day.  

When we reached the lagoon, we stopped to have some hot chocolate and a bag lunch that Caty had kindly provided for us.  Thankfully the rain had finally stopped, and we were able to dry out a bit before descending back down the hill.  (From left to right is...Terry, Chiyemi, Adolfo, Kathleen, Lance, Fabian, Stan (who is 82 years young!) and Caty.    

After the hike we were treated to a lovely lunch at the  Hacienda Santa Barbara.  All in all it was a great day and an enjoyable trip.  

In other news...we enjoyed celebrating Cuenca's Independence Day on November 3rd.  Sadly, we were only able to attend 1 of the 3 parades that took place over the holiday weekend.    

We also attended the art fair along the river, and, many of the other festivities that took place in town.

On Sunday night, we saw a special percussion concert that took place in El Centro, which reminded me of the concerts I use to attend when my daughter, Erin, was a music major in college.  I'm sure she would have enjoyed seeing this one.   

The weather has been great here, with lots of sun and some rain...which is to be expected at this time of year.   Lately, we have been taking advantage of the fruit truck that comes to our neighborhood on Mondays.  You know the truck is coming because you can hear loud music playing from the speaker that is mounted on the top of the truck.  Here is picture of Lance picking out oranges and a watermelon...which tasted delicious.  (None of the watermelons are seedless here.)  

I hope all my Wisconsin friends stay warm, as winter prepares to rear it's ugly head.  Hopefully the first big snowfall of the season won't be too bad.  I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!