Banana Republic

There is a good chance that if you ate a banana today, it came from Ecuador. Ecuador is the worlds largest banana exporter and while there are over a hundred varieties, as appears to be standard these days, we only get our hands on the most uniform and bland of the lot...the Cavendish. The banana plays an important role in the diet here in Ecuador and not a meal goes by without seeing a variant somewhere within the dish.

Today I headed south of Guayaquil to Machala...the self-professed 'Banana Capital of the World' (though unfortunately I was not in time for the World Banana Festival where amongst other events they crown the 'World Banana Beauty Queen'.....that's some title). Driving south, the landscape gives way first to rice paddies, then mango and papaya plantations (the papaya here are the size of rugby balls) and then finally to the bananas. Plantation after plantation line the highway that heads south to the Peruvian border, the largest being 'Noboa' owned by recent presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa. The presence of Noboa (as banana and candidate) within the region is obvious with almost every wooden and plaster surface on the roadsides painted with the name of the candidate or his closest rival for the 2006 presidency, Dale Correa. Apparently it is normal here for the parties to pay local homeowners to paint their houses with party colours and for them to wear the free t-shirts that are given out.

In Machala I was greeted by Alex de Wind, an Ecuadorian from a family involved in the prawn farming industry in Ecuador since the start back in the 1960's. Alex invited me down to take a look at his farm out on Jambeli Island, half an hour out through the mangroves by boat (picture of mangrove above). After the high speed trip we arrived at a large cleared area of mangrove (mangrove clearing was outlawed in the mid 1990's and no further expansion is allowed....in fact many areas have now re-established), the site of the 'camaronera' (prawn farm) of Bravito S.A.

After hearing so much about the industry over the past couple of weeks I was very glad to finally get a look at the system in action...from larval production and rearing, through juvenile stocking to the harvesting of adult shrimp. Alex impressed me with his holistic approach to farming and was keen to demonstrate that his farm has been officially accredited 'organic' and that the prawns are produced without any of the antibiotics or pesticides that have tainted the image of the industry in some parts of the world in recent years. This was great news, especially since the on-site chefs had prepared farm-produced organic prawns for us for lunch. I could get used to this.

I won't bore you with the details of production but in these temperatures (water around 30 degrees Celcius), a prawn takes just over 100 days to reach harvest size. Throughout this process there are many obstacles that the prawn and farmer must overcome, not least disease (remember that diseases such as white spot caused big problems here and elsewhere back in the late 1990's). Alex farms 'extensively' rather than 'intensively' (i.e. extensive systems have less animals growing per metre square of pond). He told me that extensive systems tend to cope better with endemic diseases such as white spot since the prawns are less crowded (only around 8/m rather than double this in intensive farms) and hence less stressed. Makes sense.

The crew on the farm make all sorts of daily and weekly checks on water condition, feeding rate, health and most importantly, growth of the produce. I was lucky enough to watch them 'cast netting' the ponds to make growth and feeding assessments. The prawns shown below are typical of the ones Bravita produces. These are Penaeus vannamei, the Pacific white shrimp.

Finally, a note of caution about the Ecuadorian road system. Drivers here only use the horn when within half a metre of the car in front, presumably to warn the other driver that they intend to overtake on the blind corner that is approaching. It is also common for taxi drivers here (especially on longer journeys) to perform a quick prayer before setting off. My driver told me today '...it would take a while for you to learn to drive here, right?'. After I agreed he proceded to demonstrate the principles of my miseducation in the highway code another 50 times before we reached Guayaquil.

I leave the tropics tomorrow and head back to Quito for an unexpected change of schedule. I will let you know what happens up in the mountains but promise (Alyson) that I will not let another set of paws pass my lips.



Shrimp are grown from larvae (about 20 days old - left) up to market size specimens (right) within about 120 days. The average size for a harvest shrimp is around 15 grams. This 'simple' process is the basis for a $10bn dollar global industry.

Parklife

I had a good day on friday. In the morning I visited the Instituto Nacional de Pesca (National Fisheries Institute - INP) who it turns out, after 2.5 weeks of meetings, contacts, discussions and a conference, are the people that I really need to speak to here. This is South America I guess and I have learnt that it sometimes takes a while to dissociate politic from goodwill....especially when my Spanish is not really able to pick up subtle reference (or even blatant smoke and mirros). Anyway, got there in the end.

INP are the 'competent authority' for fisheries and aquaculture produce in Ecuador. This means that they have ultimate responsibility for guaranteeing that fishy products that are caught or grown in Ecuador meet the exacting standards of markets like the EU. They have to make sure that things such as antibiotic residues and other contaminants in products such as prawn are below the agreed guidelines set by the EU. If they are not, the EU will stop the import and you may find it difficult to find your tiger prawns in Tesco's on a friday night.

I had a very interesting discussion with them regarding possible future demands for disease testing of shrimp entering Europe. Countries such as Australia already have very strict guidlines for imported prawns (any that carry viruses, which survive the freezing process are a potential threat to the wild fauna of the country...this being particularly dangerous in island habitats). At present, only a few countries (such as Colombia) demand that Ecuadorian prawns are tested for viruses before export but in the future it may become a much more common demand by importing nations (including the EU)...a significant driver to improve biosecurity measures within the producing countries.

Anyway...

In the afternoon I took a stroll to the centre of Guayaquil to look for the famed iguanas that live in the Parque Semenario. Ecuador is famous for its iguanas but perhaps most people associate their presence with Galapagos Islands, 600 miles out from Ecuadorian coast. Well, in this case they are not in a wildlife reserve but instead strolling happily amongst the dirty pigeons, not intimidated at all (target reference). I tried to get as close as possible but looking down the lens at these things and not seeing how close they are to you is a little unerving!

