Darkness and the Galapagos

Throughout the Galapagos Island Archipelago, there are volcanic tunnels that have solidified into subterranean pathways. Peaceful and cool, they host a darkness that many people would fear. A lack of light that can only be really experienced underground, the hollow and craggy pathway lit only by our headlamps feels like the beginning to a horror movie. But like anything, if you enter a place with fear it will present you with something to be afraid of. We are quiet, not because we have to be, but because something about the tunnel feels holy. As if it is a cathedral to the secrets of the inner workings of the earth. It is surprisingly peaceful. The darkness and the sound of our footsteps echoing. We decide to turn out the lights and sit in silence. I decide to lay on the ground. In the darkness I feel more connected to the earth than I ever had. For a profound 5 minutes, I feel inexplicable peace. We then turn the lights on, but no one speaks for a few moments. As we explore the caves more, talking about volcanism and geology, there is a deep sense of content. As if our heartbeats have aligned to the movements of the earth’s core. I knew then, I would never feel scared of being underground again.

~Sydney Lewark
SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation

Floating Down the Amazon

Miles and miles from any town or city, branches of the Amazon river basin wind through untouched rain forests. The sunlight here beams through the leaves of a thousand different plant species, and the sounds from the forest are not dominated by a single group of voices. There is balance here, no artificial mechanism has unbalanced the natural order. Capybara wade at the river’s edge, tarantulas hide beneath the wide leaves, and flocks of brightly colored birds dive across the water’s surface. In the early morning the sky is grey, and the long canoe cuts through the water as a soft rain falls. We count the numbers and varieties of birds as the hunt for food before the heat of the day arrives. After any hour we jump into the cold river water and let the current take us back to the research station downstream. The current is strong but not dangerous. I lay on my back and watch the rain forest pass by. We all hope we will be visited by a pod of pink river dolphins, but we know how rare an encounter is. Despite the cold rain, we laugh and attempt to swim against the current. We don’t want the float to end any sooner than it has to. You cannot see the bottom of the river, the water is murky. But you don’t fear what lies beneath. There is a sense of belonging, that maybe can only be felt in the depths of a protected rainforest. As if the creatures below and above you feel that we do not intend to harm them. And it is that peace of mind, that the sun rises and the day begins.

~Sydney Lewark
SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation

Life in The Paramo

Thousands of feet above sea level, the Ecuadorian Paramo is an Andean environment, where only the strongest survive. Trees and plants must huddle together for warmth, and organisms must adapt to survive high levels of UV, arctic temperatures, and low level of nutrients in the soil. If you venture out into the harsh terrain, you must brace yourself for the same conditions. Covered from head to foot in order to evade the cold wind, the snow and rain, and the intense sunlight, you feel like I you have stepped onto another planet. But there is an unparalleled beauty to this desolate land. Volcanoes that stand as giants against the brilliant blue sky, seem to be pulled from the dreams of a fantasy painter. The wind is so strong you are unsure if you won’t be picked up and be blown across the face of the gold touched valleys. The feeling of open space is one that not many places on the planet still possess. You can stand at the base of the mountains and watch the landscape spread out for miles and miles. Your breath is short, perhaps because the air is so thin, or maybe because you have glimpsed a remnant of the majesty the world once held before humankind walked the planet.

~Sydney Lewark
SIT Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation