Los Cedros Reserva Biological

             Friday, January 13, 2009, Denny and I packed our backpacks and left them in the office of our Quito, Ecuador, hostal, the Traveller’s Inn, and walked to the Santa Clara Market area to shop for Jose.  Jose, the Director of the Biologica Reserva Los Cedros, asked us to bring some fresh foods into the reserve with us the next day.  Gathering what we could from his lists, we hailed a taxi, went by for our packs and then were dropped off at the Bus Terminal, Ofelia.  At 3:30 we began a three and a half hour drive to La Chontal.  This was another of those totally South American bus trips – dirt roads full of pot holes and landslides – spectacular views of the Andes, valleys and rainforest  – small villages filled with very poor, but seemingly happy, indigenous Ecadorians  -- people getting on and off wherever they are or want to be – carrying packs, bags, sacks, crates, cartons, boxes – one family had a box of chicks, another man had a chicken in a sack with only its head sticking out.  As the roads got more winding, people in the back got sick and Denny and I were really glad that we’d come out the day before and purchased our front row seats with a view of the road and beneath the roof ventilation.

Just before 7 PM we arrived in La Chontal  -- a rural town of maybe 100 people.  A new road is coming in so the road construction workers had the “best accommodations” in town and we spent the night at “Marta’s”.  She fixed us a dinner, and breakfast, as well, and our total bill including a beer and a bottle of water for the trail Saturday was $7.60.  Let it suffice to say that it seemed a fair price.  Thank goodness we travel with a sleep sack and a pillow of our own.  (Yes, Kathy, I thought about you enroute first class to Lima!)  The next morning Denny and I waited around, reading and watching the locals, until about 1 when Danilo and Fausto arrived with five mules to take us to Los Cedros (www.reservaloscedros.org).  We thought that the mules would carry the gear and food and that we would hike in the 4-6 hours.  No, we were to ride a mule.  The trail was unreal.  There is no way I could have hiked it.  At times the mules were “knee deep” in mud.  Several times we had to get off and sludge through areas where it might be too dangerous to ride if the mules slipped.  The mules (and we too after we learned how) would sometimes slide for 4-8 inches (glossading?) on some particularly slippery surfaces.   The trail kept climbing up into the cloud forest – breathtakingly beautiful and scary as heck.  I kept my eyes closed and trusted my mule for maybe one third of the time.   We crossed a raging river on a suspension bridge and a forded a quick running river in which the mule ahead of me slipped and nearly went down.  The mules are so strong and by the time we arrived at Los Cedros, I loved mine dearly.  I can see why they ask volunteers to stay a month – I am not sure I could face the trip down in less than that – however, like with childbirth, time cleanses the memory!  There were so many spectacular views and it was an amazing experience!

"Never had either of us even dreamed of being able to live in the fantastic Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and yet, here we were!"

Los Cedros itself is practically indescribable – primitive, yet comfortable.  The “bunkhouse” rooms remind me of a camp I attended for several summers, Phantom Ranch, in…was it Wisconsin?  My sisters will know best what I mean as we all went there.  The buildings are fairly well constructed, Denny says, and set in what were pastures when the subsistence farmers were bought out.  They had cleared the land in the midst of this pristine, primary rainforest, the "Choco," or "cloud froest."  The bed frames, chairs, desks & tables are rough hewn, a little like olden day pioneer ones in the US.   We have a large, comfortable room with windows all across two walls, our view is of the rainforest – we hear the sounds of the birds, frogs, and insects constantly – and the rain, almost always, the rain -- mists, showers and downpours.  I particularly LOVED it when the clouds enveloped us.  We usually had clothes hanging on clotheslines across the room, always hoping for a little breeze – or the sun! – to help dry them out.  The bathrooms are composting toilets in large outhouses with huge windows for "the" view – always the spectacular view!  The shower is also a big, natural "room" with a combination smooth rock and cement floor, “on demand” hot water – and all you can use water (“We have a LOT of water, Sally,” Jose keeps reminding me when I feel the need to conserve).   The shower is the only place where there is hot water though as the mules must carry up the cans of propane to heat it.  Never had either of us even dreamed of being able to live in the fantastic Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and yet, here we were!

The kitchen is enclosed with the same windows that are everywhere -- ones that swing or slide and are open most of the time – letting in the sounds and giving everyone an unobstructed view.  The dining room/classroom/recreation area is wide open – a huge hexagon – there are large overhangs on all buildings so that even when it is pouring rain, there is shelter and windows can remain open.  It doesn’t seem to blow much so the rain does not whip in, between spaces between boards or through open windows.  Amazingly there weren't many mosquitos, spiders or flies anywhere – once in a while they say they have mosquitos in the dining room and everyone must retreat to his/her room early, but we didn’t experience that.  The moths that come to the "diversion" lights at night are amazing to see -- from the tiniest to the huge ones as big as my hands.  (The lights keep them from bothering us with reading lights at night.)  

