<p>Hello Everyone.<br /><br />After learning about the requirements to gain a spousal visa for Colombia, my wife & I collected all the necessary things, & we are returning to Tulcan, Ecuador to file for my spousal visa (Isn’t that a twist on the norm). <br /><br />I will be taking digital photos & some video as I did buy my digital camera. There will even be some wonderful technical data included as I am going to have the driver hit the trip meter, & take kilometer readings anywhere I collect plants, or find significant such as bridges or centers of villages. I am also going to make the attempt to note on film where I collected the previous plants though that may be a bit tough. <br /><br />We will be returning three days from now, but I would not expect the new photos to be up until next weekend as I am sure we will be busy collecting my 2 year old son, my puppy, & resting after the trip.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Noel<br /><br />This first set of pictures was our first stop on the way to Ecuador. We had lunch at a restaurant at this reserve.<br /><br />
<br /><br />There is a beautiful river that runs beside this restaurant. Here are photos of the river & some of the Aroids on the bank.<br /><br />
<br /><br />These photos are of the concrete ponds used to support the restaurant's fish menu.<br /><br />
<br /><br />We arrived in Ecuador in the afternoon while it was still sunny, but an hour or so after we arrived it began to rain. I am so surprised that it rained in the rain forest! HEHE Just kidding! <br />By the way, the people here simply call this area jungle. Rain forest does not mean anything to them since they are familiar with this forest. They do not even think to realize that other areas of the world are not like this. <br />You should hear some of the silly questions or statements I hear about my culture.<br /><br />
<br /><br />As we explored Tulcan, Ecuador, I took some photos of the city. Here they are below. I took my wife shopping also since we were basically on a vacation trip. I have lots of pictures of dresses & jackets that I can upload if the site is interested, but I have not bothered to do that yet.<br /><br />
<br /><br />There is a statue much like our statue of liberty here in this park. I took a bunch of pictures of it as well as the plaques commemorating the dates & events. Here they are.<br /><br />
<br /><br />Here are the rest of the photos of the same park.<br /><br />
<br /><br />Anyone care to guess what this gorgeous flower is? I am amazed to see this growing in a public park.<br /><br />
<br /><br />Here are the photos of the border between Ecuador & Colombia. We are on our way to meet our taxi, & stopped to take pictures of the natural barrier between Ecuador & Colombia which is a river.<br /><br />
<br /><br />Bring on the plants. The first on our stops was at the bridge where the mother plant for the Monstera Deliciosa I found lives. I was told I should note landmarks such as bridges during my collections, & I promised the site to take photos of this mother plant on my next trip. This is a monster literally! <br />I asked Omar, our taxi driver to drive slower on this trip so I could more easily note the plants I wanted to collect. He obliged me with an average speed of 80 KMPH which is much slower than they normally take this trip. <br /><br />
<br /><br />Rules to happy marriage. Wife wants something simple & easy, give it to her! My wife noticed this plant, & asked to collect a specimen for the house. "Of course , baby!"<br /> <br />
<br /><br />I noticed this flower up a little trail beside the same area where the mother plant of the Monstera Deliciosa is. I am not sure if we still have a specimen since my wife planted all the "flowers" I will look at the plants to see if I can match this later.<br /><br />
<br /><br />I noticed this flower growing on the side of the road just before the first small town we passed after I started collecting plants (town name to follow in later edits)<br /><br />
<br /><br />These Impatiens are wild all over the side of the road in about 6 colors I think. My wife was absolutely beside herself with these, & collected every color she could as well as the moss growing over the ground which was the smartest thing I could think of there. She planted all the flowers directly in pots filled with moss. (Beams proudly about wife)<br /><br />
<br /><br />This is one of the two common orchids here. I have this variety already, so did not collect this plant.<br /><br />
<br /><br />These plants are on the first aroid collection stop. I collected 3 different species here (I am relatively sure they are different species)<br /><br />
<br /><br />This plant is gigantic. I may have collected more than one example of this plant as I later collected a large piece of another plant that appears to be the same. the stem photo is of a stem which is more<br /> than 3 inches thick.<br /><br />
<br /><br />This waterfall marks the next stop on our journey. I collected 4 different species on this stop. 3 of them are self heading species, but I have no idea what species. They appear to be Anthariums from the little I know about these species having the geniculm or elbow joint on the petiole to be able to turn a bit for light. <br /><br />
<br /><br />The heart shaped leaf seems to be Philodendron verrucosum, but has distinct differences. There is no color in the leaves, & the vein structure is significantly different. <br /><br />
<br /><br />This is where the trip back became interesting for me. I noticed this plant deep in some cover on the road & simply told Omar to stop. He stopped about 100 meters ahead, & I ran back looking for it. It turned out to be a monstrous Philodendron verrucosum about 30 feet long entwined in 3 closely growing trees. As this is one of my favorite plants, I collected several specimens which I planted in various locations to maximize survival chances. The largest is a three leaved tip of the big plant which seems to be growing as if it did not notice being moved. The biggest leaves you see in the picture are over 2 feet long.<br /><br />
<br /><br />This plant has an interesting tiger pattern in dark brown on the petioles, & looks great next to the monster Philodendron verrucosum in my large planter. Anyone know what it is?<br /><br />
<br /><br />This is an incredible plant, but I am not sure if it is an aroid. It seems to be, but I can not be sure. <br /><br />
<br /><br />These two plants were collected on the side of this same creek location as my wife was calling me to return to the car. I snuck up the trail & discovered them attached to moss on a rock by the water. Ideas as to what they are?<br /><br />
<br /><br />This gigantic plant is not very far from my home. It is a few hundred meters from a military roadblock outside of Chilvi. I collected a large specimen which may be the same as a few I already collected, but no pieces this large. This plant grows huge. The petioles are longer than 3 foot, & the leaves I have seen are 2 & 1/2 to 3 feet long. Anyone know what it is?<br /><br />
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