Saturday 14 March 2020

An enigmatic alga from the Mediterranean: Schizocladia ischiensis found in deep waters off Rhodes, Greece



Congratulations to Anastasia, Akira, Vivian, Martin, Elaine, Hugh, Takeaki and Hiroshi for the paper on Schizocladia ischiensis from a coralligenous community off the island of Rhodes! This alga, reported here only for the 2nd time ever in the world, belongs to a poorly-known sister group of the brown algae, the Schizocladiophyceae (Ochrophyta). The study is founded upon the NFSD expedition in October-November 2015, and would not have happened without Akira's skillful and tireless algal isolation work from the samples collected during this endeavor. Anastasia and Akira subsequently did DNA barcode sequencing of this and other isolates in our lab, which revealed the uniqueness of this material and enabled further studies.

The full article can be accessed here:
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/3/102



The site at 24 m depth where the sample was collected, which resulted in the 2nd ever finding of Schizocladia ischiensis

The isolate of Schizocladia ischiensis from Rhodes, Greece
 

Sunday 22 December 2019

To one of the driest deserts in the world and to the Amazon Rainforest: Peru and Ecuador, March-April 2019






23 March 2019

I am in mid-air above the sunlit tropical Atlantic, on the way to Lima, Peru! I am on the way to meet one of my PhD students, Lynn Wilbur from Sitka, Alaska, whom I inherited because her original supervisor left Aberdeen. This is the reason why the department transferred her to me – and the reason why the University is paying for the whole trip. She is working on intertidal ecology in the south of Peru and how that is impacted by El Niño. Afterwards, I will visit a former Ecuadorian MSc student of mine, Gabriela Vinueza Hidalgo, who is now manager of a research station, Tiputini, which is a shared facility between Boston University (USA) and the major Ecuadorian university, in the middle of nowhere in the western Amazon. Life is interesting for sure!

I left Aberdeen this morning at 6 am after a short night with too little sleep, and after a stopover in Amsterdam Schiphol, I embarked on the 12 h flight to Lima. 


(Make sure to view the images full screen!
Just click on them, then move forward with the cursor buttons)

Leaving Amsterdam Schiphol AMS for Lima LIM - pictured here: the port of Ijmuiden
23 March

After a very long, diagonal trans-Atlantic flight - land in sight: the coast of Guyana and the estuary of the Rio Essequibo
23 March

Sunset above the Amazon rainforest, Brazil.
Note the altitude of the clouds, as high or higher than the flight path of the aircraft (> 12,000 m): This is a typical feature around the Equator.
23 March

Amazon rainforest, Brazil
23 March

Amazon rainforest, Brazil
23 March





(A few hours later)
The aircraft is now above the Brazilian Amazon SW of Boa Vista, and the high energy of air masses rising above the rainforest can clearly be felt in the turbulences that we are flying through. Clouds here in the tropical rainforest belt reach much higher up into the atmosphere than elsewhere on the planet – in fact they almost reach the height of our flight path at 40,000 ft! About an hour ago, I got spectacular views of the coast of Guyana west of Georgetown and the estuary of River Essequibo.


Landed in Lima, Peru:
Very tired, but all fine
23 March 2019

View of the street in front of the guest house after getting up during my first morning in Peru
24 March

Miraflores, Lima
24 March

Miraflores, Lima
24 March

About to board the bus from Lima to Marcona
24 March



24 March 2019

I landed at Lima International Airport, where a cab driver (whom Lynn had ordered) waited for me and took me to the hostel where we were staying.  After sleeping only 2 h the night before, I was glad to have my room and bed and a full night’s sleep. We were staying in Miraflores, a pleasant part of Lima. After working on a paper and e-mail in the morning, we went out for last shopping and changing currency before going into the field, then headed back to our hostel and relaxed a bit. We then took a cab to the nearby bus station, where we are now waiting for our overnight coach trip to San Juan de Marcona (usually just called "Marcona") in Peru’s South.


Arrival in Marcona by bus in the early hours of 25 March

Arrival in Marcona by bus in the early hours of 25 March



25 March 2019

We left Lima at shortly after 9 pm by long-distance coach. In the absence of a railway network, comfortable long-distance coaches are a good way to travel around Peru. Despite the constant shaking, I had a large, reclining seat which was quite comfortable, and I managed to sleep for most of the trip. We reached Marcona around 5 am after an about 8 h trip, where we were picked up by Marco, manager of the Reserva de la Punta San Juan, which was an approx. 10 min drive from the town center. Even though it was dark, I already got some key impressions of the place as we disembarked the pickup truck: the dryness of the area, the shouting of numerous fur seals and the pungent smell of guano, which had been one of the reasons why the first western settlements were established on this coast in the 19th century. As we approached the building of the reserve which was to be our home for the next week, a large coyote crossed our path – probably preying upon seabirds.

After sleeping a few more hours, a lovely breakfast prepared by Jasmin and Daniel, who both work at the reserve, awaited us (including a large bowl of guacamole). Daniel, Lynn and I then went on a hike around the reserve to familiarize myself with her study sites. It struck me how dry this area is: In fact, this is the northern part of the Atacama Desert (most of which is in Chile), which is considered (together with the Namib) the driest desert in the world: Not a single green leaf could be seen, anywhere, and not even dry plants of any sort! The reserve has large colonies of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis), Guanay cormorants (Leucocarbo bougainvillii) and Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti). The latter two are the bird species which have built the large guano deposits. Even though these animals are close relatives of those which are common and which I had often seen in the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego, they are very shy in this part of the world and did not tolerate us coming very close: This is probably testimony to human pressure, possibly hunting, which has left a mark on their behaviour avoiding human interaction. Descending to the shore, we walked through large, 10- 20 cm deep deposits of feathers and bird residues, among an intense smell of guano. The water is very clear, with floating patches of kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera  - albeit with a slightly different morphology than elsewhere, with smooth blades - and Lessonia sp.).