Taking it easy this weekend catching up on emails and writing a report about this adventure so I will check back in on monday after I visit an organic prawn farm down in the Machala province south of Guayaquil. Hasta luego.



If he turns around and approaches us just fly...ok!!

You don't see this in Hyde Park.

Prawns into Europe

Feeling slightly guilty about my recent tropical weekend in Montanita, I felt obliged to bring myself back down to earth with matters related to work and to the ‘real’ reason that I came to Ecuador!

It has been a busy week in Guayaquil. This week saw AquaExpo come to town, the major annual event for those involved with the aquaculture industry in Ecuador and a great place to meet those with involvement at every level (farmer, processor, exporter, regulator). Thankfully a simultaneous translation to English was available through each of the technical presentations…a good way to learn Spanish while translating power point slides!

The picture above is taken from Google Earth (not one of mine!) and shows the extent of prawn production within the Ecuadorian coastal region south of Guayaquil. Each of the small blue blocks are the individual shrimp ponds. This is a big industry!

I think a few facts and figures that have emerged during the week are required to bring home the importance of the global tropical prawn industry. Concentrate.

1. Global production via capture and aquaculture of prawns exceeded 6 million metric tonnes (Mt) in 2005.

2. In 2005, the world aquaculture production of prawns exceded 2.5 million Mt.

3. 80% of tropical prawn culture occurs in countries considered as ’developing’ by the FAO.

4. First sale value of prawns exceeds US $9 billion per year.

5. The main prawn importing countries are USA, Japan and Europe.

6. The annual consumption of prawns in the US exceeded 2kg per capita in 2005.

7. By 2020, aquaculture will overtake capture fisheries for food fish supply.

8. The aquaculture industry requires a 3-fold expansion in the next 30 years to satisfy global demand for food.

9. The US National Institute of Fisheries (NFI) considers that the long-term future of aquatic food production lies almost solely with aquaculture (as Dr John Connelly from NFI stated ‘….we already know where every fish in the sea is and there are simply not enough to satisfy growing global demand’).

10. The European Union imported 600,000 Mt of prawns with a value of $2.3 billion in 2005.

11. Of this, approximately 140,000 Mt ($500m) were imported tropical prawns.

12. The three major buyers within the EU are Spain, Italy and the UK.
Europe does culture small quantities of ‘tropical’ prawns – around 100 Mt per annum (total value of $2m), in France (40 Mt/annum), Italy (19 Mt/annum) and Spain (44 Mt/annum).

13. In contrast, total fishery production of crustaceans from European waters totalled almost 400,000 Mt in 2004.

14. Half of all prawns produced in Ecuador are eaten by Europeans.

Ok, that will do. You get the picture.

One of the main reasons for visiting Ecuador was to familiarise myself and Cefas with an industry that is set to grow significantly in coming years. Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern markets are at present a rapidly growing concern, with an unknown ceiling (the largest prawn farm in the world was recently opened in Saudi Arabia). Countries such as Ecuador have learnt about diseases within the industry the hard way…the slogan for the AquaExpo ‘Ecuador is Back’ reflecting their re-emergence as a global player following the devastating effect of the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) epidemic in the late 1990’s. Other countries are undergoing similar problems currently (e.g. Brazilian culture is set to drop to ¼ of 2004 values in 2006 due to a massive WSSV epidemic) .

All of these problems have major effects on the global market for food (consumers need to eat something so what do they buy instead?) and inevitably, supply problems in one industry impact upon others. Long term sustainability in production of products such as tropical prawn are now the goal. Ecuador is responding by paying much closer attention to issues such as biosecurity (i.e. the control of potential disease carriers into production systems or to the country as a whole) and it is recognised that the evident ‘gold rush’ in production in the country during the 1990’s needs to be much more carefully approached this time around.

You will be pleased to know that I have been continuing to experience the excellent seafood of South America during my stay in Guayaquil. The diet down here at the coast is quite different to that of the mountains (not a Guinea pig in sight), with fish playing a much more important role. Yesterday, I was treated to Peruvian ‘ceviche’ by Pedro Manuel Santistevan, director of CENAIC (an outgrowth of the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior). He suggested we take ‘Tigre Leche’ (‘tiger milk’) as a starter…I was happy to see that this was not some illegal aphrodisiac imported from China but instead a spicy seafood soup served in a glass with plenty of chilly (hence the tiger). Octopus ceviche followed. Great.

Tomorrow I meet the folk from the Institute Nacional de Pesca (INP) at their Guayaquil HQ. INP are the ‘competent authority’ for testing (antibiotic residues, contaminants) of Ecuadorian prawns heading for the European alimentary canal. I need to speak to them about what disease control measures are in place for similarly exported prawns.

See, I can work too!! Ciao.

Oh, and finally, here are a few shots of Las Penas (careful with the pronounciation). This is the area that I visited last week with Claudia Musello. I went up there again this evening...this time brave enough to venture alone to watch the sunset from the top of the lighthouse. Check out these shots of the city at dusk.



The glossy side of Las Penas. The area was a dangerous slum before cash for regeneration was pumped into the area by the current Mayor. The development is now being expanded to take in adjacent regions (which are still dangerous). The armed guard on the right is protecting those with expensive cameras from those at the other end of the alley.



The view from the top at sunset overlooking adjacent Cerro Santa Ana district (an area not to take an evening stroll). You don't get the impression from the image but it is still 30 degrees celcius when the sun sets!

Up the coast to Rio Chico

On sunday, we headed north from Montanita and Olun, into the rain forest and to Rio Chico. Rio Chico has a small open-air museum that sits alonside the river (Rio) with artifacts from the Valdivian culture, inhabitants of this land way before the European invaders arrived. As seen at Le Mitad del Mundo near Quito, strange burial grounds are scattered around the site. In the Valdivian culture, corpses were placed into large clay pots which were buried in small tombs with fruits, jewellery and other offerings (presumably for the time of reincarnation). Several of these sites have been discovered in rural Ecuador and rumour has it that the wives of the men who died would be poisoned and put into a pot of their very own, which was subsequently sealed and buried, leading to suffocation on awakening. Not sure which year women got the vote here. The picture above is of one of these pots....presumably thoughtfully arranged for the tourist with bones of the two said persons in the same pot. It's what they would have wanted.


So, following this , we headed onto the beach and once again watched the surfers (3) at their very own point break, here in the middle of the forrest. Once again, it was a great spot to sit in the sun and watch those who know what they are doing...giving the occasional commentary on what you would do if you are on that very same wave right now. Here are a few shots of the break for those with an appreciation for that sort of thing. Also, a picture of man standing on rock next to surf to give a little perspective!



The point break at Rio Chico



I went and surfed on these waves just after this shot was taken....

Ok, so a little marine biology to finish off the day (a crustacean pathologist never rests, even at weekends*). Here are a few pictures of some of the local crustacean fauna on the beach at Rio Chico. The sand crabs that live in the burrows on the beach are pretty difficult to photograph due to their nerves (i.e. they head to their burrow as soon as they smell a pathologist approaching). However, I did manage to edge ever closer to the burrow of this specimen and waited for about half an hour for it to emerge to get these shots. I wonder what parasites they have?!

Sand crab guarding the burrow (emerged after 30 minutes of waiting)



Hermit crab, shamelesly manipulated to camera

Ok, tomorrow it's back to work proper. I am now back in Guayaquil and have unpacked my creased shirts into the same wardrobe of the same room of the same hotel I was in on friday anf this week will attend the AQUA EXPO 2006 that showcases aquaculture for Ecuador. Most of it will be prawns so I hope to get a good overview through the week. I'll keep you informed. Ciao.

*text included for benefit of Cefas managers

Montanita and the endless wave

Well, as promised, a posting about my weekend in Montanita on the west coast of Ecuador. I checked out of the hotel on friday afternoon and was collected by Gustavo, Claudia y 'le chicos' (kids) for a weekend by the sea. As I told you, Gustavo is the editor of the Ecuadorian surf magazine (Radical) and what he doesn't know about surf spots in the country are not worth knowing (people here make regular trips to the Galapagos to catch waves!!). So, Montanita is about 2.5 hours west of the city, with roads and habitations getting more basic as you head out.

Gustavo's mum owns a surfer guest house in the nearby village of Olon ('Wave') and this was to be our home for the next few days. A quick bite to eat down in Montanita proved the 'Rough Guide' pretty accurate '...where tanned, chilled out gringos lounge around in shorts and bikinis, and surfers stride up the main street with surfboards under their arms'. This is a place where people come to surf and I must say, by European standards, the size of the beach and the relative lack of surfers, raises the whole area to a legendary standard. Rob Enever you have to come here!!

Anyway, next morning it was down to business and I was to take a lesson from Gustavo. However, in the true spirit of someone who is really into his sport, he had to take his fix first and I proceded to watch him and a few other 'pro's' take to the main point break off Montanita headland. The point break is a great spot for the observer since you can stand right alongside the waves as the roll in to the spot where the surfers wait and can also get a true appreciation of the size and quality of the waves. Check out these pictures if you don't believe me!!


I know what you're thinking but no, this is not me.....(look at that wave!!)

For those who body board, this is how you do it!!...yes he is almost standing!!

The water here is 25 degrees celcius right now and the locals consider this the cold season. In 'summer' this exceeds 30 degrees and often surfers complain of the water being too warm! The wetsuit trade is not particularly buoyant here.


After the demonstration, we headed around to the slighty tamer 'improvers' spot in front of the village of Olon. A quick drink from a coconut and into the water. Suprisingly it feels slightly chilly when you go in (probably due to the high air tempuratures...around 32 on the coast) but after a few seconds you realise that it is just right for board shorts. After a little guidance I was soon catching a few waves and managing to get some pretty good rides to the beach though must admit, did not pull off any of the moves seen earlier in the morning at the point (but did survive the sharks!). Ok, a tiring day was finished by watching the pro's at in again at the point. By now the tide had come pretty much up to the shacks that line the beach and it was fun just watching the experts. Most of them are pretty young, spending most of the day in or around the ocean. Gustavo told me that several of them are world standard but with little money to travel and the remote nature of town, they lack the opportunity to compete in the big events.



No that is not a 'v' sign...this is the thing those surfer dudes at Montanita do!!



The point break at Montanita

Prawns into Europe

Meeting on tuesday with Matt Hopkinson, manager of the Guayaquil branch of 'Inspectorate' and the Latin American technical manager, Leonardo Mariduena gave me a useful overview of the regulations existing for the importation of prawns from Ecuador (and other Latin American producing nations) to the European Union. Inspectorate test outgoing batches for a range of contaminants and residues and are as such a quality regulator of products for foreign markets (with acceptable limits set in this case by the EU). Inspectorate are a subsidiary commercial company set up by the British Standards Institute (BSI).

