'Thanks for the welcome Professor, please call me Jess, I'm jet lagged from the flight but so pleased to be here, I am a good worker, I was involved in a dig at an old priory where we uncovered the bones of a local witch who perished at the hands of witch hunters'. My glare then focused on the tall young man who was packing equipment in the background, he looked very shifty, could one trust him with handling our precious safety ropes......
'Welcome Jess' said Terry. 'Thanks for the help, I'm Terry, just the Professor's dog's body and muscle. He sounds strict but he's a very decent and intelligent man really. I was watching him giving you the "stern speech" but don't take it to heart. He's ok. I'm very lucky to be here as it gives me credits for my studies I badly need. You too? I heard you studied at Oxford, a very prestigious university like Yale here in the US. I nearly went to Queens in Belfast. I'm originally from Dublin Ireland myself but came to the US to study under Professor Wentworth. He's quite brilliant with a great reputation. He's published several books too which are required reading in many courses and universities. Are you from London? My Dad was from Croydon hence the old English Saxon surname Eames. Anyway, we have to get all this gear into these cases using these foam pads and ropes to protect the fragile items like this portable X-ray diffraction device, ground penetrating radar, precision global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers; laser scanners plus multi/hyper-spectral and thermal instruments for use from a low flying drone, which was the university's latest purchase. Dr Wentworth gets a big budget deservedly. I love to learn about these new cutting edge tools. Great experience! Here's a spare map of Ecuador where we're going for you to keep Jess." 'Look at the size of those Andes mountains. Huge! Hence the ropes and climbing tackle and me with my serious climbing sport hobby. I didn't think he picked me for my brains. Maybe you though Jess? Oxford, eh?' But the Professor did say his research pointed to a dense jungle of eastern Ecuador where the remnants of a previously unknown pre- Incan civilization lay hidden. That'd be cool to find. Time Magazine stuff!
Ok team our first stop is the ancient capital of Quito. From there the university has arranged a local air charter service to fly us to Coca, spend the nite there, then onto Providencia where we hire two SUVs plus a local guide and porters to take us south to our jungle destination.. How is the packing going Terry? Where is our geologist. She is late and I dont like unpunctual people.
Thanks for the map Terence, I'll study it so I won't get lost on our trip. I'd almost finished packing my personal luggage, mascara, hair dryer, etc, when I realised I was running late, I knew from other students that the professor did not appreciate being kept waiting so I hurriedly packed the rest. I would be keeping my personal safety ropes in my suitcase, I do not trust the tall young man with something so important, he looked very much like the ex boyfriend of my American friend and from what she told me, he is not to be trusted.....
Hola, compañeros! I apologize for my tardiness. I had a couple of course sessions to finish before I could leave. Allow me to introduce myself, por favor. I am Professor Victoria Valderas from North Carolina State University. You may call me Victoria but not Vicky, por favor. I detest that name. I teach Biogeography, the study of how living things are distributed on Earth. The university has given me a grant to accompany your expedition. Ecuador has more than 16,000 species of plants, 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterflies. I hope to discover others that have not been seen before. While you are looking for lost cities, I will be studying the biota of the regions. My grandparents came to the US from Spain so I speak a little Spanish. That may be helpful in our travels.
This is all news to me Senorita, or is it Senora. I was told you were a geologist, no mention of biogeograthy tho your expertise may also come in handy for us as will your Spanish. In any case I welcome you to our team. Team, sorry no time to sitesee Florida as we on a strict deadline so get a good sleep as we leave for Miama International at 7 tomorrow morning. We board at 9 and our flying time is approx. 4 hours. Terry have our cargo ready for boarding asap after we arrive please.
I've got all the cargo loaded onto the taxi truck Professor and I'll ride with the driver. We'll leave before you all to get our gear and luggage checked in and loaded. I've also double checked the inventory and all's good.
I knew there was a reason why I made you my #1 Mr Eames. Four hours later after a drama free 4 hour hop the team arrived in Quito the second loftiest capital city on the globe as it sits on the massive Andes. Wentworth reminded everyone that as they were many thousands of metres above sea level, to take it easy so as not to fatique. Before anything the Professor had to arrange a time for the charter flite to Coca. Meanwhile the rest of the Wentworth team settled into their hotel rooms then ordered lunch....
When the Professor returned he told the team that their charter flite would be ready to leave Quito at midday the following day and arrive at Coca sometime that evening. Next day, after loading their gear in the ample cargo space they boarded the six seater Beachcraft turbo prop and settled in for the journey...
As we flew low over the landscape, the pilot described it to us. At first, it was mountainous but gradually changed to jungle. Everything was going well until we hit some turbulence.
A few minutes after taking in the view of the rain forest below us a voice in broken English came over a loudspeaker. This is your pilot Captain Eduardo Castell. We are experiencing some turbulence caused by the evaporation of moisture which can cause an up draft. Do not panic as we will be fine very soon....
Terry checked the cargo when the air turbulence subsided and found it all strapped down well and safe. Crossing the Andes gave spectacular sights and Terry had taken many pictures. Landing in El Coca was smooth as was the off loading of our gear with booked vehicles awaiting us. Coca is a large town in the east of Ecuador on the river Rio Napo, "I hope they have wifi" said Terry still clicking away with his camera. Our pilot told us that the 'small city' has relatively impressive tourism infrastructure. Coca is not a place where visitors spend a lot of time, but it does have its share of hotels, restaurants, bars, and night clubs. The capital of Orellana Province, Coca is situated right at the junction of the Coca, Payamino, and Napo Rivers. Until the 1980s, Coca was a relatively small, backwater Amazon town of little regional importance. With the discovery of nearby oil reserves in the 1980s, Coca rapidly grew in size and population, with the help of hefty investments from foreign oil companies. It now has a population of about 20,000 inhabitants. In the late 1990s, Coca’s local government began to shift course. While oil remains an important industry, city government has been investing in tourism infrastructure and marketing the area to travelers for the past ten years. The two sectors are often at odds, as oil extraction has caused considerable degradation to the surrounding jungle, reducing potential for tourism. And wifi is available. The climate in Coca is moderately hot and humid but starting to get hotter and drier in recent years with all the logging and mining in the Amazon.
Our esteemed leader has arranged our transport, a guide and three porters for when the undergrowth becomes too impenetrable even for a four wheel drive. We will set out tomorrow morning at daybreak.