A number of people were curious about renting backpacks for our trip. I talked to Midwest Mountaineering and REI and they DO NOT rent, but they did give me the contact for the Center for Adventure through the University of Minnesota that does rent. Their contact telephone number is 612-625-8790.
February 2009 Archives
Students and Parents:
Here are the upcoming dates for Ecuador meetings. PARENTS, please note that the February 19th meeting will be for you, too. If you have them, can you bring copies of health cards, passports, and copies (not originals) of birth certificates to that meeting? STUDENTS, you will get a separate email with your animal for the March meeting!
Mil gracias.
Gleason, Schweiger, and Kunze
January - THEME - vocabulary for trip
February 19 (evening meeting - 7pm - with parents)
March 11 (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - THEME- Rain Forest
1. An Animal in 60 Seconds. You will each an animal/insect from the rainforest that we're likely to see to talk about at the meeting. We will have photos of the animal that you can use while you talk for 60 seconds about that animal. Levels III and up should do this in Spanish!
April 16- THEME (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - Quito.
1. How to behave on a family stay
2. Simulated first meeting with family
3. Simulated breakfast meeting of first day.
4. How to stay healthy
5. Brief (5 minute) presentation on the art of Guayasamín.
May 15 - THEME (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - packing list
1. Review list.
2. Demonstration of packing in plastic bags.
June 10 (WEDNESDAY - 7pm meeting for parents/students)
1. Make sure you've given us all forms, copies of passports, copies of health cards, COPIES of birth certificates)
2. Spending money (examples of options and costs)
3. Packed backpack example
4. Reiterate safety measures.
5. Highlight the main goals we have for the students (and adults!) on the trip
Here are the upcoming dates for Ecuador meetings. PARENTS, please note that the February 19th meeting will be for you, too. If you have them, can you bring copies of health cards, passports, and copies (not originals) of birth certificates to that meeting? STUDENTS, you will get a separate email with your animal for the March meeting!
Mil gracias.
Gleason, Schweiger, and Kunze
January - THEME - vocabulary for trip
February 19 (evening meeting - 7pm - with parents)
March 11 (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - THEME- Rain Forest
1. An Animal in 60 Seconds. You will each an animal/insect from the rainforest that we're likely to see to talk about at the meeting. We will have photos of the animal that you can use while you talk for 60 seconds about that animal. Levels III and up should do this in Spanish!
April 16- THEME (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - Quito.
1. How to behave on a family stay
2. Simulated first meeting with family
3. Simulated breakfast meeting of first day.
4. How to stay healthy
5. Brief (5 minute) presentation on the art of Guayasamín.
May 15 - THEME (Wednesday - lunch 11:10) - packing list
1. Review list.
2. Demonstration of packing in plastic bags.
June 10 (WEDNESDAY - 7pm meeting for parents/students)
1. Make sure you've given us all forms, copies of passports, copies of health cards, COPIES of birth certificates)
2. Spending money (examples of options and costs)
3. Packed backpack example
4. Reiterate safety measures.
5. Highlight the main goals we have for the students (and adults!) on the trip
If you have not already done so, please be sure to make an appointment to see a travel doctor and apply for your passport as soon as possible. If your passport, person traveling, expires six months AFTER return to the US it may be a problem even getting into Ecuador. Please be sure to renew it now. Passports can take up to eight weeks from time of application to reception.
When we arrive in Quito, we will be staying with host families and our students will be taking Spanish classes at the Academia Latinoamericana del Español. During our five days in Quito, we will visit the volcano of Pichincha a beautiful backdrop to the city of Quito. As well, the students will get to see the art of Guayasamín, one of Ecuador's most famous artists. We will also visit the Mitad del Mundo monument, that is located directly on the equator.
After our time in Quito, we will get up early and head to Otavalo, a town renowned for its open air market. The following day we head to Lake and Volcano Cuicocha and return to Quito for an overnight before boarding our bus to the Amazon.
On day nine, we awake to get on the bus and head to the hot springs of Papallacta, the start of our long journey from the Andes to the jungle. From Papallacta, we will head down the mountains, stopping to observe the different eco-systems we will go through along the way. Our destination that evening is the town of Baeza.
The following day we continue our trek to the Amazon through the town of Coca with our destination being Sacha Lodge. We will be spending four days in the jungle exploring the primary rainforest along the Napo River, a major tributary to the Amazon.