Next day I was invited to meet the Dean (Enrique Sanchez Cuadros) of Maritime Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty at the Escuela Superior Poltecnica del Littoral (ESPOL) at their Guayaquil campus. Remember that ESPOL have their associated marine outstation linked to CENAIM (visited earlier in the week), with several of the postdocs and students based at the Guayaquil campus. I had an interesting discussion with the Dean about a proposed upcoming World Bank project on conservation of the Ecuador and Galapagos coastline and it appears that ESPOL and Cefas have a number of common interests (not least a developing requirement for biological effects monitoring using fish and mollucs). Dr Paola Calle, a postdoc at ESPOL hs recently one a grant to develop molluscs as markers for contamination...starting on the River Guayas running through central Guayaquil. From here, we discussed the possibilities of expanding this type of study to coastal regions, fish and potentially to the supposed pristine 'reference' of the Galapagos Islands themselves (though a worrying expansion in tourism and habitation of the islands may preclude this). Paola and I will discuss these ideas further over coming weeks (I guess we would have no shortage of Cefas volunteers for field work in Galapagos?!).

Another useful contact at ESPOL was Sonya Mendoza who runs CSA (Centre for Services to Aquaculture). This laboratory was established using EU funding a number of years back and was designed to provide services to the Aquaculture industry of Ecuador, particularly for disease diagnostics and advice on prevention and treatment.

Yesterday ended with a nice evening stroll along the Malecon and into the once notorious slum Las Penas. This area has been completely renovated over recent years, driven by the Mayor of Guayaquil. This once dangerous region now supports a range of small business (cafes, artists, bars etc) and is overlooked by a new lighthouse which when climbed gives a great view of the city. As seems typical of the city, the region is enclosed by high walls, security gates and armed guards who protect the naive tourist from the 'real' city that lies beyond the barrier but talking to my local hosts and guides Claudia, Gustavo and Anna, the recent improvements are being well recieved by all, who feel that Guayaquil is a city on the up. The Mayor is now extending his ideas into other parts of the city.

Ok, so it's the weekend and I am quite excited since I am going to be given a surfing lesson by Gustavo Plaza Iturralde, editor of the Latin American surf magazine 'Radical'. Gustavo is taking me to the best 'break' in Ecuador at a place called Montanita. If I survive the sharks (Joke mum...there has never been a shark attack in Ecuador...on a local) then on Sunday I am going to take a boat ride to Isla de la Plata (or 'Poor Man's Galapagos) out from Montanita where I will hopefully come into contact with the Blue Footed Booby and the Albatross, plus some Iguana. I will post some pics on monday. Ciao.

Bienvenidos Camarones!!

Hi. I am now in Guayaquil and as predicted I am in the heat for the first time during my journey. I was collected from the aiport by Claudia Mussello (an ex-student of Karin Lohrmann of UCN in Chile) and dropped at my hotel in downtown Guayaquil. Many of the hotels are in an area known as the Malecon, a regeneration project that was completed on the millenium. The Malecon region which flanks the Guayas river that flows through the city was a notoriously violent and dangerous slum prior to the project but now is one of the nicest areas of the city, with tropical gardens, shops, cafe bars and art galeries. It is a safe place to take a stroll in the summer heat, albeit under the watchful eye of the many armed security guards that man the gates and frequent the boulevard.

The streets of Guayaquil itself are not a safe environment for the tourist at night but by day are colourful, cultural and vibrant. My first meeting of the week was with father and son team Colin and Nick Armstrong, who run Agripac S.A. Agripac provide agrochemicals, feeds and formulations to the Ecuadorian agricultural and aquacultural sector and have a significant interest in the national prawn industry. As Consul to the British Embassy in Quito, Colin with his significant understanding of Ecuadorian culture (35 yrs in country) provided me with plenty of contacts in the industry. I also thank him for introducing me to the Pheonix Club on the 6th floor of a Guayaquil city tower. The club, mainly for British ex-pats was a somewhat sureal experience (think British pub in the middle of a tropical city!). Several games of darts, a couple of beers (served in British pint tankards) and some garlic prawns (produced locally) finsihed a very nice evening (i met another 3 ex-Nottingham graduates in the club that night!).

Next morning I was met at the hotel by Dr Sam Stern, director of CENAIM (National Aquaculture and Marine Research Centre) and Dr Daniel Gutierrez, a sociologist from ESPOL (Escuela Superior Politecnica del Littoral) for a trip to the CENAIM marine outstation in San Pedro de Manglaralto on the Pacific coast of Ecuador (picture above). Sam described the mission of CENAIM as a research organisation that is attempting to link the requirements of the aquaculture industry with the skills provided by academic institutes in country. On arrival at the centre, around 2 hours west of Guayaquil, we were greeted by Dr Stanislaus Sonnenholzner, somebody who has provided me with significant assistance in putting together my itinerary for this trip (many thanks to him). The lab is in a great location, fronted by one of the best surf beaches in Ecuador.

Stan gave me a full tour of the CENAIM station and described the attempts by CENAIM to promote diversification in the Ecuadorian aquaculture industry (which to date has and is focussed almost solely on production of tropical prawns for the US and European markets). Specifically, as already seen in Chile, there are pilot projects to close the life cycle for a range of fish and mollusc species, including 'Guiyaipi' (large tunny-like fish), Japanese oyster, native scallop and Spondylus spp. The latter is not only being grown as a potential food source but also as a means of producing pearls for the jewellery industry. By grafting small foreign bodies to the inside of the shell of live Spondylus, it is possible to induce a host immune reaction that surronds the graft and produces a half pearl (see the pic below). In addition, injection of cell lines and/or tissue grafts into the mantle of this species can lead to the production of full pearls.



Spondylus spp. are being used to grow artificial pearls using foreign bodies (pink) grafted to the inner shell of live animals.

A stop off at CENAIM's prawn research facility just outside of San Pedro gave me an opportunity to see the type of prawn farm responsible for producing the tropical prawns found in supermarkets in the UK, Europe and the US. Seawater is pumped into the ponds and prawn larvae are grown to market size within about 12o days (2-3 harvests being possible each year). One of the major reasons for the trip to Ecuador was to talk to researchers and industry about the problems experienced in production of prawns in the region, particularly in relation to the diseases which have plagued the industry over several years. Ecuador experienced a catastrophic epidemic of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) during the late 1990' and is only now recovering to around full capacity. Other viral diseases such as Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV) and Yellow Head Virus (YHV) are also of significant threat to the global industry. Rapid, unchecked expansion of the industry and poor biosecurity responsible for epidemics...this being more carefully considered in modern operations. The species being farmed are white Pacific prawn (Penaeus vannemei)....look out for this name on the shrimp bags in Tesco's!!



CENAIM's experimental shrimp farming facility at San Pedro (left) and Penaeus vannamei broodstock at the lab. Shrimp are individually labelled (most visible on the one at right of picture) for genetic selection during the breeding process. Collection of broodstock from the wild has been outlawed in Ecuador in order to protect native stocks and to prevent introduction of diseases such as viruses from wild animals.

And finally, just for John, take a look at this giant mussel species being cultured at CENAIM. I did not catch the name but it looked like a bike seat and apparently this is only half full size. The adductor muscle is the target for food...apparently the size of a small fillet steak!!

La Mitad del Mundo

Well, where to start. I have reached La Mitad del Mundo (the centre of the earth)!!

Disembarking the plane in Quito is a strange experience. The first thing you read is a sign warning you to walk slowly due to the altitude of the city. I was collected at the airport by Winston, an Ecuadorian guide working for the excellent Cafe Cutlura, a nice colonial style hotel in central Quito. Winston provided a second warning of the effects of the altitude and told me to drink plenty of water to avoid fatigue and the onset of strange dreams. He handed me said water which upon opening proceded to spray all over me...another effect of the altitude and a good trick to play on the visitor!

Reaching the hotel I was really glad of a good nights rest and a chance to recover after the 7 hour flight from Santiago (South America is a big place!).

Next day (friday) I took it pretty easy, catching up on emails and taking a stroll around Quito new town. The city has a strange atmosphere, due partly to the slightly opressive effect of the altitude and the frequency of armed guards and police on pretty much every street corner and shop doorway. Speaking to the locals it is apparent that Quito is not the safest of towns to walk around, with several areas that should be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, venturing onto the streets after dark is a no-no with taxi rides to restauarants and bars a must for travellers. This change in atmosphere from the relatively safe environment experienced in Chile gave an indication of the diversity of the continent and a warning that the trappings of the west (cameras, phones and cash) are pretty easy pickings for those without and with intention.

Saturday saw my full recovery from the flight and effect of the elevation. I decided it safest and most time-economical to book a one-to-one tour with the aforementioned Wilson, an individual it turns has a google-like knowledge of Ecuador. He had a full day planned so picked me up from the Cafe at 9 and we headed immediately to Quito old town, a stark contrast to the new town with fabulous colonial buildings, elaborte catholic churches and large collections of art. First stop was the imposing Basilica del Voto Nacional (cathedral). A faulty lift gave an opportunity to climb the large numbers of steps, spiral staircases and ladders that led to the top spire. Without the strangle hold of health and safety, we did not see another person on the way to the top...the journey becoming ever more fragile as we reached the top. The climb reminded me of our high altitude and some heavy breathing followed before recovery to take the photos...pretty spectacular views of the old and new town are visible, including a view across to the Virgin of Quito.

View of Quito old town from Cathedral

Dropping back down the tower and into the old town, we took a look around the original central church and political centre of Quito, the Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco and the adjacent Museo de San Francisco. These extravagant buildings along with the Cathedral Primada, with their almost complete internal coverage with gold leaf indicate the importance of the Catholic faith to Ecuadorian inhabitants and the considerable influence of the church on daily life in Quito now and through time (other religions were not allowed into Ecuador before the mid 1970's).

Wilson thought it a good idea that we have lunch before heading up the Volcano Pichincha that overlooks the city. Wanting to try the local dish of 'gratita' without really knowing what it was, Wilson delighted in telling me (during my first chewy mouthfull) that the chowder-looking broth was actually a soup of cows intestine....a delicacy in this part of Ecuador. Not wishing to let the side down, I chewed my way through the rest of the soup....pretty different.



I took a break from chewing the ileum to take this shot for you

So, after a satisfying lunch we moved on to Volcan Pichincha, standing at 4,794m above sea level (and 2000 m above Quito itself), it is reached by a cable car that passes through a rapidly changing array of mountain flora and fauna before dropping passengers at a visitor centre just under the peak and crater. Unfortuntely, heavy rain prevented us from making it to the peak but the cable ride gave a great view of the city. The effects of the altitude were taken away by a refreshing cup of cocoa leaf tea, a well-known remedy for altitude sickness due to the rather 'dubious' content of the cocoa leaf. As a nation of tea drinkers, I would love to have brought some back to the UK but as Wilson pointed out, '...the dogs will find it in customs'!!!! I decided that 15 years in the Quito Hilton was not worth it so left the inviting tea bag packets in the mountain shop!!

Final stop of the day was to the centre of the world (Le Mitad del Mundo), about half an hour from Quito, this is the place that you can watch water go down the plughole without spinning in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction (lack of Coreolis effect at the equator) and can stand on the very central line of the earth. Pretty amazing that this site was designated a few hundred years back (and probably way before by original inhabitants of Ecuador) before the aid of modern GPS etc (although original predictions were about 250m away from that depicted with new technologies). Apparently your body weight is 1kg less at the central point...the scales suggested this may be the case, though effects of eating the strange foods of Ecuador may also have led to this effect in me!!



This is how the equator looks...well what were you expecting?!

One strange display at the on-site museum was a guide to how to produce a shrunken head should you wish to create a trophy of war. I have some pretty gruesome pictures of the process and a close-up of finished article (they had one...apparently the deceased son of a tribal chief from the region) that are slightly too unsavoury to be posted here but will show those with an interest in this ancient craft on my return!

Speaking of unsavoury, Wilson suggested that we stop off for some more 'traditional' food on the way home to Quito. From my earlier enthusiam for gratita, he was keen for me to experience the 'true taste' of rural Ecuador and proceded to order 'Cuyes', a dish that would take about an hour to prepare (catch, dispatch, marinate and barbecue)...we should come back said the roadside chef (British roadside service stations were never like this!!!).

On our return, we were greeted with a Cuyes being barbecued on a skewer over an open fire. Closer inspection confirmed my suspicion that Cuyes was in fact a Guinea pig...sorry Alison. Proud of their delicacy, the animal was served whole, spatchcock-style with 'Chicha', the local moonshine of unknown alcholic content, made from fermented corn. I was scared!! A quick trip to the Loo to steady the nerves, then to action...

As a guest, I was obviously offered the 'best' bits which I proceded to chew with great trpidation and a growing realisation that I was eating a rodent! Actually the skin and meat tasted ok (yes, it does taste like chicken!) but I drew the line at the head and internal organs. Wilson proceded with gusto, suprised by my lack of enthusiasm for these prime offerings. I have never needed a drink so much and was glad of the numbing effects of the Chicha. I was glad to see the thing finished. I wasn't going to include this image but Pip thought it important to let you see the real Ecuador. So just for her:



Sunday lunch...Ecuador style. Now who's for leg?

All in all, a strange and surreal introduction to Quito, a city with many faces. Wilson was an excellent guide and really took his time to explain the importance of the city in Ecuador's colourful history. The food was strange but real and I was glad to have the opportunity to try. The safety issues for a tourist in the city were amply highlighted and I would suggest that anybody planning a trip here makes use of the guides. I am off to Guayaquil today and am gonna get my shorts out since it's going to be hot. See you there!

Don't have nightmares!!

Hasta Luego Chile!

Ok, final day in Chile today and I will fly south again to Santiago this evening. Tomorrow I fly north to the Quito, Ecuador´s capital city - the second highest city in the world (almost 3000m asl) and bang on the equator. I will be signing out for a few days while I travel to, and find my feet in, Quito. Once I have recovered from the effects of the Quito elevation and locate an internet cafe I will post more entries! Expect things to get a little more tropical in coming days!!

It has been a hectic and productive fortnight and I have had a great time seeing the sites of the Santiago, Pt Montt and La Serena districts. Chile and it´s people have been very kind to me and I would particularly like to thank several people who have been really helpful during my stay. In no particular order these are:

Claudia Venegas (for greatly assisting with my intinerary for Santiago and Pt. Montt....many thanks), Hernan Cañon (IFOP), Prof. Juan Carvajal (iMAR), Patricio Bustos (ADL), Oscar Parra (Intervet), Marcos Godoy (Intervet), Daniel Suarez (Homing Ltd.), Sandra Bravo (Universidad Austral), Kurt Paschke (Universidad Austral), Roberto Flores (iMAR), Enrique Paredes (Universidad Austral, Valdivia), Alejandro Yanez (Universidad Austral, Valdivia) and finally, Karin Lohrmann (Universidad Catolica del Norte) and her son Rodrigo for allowing me to lodge with them in La Serena and for showing me the sights, sounds and tastes of Chile. I look forward to establishing fruitful collaborations with these new colleagues in the future.

Thanks for reading over the past few weeks. Hopefully you have enjoyed the tales. Just enough time to post a few assorted images of Chile. Chao y hasta luego. See you in Quito!

Mussel farming at Metri (south of Pt Montt)

Mini ´Trabulco´(whelks) in culture
Fish farm security - Chile style!

The Elqui Valley and the ‘Pisco Sour’

La Serena and its close neighbour sit on edge of the Pacific about 1 hr north of Santiago by plane. A slightly problematic journey from Pt Montt saw me landing in a town not even mentioned on the ticket (turns out to be the coastal city of Concepcion south of Santiago). Following the confusion and my realisation that the airport did not look at all similar to the one in Santiago (the expected destination for the flight) saw me back on another plane and heading for Santiago…confused?...I was!

A third short flight from Santiago to La Serena parted me from my bags….a second piece of confusion leading to their overnight stay in Santiago! Anyway, I was met at La Serena by Karin and arrangements were made to deliver my bags the next day. A much needed few days of rest in La Serena followed.

Saturday morning involved a great run on the sands of La Serena beach with Karin and a visit to the local market for food. Later, more excellent seafood in a beachfront ‘Picada’ allowed me to sample again the excellent ‘Corvina’ (bass) and the empanadas (small pasties, in this case filled with seafood and cheese). Chilean wines are obviously a mainstay here…deep bottle bases and odd years apparently marking their likelihood for vintage status!

