Vilcabamba Skies

I have settled into the house very comfortably and can begin establishing routines. As the employees arrive for work next door at Descanso Del Toro, the knock on the door sets off the roosters- at 4:30 am. I look out the window to ascertain if there are clouds or stars, then ponder where I will go for my morning walk. There are so many options and I am discovering more everyday as I talk to folks who have lived here a long time. Rumi Wilco Ecolodge is a short jaunt and the birds are very active. A whooping motmot (not my picture below) resides there as do one-colored becards and a pair of Peruvian pygmy owls. There are cabins along the river and the Inga trees attract swarms of amazilla hummingbirds. There are a few trails going up the mountain which vary in difficulty. I will be taking the easy incline soon to look for the Andean tinamou which calls from above.  As the sun rises and warms the air rapidly, the winds swirl between the mountains. Sometimes these gusts are very strong. In the evening the cool air comes down from the summits and the temperature will drop by 20 degrees. Usually the skies clear and I watch satellites zip by. I saw five two nights ago. The stars are so vivid on a clear night. I had another cookout to watch the super moon last night. Chicken wings on the grill and a fantastic view of the blood-moon. $25 worth of wings turned out to be a LOT of wings! Everything is so cheap here.
I am always looking up at the sky for soaring raptors or to watch the movement of the clouds. Some mornings provide spectacular formations to reflect the rising sun. At 5,000ft, near the equator and with low humidity, the skies are ever changing and vibrant. I don't think I have ever seen such colors as I do here. I am in constant awe of everything here. At night the blossoms of jasmines and brugmansia fill the air. There is always something new to behold. It is an Eden. I have noticed a change in the air as the seasons progress. In a few weeks the rains will come and this valley will turn green. Each day the heavy dark clouds of the Amazon move further over the mountains in our direction. I am looking forward to the rain. The rivers will swell and the birds will become more active as the flowers bloom. Then the rains slack off again until January.  My $11 Wellingtons have been a good investment. I walked up river a half mile and I wear them on all my hikes now. I had made a mistake in identifying one of the common flowering trees as Euphorbia. The Erythrina are used as fence posts and they soon grow when put in the ground. Beautiful flowering fences are everywhere.

Jungle Dave http://www.jungledavestours.com came to visit and we cooked a ton of meat on the grill and introduced him to the town. He will be delivering quality meats every few weeks. Ecuadorians don't know how to butcher cattle properly. I will be going to visit his farm soon and get him on the eBird map. I go back to Cuenca this week to get my cedula. Once that is done I am free to travel anywhere. Yankuam lodge is going to be my first stop along the Cordillera del Condor.
My back is feeling much better but I still have to be cautious. As much as I would like to ride a horse up into the mountains, I had better wait a while. Horses are popular here and for $30 they take you on a 6 hour tour. I would like to do one of the over-nights to the high paramo soon. I still need to find a gray-breasted mountain toucan. I have heard that riding at night is risky to the horses as Bothrops asper snakes bite them on occaision. They are the ultimate pit-viper known as Fer-de-lance.

I had to remove another person from my Facebook page. Luis was a great bird guide but he had some issues with arrogance. Hell, he is only 25. He was going to come here so we could go to Jocotoco reserves but the only way to contact him was through FB Messenger. At one point he said he was coming the next day but I told him we have to have reservations for the reserves. Then when I had to go to Cuenca I thought I had better call him to tell him. He seemed very put off by my call. I removed him from FB so he couldn't message me. Oh well. He also lied about his last name which I will never understand. I will use local guides for birding from now on.

There is a canal system in Vilcabamba where water is diverted from the river. Once a week it is diverted to a canal in my backyard and I clear the leaves so water can flood the fruit trees. I could hear water flowing a minute ago so I looked and someone diverted it into the street. I have to find where the diversions begin. It is all very interesting. (I just found out the neighbor is emptying his swimming pool into the street).
I have been buying cheese from the blessed cheese makers in Saraguro. I wish they would learn to make cheddar, the singularly most popular cheese in the world. The were fresh out of red leichester and Venezuelan beaver cheese is out because the van broke down. They get Tilset fresh on Monday, if the cat doesn't eat it. She cat.
Time for a siesta in the hammock....

My Vilcabamba Home

My friend Gary was very kind in allowing me to live in his townhouse for three weeks. Loja is a smaller city with less to keep the average 'Merican content and ocupado. I attended the fair and found the people to be very content. The city is very walkable and ,indeed, I must have walked four or five miles everyday. The most evident difference between the USA and Ecuador is that the indigenous people here are everywhere. Their culture is unique and their faces show an amazing history. In the US we swept our natives under a terrible rug and they can't resurface. There are different 'tribes' here and one of the most prevalent around me are the Saraguro. One of the few to never be conquered by the Incas.They are very commanding in appearance. You notice them quickly. I wish I could sit and talk with a few of them as I have so may questions. They are protesting a lack of governmental attention. They have a strong voice. I am never sure how mixed bloods truly view the native peoples of Ecuador, but I know there is a little contempt. I am in constant contact with the true Americans. They work hard. They aren't drunks like our natives ( sorry redskins). They produce an amazing variety of food and crafts. They have a pride which has never been stolen. They make Ecuador so much more interesting, as they have always been the salt of the earth. (As I write, two amazing insects are crawling on my screen. For the first time in many years I have something to talk to in bed!)

I have been very fortunate in meeting people. Darnell Dunn, an 31 year old dark skinned Bostonian has been a true blessing. He is in real estate http://www.abecuador.com and one of the most professional people I have ever met. The owner of Zarza Brewing ( thanks Greg) gave me his contact information and when I came to Vilcabamba he mentioned a house I might like to see. We walked from the plaza and into a walled garden. I never would have imagined that Vilcabamba could be a home for me, but here I are. I am surrounded by 24 citrus trees in a constant state of bloom. More oranges and tangerines than I could ever consume. And birds that love their sweet taste and the insects they attract. Yellow-tailed orioles sing every morning, right after the 100 or so roosters which begin at 4:30 am! Southern yellow grosbeaks and blue-grey tanagers feed off the fruits in the trees. Rumi Wilco is a 10 minute walk from home. My landlord, Pablo Jaramillo, has been very attentive to fixing things around the house, so far. Last night he brought an electrician and they installed very nice fixtures.When I have the front gate open people peer into the yard and smile. It is a beautiful house. Each evening I meet new locals, mostly gringos, and enjoy listening to their stories. Already people say hello to me on the street.

I slipped and fell in the shower and hurt my back rather severely. Luis is coming next week and we are off to the Jocotoco Reserves in southern Ecuador. I have been in pain but I think I can make it. I practiced by climbing one of the high trails here this morning. It takes a lot to bring me down and I am determined to go birding. Tapichalaca and Jorupe reserves are too good to miss, especially having Luis with me. The locals have some good medicine for me! I will be having a party soon and grilling meat of some sort. Monika from Switzerlandia is coming by soon to help me clean cob-webs from up high. A house cleaner here costs about $3-$4 dollars and hour. SOLD!

A flock of chestnut-collared swifts are flying overhead like fighter jets. I love watching them. Blue and white swallows are looking fro nesting sites and I hope a pair chooses my porch. Cotopaxi has been quiet lately. I guess I will miss the whales at the coast as they will be leaving in a few weeks. The Esmeraldas hummingbird will replace them. There is always a reason to go to the beach!