This was the day we said goodbye to the hotel dogs in Otavalo and we set off on our jam packed schedule bright and early. Our first stop was located at zero degrees latitude, right on the equator! Like, we literally stood right on the line, it was epic. There were also super big agave plants and cacti framed by the landscape of Cayambe.
The next stop was the highest elevation of the trip. I felt out of breath while we walked up the the eastern cordillera of the Andes mountains, but the view was beautiful. We took a jumping photo too, and we jumped after three by the way. We’d been looking forward to the next thing on the agenda a LOT though, the hot springs. The pools of water got hotter and hotter as we went to the higher ones, since the water ran straight from the volcano. A quick jump in the cold pool and running to the hot one made my skin all prickly but it felt SO good.
At this point we were making good time, so we made a quick stop at a gas station where everyone loaded up on snacks and drinks. And baby wipes, of course. We hopped back on the bus and managed to make it to the Cloud Forest before dark, and it was pouring at this point. It is a rainforest though, so we enjoyed it. The skinny, slippery path was shrouded by plants and branches, but it was absolutely beautiful. Some of us thought it kind of looked like Pandora from Avatar.
Finally, we drove to the lodge in Iyarina where we dragged our suitcases across the rock pathway to the “dorms” we were staying in. The rooms feel so close to nature, and after a delicious dinner that night, I fell asleep to the sounds of the animals around me.
Friday I woke up to the bug net still around me and bugs chirping. Breakfast was so good, and they gave us a kind of crepe wrapped up in a leaf like a tamale which I’d never had before but hope to again! Along with plantains, fresh fruits, juice, and jams, I was nice and full for the coming day.
The first activity of the day was with clay, and a woman came from two hours away to reach us how to make clay bowls the traditional way. She’d been making them since she was nine years old, and I definitely needed her help on a lot of the steps. I can’t wait to decorate it next week though. So you’ll have to wait to see the finished product!
Afterwards we spent some time by the river on the small beach before lunch. The heat and our hunger started to pick up, but lunch did not disappoint. It was a vegetable stew, mashed potatoes, watermelon, steamed vegetables, and fresh fruit juice for me. Yum!
Just up the road from the lodge was a small area of cacao trees where they chopped cacao pods right off the tree and opened them up for us to eat the fresh fruit out of. They even kept the seeds we spit out to sell for chocolate production! It was super hot and raining a bit at this point, so we all decided to take advantage of the lodge’s new pool. It was so refreshing and it overlooked the rainforest and Rio Nape river. I felt like I was living in a dream honestly.
Dinner was either the front half or bottom half of a tilapia fish (I got the head), yukas, pineapple, and salad. I’m usually a vegetarian but decided to make an acception for this dish, and it was pretty good! The night ended with a little nighttime nature walk where we saw some huge spiders, and some hanging out with the group. I’ve been loving my time at the lodge and tomorrow is going to be even better.