Sunday involved an all day trip to the stunning Elqui valley and to the remote village of Pisco Elqui. Passing the dam and heading into the valley leads to steadily rising temperatures and an increase in the amount of valley land devoted to growing grapes…in this case not for wine but for making ‘Pisco’, a grape spirit that forms the alcoholic basis of the universal ‘Pisco Sour’ (more on that later). Apart from the river that runs through the valley, it is very dry. The contrast between the grape farms (and papaya/avocado farms) in the valley bottom and the red-gold sand of the slopes in this part of the Andes is pretty stunning.

The topography of the valley becomes more and more extreme as the road winds to Pisco Elqui (the birthplace of Chilean Nobel laureate Gabriella Mistral and home to a religious and rather bohemian community - the boy in the photo is concetrating hard on his Chilean flag during a catholic festival taking place in the village). Despite the heat, we found a really nice restaurant in the shade of the palms and sampled the local delicacy…’Lomo’….a very large beef steak with higher fat levels that most other beef steak. Barbecued, it was delicious, particularly with a beer and the view of the mountains that overlook the whole of this tiny village.

Heading back towards La Serena after a great day, we purchased a bottle of local ‘Pisco’ and some special ‘Pica’ lemons (very small and aromatic) for production of the Pisco Sour…two parts Pisco, one part Pica lemon juice/or blitzed whole lemons and some sugar. Normally served as an aperitif prior to seafood but great at any time. I convinced myself that the high vitamin C content of the drink would somehow protect me from the morning after effects but alas not.

Look at these pictures of the valley! Back to work tomorrow and more presentations to the staff and students of Universidad Catolica del Norte. Chao!

p.s. in case you didn´t know, you can double click on any of the photos in the blog and you will see them full size.

´Miles and mountains and I asked for the sea´

Rapid check out of the hotel and back into Daniel’s pick up truck for a drive to the lovely town of Pt Vares. Further driving along the lake at Pt Vares brought us to the Petrohue national park and some of the most spectacular scenery that I have so far seen in Chile. Right at the base of Volcano Osorno, the glacial river runs fast and cold and is a great place for photos and for feeling the true spirit of the Chilean natural environment and for the true scale of the Andes range.

Daniel thought it a good idea to get as far up the volcano as was possible in his pick up (before the roads become to icy and precipitous) so we proceeded to take the long windy road to a small café that sits perched on a snowy plateau high above the town of Pt Vares. Towards our destination, and as we began losing grip on icy road, Daniel thought it a good idea for me to get into the back of the pick up to add some weight over the back tyres….driving up the frozen volcano bouncing up and down over the back wheels to gather traction was a somewhat unnerving experience (and cold…especially wearing the sandals picked out by Pip in Dorchester for the Ecuadorian leg of the trip!). Health and safety was out of the window (literally) but I figured that if the truck did go over the edge, at least I would not be in it!! Hot chocolate and apple strudel in the log fire cabin at the plateau was a great way to end the adventure….

Back into Pt Montt and waiting for the plane to Santiago and La Serena. Time to head north to the warmth and to Cefas friend and colleague Karin Lohrmann at the Universidad Catolica del Norte. See you later.

The peak of Volcano Osorno in the Andes range.....spectacular!

North to Valdivia

No rest for the wicked. The local beer (of German origin from some of the early settlers in this region) did not seem like such a good idea this morning as I was collected from the hotel by Daniel Suarez, the MD of Homing, a company that provides vaccination services to the salmon industry of the region at 7.30am for the 2 hour drive north to Valdivia.

Valdivia is the site of the main campus of the Universidad Austral and a much more academic feeling town with around 10,000 students and some other interesting habitants that laze around the town quay and fish markets (see below!).

A tour around the various departments at Austral (my thanks to Professors Alejandro Yanez and Enriques Herbach in particular for insights into the biochemistry and pathology departments respectively) was followed by yet another excellent lunch at a great seafood restaurant overlooking the Pacific just outside of Valdivia. Corvina was on the menu along with some excellent Chilean white from the central valley near Santiago. I surprised myself with my ability to consume some of this following my predicament of earlier in the morning and raised a glass to the powers of liver regeneration!!

We arrived back at the hotel by 10pm with a promise by Daniel to show me some of the sites of the area before my flight to Santiago at lunchtime tomorrow. He suggested a pick up time of 7am to ensure we see all we have to. So…to bed!

To Metri

Wednesday was a busy day with an early morning trip with Prof Caravajal to the marine outstation of the Universidad Los Lagos in Metri, just south of Pt Montt. The Prof had many stories about the potential pro’s and con’s of the ex-Pinochet dictatorship of the country and how it had shaped the landscape and communities of this and other regions. Moving south, the abundance of mussel farms (Mytilus chilensis) became apparent and upon reaching the very peaceful laboratory in Metri we were greeted with bright sunshine (quite rare it appears in Pt Montt during this time of year).

The marine outstation at Metri is doing some great work on the experimental culture of mostly local (and some exotic) species, including Chilean sea bass (Corvina), Trabulco (very similar to our whelk), Congrio (a squatter version of Conger eel), Chaiba (various crab species), abalone and giant barnacles (´Picoroco´).

Driving back to Pt Montt we were able to watch the frequent groups of dolphins that seemed to patrol the areas occupied by the mussel farms and the gradual darkening of the sky that precedes the afternoon rain at this time of year.

Lunch with Patricio Bustos, the managing director of ADL Diagnostics, one of several diagnostic services laboratories in the region gave a useful insight into the salmon farming activities of the Pt Montt and Chiloe Island region and also highlighted the legislative differences between the UK and Chile in terms of disease diagnosis – Chile having a network of private laboratories who report findings of list diseases to the government (who appear to have no similar facility to Cefas at present). Walking into the laboratory at ADL, I was greeted with a familiar face from my days in Nottingham Uni….Matt Pierce who studied the same degree in Nottingham at the same time had moved to the country with his Chilean wife recently and was now working for Patricio at ADL….small world!!