The "guanera", former building of the guano mine. Now the guest house and lab of the Reserve Punta San Juan. The stench of guano is everywhere! And the fur seals are a very noisy bunch of neighbours, they can be heard day and night.
25 March

The "guanera", former building of the guano mine. Now the guest house and lab of the Reserve Punta San Juan.
25 March

One of the rocks from which guano used to be harvested (note the stairs and footpath built for this purpose).
25 March

This is a moonscape, one of the driest places on Earth, and covered in guano!
There is a large colony of Guanay cormorants and Humboldt penguins.
25 March

Parts of the area are covered by thick deposits of bird feathers and guano dust
25 March

Parts of the area are covered by thick deposits of bird feathers and guano dust
25 March

Humboldt penguins and Guanay cormorants
25 March
This afternoon, we went snorkeling. I was the first to enter the water and I was alerted by the rest of the team (still on the shore) that I was encircled by a group of fur seals which I had not noticed since I was looking down! They were much closer than this, Lynn said that a big male came up less than 1 m behind me!
H Vivian έχει δίκιο, κάποτε θα με φάνε λάχανο και θα γίνω μεζεδάκι!

25 March
Southern fur seal checking me out: Am I dinner?
25 March

Turkey vulture
25 March
Turkey vultures
25 March

Guanay cormorants
25 March
Guanay cormorants
25 March

Guanay cormorants and pelicans
25 March

Turkey vulture
25 March

Fur seal cub
25 March

Deserted cormorant colony in the coastal desert (outside the breeding season)
25 March

Turkey vultures
25 March
Daniel, one of the Peruvian students working at the reserve
25 March
Turkey vultures and penguin vista point
25 March

View of the coast at Punta San Juan
25 March

Coastal desert
25 March

Coastal desert with the wall surrounding the reserve - built in the 1990s in order to prevent unregulated guano harvesting
25 March

Sea lion view point
25 March

 Sunset above the Pacific
25 March

 Sunset above the Pacific
25 March

 Sunset above the Pacific
25 March
Snorkeling survey
26 March
This afternoon, we went snorkeling. I was the first to enter the water and I was alerted by the rest of the team (still on the shore) that I was encircled by a group of fur seals which I had not noticed since I was looking down! They were much closer than this, Lynn said that a big male came up less than 1 m behind me!
H Vivian έχει δίκιο, κάποτε θα με φάνε λάχανο και θα γίνω μεζεδάκι!

26 March

Fur seals next to me in the water
26 March

Dictyota kunthii
26 March

Southern fur seal checking me out: Am I dinner?
26 March

South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis)
 26 March

Sea star
26 March

Lessonia trabeculata kelp
26 March

On another occasion, when I resurfaced, there was this pelican next to me...
26 March

On another occasion, when I resurfaced, there was this pelican next to me...
26 March

...and plenty of vultures like this one were waiting on the rocks above me. Oταν οι φώκιες έχουν τελειώσει το μεζεδάκι, οι γύπες είναι έτοιμοι να φάνε οτι μένει στα κόκκαλα μου!
26 March

Sea star
26 March
26 March

Dictyota kunthii
26 March

Macrocystis integrifolia (giant kelp)
26 March

Jasmin snorkeling
26 March

South American Fur Seals
26 March

Seabed at approx. 3 m depth
26 March

Sea star
26 March

Henri and Jasmin snorkeling with me
26 March

The tidal zone on the surrounding rocks
26 March

Snorkelling at Punta San Juan
26 March

Turkey vulture about to land on a cliff at sunrise
Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru

26 March

Humboldt penguins and fishing boats
26 March

Birds on the shore
26 March

Pelicans and Peruvian boobies (Sula variegata)
26 March

Pelicans and Peruvian boobies (Sula variegata)
26 March

Band-tailed Gull or Belcher's Gull or Peruvian Gull
(Larus belcheri)
26 March

Pelican carcass
26 March

26 March

26 March

Two of Lynn's temperature loggers, attached to the rocks for long-term monitoring
26 March

Seal and turkey vultures
26 March

Lynn conducting intertidal survey work
26 March

Sea star in the intertidal
26 March

A piece of giant kelp
26 March

Lynn conducting intertidal survey work
26 March
Lynn conducting intertidal survey work
26 March

Lynn conducting intertidal survey work
26 March

Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)
26 March
Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)
26 March

Turkey vulture
26 March

Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)
26 March

Guanay cormorants
26 March

Lynn and Daniel conducting intertidal survey work
26 March

Turkey vulture
26 March

Lynn conducting intertidal survey work
26 March

26 March

Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)
26 March

Sea lion
26 March

Sunset above the Pacific
27 March

The lab in the evening. Electricity for lighting is 12 V from a solar panel with battery.
27 March

Coralline red algae and Dictyota kunthii
27 March

Sea cucumber tentacles
27 March

Sea lion
27 March

Inca terns (Larosterna inca)
27 March

Scenery while snorkeling
27 March

The brown alga Colpomenia?
27 March
Lizard in front of the kitchen
27 March

Lizard in front of the kitchen
27 March

Today, a seemingly endless flock of Guanay cormorants flew northbound along the coast
27 March

Today, a seemingly endless flock of Guanay cormorants flew northbound along the coast
27 March

Today, a seemingly endless flock of Guanay cormorants flew northbound along the coast
27 March

Turkey vultures waiting for food outside the kitchen

Typical residential houses in Marcona
27 March

Coast north of Marcona
27 March

Coast north of Marcona
27 March

The crew before another round of snorkeling
27 March

Unfortunately, plastic litter pollution is a huge problem also in Peru. Coast north of Marcona,
27 March

One of the few green plants which I saw during the week in Marcona, in this extremely dry desert! This is obviously a salt-resistant member of the Chenopodiaceae. Coast north of Marcona,
27 March


Seawater intake of the desalination plant owned by Shougang Hierro Perú, north of Marcona,
27 March

Seawater intake of the desalination plant owned by Shougang Hierro Perú, north of Marcona,
27 March

Seawater intake of the desalination plant owned by Shougang Hierro Perú, north of Marcona,
27 March

One of my underwater encounters here: a crab overgrown with seaweed.
North of Marcona,
27 March

Daniel and Jasmin returning from snorkeling,
north of Marcona,
27 March

Lynn returning from snorkeling,
north of Marcona,
27 March

Daniel and Jasmin returning from snorkeling,
north of Marcona,
27 March

29 March 2019

I am writing these lines during the lunch break on what would have been BREXIT Day – for 2 years, since March 29, 2017, Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK, had announced “The UK will leave the EU on 29 March 2019”. I have just read the BBC News, thanks to Fernando allowing me to use internet via his smartphone hotspot for a few minutes, and May’s “deal” has failed again to secure a majority in the House of Commons. I am delighted, because this means now a long delay to BREXIT, and quite possibly, no BREXIT at all.

