Although Quito was wonderful, it’s now time that we continue our adventure further into Ecuador, heading into the Amazon Rainforest. We had a four hour bus ride to our next lodge, Todd’s Lodge, and we made some pretty amazing stops along the way. I can’t decide which was the better part of the day, stopping at the freshwater hot springs, or taking a visit to the cloud forest. The hot springs were rich in natural minerals which felt extremely relaxing and rejuvenating. We then got back onto our bus and made our way to the cloud forest. It was an unbelievable sight. My childhood dreams felt like they were coming true being surrounded by clouds and feeling like I’m truly in the sky. The views were incredible, and we saw some awesome wildlife. On our way out, we stopped to buy some empanadas, and had some of the best coffee we’ve ever had. It was a great stop. And then finally, we arrived in our lodge!

Our first day at the lodge was a blast. We began our morning with what we thought to be a regular hike, but we were very wrong. We ended up hiking upstream the Canayaku River for 6.48 miles! It was exhausting, but it is one of the memories I know that I will cherish forever. It was a truly once in a lifetime experience. Being outside and in almost untouched nature, it was extremely refreshing. I don’t think it will be possible to get any closer to nature than we were this morning. At the end of our hike upstreams, we all got to jump off a small waterfall. The nature was incredibly beautiful, and I felt so alive. The exhaustion was 100% worth it.

Upon returning, we had a visit from Kallari Chocolate. Giovani explained how his business began by selling the cocoa beans, but eventually he began selling chocolate as well. He explained the issues that he’s had with the supply chain and not having enough product for his consumers and the struggles that came with that. He explained about how difficult and expensive it is to obtain the certifications needed to be able to sell his product in Europe and other countries. Unfortunately, there is not enough of a demand for this type of quality chocolate in America for him to be able to break into. I think Kallari chocolate was by far my favorite chocolate that I’ve tasted. The banana chocolate was delicious and my ultimate favorite bar I’ve tried this whole trip so far. As for tomorrow, deeper into the Amazon we go!