After a fantastic time around Quito, Picalqui, and Otovalo, we boarded our bus and made our way to the Iyarina Lodge, the part of the trip that I’ve been anticipating the most. During the bus ride, which was filled with twisting and windy mountain roads that put a little fear into me, we got to experience some of the awesome places and characteristics that Ecuador has to offer.

Our first stop was at the Equator park, where we got to stand at exactly 0 degrees north, and we were quite literally in the middle of the Earth, and spent some time getting some great pictures and having laughs. Afterwards, we hopped back on the bus on the way to the cloud forest.

After an incredible scenic view, where I was quite terrified of the rocky and narrow mountain roads, we headed to one of my favorite places in the trip so far, a natural mountain hot spring resort. We got into our swimsuits and had an absolute blasts, doing everything from cold plunges to lounging in some of the hottest water I’ve ever been in, which allegedly was a holistic cure to about every single ailment under the sun. Nevertheless, it was a great time despite a mix-up where we almost got our things stolen from our locker. Afterwards we boarded the bus for the long, narrow, and dark ride to the Iyarina lodge.

After a fire and dinner last night, we awoke this morning to a hearty breakfast and had a lecture from the proprietor Todd about the history of the lodge and the area, where he told us how his family came to live in this area, and we followed that up with a traditional pottery lesson in making macagwa pots! Afterwards, we had a yummy lunch of spaghetti and a lecture on chocolate. We finished the day with going to a local cacao field, harvesting and trying the beans, and another bonfire with the company of friends. So far, the Amazon has been rainy, humid, and loud, but I can’t wait to see what else it has to offer.