On Day fourteen, we take our flight from Coca-Quito with an overnight in Quito. The next morning we head to the Galapagos Islands for our four day tour of the islands. Here is our schedule:
Sun am. Airport (Baltra )
pm. Highlands (Santa Cruz)
Mon am. Suarez Point (Española)
pm. Gardner Bay (Española) *
Tue am. Cormorant Point (Floreana) *
pm. Post Office-Mirador de la Baronesa (Floreana)
Wed am. North Seymour
pm. Baltra Airport
*Snorkeling sites
Day 19, July 16th, we return to Quito.
On day 20, July 17th, our last day in Ecuador, we head to go white water rafting on the Toachi River near Quito
And lastly, July 18th we arise early for our 8:35 am departure back to the US.
After our time in Quito, we will get up early and head to Otavalo, a town renowned for its open air market. The following day we head to Lake and Volcano Cuicocha and return to Quito for an overnight before boarding our bus to the Amazon.
On day nine, we awake to get on the bus and head to the hot springs of Papallacta, the start of our long journey from the Andes to the jungle. From Papallacta, we will head down the mountains, stopping to observe the different eco-systems we will go through along the way. Our destination that evening is the town of Baeza.
The following day we continue our trek to the Amazon through the town of Coca with our destination being Sacha Lodge. We will be spending four days in the jungle exploring the primary rainforest along the Napo River, a major tributary to the Amazon.
On Day fourteen, we take our flight from Coca-Quito with an overnight in Quito. The next morning we head to the Galapagos Islands for our four day tour of the islands. Here is our schedule:
Sun am. Airport (Baltra )
pm. Highlands (Santa Cruz)
Mon am. Suarez Point (Española)
pm. Gardner Bay (Española) *
Tue am. Cormorant Point (Floreana) *
pm. Post Office-Mirador de la Baronesa (Floreana)
Wed am. North Seymour
pm. Baltra Airport
*Snorkeling sites
Day 19, July 16th, we return to Quito.
On day 20, July 17th, our last day in Ecuador, we head to go white water rafting on the Toachi River near Quito
And lastly, July 18th we arise early for our 8:35 am departure back to the US.
Due to increases in taxes in the Galapagos, the total cost of the trip is $5,000, about $290 more than we had anticipated. The final payments are due January 31st, 2009 for $1,000 with the last payment due before spring break in March for $1,000.
We are flying AMERICAN AIRLINES
Here are our flights:
JUNE 28, 2009
MSP-MIA flt no. 340
dep. 6:30 am arr. 11:00 am
MIA-QUITO flt no. 931
dep. 3:25pm arr. 6:25 pm
JULY 18, 2009
QUITO-MIA flt. no 966
dep. 9:30am arr. 2:35pm
MIA-MSP flt. no. 1961
dep. 7:45pm arr. 10:30pm
Here are our flights:
JUNE 28, 2009
MSP-MIA flt no. 340
dep. 6:30 am arr. 11:00 am
MIA-QUITO flt no. 931
dep. 3:25pm arr. 6:25 pm
JULY 18, 2009
QUITO-MIA flt. no 966
dep. 9:30am arr. 2:35pm
MIA-MSP flt. no. 1961
dep. 7:45pm arr. 10:30pm
ECUADOR ITINERARY
DAY 1 Su Jun 28 International flight Minneapolis-Quito, Ecuador. Following your arrival, you will be met outside of Customs and Immigration by our local Partners. They will be holding a sign that says "Mounds Park" and transfer you to your host families in Quito, meet and overnight.
DAY 2 M Jun 29
7:30 Breakfast with host family
8:30 Host families bring take students to Academia Latinoamericana de Español
8:35 Placement test (oral proficiency interview and grammar test)
9:45 City tour of Quito. Learn how to use the public transportation system and walking tour around the center of Quito. Independence square, with the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral. Visit the church and monastery of San Agustin (1580) and San Francisco (1535) with its breathtaking gilded altars, considered the finest example of baroque art in America.
13:15 Lunch at Academia
14:30 Orientation session
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 3 Tu Jun 30
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:00 Depart from Academia Latinoamericana for trip to Pichincha volcano (active volcano that towers over the city of Quito at a height of 4,800 meters/15,360 feet). Travel by cable car (Telferico) and enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city of Quito, the surrounding valleys and up to 6 volcanoes (Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Antisana, Rumiñahui, Cotacachi and Pichincha itself), given the name by Alexander Von Humbolt in 1802 as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. (don't forget your camera!)
21:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 4 W Jul 1
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:30 Visit Museo de Guayasamín. Located only few minutes from Academia, the Guayasamín Museum exhibits one of the most beautiful collections of Ecuadorian modern art. Son of an indigenous carpenter the artist's work protrays the native's cause with great passion. A staunch defender of their cause Guayasamín's art depicted various aspects of life in Ecuador. He divided his work into three categories Huacaynam (the road of tears, in Quichua), the age of wrath and the age of tenderness. The Museum also houses the artist's personal collection of pre-Colombian and Colonial art, as well as a studio selling his daughter's jewelry designs. Set high on a hill above Quito, it offers great views of modern Quito in a peaceful setting.
18:30 Jacchigua Folkloric ballet. (Jacchigua is a Quichua term that means "the infinite joy of the harvest". It gathers the richness of our popular culture, showing the world the ancestral traditions and customs of Ecuador. Ninety dancers, musicians will show the past and present splendor of the people of Ecuador.
21:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 5 Th Jul 2
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:00 Visit the monument Mitad del Mundo. We will start at the northern part of the Quito and head up to the "Middle of the World City". Here the monument that divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere will be visited. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the Equatorial line. A fabulous Ethnographic Museum will also be visited in order to understand the great diversity of cultures and indigenous groups in Ecuador. See how water rotates, how you can stand an egg on a nail, learn how you can lose pounds in seconds all at Latitude 0. Just 30 minutes north of Quito is the monument that celebrates the measurement of the Earth. The Equatorial line determined the naming of the country of Ecuador, which could also have been named Reino de Quito. (Kingdom of Quito)
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 6 F Jul 3
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
15:00 Afternoon dance classes (salsa-merengue)
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 7 Sa Jul 4
8:00 Early wake up and following breakfast, depart for Otavalo Indian Market. Scattered throughout the valleys and mountains of the Andean Highlands, you will find numerous markets displaying everything from wool textiles, native fruits and fresh vegetables to jewelry, ceramics, baskets, wood carving, native paintings, embroidery, tools and even animals! The market at Otavalo is one of the best known markets in the Ecuador. It is a rich cultural site where locals meet with their friends and relatives to catch up on news and practice the ancient art of bargaining. It will capture your senses making you feel as if you've stepped back in time.
14:00 Lunch at the indigenous home of Antonio Quinotoa. Participants will have the opportunity to try "cuy" (Guinea Pig).
16:00 Short hike to visit the sacred waterfall of Peguche
16:30 Visit San Antonio de Ibarra, famous for its woodcarvings
18:30 Enjoy the countryside of Imbabura Province. Dinner at a private Hacienda in Urcuqui.
Overnight at Hacienda Pinsaquí
DAY 8 Su Jul 5
8:30 Breakfast at Hacienda Pinsaquí
9:00 Visit and hike around Lake and Volcano Cuicocha
11:30 Visit the Village of Cotacachi, world renowned for the quality of its leather goods.
13:30 Lunch in San Pablo Lake (we will enjoy the best view of the Lake and Imbabura volcano at Puerto Lago Restaurant)
17:30 Return to Quito for dinner and transfer to our hotel in Quito
DAY 9 M Jul 6 After breakfast, transfer by chartered bus to the Village of Papallatca. Observe geothermal hot-springs and high altitude, tropical tundra (páramo). After lunch, our group will travel up and over the Andes and Ecuador's Continental Divide (over 13,000 ft.) and descend into the Upper Amazon Basin. There will be stops en route to observe the variety of life-zones we will pass through. Dinner and overnight near the Village of Baeza. B L D
Note: There will be a Naturalist Guide on-board for the 2 day bus trip Quito-Coca. He/she will lead short hikes and discussions en route.
DAY 10 Tu Jul 7 Continue by bus from Baeza to the Village of Coca, located on the banks of the Napo River, one of the two major tributaries that join to form the mighty Amazon. Overnight outside of Coca at Hotel La Misión. B L D
DAY 11 W Jul 8 After breakfast, meet with Sacha Lodge Staff. Transfer by motorized canoe downstream on the Napo to Sacha Lodge and begin 4d/3n program in the Amazon. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
Note(s):
During trip to Sacha Lodge, some gear, such as camera equipment, etc. are stored in plastic bags to keep them dry from water-spray that sometimes comes over the edge of the canoe.
Sacha is one of the finest Lodges in the entire Amazon. Activities are varied and unique, including an incredible Rainforest Canopy Walk-way. You will be surrounded by pristine, Primary Rainforest during your entire stay. Please see http://www.sachalodge.com.ec/ for trail descriptions and images from Sacha Lodge.
