Beginning day 3, we set out to visit a rose greenhouse. We learned about care for roses, customer demand, and the different types of roses. We were also gifted beautiful roses. Afterward, we headed back to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we went to a building where we learned a bit about Moncayo’s culture and community. Afterward, we played soccer and volleyball with students from Ecuador, also on a trip. It was raining, but we all had fun. We then packed and ate our last meal at the lodge. We then traveled an hour to a city, and we are currently staying at a hotel. The hotel has a gorgeous view, and we were able to get a balcony with the view. And that’s a wrap for our third day.
On day 4, we woke up at 7 as usual. Today we were going to a market called Pancho Market. I spent $20 on a bracelet and silver earrings. We also checked out a cute cafe, and the iced coffee was huge. Afterwards, we went to a waterfall called Cascade de Peguche. We learned about the indigenous circle of life and Mama Pacha. Afterwards, we took pictures at the waterfall, which was raining onto us. Afterwards we at back to the city near the market and I had a steak with potatoes. Then we went to the Cóndor park, where we got to see many different birds. We also saw dead chicks being fed to the birds. Then Rick and Skip surprised us back at the hotel in Otavalo. They served us Guinea pigs, which was a unique experience. The meat was chewy, and it tasted like chicken. I would recommend. Then the hotel held a special event for us, similar to an equinox. We ate pan, drank a hot juice, and danced around. That ended our day 4!!!
On day 5, we started the day at the equator. The equator had a little museum area where we learned a bit about the history and got to see a garden of cactuses. Then we said goodbye to Gabby( a sad moment). Then we hiked a bit up a mountain called Rio Napa. Afterwards, we headed to the hot spring, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was raining when we arrived, so the hot spring felt incredible. We met an elderly man who told us to go to the cold water, then the hot. We all took turns dunking ourselves, and it was incredibly cold. Afterwards, we ate at the sauna and they served us chicken, trout, and carne. Then we drove towards the Amazon rainforest. We stopped near the cloud forest, but we weren’t able to hike it since it was dark out. After a few more hours, we arrived at our last destination, Iyarina lodge. We saw tarantulas and many other plants and bugs I have never seen( we had to search our room for critters). And that was a wrap to our 5th day!!
Starting our day, we woke up around 7 for breakfast. We had delicious orange juice and ate with some other students from BYU. Then we had a class with Todd, the owner of the lodge, learning about his history and the history of the Waorani tribe. After the lecture, we made ceramics. I made a bowl, which I had to redo like 3 times, and 2 penguins. After ceramics, we had another lecture with Skip learning about cocoa. We then got our boots for a cocoa walk. We were able to try fresh cocoa from Todd’s fields. The cocoa was sweet, sour, and quite addictive. Then we headed back to the lodge for some free time. During our free time, we played some pool and then chilled. That’s the end of our day 6!!