This has been a good 4 ½ days in Punta San Juan. The research station and reserve’s guard house are a former guanera, the building of a guano mine, overlooking several seabird cliffs, whitened by sun-baked guano. Working days started at sunrise, with Lynn doing intertidal work on mussel beds and associated communities, accompanied either by Daniel or myself. In the afternoon, we would go snorkeling, for surveying seaweed communities and associated invertebrates. We typically encountered numerous fur seals in the water, who were very inquisitive and playful and seemed to approach me more than the others in the team…  In the evenings, we would work on the materials collected, preparing herbarium specimens and subsamples for DNA extraction. Usually we would also go to the office of the Reserva Punta San Juan for connecting to the internet (since the field station has neither internet, landline telephone, nor mains water and electricity). We were well fed by Daniel, Jasmin, Carmen and Marco, who lovingly cooked for us twice a day.

Breakfast, 29 March

Breakfast, 29 March
Fieldwork supported by a drone.
Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 29

Fieldwork supported by a drone.
Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 29

Fieldwork supported by a drone.
Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 29

Fieldwork supported by a drone.
Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 29

Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

About to go snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Having fun in the waves - Snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Coming out of the water after snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Coming out of the water after snorkeling at Punta San Juan, Marcona, Peru
March 30

Sunset above the Pacific
March 30

Beer after work - outside the office of the nature reserve in town,
March 30 


Hiking through the desert to a survey, 31 March

Hiking through the desert to a survey, 31 March

How are we going to climb down to that shore for our survey?
31 March

How are we going to climb down to that shore for our survey?
31 March

How are we going to climb down to that shore for our survey?
31 March

How are we going to climb down to that shore for our survey? Seal cubs are blocking the footpath!
31 March

How are we going to climb down to that shore for our survey? Seal cubs are blocking the footpath!
Most of the seals here are tagged and numbered.
31 March




Guanay cormorant

Rock arch

Inca terns (Larosterna inca)

Rock arch

Inca terns (Larosterna inca)

Lynn conducting intertidal survey work

Turkey vulture feasting on a dead seal

Turkey vulture feasting on a dead seal


Inca terns (Larosterna inca)

Peruvian booby (Sula variegata)

Peruvian booby (Sula variegata)

Seals

Band-tailed Gull or Belcher's Gull or Peruvian Gull
(Larus belcheri)

Inca tern (Larosterna inca)

Inca terns (Larosterna inca)

Lynn sorting samples during intertidal survey work

Very intense swell prevented us from snorkeling today!

Very intense swell prevented us from snorkeling today!

Seal cub

Seal cub

[Help with the ID of this bird would be much appreciated!]

Seal cub

Nest boxes for Humboldt penguins: since they nest underground, this open landscape poses quite a challenge for them!
Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)

Crab in the intertidal

Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Guanay cormorant nests in the desert (Leucocarbo bougainvillii)

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

Jasmin Scholl Chirinos and Carmen Tucto Llaguento
29 March

This is how Would-have-been-BREXIT Day was honoured in the south of Peru!
29 March 2019

Selection of Peruvian beers

Selection of Peruvian beers

Sunset above the Pacific
30 March

Reunion of the biologists involved with the reserve about Humboldt penguin research and conservation
30 March

Turkey vultures

One of the rocks from which guano used to be harvested (note the stairs and footpath built for this purpose).

One of the rocks from which guano used to be harvested (note the stairs and footpath built for this purpose).

Center of San Juan de Marcona

Center of San Juan de Marcona

Seen in the center of San Juan de Marcona: There is lot of potential for wind energy in the area!

Center of San Juan de Marcona

Tricycle taxis in San Juan de Marcona

Tricycle taxi in San Juan de Marcona

License plate on a tricycle taxis in San Juan de Marcona

Tricycle taxis in San Juan de Marcona

Residential housing in San Juan de Marcona

Residential housing in San Juan de Marcona, in front of a large wind farm

Outside wall of the Punta San Juan

Adolescent seal

Adolescent seal

Adolescent seal

Sunset

Working in the lab (illuminated by my dive torch) during a power failure

These Peruvian students here at the Reserva Punta San Juan are exceptional! They wanted me to give them a lecture on Seaweed Ecology on Sunday morning!!
31 March

...the audience even grew!
31 March

Fried banana for breakfast, delicious!
31 March

Breakfast
31 March

Visiting the seals for one last time!
31 March

The guanera: Tonight it's time to say goodbye to this magic place!
31 March

At the nature reserve office in Marcona,
31 March

Humboldt penguin statues on the office of the nature reserve in town (Marcona)


The Chicago Zoological Society and the Saint Louis Zoo have been generous donors to the Programa Punta San Juan which has e.g. enabled purchase of this 4WD

Jump-starting the car for going on a survey
31 March

On the way to Playa Huecos,
31 March

Playa Huecos,
31 March

Playa Huecos,
31 March

Susana holding a sea urchin at Playa Huecos,
31 March

Susana holding a sea urchin at Playa Huecos,
31 March

The brown seaweed Lessonia trabeculata drying in the sun at Playa Huecos,
31 March

The brown seaweed Lessonia trabeculata drying in the sun at Playa Huecos,
31 March

Playa Huecos,
31 March

Playa Huecos,
31 March

The whole team at Playa Huecos,
31 March

Driving from Playa Huecos to Marcona,
31 March

Seal cub
31 March

Seal cub
31 March

Jasmin with sea urchins,
31 March

Jasmin with sea urchins,
31 March

Farewell from Marcona - before a very tiring overnight bus ride back to Lima (soundblasted by an unwanted movie),
31 March

Arrival in Lima in the early hours of 1 April:
Feeling bad about our own plastic waste, we took it all back to Lima for proper recycling.

