Fear Factor, Ecuador

Today was a HUGE day for me for overcoming fears! Last night as we discussed my possbile plans for a lovely Saturday, Monica decided to call up her nephew Santi who is an entomologist at the Museo de Ciencas Naturales in Quito. It just so happened that he had to go into the field to sample terrestrial insects of the Orchid Reserve up in the cloud forest of a nearby mountain! So I arrived in Quito at 7 a.m. (which had me waking up at 5:15, mind you) and we left for the field site. When we arrived, the other team members of the project were arriving/waking up and we had coffee, arepa-like tortillas, and half-hardboiled eggs that you scrape out of the shell and stir up and eat. Not half bad, amazingly enough (fear #1--non-scrambled eggs--conquered). Although I really didn't want to interrupt Santi's work, he played tour guide much of the time and so we first walked to the waterfall.

We then set off on the trail where he performed a 625m transect. You take a 1 meter squared canvas and shake a tree rapidly (but not enough to damage it) to collect the insects that fall into it. Today he was just collecting insects (no spiders), but earlier he had done aquatic insects and sometimes he does butterflies and flying insects, too. You put the bugs in ethyl alcohol and walk 25 paces to another tree. After 25 trees 25 paces apart, you've sampled 625 meters. After he spends time in the lab identifying the family (and maybe later the genus and species), he'll calculate the abundance and the diversity of the region to determine, in conjunction with the taxodermists and ornothologists and plant biologists and lots of other ists, whether or not the reserve needs a management plan for conservation efforts, and what that plan should entail. Our abundance was really low, but the diversity was incredible--I think he only got two or three of the same kind! Although I've never really been big into ecology, I am teaching the whole Y12 ecology lesson starting Monday and this was an amazing experience to be able to share with the students and to enhance my own appreciation of science.

Now, many of you are probably thinking that I must have used an awfully powerful zoom on my camera to get pictures that close to bugs, but I was oddly confident with Santi's continual reassurances that they're not going to bite (fear #2--proximity to bugs--gone). He did tell me which ones would bite, and most often elaborated upon how he once got bitten by them! By the end of the afternoon I was picking the caterpillars off the canvas to put back on leaves (collecting them would be like killing babies!)!!!! Fear #3--touching bugs--overcome (see picture on left--MY hand!). However, before that proud moment first ocurred, I lived through a not so proud moment. I was walking along in front and all of a sudden something stung me. Santi shouted, "wasps!" but before he could get out the "don't move!", I was off and running! Amazingly, I only got stung once more and he then picked one off my shirt, but wow, did they hurt! And I blame the altitude, but I got super light-headed and worried I'd pass out. Hating to appear feable, I just sat down and made him continue going until I felt well enough to stand up. I soon caught up with him and we continued a lovely afternoon, but my arm and back had nickel-sized swelling for a while! After we finished out transect, we headed back down and he drove me to the Hummingbird Reserve (colibrí en español, quinde en quechua). We didn't actually see any orchids at the Orchid Reserve (but we did see some hummingbirds), nor did we see hummingbirds at the Hummingbird Reserve! But we didn't actually get out of the car this time. We drove along the long, winding mountain road, stopping to take pictures of the trees, mountains, trout farm, random signs and big rocks, etc. We finally made it back to Quito, and as we were going to a restaurant we heard this loud bang from the car. At first we thought it was a flat tire, or than maybe some other serious damage, but then we saw water trickling down the windshield. Bomba de agua. Water balloon. Carnaval has begun, my friends, even though it is not officially until February 20th! Apparently everyone throws water at everyone else and it's great fun...unless you panic as you think your 1985 jeep is finally falling to pieces! We eventually ended up at the main shopping mall where we avoided all the chain restaurants and headed for the Ecuadorian food. Santi got a massive platter of grilled meat, including sausage and blood sausage (fear left for another day), and I got the typical dish ceviche. It's a seafood soup with onions, cilantro, and citrus, topped with popcorn. Go figure. Anyway, I got the ceviche marinera that comes with each type of seafood. AND, I actually tried each kind! (conquering fear #4--eating squishy, nasty-looking things--check!) Here's the verdict: crab-great; fish-good; shrimp-not bad; shellfish (clam?)-horrible, never to be eaten again; and kalamari-so bad I had to spit it out in my napkin! Nonetheless, I must say it was quite a day! Upon finally arriving at home and cleaning up, Monica's sister arrived and we all sat around and chatted. I finally showed my pictures from home (fam, friends, 8-layer cake--represent, yo!) and after this long update, I am now excitedly headed for bed. It's hard work being a field scientist!