Rumble in the jungle

An update to let you know what we've been up to and that we haven't been taken out by a volcano...crazy though, as I write, I can hear the Volcano rumbling away in the background even though it's ages away...

We are still in Pucara in the Ecuadorian Andes and are now just getting into our last week here on the Bear Project. Alas, I have not seen a bear yet but I have come very close to seeing Frida the bear and her bear cub but she keeps just getting away from us (we can tell how close she is from the radio signal), but I have been her tracks, bits of eaten corn, scratchings she has made on a tree and a tree lookout that she has created which has been pretty cool. We also saw a puma footprint in the mud the other day. Only two of us have seen a bear so far - Sylvie and Remi - when they went away camping they saw a small female bear eating corn on the opposite hill.

The four weeks so far have been really fun though. We have got way better with our walking, and now walks that seemed horribly hard at the start seem pretty easy! Living at the house is cool too, and we have quite a bit of down time to play cards, read books, make camp fires, drink the local beer (which is pretty low percentage because of the altitude) and spirit - called pudo (which is made out of sugar cane, and also comes in handy for lighting the fires) - and hang out. On Sundays we always make up a big feast too (as its Celia's day off) and Stacey has made cakes each time which are really good - especially the pineapple one last night.

Claire

Bears have been here!

Proyecto Oso Andino

The bear project we are volunteering for is called Proyecto Oso Andino - Protect the Andean Bear. Our job is to set foot traps that send out a radio signal when the bears stumble into them, so we can track them. We havent seen any bears yet but everyone is optimistic we will catch one soon as the corn is ripening. we have three traps out in various corn fields that we are monitoring. Last night Stacey dreamt that we saw two bears, so we're hopeful! So far we feel a bit useless compared to the super fit guides but it gets better each day. The fact that the guides are with us each day taking us out on the walks and setting the traps is what makes it all worth it. They are lovely and very patient, and INCREDIBLY fit. Actually, it feels like they are constantly waiting for us. They are practically running up the mountains and we seem to be collapsing behind them in a sweaty gasping heap. The altitude here really does make everything harder.