Where do I start, this being my first blog?

On the excuse of coming to Quito, Ecuador, to visit our new grandson, (and of course if we have to go home tomorrow the trip’s been 100% worth it), I am going to slink off into the jungle for a few days.

Well, you know the scenario, all the kids have had their gap year (or two), and we grand-fuddies never had the chance when we were young. Then it was the case of college, summer jobs, graduate & straight into the work ethic, making sure that you got a job for life.

Believe it, there is a new `Grey Revolution’ out here, and I’ve just joined the revolution.

I’ve always had a keen interest in wildlife, evolution, conservation & the environment. I started off as Biology teacher in ‘66, yes, last century! Then after two years I jumped ship and joined the filfth. That’s the ‘Bill, the fuzz, or whatever derogratory term one has for the police. I stayed for 31 years in the City of London Police, finishing up as a Chief Inspector - but that’s all behind me now. Apart from the fact that a few years before retirement I took a second science based degree with the OU, structured around Environment, Ecology, Pollution control, Systems, etc.

During the years I’ve also done quite a bit of birding, but never twitching - I was more interested in the different habitats and communities that occupied these habitats.

Mustn’t get too technical.

So here I am, looking out over Quito city, thunder & lightining all around, getting my gear together for my first jungle trip. Starts Monday 26th for five days.

Taking very good leads from Joe Fallowfield, I searched around and came up with a Jungle Lodge called KAPAWI, www.kapawi.com The great thing about Kapawi is that it is very remote, not affected by nearby oil exploratioon. It’s only 7k from the Peruvian border in the Southern Oriente close by the Rio Pastraza.

I’ll try & keep a daily blog of my 5 weeks in Ecuador & perhaps post some decent pics.

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