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Fulbright Hays Group Program Abroad (GPA)
Day 1. Friday. Travel day - depart Detroit for Quito. Transfer to Sol de Quito Hotel. Day 2. Saturday. Quito. Morning rest and acclimatize to altitude. Quito, the capital of Ecuador founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city and stands at an altitude of 2,850 m. The city has the least altered historic center in Latin America. Participants will be exposed to the contrasts of modern and colonial times, wealth and poverty, and the mix of Ecuadorian cultures in an urban setting. Afternoon guided tour of Old and New Quito. Major sights include the Government Palace, the 16th-century Monastery of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, Independence Plaza, the cobbled streets of La Ronda, and El Panecillo Hill. Evening visit to the Indian Market to preview and/or purchase teaching materials. Day 3. Sunday. Otavalo. Morning departure. Stop at Intiñan Museum located on the Equatorial Line. Teachers will tour the site to learn about the archaeological and astronomical significance of the equatorial solar culture. Afternoon arrival in Otavalo. Home stay placements. Day 4. Monday. Orientation and morning. Placement and Spanish lessons. Afternoon site visits: Peguche Falls and the pre-Columbian ruins used for the ceremony of Inty Raimy (Sun Holiday); community of Agato visit to weaving workshop to observe and photograph traditional weaving process. Day 5. Tuesday. Morning Spanish lessons. Afternoon visits: Cuicocha Crater Lake at the foot of the volcano Cotocachi (4968m). Learn relationship between volcanoes and agricultural productivity; community of Cotacachi to observe leather making. Opportunity to purchase teaching materials. Evening group meeting. Day 6. Wednesday. Morning Spanish lessons; Afternoon visits: Hike in the Mojanda Lakes region around lakes Caricocha, Huarmicocha and Yanacocha located in the high altitude forests, an endangered ecosystems. Learn about the tensions between the rich biodiversity of the region and long-term human use. Day 7. Thursday . Morning Spanish lessons; Afternoon visits: Cochasqui, the pre-Inca ruins built by the Caras Indians before the Inca conquest to learn the strategic, ceremonial and astronomical uses of site. Day 8. Friday . Spanish lessons and educational presentations during all day visit to Ilumán to see hat making; San Antonio de Ibarra to observe woodcarving; Ibarra the capital of the Imbabura Province. Accompanied by language instructors. Day 9. Saturday. Visit to the Saturday market in Otavalo. Teachers will be guided by their instructors to visit fruit and craft markets, opportunity to increase vocabulary and to practice Spanish skills. Evening group meeting to process experience and address any problems that have arisen. Day 10. Sunday. Trip to the cloud forest Golondrinas Ecological Reserve by panoramic train ride to San Lorenzo. The Golondrinas Reserve is part of the Chocó Mountain Range, one of the richest areas in the neotropics. This type of cloud forest is known for its epiphytes, orchids, and a wide variety of bromeliads, some of which are probably unique to the zone. We will visit a demonstration farm in the Reserve that promotes permaculture and trains farmers in the technique. A traditional lunch of locally grown products will be served. Day 11. Monday. Visit to Valle de Chota. Community of Mascarilla. Visit AfroEcuadorian communities who are descendents of escape slaves. Speak with community leaders to learn about the difficulties of living and farming in a marginal environment. Organized by Randi Randi Day 12. Tuesday. Visit to Valle de Chota. Community of Mascarilla. Workshops on traditional dance, music and crafts of AfroEcuadorian community. Meet with members of the local women's cooperative to talk about their enterprise & agricultural cooperative on economic development efforts and observe small-scale production activities. Organized by Randi Randi Day 13. Wednesday. Return to Quito. Free afternoon to rest and re-pack for next segment of the trip. Evening curriculum development meeting. Day 14. Thursday . Quito. Visit to CAMARI, a nongovernmental organization working with indigenous people of Ecuador to learn about fair trade and attempts to help indigenous communities remain economically viable while protecting the environment and preserving their cultures. Day 15. Friday. Amazon. Early morning flight from Quito to Shell to Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve on the shores of the Pastaza River. A short ride in a covered, motorized long boat takes us up the Pastaza River and its tributary, the Capahuari River to Kapawi Ecolodge. The group will receive an orientation by the Kawapai team and native guides on the rules and regulations observed in eco-sensitive