Our 3rd full day in Ecuador featured the biggest change of scenery in our entire trip. We left the buzzing streets of Quito and headed into wilderness. The area we traveled to an area that featured towering mountains and grassland. We first stopped at a point that was 13,000 ft which gave us breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. We took a few pictures from the top before we drove to our second location which was a hot spring pool. It was incredible to step into an all-natural heated pool. The local hot springs flowed right into the pool, and it created an immersive experience. Since it was all-natural water, there was no chorine in the pool which meant that I could open my eyes underwater. We then traveled to a hummingbird sanctuary which was one of the highlights of the trip. It is amazing to see how hummingbirds fly. Its motion and agility It is even more amazing to see a rare species called the woodstar. It was amazing to see this bird because it flies more like a bee than a hummingbird. I was able to catch a glimpse of a few including a slow-mo video of the hummingbird drinking its sugar water. I between that and our next stop included some of the amazing natural features I have ever seen. There were towering mountains covered with rocks, grass, and waterfalls. It was amazing to the water fall from the mountain into the white water below. We stopped by a restaurant. I had a chicken apadana for the price of $7. It is crazy to see the portion and the price difference between Ecuador and the U.S. In Ecuador the price is much lower, and the portion sizes are smaller. I found that the portion sizes are much more reasonable, and you feel a lot more refreshed after meals. Afterwards we headed to the sky forest. It was hiking trail 13,000 ft above sea level. We were in a cloud, so it was hard to see anything. We eventually headed to the lodge that would be our home for the next 2 nights. We hit a mudslide which slowed down the trip a little bit. The lodge we were staying at is an educational facility owned by a man named Todd. We shared the facility with a group from Arizona State. It rests beside the Rio Napo which is a tributary to the Amazon River

After a great night of sleep, we were treated with a hike to see Cocoa plants. The cocoa plants were nothing like I expected. Inside the plant is actually a sour fruit. I originally thought that cocoa beans would be inside of the plant. The fruit was really sour, but it was good. What actually happens is that you need to dry the fruit for a few days in order to make cocoa. We harvested it and put it in a bucket. Afterwards, our guide back at the lodge made us chocolate. He grinds cocoa in a blender and started the chocolate making process. After grinding, he mixed the cocoa with water and sugar to make the chocolate we ate, and it was delicious. Afterwards we had a chocolate taste test from a local company. What was different about this taste test was everything was a mystery. One piece of chocolate was theirs and one was a competitor’s. For example, our milk chocolate sample was compared to Hershey’s. I noticed after tasting chocolate during the trip that I noticed certain things that I would have noticed before about Hershey’s chocolate. It actually has a sour aftertaste because it uses sour milk. The rest of the day was spent relaxing which was really nice after all of the nonstop action from the previous 3 days.