Building of Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Miraflores, Lima,
1 April

Miraflores, Lima,
1 April

Back to Lima after a week in the coastal desert wilderness in the south of Peru
1 April

Pre-Inka ruins by night: Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana is a great adobe and clay pyramid located in the Miraflores district of central Lima, Peru, built from seven staggered platforms
1 April

Dinner in Miraflores, Lima
1 April

Coffee in Miraflores, Lima, before heading out to explore more of Peru's capital
2 April

Miraflores, Lima
2 April

On the way to downtown Lima. There are 2 lines reserved for an express bus in the middle of this freeway.
2 April

Lima is choked by car traffic
2 April

Plaza de Armas, Downtown Lima
2 April

Plaza de Armas, Lima
2 April

Plaza de Armas, Lima Cathedral
2 April

Inside the Archbishop's Palaca, Plaza de Armas, Lima Cathedral
2 April

Cathedral of Lima
2 April

Guard in front of the Government Palace, Lima
2 April

Change of the Guard in front of the Government Palace, Lima
2 April

Cathedral of Lima
2 April

Cathedral of Lima
2 April

Pizzaro's grave in the Cathedral of Lima
2 April

Mural depicting the arrival of the Spaniards, above Pizzaro's grave in the Cathedral of Lima
2 April

Pizzaro's grave in the Cathedral of Lima
2 April
Government Palace, Plaza de Armas, Lima
2 April

Security personnel, downtown Lima
2 April

Security personnel, downtown Lima
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Catacombs of Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, Lima,
2 April

Statue of Bolivar in front of the Congress of Peru in Lima, Plaza Bolivar
2 April

The Congress of Peru in Lima, Plaza Bolivar
2 April
The Congress of Peru in Lima, Plaza Bolivar
2 April
Lima
2 April

Fishing harbour of Pucusana,
3 April

Leaving the harbour of Pucusana for a dive,
3 April

Leaving the harbour of Pucusana for a dive,
3 April
Pelicans underneath a cliff near Pucusana, at our dive site,
3 April

Near Pucusana, about to start our dive,
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Giant barnacles - seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Sea lion seen during dive near Pucusana,
3 April

White sea anemones and seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

White sea anemones and seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Sea star and seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Cliff near Pucusana,
3 April

White sea anemones and seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Shoal of sardines in the Pacific off Pucusana - one of Peru's natural riches!
3 April

Shoal of sardines in the Pacific off Pucusana - one of Peru's natural riches!
3 April

Shoal of sardines in the Pacific off Pucusana - one of Peru's natural riches!
3 April

Sea anemone in the Pacific off Pucusana 3 April

Shoal of sardines in the Pacific off Pucusana - one of Peru's natural riches!
3 April

Seabed community near Pucusana,
3 April

Sea lions seen during dive near Pucusana,
3 April

Surfacing after our dive near Pucusana,
3 April

Our second dive, at the mouth of Pucusana's harbour inlet,
3 April

Macrocystis integrifolia (giant kelp), near Pucusana,
3 April

Dictyota sp.,
3 April

Dictyota sp.,
3 April

Macrocystis integrifolia (giant kelp), near Pucusana,
3 April

Our second dive, at the mouth of Pucusana's harbour inlet,
3 April

Macrocystis integrifolia (giant kelp), near Pucusana,
3 April

Codium sp., near Pucusana,
3 April

The second site, being more sheltered, was very different from the first one. Large seaweeds dominated, and a multitude of fish species could be seen. Near Pucusana, 3 April

The second site, being more sheltered, was very different from the first one. Large seaweeds dominated, and a multitude of fish species could be seen. Near Pucusana, 3 April

The second site, being more sheltered, was very different from the first one. Large seaweeds dominated, and a multitude of fish species could be seen. Near Pucusana, 3 April

Chiton snail, near Pucusana, 3 April

An invasive Caulerpa sp. in the harbor of Pucusana
3 April

Return to Pucusana,
3 April

The association "Lobos de Mar" (="Sea Lions") runs activities against marine litter pollution in Pucusana.
3 April

Tricycle on the northbound road from Pucusana,
3 April

Tricycle on the northbound road from Pucusana,
3 April

On the northbound road from Pucusana to Lima,
3 April

Farewell dinner in Lima,
3 April

Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana, Miraflores district of central Lima,
3 April

Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana, Miraflores district of central Lima,
3 April

Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana, Miraflores district of central Lima,
3 April
Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana, Miraflores district of central Lima,
3 April


4 April
 
I am once more in mid-air, today between Lima and Quito, Ecuador. The time in Marcona came to an end 4 days ago. The Punta San Juan is a magic place indeed. Living a week in this beautiful coastal desert wilderness was very special and, what is important in the bigger picture, Lynn managed to complete the intertidal surveys and get enough data to complete the write-up of her PhD. A special moment for me was giving a talk about my diving expeditions around the world, exploring marine biodiversity, to the scientists and students at Punta San Juan. The electricity for the projector came from a gasoline-powered generator, and as background music for my talk, one could hear the waves of the Pacific breaking on the rocks beneath the guanera…

The last day, Sunday, we visited another very interesting site, Playa Huecos, where Fernando, myself, two students, one local fisherman and I went snorkeling. Large amounts of Macrocystis pyrifera and Lessonia trabeculata were spread out on the shore, drying in the sun prior to be sold off to industry for alginate extraction.

We returned to Lima over night on the express bus – rather tiring this time, since I was sound blasted with the unsolicited soundtrack of a movie by a loudspeaker above me for the first 2 h.

Back to Lima, we spent a day visiting Universidad Cayetona Heredia, and another day sightseeing in the historic city center – the Plaza de Armas with the Palacio del Gobierno, Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace. The Cathedral contains the grave of Conquistador Francisco Pizarro – I found it weird how revered he is, having recklessly destroyed the Inka culture and empire, and leaving Peru’s First Nation inhabitants in centuries of foreign domination. The nearby monastery of Basílica y Convento de San Francisco (Saint Francis Monastery) left us deeply impressed - long walls of Moorish / Spanish tiles, frescoes, carved woodwork, and the catacombs.


