Ecuador Bulletin Board

Ist Trip to Ecuador
I'm planning to study Spanish in Quito from Nov 2001 for several months. I will be 18 and plan to travel on down South America. I would be grateful for any advice at all especially whether this is a suitable time to travel to Ecuador.
Rob Pilkington
memb. number: 44428-IT
robpilkington@yahoo.com
April 22, 2001

Come join the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) and FUNDECOL on a volunteer eco-work/ study tour to reforest mangroves on the pacific coast of Esmeraldes Province, Ecuador during the month of November.

Be involved with important restoration work, learn about tropical coastal ecosystems and help to increase the awareness of the importance of mangrove forests worldwide. This program will provide immediate benefits as well as leave behind tools for continued restoration. Destruction of mangrove forests worldwide has contributed to a loss of biodiversity, shoreline destabilization and a decline in coastal fisheries which provide local people with a significant portion of their daily protein needs and yearly incomes.

With a small amount of money and a 2-week effort, volunteers can reforest between 10 and 20 acres of as well as raise awareness concerning the problems associated with mangrove forest destruction worldwide. Volunteers will be working alongside local community members helping to restore this important resource.

The Mangrove Action Project (MAP) is a global network addressing the serious issues associated with mangrove forest loss. FUNDECOL is a dedicated NGO working to conserve the coastal ecology of the Esmeraldes province in Ecuador.

The volunteer program will be conducted from November 5-18. The group will meet in Quito on Nov. 5 and travel to Esmeraldes and Muisne on Nov. 7. Although there will be several days of mangrove replanting work, there will also be some time set aside for relaxation and fun including a fiesta on the final day. We will return to Quito on Nov. 17. At that point volunteers may want to arrange travel to other parts of the country or return home. Costs to the volunteers include their airfare, local bus fare, gasoline for boats, food, lodging and a $100 administration fee to FUNDECOL for all in-country arrangements made for the group.

Help contribute to this important project by participating in this volunteer effort.
For more information please contact:
Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
P.O. Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279,USA
phone/fax (360) 452-5866
mail to: mangroveap@ olympus.net
web site: http://www.earthisland.org/map/map.html 
9/7/00

Perdon no entiendo bien Espanol. Si usted, tiene interes por favor envienos una contestacuion atinada. Atenamente

Kiyotami FUKINUKI Rainforest Laboratory 6-18-22 Kasuga, Fukuyama-city,Hiroshima 721-0907 Japan Fax: +81-849-41-7692
Kiyotami FUKINUKI
rainforestjp@mx4.tiki.ne.jp
6/6/00

Mark Dubnoff
mdubnoff@yahoo.com
5/30/00

I am looking for cycle partners for a 4 to 6 week Giro de Ecuador starting late March and ending early May, 2001. I know, that is still a whole year away, but time flies, and planning and organizing leaving your family, friends, pets, home, and job can take a while. So, this is advance notice. If you are interested, email me and we can talk about it.

More about me: I work on and off as a Biologist. I love the natural side of life, I am flexable, and I usually have a good time because I try to find the humor/positive in whatever cituation. I can fix most things that go wrong with bikes, I speak Spanish fairly well, am experienced with Latin American travel and culture, and, I am on a budget.

Any takers????

Tania Siemens
tania_siemens@hotmail.com
5/15/00

Hope this information helps.

Yours,
Richard and Jane
dipsandjane@hotmail.com
3/1/00

Ecuador: Off the Beaten Path: A Special Journey

For more information, see http://urep.ucdavis.edu/

University Research Expeditions Program (UREP)
urep@ucdavis.edu
2/3/99

* you must know Spanish or Quechua!!

Rachel Kalman and Marissa Jones
rk54@cornell.edu
2/2/99

WARNING #1 - Bring your own water to the Ribas hut at Cotopaxi: Dispite what the SAE Quito clubhouse tells you about purifying the water and dispite my iodizing and boiling, I got diarrea from the water from the cistern. It seems a hut keeper used the blue retrieval pail for hut cleaning. (And no sanitary facilities are available at the hut -- the latrines were pad-locked.)

WARNING #2 - It seems the Cotopaxi National Park toll house keeper is failing to give paid visitors a PARK ENTRY PASS after paying the US$10 entry fee. The entry pass is valid 5 or 7 days (it doesn't say on the pass) from the date stamped on the pass. Instead, he is thought to be pocketing the money and demanding US$10 for entry each time. When you get the pass, be sure it has the correct date stamped on it.

WARNING #3 - Watch out for pick pockets at Terminal Terrestre even after you get on the bus. My friend was dressed like a rich gringo and got his pockets picked while he was loading his stuff onto the overhead bin. The bus driver and conductor laughed when they were notified and made us pay for another ticket. (And oh, be sure to get separate tickets for each member of your party.)

(Email me for more warnings.)

Peter Hsi
hsi@acm.org
1/20/99