At this point I’ve lost track of the days but I think this is day 4 in Ecuador. We woke up nice and early like usual and had the same breakfast as well. At this point the neighbors chickens were really starting to annoy me at night, but I have been so tired I’ve been able to sleep through them screaming practically all night long. It’s actually quite funny because they don’t cock a doodle doo they just scream, and there’s about five or six roosters so that doesn’t really help.  

When we woke up the skies were surprisingly clear of clouds which is pretty rare, so we could finally see the tip of the mountain in front of our hostel. We have gotten really lucky with the weather (knock on wood). We have had a lot of clear skies and sunny days with not a lick of rain. 

One thing I’ve really enjoyed is how colorful Ecuador is. Whether it’s just plants and flowers or buildings and murals. A lot of homes are painted with bright colors and many public buildings have murals on them. The entire country is just filled with so much art and beauty. 

Anyways, after breakfast we went to Parque Nacional Cotacachi Cayapas and started our time off there with a short boat ride around the lake. The park was genuinely one of the most beautiful sceneries I had ever seen. The lake was surrounded by mountains, and the water was so blue. One interesting thing about the lake was that there are no fish in it because the water is contaminated with sulfur gases. We did however see a few birds. I only remember the name of one and it was the slate colored coot. The guide also said on the island there were rabbits and other small animals. 

After our boat ride we decided to do a small hike around the edge of the lake. It wasn’t very long and was less than two miles, but there were LOTS of stairs and the majority of it was up hill. It was well worth the struggle though. It was extra hard because the altitude is so high and the air is so thin. Skip even got a few drone shots of us at one of the peaks. We hiked further than we had originally planned, but I was very happy we decided to do that. During the entire hike there was a small dog who hiked with us. We originally thought was owned by someone who worked in the information building but apparently, he had just shown up that day. I took it upon myself to name him Perry. Perro is dog in Spanish, so I felt like it fit. 

After hiking back, it was time to have lunch. I got a bacon egg and cheese bagel and banana bread from La Cosecha. We ate on picnic tables facing the lake. The bagel really hit the spot, and the banana bread was so delicious. It was sweet, topped with banana chunks, and very moist. When we were all done, we headed to Cascada de Peguche.

When we got there there was a playground, so of course we all had to spend time swinging and playing. After we were done we headed to the actual waterfall, and just like everything else in this country, it was so beautiful. We enjoyed the view for a little bit and started walking back to the bus. When we were at the waterfall my arms got absolutely eaten up by bugs. On the way back to the bus there was a fruit stand where I tried Golden Berry and Granadilla, and I really liked both. The golden berry was almost the texture of a tomato but both sweet and sour. The granadilla was full of seeds that had meat on them and they too were sweet but then sour. I think I liked the granadilla better. 

After our fruitful adventures we hopped back on the bus and went to Condor Park for a little bit. We saw huge condors, falcons, owls, and other birds. It was really cool to see them feeding, and we even got to hold a small falcon. The flowers everywhere were really beautiful and there was lots of what I think was hibiscus in many colors. 

Following that we went back to the hostel where we had a surprise waiting for us. It was guinea pig to eat as an appetizer before dinner. They ordered two and one was whole and the other was cut up. I did end up trying it and it was just like chicken, but the texture was a bit chewier. A couple of the guys even ate the eyes. It was definitely interesting, but I don’t really think I will be eating it again. For dinner we went to Cafe Pachamama. It was a very homey feeling restaurant, and I ordered a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple juice.  

We made our way back to the hostel, and one of my favorite things at the hostel was one of the owners dogs. It was a pug, and she would walk all over the building as if she owned the place. She was so cute and sweet and would fall asleep in a little ball on the chair in the front office. Also when we got back I was looking at the souvenirs in the office and I picked out a couple bracelets for myself, and that was the end of day four.