Tungurahua is Quechua for " Throwing up Fire"

So our family is in one of those down moments when everyone is homesick and tired and missing hot showers and friends and loved ones and recognizable food. Everyone is tired of each other and the very way they breath seems to grate on nerves. . . when nature jolts you out of your self pity and into noticing its tremendous beauty and power.

Tungurahua is Quechua for “throwing up fire”, and that is exactly what Volcan Tungurahua (pronounced toongurwawa) is doing, throwing up fire, rock, smoke and ash. The town in which we are currently living, Banos is located directly below the volcano. We are not in any danger and have listo mochilas (ready bags) packed in case we have to evacuate. The people of Banos are very efficient and practiced at what to do if the volcano actually erupts and throws lava/magma (as it did in 2006) destroying people and property in its path. Our neighbors, teachers, and FUVIRESE (foundation for disabled people we have been volunteering with) people have all been taking care of us and making sure we know what to do if the evacuation alarm goes off. We are right next to the police station and our neighbors have a family compound they will take us to in a safe zone if the volcano erupts. They have also given us goggles and masks if an eruption emits a dangerous amount of ash into the air.

Right now the volcano is just grumbling. The noise is really loud though, like a gigantic thunder clap. Sometimes there is a big boom and then the volcano kind of chugs like it’s working up an explosive detonation. It reminds me of when a kid has a meltdown and they are crying so hard no sound comes out except a couple of inhalations of breathe and then a huge wail comes out. We have classified the thunderous reverberations into two groups. A boom can be a dog alarm which is loud enough to upset dogs and make them all bark simultaneously as well as a mild window shaking. The second group is a car alarm which is louder and stronger and vibrates enough to set off car alarms and shake the heavy wrought iron and plate glass windows of our apartment.


On Friday (5/28/10) we watched at night from the roof of the apartment and saw a fireworks show close to the photo I tried to upload here (if you google tungurahua mayo 28 2010 there are some great pics). The “Big T” as Max and Jane have named it, put on an amazing nocturnal performance. We could see red lines shooting from the cone into the night sky and then what looked like red rocks hurtling down the cone of the volcano in a blazing path. About 30 seconds later we could hear the booming sound. I think because of the distance there is a delay between what you see and hear similar to watching a storm and seeing the lightning then later hearing the thunder.

During the day you only get the booming sounds and vibrations and on the rare occasion it is clear (we’re in the rainy season here) you can see the smoke pluming up. Without the visuals during the day, the sound is a huge whooshhhhh, something like a giant blowtorch or the sound of shooting off fireworks before you see them. We have gotten some ash here in Banos. It was all over the cars after the first day, but apparently because of wind direction the smoke and ash is all blowing west toward the coast. The city of Guyaquil has literally had black clouds of ash hanging over it for days.

Sleep has been sporadic during the last couple of days. Every time I fall asleep, the volcano lets off a sonic boom and I am jolted awake. This goes on most of the night. Max, however, would like me to inform you his sleep is as sound as ever. Our Spanish teacher says the whole city of Banos and the surrounding area is tired because of Tungurahua. It is also bad for business because the tourists are staying away and tourism is the main industry in Banos.

Paying close attention to nature, Beth signing off Jane, Max, Bruce .

To see some amazing pics and video go to this website:
www.elcomercio.com/2010-05-29/Noticias/Pais/Noticia-Principal/actividad-del-Tungurahua-baja.aspx