We are absolutely loving the experiences we are having in Ecuador. It's a lot of rewarding hard work and there are a few things about the jungle that many of you might be interested to learn.
Bug Bites and Itching
At any particular time, we can count well over 100 red dots on our bodies. No joke.
They are certainly more concentrated near our ankles, and these little buggers are often itchy. We've been told the majority of bug bites are from stealth little sand flies. They are nearly invisible, but they really bite! Most of the time you don't even know when you're being bitten - you just itch like hell later and see a red circle with a darker pin point in the middle. Recently some of the red dots have developed a white head much like a pimple. It's hard to know if these are bites or something else. Awesome. I guess we hope they are bites, and that they will subside in a day or two.
As if that wasn't bad enough, in our second week a new volunteer, Skye, said she had a whole whack of ticks on her chest and back. We hadn't seen any, so didn't think too much about it. A couple days later - WITH GLASSES ON - duh - we found one. With a head lamp and glasses on, Paul found about 20 little monsters on Gayle just before bed. Needless to say Gayle didn't sleep so well that night! They are much smaller than the Canadian style we are used to, but just as gross. A couple days later, we found at least 40 on Paul - they were so tiny they just looked like a speck of sand or a tiny mole. Tick checks are now a regular nightly occurrence. It's good to have routines!
Dirty and Smelly
Every day starts with clean clothes that have been thoroughly hand washed and air dried (for at least 2 days!) At 7 am we walk up 100 stairs to start our cleaning and feeding routines. Everywhere we go requires going up and down stairs. By breakfast at 9 am it's usually 29 degrees and we are drenched with sweat. Add to that the fact that we've cleaned old food, animal waste and dirt from the feeding cages -- we're starting to smell. On our first trip to town body spray was high on Gayle’s list, but perfume and deodorant really do not help much. By lunch at 1:00 pm, we've been working at other tasks like raking or giving tours (more stairs) and it's now 32 degrees. We are always hoping for an afternoon rain storm. We visit the animals (yes more stairs) again for enrichments and feeding and finish the day around 3:45 - completely and utterly filthy. Descending the 100 stairs for the final time, usually means a swim, then a well needed shower! The reward for all of this is that the after work routine also includes a trip to the outdoor lavanderia, or clothes wash station. It's a daily reminder of how much we have accomplished (and another opportunity to interact with sand flies).
Creepy Crawlies
I have just typed the title to this section - inside the Grand Selva Lodge lounge - and a bat flew right past me! It's the jungle, so there are spiders, bugs and lots of other crawling things everywhere. We have seen countless tarantulas! Before putting on any foot wear we shake and dump it to make sure there are no scorpions or bullet ants (they bite so hard it feels like you are getting shot - don't worry it only lasts for 6 hours!)
Being assigned to Night Watch (feeding) is particularly fun because so many things come out at night - walk slowly - keep your hands to yourself and kick the food buckets before you pick them up!
Hot and Humid
You've already read about the temperature - now add humidity. I has rained for a least a few minutes almost every day. It takes about 2 days for clothes to "dry" after washing. Clothing, money and even passports go moldy in our rooms. Paul’s wireless mouse stopped working because the battery contact corroded badly. After nearly 3 weeks, we have grown accustomed to being sticky all day long. We really notice it when giving tours. Most of the visitors struggle - the first 100 stairs takes a lot out of them - and then we drag them up and down stairs for over an hour watching them "melt" steadily. Most relish the cold drinks at the gift shop when we are done.
We’re here for a few more days so if you want to stop by for a quick visit to see for yourself, let us know.