The next day, we still managed to go on two dives out of Pucusana, south of Lima, which were spectacular. The area is the same kind of desert like what we had seen near Marcona. Pucusana is a major fishing harbour, home to part of Peru’s anchovy fishing fleet. The first dive took us to a steep dropoff beneath the perpendicular cliffs on the open coast of the Pacific, outside the inlet of Pucusana’s port. We saw large shoals of anchovies which attracted, not surprisingly, many sea lions and fur seals, who kept buzzing us as divers. A second dive, in a sheltered bay in the inlet, showed us a beautiful giant kelp (Macrocystis) forest with a large diversity of smaller seaweeds and fish. Finally, when I went snorkeling at the pier outside the dive shed, I realized that the seabed
in the harbour is densely covered by what looked like the invasive green alga Caulerpa filiformis.

The day closed with a lovely Italian dinner with Susana and Bruno, without whose support much of our work would not have been possible.

The day closed with a lovely Italian dinner with Susana and Bruno, without whose support much of our work would not have been possible.



Arrival by cab at Lima Airport in Callao,
4 April

Leaving Lima for Quito
4 April
Landing in Quito, Ecuador's high-altitude capital (almost 3,000 m)
4 April
At Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre, Quito - about to board my flight to Francisco de Orellana / Coca
5 April
Aircraft of the Ecuadorian Government at Mariscal Sucre Airport, Quito

Flying across the Andes: Mt. Cayambe (5,790 m; last eruption: 1786)
5 April
Flying across the Andes: Mt. Cayambe (5,790 m; last eruption: 1786)
5 April
Another Andean volcano, seen in flight from Quito to Coca



Another Andean volcano, seen in flight from Quito to Coca
During the descent on the eastern side of the Andes, the visibility became quite poor as the aircraft passed through the dense cloud layer covering the lower ranges of the mountains and the Amazon Basin
Final approach to Francisco de Orellana / Coca. This city has developed only in the last few decades, mostly due to the oil boom in Ecuador's Amazon region
5 April
Landing in Francisco de Orellana / Coca in Ecuador's Amazon region
5 April
Boarding the canoe in Coca, which was to take me and the students down the Rio Napo


The left bank of the Rio Napo. In the surroundings of Coca, much of the old-growth rainforest has been cleared, but secondary forest covers most of the area and some old trees remain.

The left bank of the Rio Napo. In the surroundings of Coca, much of the old-growth rainforest has been cleared, but secondary forest covers most of the area and some old trees remain.

Near Coca, the Rio Napo is several kilometers wide and has numerous islands in it

Since there are not many roads in this area, water buses (like this one), cargo ships and canoes (like the one we were traveling on) use the Rio Napo as the main traffic artery
Settlement on the left bank of the Rio Napo
Cargo ship on the Rio Napo
Arriving at the REPSOL port on the Rio Napo, about 3 h downstream from Coca
Upon landing at the REPSOL port, everyone has to go through a security check

Panel displaying the production and safety record of REPSOL in the area

We waited in this lounge until our onward travel
We then continued our trip with these two vehicles. I travelled with Gaby and other scientists in the pickup truck on the left / front, the students use the bus (behind)
The road has clearly made clearing the forest easier. This seems to be mostly done by Huaorani Indians who have taken up a settled life.

For most of the length of the Maxus Road, an oil pipeline runs parallel to it

About half-way, we stopped at this Huaorani village. Since the early 1990s when the road was built, most of the indigenous Huaorani of the area have given up their nomadic life style and settled in villages like the one pictured here.

Huaorani women selling artefacts made from natural materials of the rainforest
Our break in the Huaorani village

Boarding again for continuing our road trip
Driving southbound on the Maxus Road,
5 April
Construction site of the oil pipe running in parallel to the Maxus Road
5 April
Field station of the Universidad Pontifica Catolica de Quito. Here, we left the vehicles and transferred onto another passenger and cargo canoe on the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
Loading the boat for the last leg of the trip on the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April

The Maxus Road crossing the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
On the Rio Tiputini,
5 April
Arrival at Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS),
5 April



6 April 2019
Tiputini  Biodiversity Station, Rio Tiputini, eastern Ecuador

These have been a very eventful 2 days since I wrote the last episode! A smooth flight took me from Lima to Quito, Ecuador’s high-altitude capital. I stayed in a lovely guest house in the countryside near the airport, which also made my departure the next morning easy. Coming from the heat of Lima, the mountain air felt refreshing!

Yesterday morning, I boarded a flight from Lima to Coca, a small town in Ecuador’s western Amazon and gateway to this region. I was picked up by Javier, a staff member of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), which is managed by my former student Gabriela Viñueza Hidalgo (who had done her MSc with me and Rainer Ebel in Aberdeen back in 2013). Together with a group of Ecuadorian students from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and two Colombian scientists, we boarded a long, slender river boat which took us ca. 2 hours downstream on the Rio Napo, until we reached an oil field of Spanish oil giant REPSOL which, conveniently, has a pier and logistics facility on the river. It struck me that we had to go through what looked like an immigration-style passport / ID check and security control with all our belongings being X-rayed and us having to walk through a metal detector gate – the “authority” was not the Ecuadorian or some regional government, but REPSOL. There, we were greeted by the TBS Manager and my former MSc student, Gabriela Viñueza Hidalgo, and we transferred onto a pickup truck for the scientists and an open bus for the students, and drove ca. 3 ½ h westwards on a dirt road built by REPSOL in parallel to an oil pipeline, which runs all the way from the Amazon across the Andes to the Pacific. On the way, we could see several settlements of the native Huaorani, who traditionally were nomads in this area but who have adopted a more settled life style in villages. We stopped in one such village and bought a few artefacts made from rainforest plants. Even from the road, one could clearly tell that a more settled lifestyle of the population impacts the rainforest with numerous clearings, fewer old-growth trees and an overall reduced diversity – even if overall the area looks very green and forested! All this, even though we were within the boundaries of Yasuní National Park. We finally reached a research station of Ecuador’s other major university, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, where we once more transferred onto a long river boat, and now drove down the Rio Tiputini. This second boat ride took another 2 hours! 

This area seemed pristine, with no further sign of human presence: No further roads, clearings, settlements, powerlines, no more oil pipelines… only sporadically a floating plastic bottle, likely being carried downstream from one of the settlements.

