Life in "Cerro Seco"

marzo 23, 2012

Life in "Cerro Seco"

It`s 2pm on a Friday afternoon as I sit down to write this blog of my time in Reserva Biologica Cerro Seco in Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador. I have been here 3 weeks now and, after re-arranging my flights for an additional week, I will be here for a further two. Unfortunately, there is no doubt that these will pass by quickly.

I have just eaten a lunch of ceviche- fresh prawns, red onion, coriander, tomato, vinegar and more… with rice, fried plantain and a cold drink of ‘quaker’- a traditional drink made from oats and fruit. Prepared by Michaela, who works here managing admistration (but in a more general sense is the `chica para todo`), the meal is very typical of the Manabi province, where seafood is common and rice and plantain seem to be staples. And more importantly, at least on a personal level, the meal was also very typical of the delicious, healthy and completely satisfying food that I`ve eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day since arriving.

But all this nutrition is justifiably necessary: it`s hot! Cerro Seco is less than 100km south of the Equator and currently in rainy season (for 3 months, otherwise called winter) when conditions are very humid. I bought gum boots on my second day. Just a short walk up the hill in the mornings, to the start of the forest proper, and already sweat beads would gather around me as quick as the mosquitoes. A typical day for me (although rarely have things been conventionally ‘typical’) consists of breakfast with Marcelo, the founder and director of Reserva Biologica Cerro Seco, and Michaela at maybe 7.30-8.30am. Afterwards, 4hrs or so of morning’s work of various tasks before lunch. Mainly, I have been helping with reforestation- collecting baby native trees from a short way into the forest, and then transferring and replanting them into the nursery based here below the main house. Some natives are replanted on-site, under Marcelo`s guidance, in other more valuable locations in the forest, preventing erosion and encouraging bird-life. Other plants are kept and grown here and can be sold to other nearby reforestation projects. Different work for me has included trail maintenance, generally with a machete clearing the grass and growth that quickly rises back up along the walking trails, or simply heading out with my camera taking photos of interesting flowers, plants and animals. This is easy. After a keenly anticipated lunch, and a decent little siesta, I try to return to work for a little while before having the rest of the afternoon free to lay in a hammock reading a book, or walk down to the beach or into the nearby city-centre.

In the last 2 weeks, I have also been taking Spanish lessons for an hour each afternoon. The learning process for me has been relatively slow as I guess, or at least selfishly hope, would be the case with most people new to a language. But it is extremely enjoyable, and I`m definitely getting somewhere. My very charismatic (if a little `loco` and questionable with time commitments) professor, Cheo, walks straight to the white-board in the kitchen smiling, and always sweating from the steep walk up from the road, and gets straight into a lesson in a loud voice. Generally, other people here are also very considerate and, realizing that I am not a native speaker of Spanish, make an effort to talk slowly enough for me to keep up. Haha, however the same can`t be said for the people in the streets down in the city. Although not able to have much detailed input, I can generally follow conversations, and learn a lot about life here or Latin America in a broader sense.

Cerro Seco is a naturally relaxing place. I have finished 2 books already, and am well into a third. For me, this is quite quick. Having a balcony complete with hammocks, a view through the trees to the city and ocean, the background chorus of birds, music and kids playing in the neighbouring Bellavista, and the sound of Bahia radio 96.5fm (maybe not the forever similar reggaeton), is proving very conducive to reading.

The living arrangements here are a series of cabins/wooden houses that step up the hill. The main house with most of the sleeping quarters also has a shower, a complete kitchen, WIFI access and can even be arranged to show movies projected onto a white screen. It`s the first time I`ve been to a cinema in a forest, and a pretty decent experience. From the outside toilets are windows that look over a forested valley, where again you can see birds such as the black and yellow Caciques regularly flying by, and a vulture would never be too far off, searching for prey. Organic food wastes are either fed to the resident domestic animals- 2 dogs, 2 donkeys and some chickens, or are placed in the compost and in turn, used in the herb, fruit and vegetable garden.

Night-times here are also pretty unique. Just as it becomes dark enough, fire-flies appear… and lots of them. Music from the community below still exists, but a bit faded, and the cry of an odd donkey breaks through easily (when I heard this on my first night I was excited, briefly thinking it to be a howler monkey, which also exist further into the forest- but no, it was just a fricking donkey!). For my first week I could also hear a bat moving about in the roof, and would awake to a present left in exactly the same part of the floor each morning. But since the room has been cleaned and treated for mosquitoes and termites, the bat hasn`t returned. And even the incessant buzzing of mosquitoes seem to have a bit of rhythm to it, hovering eagerly just above my netted bed. But if the time is right, as it often is, nothing gets above the sound of driving tropical rain on the tin roof. A sure way to have a decent sleep.

Speaking with Marcelo, the grand plan for this region, is to create a continuous natural wildlife corridor along the coastline that connects the few remaining and threatened sections of remaining tropical dry forest. This is of particular importance- the area sits at the interface of two of the world`s most diverse endemic bird areas, in part due to a convergence of ocean currents that has also seen the rise of the unique conditions existing on the Galapagos Islands, 1000km to the west.

I have a background of study in Environmental Science- Ecology and Conservational Biology, but this certainly isn`t needed to recognize and appreciate the work being done here, or to feel happy to contribute. I am grateful for my time here and the hospitality given to me. Already, I have an idea to return in a later dry season and see the significant differences in the forest, most noticeably less greenery and also apparently when wildlife sightings are much more frequent due to the scarcity of water. Particularly in June, July and August hundreds of migrating whales can be seen off the coast and at this time the beaches would be clearer and bluer, because of less run-off from heavy rain (one down-side: coming from Australia, it is going to take a pretty cracking beach for me to be really impressed). The school year starts in April and runs through to December, which would also be a fun time to be involved in various school education programs, particularly if you had a better grasp of Spanish.

I read about this place through the Yanapuma Foundation based in Quito. I`d encourage anyone like-minded or with an interest in volunteering towards a decent cause, to visit Reserva Biologica Cerro Seco.

Bienvenidos.

Written by Mark Stanley, from Brisbane, Australia. 23 March 2012.