Denny and I were quite content.  As “rustic” as it was, it was also so cozy and such an adventure that we had never imagined experiencing – living in the Ecuadorian rainforest much as the native people do.  Two Ecuadorian women live there during the week cooking the meals and either Jose or we "volunteers" cook on the weekends.  The food is plentiful and delicious – lots of rice, beans and vegetables.  There are chickens and we have plenty of fresh eggs.  I help gather the lemon grass from the bushes nearby for lemon grass tea and Denny often picks lemons to make lemonade for the meals.   There are four types of bananas/plantains growing on the Reserve's grounds and they are plentiful.  We love them all -- prepared in so many different ways – fried in brown sugar best of all!  Another job daily is to put out bananas for the birds and to take the scraps to the chickens and gather eggs.  Denny often did that one.  

We never had all that much "work" to do as several research projects did not get funded because of all the economic problems in the US.  6 biologists from Ca. cancelled their visit.  Jose asked us to help in the kitchen sometimes, Denny built shelf units, repaired others, replaced steps on the pathways, scraped and refinished the huge dining tables, and was the handyman extoardinaire in general.  We were encouraged to be out on the trails as much as possible, noting sightings and maintaining the trails with a machete.  There are trails of all lengths and difficulty.  We walked in the forest about every other day, resting a day between the 4-8 hour hikes we took where we always saw something new -- flora and fauna.

There are brown headed spider monkeys nearby that we saw one day on a hike – only 200 are thought to be still alive in the world – they are listed as “critically endangered.”  We walked into troups of capachino monkeys four times.  Another volunteer from Poland, Jaro, saw them a few weeks before us and got better pictures so these on the blog are his (except for one from Denny -- you'll know it when you see it!  LOL).  Thanks for sharing Jaro!   There are supposed to be over 960 different species of moths there – at night they are everywhere and some were bigger than my hand!  The birds are a real treat – so many and so brightly colored.  I bet I listed over 120 sightings of birds new to me!  This is truly a bird watcher's paradise!  We both also loved the variety of insects including the tarantulas and a crab scorpion!  We saw snakes, froga, cat tracks and an ocelot.  There were fruit bats in our roof.

Both volunteers and tourists came and went while we were there -- all great folks!  One volunteer, Kasey, celebrated her 23rd birthday while there.  We sent out for two cases of beer and Jose baked her a cake!  Denny and I played a LOT of cards with her and Nathan, her partner.  She taught us "Spite & Malice" and we taught them Roger's "Up and Down the River."  Todd cleaned up the green houses from which we enjoyed great fresh greens in our salads.  Adrian and Camila brought in fresh fruits and took out an email message from us that he sent out to many of you since the Internet did not work often.  The camaraderie was great.

The month went all too quickly and soon we were planning our departure, once more on Friday, the 13th, only March 13th.  However, Thursday night we had a true rainforest downpour for hours on end.  It is fun too experience but then, of course, the rivers and streams swell.  The mules would not be able to cross so we were delayed a day.  We took another great hike then, with Fausto to guide us, and enjoyed the climb to the summit of the Oho (bear) Trail.  Though we were not lucky enough to come upon a spectacled bear, we did once again walk into a troup of capachino monkeys.  We watched them for maybe 10 minutes, including a female with a youngster.  It was terrific!  They bob and bark...come close to warn us off and then swing away.  We were glad to have had another day and a great hike with more bird, insect, snake and monkey sightings!

Saturday dawned sunny and clear.  The path down was even more wet and muddy than on our entry, if that is possible.  I only kept my eyes closed for maybe one fourth of the ride this time.  At one spot my mule lunged over a rock/treefall area -- luckily I had anticipated that he would have to do something major and was holding on to the saddle horn with both hands!  We enjoyed almuerzo (lunch) with Fausto in La Chontal and then had an uneventful but beautiful bus ride back to civilization.   What an adventure!  Both Denny and I will treasure our memories of our wonderful month at Los Cedros!  

Thank you Jose for creating and protecting this wonderful place!  The reserve is privately funded and Jose faces a constant battle to keep its borders intact and the trees, flora and fauna protected.  All donations are gratefully received and any research grants are carefully considered.  Volunteers, researchers, and tourists/hikers/nature lovers/tree huggers are invited to visit (www.reservaloscedros.org) with minimum stay restrictions -- believe us, you will want to stay longer.  Write Jose at jose@reservaloscedros.org to learn more about the needs, your interests and how you can help.  There are very, very few hectares of pristine, primary rainforests left.  All that lives within them are in jeopardy.  You can help.