Kapawi. Afternoon birdwatching on the Pastaza River. Evening to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the jungle and listen to the evening sounds of local wildlife. Day 16. Saturday . Paddle down river possible sightings include spotting monkeys, capybara, toucans, macaws, tapir and maybe even the elusive jaguar. Day 17. Sunday. Visit to Achuar community share day with the Achuar families. Participants will receive a briefing about the Achuar Culture, their ethics code and suggestions on how to behave during this activity. The decorations of Achuar ceramics are not arbitrary: each work represents the powers acquired by women for being good mothers and maintaining the house. These designs are full of magic and enchantment, and are made from the materials that nature provides. The Achuar are very talented crafstmen, using natural materials such as Kaap, different woods (cedro, canelo, chonta, tsentsak), claya, and natural fibers (Kumai). Day 18. Monday. Second day of Achuar community visit. Learn about Achuar cosmology, meet with shaman. Workshop on transitional crafts and hunting techniques. Jungle hike to observe hunting practices and traditions. Day 19. Tuesday. Early morning and afternoon flora & fauna hikes. In the past three years, 520 species of birds have been sited. Our Achuar guide will point out toucans, macaws, parrots, hawks, kingfishers, orioles and flycatchers during the hike. Jungle Hike to understand how the Achuar of the rainforest live from the forest, Participants will be divided up into small groups, and lead by a native guide who is an expert on the forest's secrets about medicinal plants and other useful items of the rain forest, and an excellent bilingual naturalist guide with great deal of knowledge in tropical forest biology. Early evening fishing for piranha and other Amazon fish with Achuar guide. Day 20. Wednesday. Canoe trip on the Capahuari River or lagoons near the lodge for birdwatching and hike to parrot salt lick. Evening nocturnal caiman watching and observe nocturnal wildlife along river. Day 21. Thursday. Saturday. Practice your blowgun skills, learn about basket-making and have your face painted with achiote. Evening group meeting. Day 22. Friday. Learn hunting skills using a blow gun with Achuar guide. After dinner an nocturnal walk to see frogs, insects and nocturnal animals Day 23. Saturday. Leave Quito: for Cuenca. Orientation to Cuenca. Cuenca is a city of more than 300,000 people and is the third largest city was founded in 1557 upon the site of the Inca city of Tomebamba. Cuenca preserves its pre-Columbian as well as its Spanish heritage. During an afternoon city tour, participators with visit both modern and colonial Cuenca. Sites include: the Plaza of San Sebastian, built in the 17th Century; the Museum of Modern Art, originally built in 1800's to house people with drinking problems; the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the most important religious monument in Cuenca; and the Tomebamba River Ravine, where women still do their washing. Day 24. Sunday . Morning tour of Cuenca to historical sites, churches and marker. Day Trip. San Bartolome where guitars are hand made and artistically finished; Sigsig, where the toquilla straw is harvested and prepared to weave for Panama hats; Chordeleg, a small town with many stores selling jewelry in gold and silver, green and yellow pottery, observe orchards and sugar cane plantations en route; Gualaceo, famous for its Sunday market which sells mostly produce, animals, household goods and leather shoes, the production of peaches; Bulcay, where weavers produce the finest shawls and scarves using backstrap looms and ikat. Day 25. Monday. On the way to Ingapirca passing through the towns of Azogues and Cañar. Visit the mountain-bound sanctuary of Our Lady of Rocio in Biblian. Ingapirca is a major Inca ceremonial site, used for worship and astronomy, built upon an older Cañari site. The Cañari nation was conquered by the Incas after a long and hard fight in the 1470's. Visit to Museum and archaeological ruins; walk to the Baths of the Inca and to the Face of the Inca. Day 26. Tuesday. Community visits to Gualaceo, Chordelg and Sigsig. Artisan workshops with artisans, meeting with women's cooperative and enterprise development to learn about local economics and livelihood strategies. Opportunity to purchase teaching materials and artifacts. Day 27. Wednesday. Late afternoon return from Cuenca to Quito. Free afternoon. Evening group meeting. Day 28. Thursday. Quito/Detroit. Free day. Quito Repack for trip home. Collect educational artifacts and publications: Book stores: Abya Yala (Indigenous bookstore), SIMBIOE (specialist in research books on Amazonia). Day 29. Friday. Travel Day - return to Michigan |
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