Life in Loja

If you have ever wondered what happened to all of the Sacajawea dollar coins in the USA, you would be happy to know that they are all here in Ecuador. Ecuador switched its currency fairly recently to the US dollar and it seems that the most popular form of currency is the coin. Both Ecuadorian coins and US coins are in abundance and I have enjoyed my newfound fondness of the 50 cent piece. Life in Loja is surprisingly nice and ALL houses are equiped with CFLs for lightbulbs, there is a very regular and extensive recycling and trash regime, most people have cell phones and at least one computer per household, and much more. Not quite the third world kind of atmosphere I was expecting prior to arriving. Field work has started for me and things have gotten off to a fast and enjoyable start. The paramo is quite an extraordinary place and the vegetative diversity is amazing. For example, in my study plots which are 1.5 m by 1.5 m in size (5 x 5 ft) we generally have 15-20 different species of plants. I have sampled at two plot locations so far, one 30 meters higher than the other, and the two locations have drastically different plant communities, most likely due to impacts of water availability, temperature, and wind conditions. Today is my first day in the lab analyzing plant specimens we have collected so I will let everybody know how those turn out. What else about Loja. It seems that every car in this city is equipped with the same ultra sensitive alarm system that decides to go off every time a motorcycle, truck, or car with a load muffler goes by. Thus, at all times of the day and night there is usually at least one car alarm going off per block. Also, stray dogs love to bark and poop on the streets everywhere so you have to watch where you step in the city. One of the nicest aspects that I have noticed in Ecuador, and maybe this is common in other Latin American countries, is that there are a number of large plazas in the downtown areas that have beautiful monuments and are usually bounded by grand churches and other buildings. The colors of the buildings are very fresh and inviting and it makes the city look awesome. The layout of Loja is very similar to Quito and much of the architexture is similar. All for now, adios.