DAY 12 Th Jul 9 Activities Sacha Lodge. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
DAY 13 F Jul 10 Activities Sacha Lodge. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
DAY 14 Sa Jul 11 Morning activities Sacha Lodge. Transfer upstream on the Napo River by motorized canoe to Coca. Return flight Coca-Quito. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 15 Su Jul 12 Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra, Galápagos. Begin 4d/3n cruise on the M/Y Coral I (itinerary below). B L D
4d/3n Itinerary Galápagos Islands:
Sun am. Airport (Baltra )
pm. Highlands (Santa Cruz)
Mon am. Suarez Point (Española)
pm. Gardner Bay (Española) *
Tue am. Cormorant Point (Floreana) *
pm. Post Office-Mirador de la Baronesa (Floreana)
Wed am. North Seymour
pm. Baltra Airport
*Snorkeling sites
DAY 16 M Jul 13 Activities Galápagos. Overnight M/Y Coral I. B L D
DAY 17 Tu Jul 14 Activities Galápagos. Overnight M/Y Coral I. B L D
DAY 18 W Jul 15 Transfer to Hotel Lobo de Mar on the Island of Santa Cruz. Visit Charles Darwin Research Station. Overnight Hotel Lobo de Mar. B L D
DAY 19 Th Jul 16 Morning at leisure. Transfer to the airport on Baltra for return flight to Quito. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 20 F Jul 17 Full-day White-water Rafting on the Río Toachi. Farewell dinner Rincón la Ronda. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 21 Sa Jul 18 After an early breakfast and farewells to your Field Course Staff, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. B
DAY 1 Su Jun 28 International flight Minneapolis-Quito, Ecuador. Following your arrival, you will be met outside of Customs and Immigration by our local Partners. They will be holding a sign that says "Mounds Park" and transfer you to your host families in Quito, meet and overnight.
DAY 2 M Jun 29
7:30 Breakfast with host family
8:30 Host families bring take students to Academia Latinoamericana de Español
8:35 Placement test (oral proficiency interview and grammar test)
9:45 City tour of Quito. Learn how to use the public transportation system and walking tour around the center of Quito. Independence square, with the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral. Visit the church and monastery of San Agustin (1580) and San Francisco (1535) with its breathtaking gilded altars, considered the finest example of baroque art in America.
13:15 Lunch at Academia
14:30 Orientation session
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 3 Tu Jun 30
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:00 Depart from Academia Latinoamericana for trip to Pichincha volcano (active volcano that towers over the city of Quito at a height of 4,800 meters/15,360 feet). Travel by cable car (Telferico) and enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city of Quito, the surrounding valleys and up to 6 volcanoes (Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Antisana, Rumiñahui, Cotacachi and Pichincha itself), given the name by Alexander Von Humbolt in 1802 as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. (don't forget your camera!)
21:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 4 W Jul 1
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:30 Visit Museo de Guayasamín. Located only few minutes from Academia, the Guayasamín Museum exhibits one of the most beautiful collections of Ecuadorian modern art. Son of an indigenous carpenter the artist's work protrays the native's cause with great passion. A staunch defender of their cause Guayasamín's art depicted various aspects of life in Ecuador. He divided his work into three categories Huacaynam (the road of tears, in Quichua), the age of wrath and the age of tenderness. The Museum also houses the artist's personal collection of pre-Colombian and Colonial art, as well as a studio selling his daughter's jewelry designs. Set high on a hill above Quito, it offers great views of modern Quito in a peaceful setting.
18:30 Jacchigua Folkloric ballet. (Jacchigua is a Quichua term that means "the infinite joy of the harvest". It gathers the richness of our popular culture, showing the world the ancestral traditions and customs of Ecuador. Ninety dancers, musicians will show the past and present splendor of the people of Ecuador.
21:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 5 Th Jul 2
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
14:00 Visit the monument Mitad del Mundo. We will start at the northern part of the Quito and head up to the "Middle of the World City". Here the monument that divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere will be visited. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the Equatorial line. A fabulous Ethnographic Museum will also be visited in order to understand the great diversity of cultures and indigenous groups in Ecuador. See how water rotates, how you can stand an egg on a nail, learn how you can lose pounds in seconds all at Latitude 0. Just 30 minutes north of Quito is the monument that celebrates the measurement of the Earth. The Equatorial line determined the naming of the country of Ecuador, which could also have been named Reino de Quito. (Kingdom of Quito)
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 6 F Jul 3
8:30 to 13:00 Spanish lessons
13:15 Lunch at Academia Latinoamericana
15:00 Afternoon dance classes (salsa-merengue)
18:00 Return to host families for supper
DAY 7 Sa Jul 4
8:00 Early wake up and following breakfast, depart for Otavalo Indian Market. Scattered throughout the valleys and mountains of the Andean Highlands, you will find numerous markets displaying everything from wool textiles, native fruits and fresh vegetables to jewelry, ceramics, baskets, wood carving, native paintings, embroidery, tools and even animals! The market at Otavalo is one of the best known markets in the Ecuador. It is a rich cultural site where locals meet with their friends and relatives to catch up on news and practice the ancient art of bargaining. It will capture your senses making you feel as if you've stepped back in time.