A rapid drive back to the Hotel Gran Pacifica in Pt Montt was followed by an evening talk to a large number of vets and aquaculture professionals on the work of Cefas, the UK monitoring program and BEQUALM. I very much appreciate the rapid organisation of this event (within 1 day!) via the various online avenues used by the Chile aquaculture industry by Dr Marcus Godoy and Dr Oscar Parra (both Intervet). Marcus thanked me for the talk with some local beer and tapas at a bar in Pt. Montt.

Giant barnacles (´Picoroco´) - ready to eat!!

Talking again

Tuesday morning saw me back at Austral and giving a talk to an accumulated audience of salmon industry representatives, ecosystem health researchers from IFOP and a range of students and academics from Austral. The talk, on the use of fish disease for environmental monitoring introduced a totally new concept to the researchers in the region and holds considerable promise for future collaboration, particularly via QA schemes such as BEQUALM.

Lunch once again consisted of more urchins (this could get dangerous) and the locally captured 'Merluza' (hake). In the afternoon, Prof Caravajal, a sprightly 68 and still active after his delivery of a morning lecture on science philosophy to local school children drove me to a freshwater salmon production facility (pre-smolt) north of Pt Montt.

The urchins took immediate effect and I soon had the birds flocking to me...the most impressive was this beautiful little humming bird that came to feed on the honeysuckle bush in front of me. Even managed to get a couple of shots in focus despite its ridiculously rapid movements (yes John, this is possible!!) and its short stay at the flower. Nice.

Red king crabs and urchins on toast


Ok, so monday was down to business.

Hernan Canon collected me in the morning and took me to meet his colleagues at IFOP in central Pt Montt. Following the visit, we went to iMAR, an institute of the Universidad Los Lagos. iMAR have a diverse portfolio of projects with most concerned with the farming of salmon in the regions lakes and fjords but also the experimental production of mollusc species such as abalone.

My host in iMAR was Professor Juan Cavarajal, a parasitologist well known for his works on the parasite fauna of skates and rays and more recently on Calagid (sea lice) parasites which plague the Chilean salmon industry. Prof Cavarajal gave me a whistle stop tour of the laboratory and the assocated research staff before we headed for lunch at an excellent local seafood restuarant to once again sample the local delicacies. The menu of the average Chilean seafood restaurant is not similar in any way to those seen in the UK. They major on filter feeders and grazers and are not adverse to consuming species for which most Brits may feel slightly wary....try barnacles for starter and sea urchin ovaries on toasted bread for main. I must say that both were excellent though the texture of the latter was only adequately compensated by the fact that it has reputed potent aphrodisiac properties...more on that later.

Following lunch we progressed to another of the four universities in Pt Montt, the Universidad Austral ('southernmost'). Meetings with fish disease researcher Sandra Bravo and associated staff in the aquaculture division were productive, with lots of ideas for future collaborations. Perhaps most exciting for me was the prospect of investigating the range of maladies potential within red king crabs (the subject of experimental production in Austral - the spiky crab at the top) and the Cancer spp. local to the lake region (see below...this image is especially for Kelly!).
Cancer spp. from Chilean water - parasite fauna unknown!


At the end of the day, Prof Caravajal and his wife drove me around the peninsula to take a look at one of the volcanoes that overlooks Pt Montt...it looked pretty amazing in the evening light...as did the sunset that ensued.

Saturday was a welcome day of rest after the very busy week. Claudia Venegas kindly offered to show me around the city of Santiago and in particular, the views over the city offered by the climb up San Cristobal hill. Several South American cities are overlooked by statues of the Virgin Mary and Santiago is not an exception. Views from the hill gave a real indication of the size of the city (7 million of Chile's 16 million inhabitants live here). The views also allowed a better appreciation of the smog that is often a problem in the city (this largely blocking the view of the Andes in the picure below). Tomorrow I leave for Puerto Montt on an early flight

Buenos noches


Providencia region of Santiago with smog and Andes as companions.

My next stop along the way required a a flight to the south of Santiago to the lake region of Chile. Puerto Montt is the gateway to the lake region and a major centre for the production of salmon (a major aquaculture product of Chile). On arrival I was greeted by Hernan Canon from IFOP, a familiar face to those working at the Cefas laboratory (Hernan visited around one year ago and Cefas now has an agreement with IFOP to collaborate on research projects in the future).

Hernan dropped me at my hotel overlooking the water and, keen to explore, I trecked through the rain (apparently very common in these parts!) to the artesan village in Pt. Montt where it is possible to buy the local crafts and also the abundant marine produce of the region (esp. mussels, clams and of course the salmon). Much of the product is smoked on site, leading to amaxing aromas as you wander through the market. Mytilus species to be determined in case you are interested (target reference!).

Just have to mention the street dogs in Chile....very chilled and very friendly. The one in the picture reminded me of the Littlest Hobo and seemed to very much like having his picture taken...so much so that it followed me the mile or so back to my hotel and was still waiting outside the front doors about an hour later!! I told him to 'just keep movin' on'. He didn't understand my English so waited another hour.

Tomorrow I meet with Dr Carvjal, a pathologist at an institute of the Universidd Los Lagos ('University of the Lakes'), with further meetings through the week.

I'm off for seafood with Hernan now so keep your eye on developments and don't forget to give some comment if you see fit.

Hasta luego!

Grant
View from the hotel room in Pt. Montt (Andes foothils in distance). Before it started to rain!