We finally reached Tiputini Biodiversity Station, in a scenic location in a bend of the Rio Tiputini. Considering the extreme remoteness, but also the environmental sensitivity of this area, this facility is amazing: A pier with a vista platform overlooking the river bend, a lab, administration and library building (where I am writing these lines), a separate dining area in a pavilion which is open at the sides, and further accommodation outhouses one of which is my own for the duration of my stay here. All this is maintained in a very neat, tidy state. Only organic waste remains in Tiputini, everything else is returned to civilization for proper disposal. Amazingly, the Library/Admin/Lab building has internet via satellite, to which visitors can connect by WiFi. Of course the speed is lower than broadband DSL in a city – but it’s still amazing, considering that this place is in the middle of the Amazon!

After a long day, I retreated to my cottage. Electricity went off a few minutes later, which means that I had candles and my dive LED light. The sound of the rainforest at night is even more intense at night than at day time – especially the countless insects like cicadas, occasionally with the song or cry of a bird, or a screaming monkey. At first I thought, how would I sleep with such loud noise and in this heat, but I rapidly fell asleep and had an excellent, uninterrupted sleep until just before sunrise when other noises started appearing.

Every day at TBS follows a regular pattern – breakfast at 6 am, lunch at 12 pm, and dinner at 7 pm. Electricity is provided by generator twice per day, from 10 am – 12.30 pm, and from 6 – 9.30 pm (which is enough for charging camera batteries etc). In between, people go about their research and studies in the rainforest.

I woke up by myself at about 5.30 am, when dawn together with a change in the sound of the forest woke me up. After breakfast, Gaby, two Colombian scientists and I headed into the jungle to familiarize ourselves with the local biodiversity - which was my first-ever exposure to the Amazon Rainforest ecosystem. The biodiversity was overwhelmingly impressive. It is difficult to find words!

After a sumptuous lunch and a good siesta, we headed out again – this time by boat up the river. On the way, we found a turtle in the water, which we took onto the boat, where Gaby liberated it of about 10 ticks. We landed about a kilometre upstream, secured the boat, and then hiked to a lake, which is connected with the Rio Tiputini only when there is high water in the latter. We used a canoe to explore the lake further, which featured …   I spent some more time at the vista point above the TBS pier, trying to spot a river dolphin which according to Gaby are common in the area, but to no avail.

After dinner, José, a TBS staff member, took me on yet another hike in the forest. I had to realize that with diving at day- or night time, there is a huge difference in the animals that you get to see.
Besides an armadillo, we saw numerous frogs and toads, including a beautifully coloured poison dart frog, a highly venomous coral snake, and two large tarantulas. Some of the creatures from the worst of your nightmares!

To the arachnophobes among my friends: You can sleep well because I can confirm that the tarantulas of your worst nightmares are not under your pillow or blanket, but here in the Amazon rainforest around Rio Tiputini! Instead of going to bed, I had a fascinating nighttime hike in the jungle with Jose, a staff member of Tiputini Biodiversity Station, to whom I owe very special thanks for this incredible experience. Besides two giant tarantulas, we came across many other interesting critters including a poison dart frog, a highly venomous coral snake, many other amphibians, spiders, and an armadillo. In light of these many poisonous and biting animals here, Vivian would certainly say again, "Nα προσέχεις γαμώ το κερατό σου, να μην γίνεις μεζεδάκι! Κάποτε θα σε φάνε λάχανο!"
This was the conclusion of a spectacular day, which started just before 6 am and included several hikes in the jungle, a ride in a boat on the Rio Tiputini and in a kayak on a nearby lake in the rainforest. I encountered numerous monkeys, birds, lizards, frogs, insects, spiders, turtles...


Tree in the rainforest with impressive buttress roots at TBS,
6 April
Close-up: Bats on the same tree
6 April

Close-up: Bat on the same tree
6 April

Tree in the rainforest with impressive buttress roots at TBS,
6 April

Diego, Gaby and Emmanuel at TBS,
6 April

Gaby pointing out the fruit of a tree

Like for all other groups of biota here, the diversity of mushrooms is mindblowing
TBS, 6 April

Hiking in the rainforest
6 April

Centipede, near TBS
6 April
Flower of a shrub, near TBS,
6 April
Fern of the Aspleniaceae, near TBS,
6 April
Orobanche sp., a root parasite (without chlorophyll!)
6 April

Hiking in the rainforest
6 April

Hiking in the rainforest
6 April

In the rainforest, light levels on the ground can be very low!
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Spiny palm in the rainforest near TBS,
6 April

A termite burrow in the rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April
The diversity of mushrooms was mindblowing! Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

The diversity of mushrooms was mindblowing! Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Caterpillar, rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Fire ant - don't touch! Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Termite burrow, rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

The diversity of mushrooms was mindblowing! Rainforest near TBS,
6 April
Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Also, the number of different spiders looked amazing to me. Rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Dead leaf, rainforest near TBS,
6 April

Manikin (Pipridae) chick in nest,
Amazon rainforest near Tiputini Biodiversity Station

6 April

Rainforest near TBS (seen from the balcony of the TBS Lab Bldg),
6 April
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) scavenging organic waste near TBS,
6 April

About to leave for an excursion up the river.
6 April

Going upstream on the Rio Tiputini by boat...

...when we found this turtle swimming in the river!

Diego pulled it out for a closer look...

...it was not shy...

...the poor thing was infested by ticks!
Which Diego removed skillfully...

...before, when we made landfall again, releasing it.

Gecko on a tree
6 April

Hiking in the rainforest
6 April

In the rainforest, upriver from TBS,
6 April

Spiny palm tree in the rainforest, upriver from TBS,
6 April

Our hike took us to this secluded lake (which is linked to the river only during flooding events)...

...where TBS scientists have a canoe permanently moored.

Led by Gaby, we then explored the lake by canoe...

...it was a sight like from another world, pristine rainforest, no humans...

