Rainforest Journey: Visit to the Llushin River Project
Part One: All in a Day's Travels
It had been nine years since I was last in the rainforests (to TRC's former Yawa Jee project in Ecuador), and I was eager to return. I learned that Sentient Experientials was organizing a tour to visit the Llushin River Project in July, and it was just weeks away from departure. The trip date worked into my busy schedule, so I could not pass it up. That meant quite a bit of planning to do, and I had a good list of things to prepare and buy.
This was to be a camping trip. After all, hotels wouldn't be something one would expect at a conservation project, right? Well, that resulted in more than one trip to REI to get the necessary camping gear together. Some of the necessary and useful items I picked up included mosquito repellant, a headlamp (the most useful addition to my gear), extra camera batteries and rubber boots (normally these can be purchased in Ecuador, but with my large foot size of 13, they are not available there).
Preparation also included getting the necessary immunizations against diseases known to occur in those areas. I received vaccinations for Hepatitis A, Yellowfever, and Tetanus. I also brought Malaria pills, which are to be taken weekly before, during and after my travels, and Ciprofloxacin, a multi-purpose antibiotic. Sentient Experientials also provided a list of recommended botanicals for our trip.
A view of Quito from the air
Travel began with an early morning ride up to the airport. When I checked in, one suitcase was many pounds overweight, so I was charged additional (many airlines have lowered their luggage maximum to 50lbs —with larger (i.e. heavier) luggage it's easy to hit that weight limit now). I had some heavy tools and other gifts in stow for the Amazanga community in Ecuador, so the charge was not totally unexpected. I opted to pay rather than to repack everything on the floor of a busy airport terminal.
Flying to Ecuador consisted of two flights: from SFO to Miami, about five and a half hours, with a couple hours layover, and then a second flight of four hours south to Quito. Our flight barely got out of Miami ahead of approaching inclement weather, which would have meant unwanted flight delays. But the nighttime approach to Quito was crystal clear: the captain said he could see the airport from a hundred miles out. He threw some interesting trivia our way when he explained that planes are normally pressurized for 6,000 feet altitude, but because Quito sits at 9,000 feet, the cabin pressure must be decreased to match that higher altitude before deplaning. Quito's airport, the second highest in the world, and Bolivia's La Paz, at 13,000 feet, are the only two in the world where this kind of procedure is required. The airport sits on a thin strip in the middle of the Quito, engulfed from all sides by urban development. The city of Quito rests on a plateau nestled between several volcanoes. One of them, Pichincha, is still mildy active (and watched constantly).
Upon arrival, I was greeted by the enthusiastic Maria, one of our guides during my stay. She took me to Hostal Posada del Maple, a cozy hostel in the Mariscal district of Quito and a confluence of other travelers, adventurers and conservationists. I retired after a long day of travel in anticipation of my first planned adventure tomorrow.
When he's not helping TRC, Tom Vincze runs a graphic design business. In his spare time, he tends to his growing collection of exotic rainforest plants.