Rhianna Banana

Boom boom boom

My Aunt Tita and cousin Alex just visited me, which was super fun. After visiting three malls in Quito, we went to Valle Hermoso and stayed there for a couple days. We went on a hike in the local forest preserve, the Pearl. This is a picture of a walking stick insect (I think).
This probably looks like a bunch of leaf bits, but it is actually a picture of leaf cutter ants. I have to figure out how to take a good picture of them!
Cool mushrooms growing on a fallen tree.
Lindsay and Alex emerging from the middle of a strangler fig. Strangler figs start off as epiphytes on a tree, and then they send down roots which encircle the tree they´re perched on. Eventually the roots come together and strangle and kill the tree. So all strangler figs have a hole in the middle, where the original tree once stood. All those holes and nobs provide habitat for mammals, reptiles, birds, and other animals.
I think this is a gigantic ceibo tree.
Massive trunk of a ceibo tree.
Belkis and her mom Leonor. Belkis was pretending that she doesn´t like having her picture taken.
Neighbor of Belkis, I can´t remember her name.
This kitten is the half-sister of my kitten Lina. She lives with her mom and sister at my friend Trent´s house. Poor thing got her head stuck in Trent´s Nalgene bottle. We took a couple of pictures of her before Alex rescued her.
Alien-looking plant at Trent´s site.
The famous Trent! Here he is showing us what cacao looks like.
Trent told us that this tree species is called the "tree of love". According to locals, if you go out at midnight on the night of a full moon and hug this tree for 15 minutes, you will get a boyfriend or girlfriend soon after. Here´s Alex looking for love =)
Giant land snail. Trent said that some people eat these snails.
Trent lives in a Tsachila community, an indigenous group that has retained many of their traditions. Here are two little girls, wearing typical Tsachila clothing. I love their bright skirts!
The two little girls did a dance for us while the adults played some instruments.
The little girl on the left took her dance very seriously, and it was hard to get a good picture of her. Lots of foot stomping and big smiles!
Trent with his secretary, me. Trent is having phone issues, so some people contact me to try to get in touch with him. It´s fun being his keeper, it means Trent has to call me at least once a week =) I bought that necklace from the Tsachilas. I think it´s made of seeds.
The Tsachilas use this area for their dance and musical rituals, I think.

Giant termite nest in the Pearl.

The title of this blog somes from that wonderful song that is now being played in previews for that cartoon about a bear. Alex, Tita and I saw that preview before another movie in Quito, and then the song got stuck in my head. Luckily I have it on my ipod!

posted by Unknown @ Monday, September 25, 2006