A big day

After I inofficially bought my bike on 10th of december by now (2,5 month later) it's finally mine. Now I can be a proud owner for 4 weeks before it's getting sold again. To achieve this I only had to fight a bureaucracy apparatus that in the whole universe probably only is outmatched by the vogons. One of the highlights was amongst others that one lady wanted me to submit the divorce papers of the former owner. But that I only have a room in Sua for 3 nights didn't seem to bother anyone. All obstacles passed without getting crazy or screaming. Zen-level: Master. Oh, and the pen-drawing really is a signature. They are a bit more extravagant here in Ecuador.

A. lilacina V

Getting to the mangroves by land sometimes makes you wish you had a danger surcharge

Rather sit back and cruise the channels with Don Victor from the Ministerio Ambiente in Muisne and his nephews

Esmeraldas III

Treated myself by being settled for 2 weeks. Therefore had to drive longer ways but didn't have to pack my bags every two days again

Esmeraldas II

7.30 am: Lunchbreak

 

Waiter, I'd like some....

This crab doesn't seem to get to order:

Esmeraldas

El Oro Tapaculo singing

Here a video from the El Oro Tapaculo and his long breath, shot in Buenaventura Reserve in Ecuador:

A. lilacina IV

With Octavio Fagro from the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente in Pedernales and a confiscated Amazone, whereas this one is salvini and not lilacine, the species I'm looking for

A.lilacina III

I love my job

Family reunion

Well sometimes you got to go through this as well. I've met the relatives of my board ("Oh, you've grown since the last time" and "Man, you changed since the last time. Is this a tattoo? And where are your leaves?")

A. lilacina II

A lot going on there. In some mangrove-leftover everythings concentrated now what had more space before

and the pools for the camarones/ shrimps/ crevetten can be so beautiful, hehe

Amazona lilacina

For all those who haven't heard it yet: I'm searching another bird that's critically endangered do get extinct. Seems to get my profession. This time, it's the Lilacine Amazone (Amazona lilacina). The population is estimated to be around 500-600 animals. But nobody really knows where this estimates come from because apart from one population next to Guayaquil little is known about in which places the parrots occur and how many of them really are in those places. What's is kind of handy is, that the amazones rely on the mangroves because they sleep in them over night. And mangroves are known to be at the ocean. Therefore I search the whole coast north of Manta and check every little mangroveswamp that's left. And I'm able to search the whole time for surfspots aswell, hehe.

so always start in the middle of the night in the mornings, here with Alfredo....
 

...and in the evenings be there for sunset aswell

Quito - Bahía de Caráquez

Along the Ring of Fire and through the Páramo to the ocean.

Quito offroad II

Well, on sundays you can't get paperwork done in Quito. Therefore back into the mountains with Diego...

Quito offroad

With Diego, my mecanic from Mariscalmotos off the streets close to Quito. Best weather and free sight to Cotopaxi. That's the way to fight boredom while waiting for papers.