Gaby leading the excursion on the lake

Lake upriver of TBS,
6 April

Birds on a tree, on the lake in the rainforest, upriver from TBS,
6 April

On the lake in the rainforest, upriver from TBS,
6 April

Gaby and I hiking back to the shore of Rio Tiputini,
6 April

Diego untieing the boat on the bank of Rio Tiputini,
6 April

Boat ride back to TBS,
6 April
Boat ride back to TBS,
6 April
Even though this was only a single plastic bottle, its sight brought home to me that even here, there are human impacts. It may come from an oil facility or Huaorani village upriver. Boat ride back to TBS,
6 April
Boundary of Yasuni National Park, seen from Rio Tiputini,
6 April
One of the TBS staff scientists explaining the fruit of tree
A dead beetle taken over by fungi
Another spiny palm tree
Rainfores near TBS,
6 April
Capuchin monkey
Gaby watching monkeys
6 April
Rio Tiputini near TBS,
6 April
Welcome to TBS!
Rio Tiputini at sunset - from my vista point, I tried to spot one of the river dolphins which I was told were common in the area, but to no avail...
6 April
Dinner at TBS, 6 April
Night hike in the rainforest: I got to see very different creatures on this occasion - like this tarantula!
Near TBS, 6 April
Toad seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Frog seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Spider devouring its prey, seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Cricket, seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
"Dead leaf", seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Tree frog seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Frog seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Cricket seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Spider seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Centipede seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Spider seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Tarantula seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Poison dart frog
At night in the Amazon rainforest near Tiputini Biodiversity Station
6 April
Poison dart frog
At night in the Amazon rainforest near Tiputini Biodiversity Station
6 April
Perfect camouflage! Seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Caterpillar seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Caterpillar seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Caterpillar seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Cricket seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
What is this?  Seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Frog seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Millipede seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Centipede seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Spider? Seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Searching the rainforest for critters at night
6 April
Tailless whip scorpion (Amblypygi), seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
A highly venomous coral snake -
at night in the Amazon rainforest near Tiputini Biodiversity Station
6 April
A highly venomous coral snake -
at night in the Amazon rainforest near Tiputini Biodiversity Station
6 April
Harvester ant,
6 April
Cricket seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
Centipede seen during night hike, near TBS,
6 April
My chalet at night (no electricity, candlelight!)
6 April


7 April 2019
Tiputini  Biodiversity Station, Rio Tiputini, eastern Ecuador
This is my 3rd and last night in Tiputini, which follows another exciting day here. This Sunday started with a boat excursion to the Saladero, a cliff with high salt and mineral content, where many wild animals come to enhance their mineral nutrition. We saw over a hundred parrots gathering there - and on the way back, a large Amazon tapir crossed the path of our boat!



Boat excursion down the Rio Tiputini to a saladero at sunrise,
7 April
Sunrise on the Rio Tiputini,
7 April
Green parrots at the saladero on the Rio Tiputini,
7 April
Green parrots at the saladero on the Rio Tiputini,
7 April

Gaby and I watching parrots from the boat,
7 April

Green parrots at the saladero on the Rio Tiputini,
7 April

Tapir crossing the Rio Tiputini in front of the boat,
7 April

Prof. Cecil Kelly Swing, founder and director of Tiputini Biodiversity Station,
7 April

In order to illustrate the low visibility, I held my underwater camera ca. 15 cm from the root of a tree in the Rio Tiputini. A challenging environment for divers!
7 April

Bat on a tree, TBS,
7 April

Breakfast on Sunday morning,
7 April
My chalet at daylight,
7 April

My chalet at daylight,
7 April
Rainforest at TBS,
7 April
Boardwalks connect the buildings of TBS, since the ground of the forest is very muddy
7 April
TBS, 7 April

The Lab Bldg, TBS,
7 April
Rest area and water storage tower, TBS,
7 April

Tree fungi, near TBS,
7 April


High above the canopy of the Amazon rainforest

In the afternoon, Gaby and Diego showed me a canopy tower, 45 m / 150 ft high, which allows accessing a platform in a towering, very old tree. The steel tower itself is built by TBS, but it is host to a CO2 flux monitoring station developed and funded by the US Forest Service, which will soon go online – the only such facility in all of Ecuador (there are less than a handful in all of Brazil, one in Colombia and one in Peru)! Measurements from such facilities are obviously very important to determine the effectiveness of different forest types as carbon sinks.


Canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Climbing up the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Climbing up the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Gaby and Diego servicing the CO2 flux measuring station on the canopy tower, near TB.

The top of the canopy tower contains a weather station, solar panels and CO2 flux sensors (funded by the US Forest Service)

7 April

View from the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April

Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
View from the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
View from the platform of the canopy tower to the forest floor, near TBS,
7 April
A large yellow-blue parrot - view from the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
Tree epiphytes on the platform of the canopy tower, near TBS,
7 April
View from the platform of the canopy tower to the forest floor, near TBS,
7 April
Camera trap deployed on the platform of the canopy tower by Diego
Camera trap deployed on the platform of the canopy tower by Diego
Camera trap deployed on the platform of the canopy tower by Diego
Gaby and I on the platform of the canopy tower by Diego
View from the platform of the canopy tower to the forest floor, near TBS,
7 April
At the buttress of the old tree which is the basis of the platform of the canopy tower , near TBS,
7 April
What is this??
Diego's camera trap deployments have revealed much of the megafauna of the area, which would otherwise be mostly invisible to humans - like this jaguar! (Photo from Diego's evening talk at TBS, 7 April.)



In the evening, I participated in another boat ride up the Rio Tiputini, searching for caymans - and we were lucky, we found two of them lurking in the water!



Cayman in the Rio Tiputini.
Can you see the protruding front teeth? Lovely, aren't they?

Vivian was right: "Φίφη, κάποτε θα σε φάνε λάχανο, θα γίνεις μεζεδάκι!"

7 April
Top predator: Cayman lurking in the Rio Tiputini at night!

7 April
Watching caymans in the Rio Tiputini,
7 April
Cayman in the Rio Tiputini,
7 April
Lizard on a tree, TBS7 April


I am leaving this magic place tomorrow morning by boat, then again on the dirt road until the REPSOL terminal, and then another almost 2 hr boat ride until we will reach Coca. From there, a TAME flight will take me back to civilization, to Quito, in the evening.

In the evening, Diego Mosquera gave a very interesting talk in the TBS library about his research with camera traps in the surroundings of TBS. These amazing and now relatively affordable devices have been able to confirm the presence of 5 species of cats including jaguars and ocelots and other megafauna in the area - animals which are otherwise very hard to see by humans.


