Feb. 6 - The Sultan of the Andes

Today I woke up to some serious thunder and overcast skies. Some of the thunder was so close that it actually shook the windows. It wasn't until I got to breakfast that I was informed the thunder was actually the eruption of Volcan Tungurahua over 30km away, and the overcast sky was actually volcanic ash and steam. The focal point of this eruption was actually 7km below sea level, and since the volcano extends 5km above sea level, the ash and fumes were traveling at least 12km before it even reached the atmosphere. Because of the eruption schools in Riobamba and the surrounding area had a "Volcano Day" as they were expecting the ash to fall later in the afternoon (they would not reopen until Friday). The soot in the air was quite strong and you could taste it and feel it in your eyes and lungs. About half the town was wearing masks to help with breathing, and Tom packed three for us in case it started to fall like snow later in the day. The volcanic eruption even made the CBC news (click here to read).

After leaving Riobamba we headed to the town of Pulingu San Pablo at the foot of Chimborazo. This town was another one where Tom has been helping out. Here, one of the main goals is providing the locals with an alternative source of income as well as to build a school. We were welcomed by the community and invited into the school for a presentation on how they have progressed in their community development and where they would like to take things next.

After the presentation was over we went to one of the cabins the community owns. The cabin was built after the community came to the conclusion they could not pay back a loan after the economy collapsed in 2000. The idea was that they would rent out this cabin with half the income going to pay off the loan, and the other half would go the community. So far this has been very succesful, and the cabin is currently being occupied by Spencer, who has been living in the town for over 6 months teaching English in the local school.

One of the best features of this cabin is the view it has of Chimborazo (6,310m). The top of this magnificent mountain is the furthest point from the centre of the earth, over 3km further away than Everest. As the cabin is at the base of this mountain (3,800m) it is further away from the centre of the earth than the top of Everest, and I'm only wearing a sweater. One of the new income strategies of the community is to help people hike to the top of the Chimborazo, which due to recent road construction, can be achieved in less than 8 hours, but still requires a mountain guide, as hiking is very difficult. It is even hard to hike the small hills in the town of Pulingu.

After we finished our business at the cabin, we headed across the road and up a small (maybe 100m) hill that was extremely challenging due to the altitude. At the top of this hill was the town of La Chorrera, a significantly more impoverished community in comparison to Pulingu. One of the ways this community is trying to improve it's situation is by herding alpacas, who's wool is very valuable. Most of the citizens of the town were actually in the hills tending to the herd while we were visiting.

One of the ways to tell the economic situation of a community is by the type of housing the community has. The citizens of La Chorrera were living in the traditional huts. These huts, about 200 square feet in size are home to up to 8 family members (the door also comes to my chest...so it's not built for tall people). They cook, sleep, work and live in these small homes. As Tom has helped this community significantly, we were invited into one of the larger of these homes for some food as a sign of thanks. It was a remarkable experience to be welcomed into one of these homes for a traditional celebration meal of potatoes, beans, cui and tea. The tea was a lemon grass brew that was incredibly rich and good. The cui on the other hand was a different story as cui is the Spanish word for guinea pig. It is often served at celebrations and is kind of tough ... especially the skin! And just so I knew what I was eating, when I returned home, Julia's housekeeper went out back to grab her son's pet guinea pig. So needless to say, only ask what you are eating after dinner.

That evening we headed back to town for a relaxing evening. Scott and I went to a bar for some food and to watch soccer. After our meal, I don't think we are allowed back in the bar. First we ordered our food and two orders of chicken wings came instead of one. So we sent one plate back only to later decide we wanted to have another order of chicken wings. When Scott went up to the bar the waiter misunderstood us and brought two beers. We sent those back only to order some beer when we finished the first beer. Even the soccer game was just as crazy since the home team fans kept throwing bricks on the field at the players and refs. So the ref called off the game, and with that we went home to rest.