14:00 Lunch at the indigenous home of Antonio Quinotoa. Participants will have the opportunity to try "cuy" (Guinea Pig).
16:00 Short hike to visit the sacred waterfall of Peguche
16:30 Visit San Antonio de Ibarra, famous for its woodcarvings
18:30 Enjoy the countryside of Imbabura Province. Dinner at a private Hacienda in Urcuqui.
Overnight at Hacienda Pinsaquí
DAY 8 Su Jul 5
8:30 Breakfast at Hacienda Pinsaquí
9:00 Visit and hike around Lake and Volcano Cuicocha
11:30 Visit the Village of Cotacachi, world renowned for the quality of its leather goods.
13:30 Lunch in San Pablo Lake (we will enjoy the best view of the Lake and Imbabura volcano at Puerto Lago Restaurant)
17:30 Return to Quito for dinner and transfer to our hotel in Quito
DAY 9 M Jul 6 After breakfast, transfer by chartered bus to the Village of Papallatca. Observe geothermal hot-springs and high altitude, tropical tundra (páramo). After lunch, our group will travel up and over the Andes and Ecuador's Continental Divide (over 13,000 ft.) and descend into the Upper Amazon Basin. There will be stops en route to observe the variety of life-zones we will pass through. Dinner and overnight near the Village of Baeza. B L D
Note: There will be a Naturalist Guide on-board for the 2 day bus trip Quito-Coca. He/she will lead short hikes and discussions en route.
DAY 10 Tu Jul 7 Continue by bus from Baeza to the Village of Coca, located on the banks of the Napo River, one of the two major tributaries that join to form the mighty Amazon. Overnight outside of Coca at Hotel La Misión. B L D
DAY 11 W Jul 8 After breakfast, meet with Sacha Lodge Staff. Transfer by motorized canoe downstream on the Napo to Sacha Lodge and begin 4d/3n program in the Amazon. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
Note(s):
During trip to Sacha Lodge, some gear, such as camera equipment, etc. are stored in plastic bags to keep them dry from water-spray that sometimes comes over the edge of the canoe.
Sacha is one of the finest Lodges in the entire Amazon. Activities are varied and unique, including an incredible Rainforest Canopy Walk-way. You will be surrounded by pristine, Primary Rainforest during your entire stay. Please see http://www.sachalodge.com.ec/ for trail descriptions and images from Sacha Lodge.
DAY 12 Th Jul 9 Activities Sacha Lodge. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
DAY 13 F Jul 10 Activities Sacha Lodge. Overnight Sacha Lodge. B L D
DAY 14 Sa Jul 11 Morning activities Sacha Lodge. Transfer upstream on the Napo River by motorized canoe to Coca. Return flight Coca-Quito. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 15 Su Jul 12 Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra, Galápagos. Begin 4d/3n cruise on the M/Y Coral I (itinerary below). B L D
4d/3n Itinerary Galápagos Islands:
Sun am. Airport (Baltra )
pm. Highlands (Santa Cruz)
Mon am. Suarez Point (Española)
pm. Gardner Bay (Española) *
Tue am. Cormorant Point (Floreana) *
pm. Post Office-Mirador de la Baronesa (Floreana)
Wed am. North Seymour
pm. Baltra Airport
*Snorkeling sites
DAY 16 M Jul 13 Activities Galápagos. Overnight M/Y Coral I. B L D
DAY 17 Tu Jul 14 Activities Galápagos. Overnight M/Y Coral I. B L D
DAY 18 W Jul 15 Transfer to Hotel Lobo de Mar on the Island of Santa Cruz. Visit Charles Darwin Research Station. Overnight Hotel Lobo de Mar. B L D
DAY 19 Th Jul 16 Morning at leisure. Transfer to the airport on Baltra for return flight to Quito. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 20 F Jul 17 Full-day White-water Rafting on the Río Toachi. Farewell dinner Rincón la Ronda. Overnight Quito. B L D
DAY 21 Sa Jul 18 After an early breakfast and farewells to your Field Course Staff, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. B