It struck me that the night sky in the east was red – which is due to large gas flares of recently-started oil wells of the Yasuni-ITT project. This does not only damage the rainforest, flaring of "stranded" natural gas (because of lack of suitable infrastructure to transport it out of the area, unlike the oil also releases very significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Globally, the greenhouse gas emissions from such flaring is of a comparable order of magnitude as that of global aviation - but the public takes very little notice of this problem.




Farewell dinner at TBS,
7 April
Birthday party at TBS,
7 April
Diego and Gaby in the TBS office,
7 April
Leaving TBS after sunrise of 8 April. The students were very sleepy. And, it is not always hot in the Amazon region as can be told from the clothing and blankets!
Leaving TBS after sunrise of 8 April
Cayman on the bank of the Rio Tiputini,
8 April
Reaching the Maxus Road on the Rio Tiputini,
8 April
Boarding the bus for the return trip at the field station of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador,
8 April
Huaorani village in a clearing in the forest,
8 April
Huaorani village in a clearing in the forest,
8 April
REPSOL facility at the roadside,
8 April
The second canoe ride of the day, on the Rio Napo up to Coca,
8 April
Arrival at Coca, 8 April
Boarding the TAME flight to Quito at Coca Airport,
8 April
Leaving Coca for Quito,
8 April
Arrival in Quito at sunset,
8 April


8 April 2019
Quito, Ecuador

I am back to civilization, a lovely guest house on the outskirts of Quito where I had already stayed last Thursday. But I am already missing the pristine rainforest in Tiputini. I woke up this morning, again about half an hour before sunrise at 5.30 pm, when the forest concert changed to different musicians and tunes – from the cicadas, frogs and monkeys of the night to numerous birds closer to sunrise. After a quick breakfast, it was sadly time to leave. We boarded again the canoe, traveled up the Rio Tiputini, then transferred onto vehicles, and drove on the Maxus Road to the Rio Napo, and then on another canoe up the river to Francisco de Orellana. After a snack there, I went to the airport and boarded an evening flight which took me back to Quito.



Driving from Tababela into downtown Quito
9 April


Quito, 9 April
Hiking on the Pichincha Volcano (the cable car goes up to almost 4,000 m!), 9 April
Hiking on the Pichincha Volcano (the cable car goes up to almost 4,000 m!), 9 April
Hiking on the Pichincha Volcano (the cable car goes up to almost 4,000 m!), 9 April
Hiking on the Pichincha Volcano (the cable car goes up to almost 4,000 m!), 9 April
Downtown Quito,
9 April
Downtown Quito,
9 April
Downtown Quito,
9 April
Downtown Quito,
9 April
Indigenous women, downtown Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Cathedral in Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Recycling and waste bins, Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
Quito,
9 April
In front of the guest house in Tababela, suburb of Quito, where I stayed for 3 nights
10 April
Stopover in Guayaquil on the Pacific coast of Ecuador,
10 April
Stopover in Guayaquil on the Pacific coast of Ecuador,
10 April
Stopover in Amsterdam on the way back to Aberdeen: the port of Ijmuiden.
10 April



10 April
In flight from Guayaquil GYE to Amsterdam AMS

I am once more writing in mid-air – in the skies above Colombia, flying back to Amsterdam – tomorrow early afternoon I will land there. I spent my last day in Ecuador visiting its capital – the volcano Pichincha, which can be reached by cable car, and then the historic city center. From the upper cable car station on Mt. Pichincha, I hiked for about 2 h at around 4,000 m altitude. I clearly felt the effects of the thin air on my physiology! In the later afternoon, Esteban (a member of the family owning the guest house in Tababela), showed me downtown Quito with many picturesque, colonial historic buildings on foot. The amount of gold decor in several of the churches was amazing. I had to think that the Conquistadors certainly did not mine it themselves!

This trip was another highlight, it has taken me to two countries which I had not visited before, Peru and Ecuador, and, especially, to the Amazon Rainforest. I feel incredibly lucky and privileged being able to do things like this - and I would like to thank the wonderful people who have enabled me to have this experience: Lynn, Jasmin, Susana, Bruno and Marco in Peru, and Gabi, Diego, and Cecil in Ecuador.



Epilogue
Especially the impressions of my trip to the Amazon have to be seen in the wider socio-economic context of Ecuador. The Huaorani Indians, whom I met in the Yasuni area, had violently resisted outside contact until the late 1950s, culminating in the events of Operation Auca during which 5 American missionaries, attempting to make contact, were speared to death on the banks of the Rio Curaray (the next major river south of the Rio Tiputini). Their widows pursued the work of Christianization, which resulted in around 80-90% of the Huaorani tribe abandoning their nomadic life style and settling in villages in the area which I visited on this trip. About 10-20% of the tribe, however, did not follow this transition and remained nomadic. Called Tagaeri (after Tagae, their leader), they violently resist any attemot of contact by outsiders - together with another uncontacted tribe, the Taromenane. The Ecuadorian Government has set up the "Zona Intangible" (the "untouchable zone") to protect these uncontacted First Nations, but it has, in recent years, reneged on this, by opening up part of the area for oil development and production - notably within the framework of the Yasuni-ITT project. My readers will wonder, why does the Ecuadorian Government not afford the highest level of protection to this area, given that this may well be the most diverse (in terms of number of species per unit area) rainforest area in the world? The sad reality is that 35% of Ecuadorians live under the poverty line and that oil exports provide 1/3 of the country's export revenue. After several bankruptcies which came with the inability to access the international financial markets, Quito has looked increasingly to China as a major source of credit – including loans that are supported by crude oil deliveries. Indeed, China’s aggressive quest for foreign oil has reached a new milestone, according to records reviewed by Reuters, by achieving near monopoly control of crude exports from Ecuador (an OPEC nation), a rare feat in today’s diversified oil market. Shunned by most lenders since a $3.2 billion debt default in 2008, Ecuador now relies heavily on Chinese credits. Very sadly, developing oil in the area meant losing an aid package by the German Government which would have meant leaving the Yasuni-ITT area untouched for the long term in exchange for $ 3.6 billion to which Germany was willing several hundred million $ as part of its global efforts to combat climate change.