Wednesday, May 13th, was an early morning. We woke up and got breakfast as a group in the Hotel in Otavalo. I had eggs, croissant, and coffee again, but I am not tired of it yet! It tastes so yummy! We got on the bus and drove to Cotacachi. Cotacachi is a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. The first thing we did when we got there was go on a bus ride. It took about 30 minutes for us to go around the lake. We learned more things about the land and ecosystems, and got really cool pictures as well.
After the boat ride, it was time for our hike. We hiked as a group along the lake and stopped along the way for some more pictures. We hiked for an hour and nine minutes total and went 2 miles. It was definitely hot, and the air felt thin because of the high elevation, but we made it to a breathtaking overlook and got an incredible view of the lake and mountain ranges. Skip made sure to get an incredible video of us at the top of the mountain from his drone.
After the long hike in the heat and the boat ride, we ate our lunch at Cotacachi before getting on the bus and going to Parqueadero Cascadas De Peguche, which means Peguche Waterfall Park in English. Here we saw a stunning waterfall and got incredible pictures. There were many stray dogs at this park as well! We got cute pictures of them, too! After the waterfall, we hopped back on the bus and drove to Parque Cõndor (Condor Park) to see the national bird of Ecuador (the Condor) and more birds and wildlife. It was sad to see all the birds tied up in this exhibit, but it was really educational and interesting. After our boat ride, hike, waterfall visit, and seeing the national bird, we finally made our way back to the hotel before dinner.
Before we got dinner in downtown Otavalo, the owners of the hotel, Gabby (our tour guide), Skip, and Rick had a surprise for us. They told us to go to the dining room because there was an appetiser before dinner. Before it was too late, an entire cooked guinea pig was sitting in front of me. As grossed out, it made me feel I had to try it, just to say I ate guinea pig in Ecuador (a popular meat even sold in restaurants here). After that, we got on the bus and drove to dinner. I got the most delicious hamburger with fresh avocado on it. We went back to the hotel after we finished eating and made sure our bags were packed and ready for the morning because we had a long travel day ahead of us!
The next morning (May 14th), we woke up early again, grabbed a quick breakfast, and got on the bus, where we would be spending the majority of the day with stops along the way. The first stop was at the Quitsato Sundial, an equator museum. This was so cool to see in person. I got the best picture of me handstanding on the equator line. Skip took a group photo of all of us balancing on the line. We learned a lot about the sun, astronomy, and how everything revolves around the equator. After that, we made a quick stop and took a picture on the side of the road in the mountains because it was the highest elevation we would be at on the entire trip. The air felt so thin to breathe. I was out of breath from walking!
Our next stop on the bus ride was at the Papallacta Hot Springs. This was an absolute highlight of the trip. It was such a cool experience. The pools for the hot springs were man-made, but the water itself was from rivers and inside the mountains surrounding us. The Pools were so hot, the hottest being 104 degrees, which felt nice at first, but dehydrating after a while. There was also a cold pool that made your body feel numb and took your breath away… literally. When I went underwater for a second and came back up for air, I found it hard to fill my lungs.
We changed out of our bathing suits at the hot springs locker room and got lunch there (I got chicken, rice, and veggies, with a vanilla cappuccino for dessert and some caffeine). Then it was time to get back on the bus and travel some more. We luckily had enough time before it got dark to stop at a Cloud Forest in Quijos. It was pouring rain when we walked into the forest to see it up close, which made it kind of hard to enjoy, but that’s the type of weather you’re gonna get in the Amazon Rainforest.
We made one more stop at a rest stop to grab some necessary snacks (sour gummy worms and Gatorade to stay hydrated), then it was a straight shot to the Amazon Andies Field School. Here we met Ellie (Tod’s daughter) (Tod is the owner of the land)). She led us to our rooms for the night. The rooms were very nice for being in the middle of the rainforest. We then ate dinner as a group in the meeting house. We got homemade chicken and rice with salad and chocolate-covered bananas for dessert. Nora (my roommate) and I went back to the room to shower and fall asleep after our long travel day full of adventure. The beds we were sleeping in have bug nets around them, so creepy crawlies don’t climb on me while I sleep!
The next day (May 15th) was our first full day at the Amazon Andes Field School. We woke up, got dressed for the day in athletic gear, and made sure to put sunscreen on. The sun here is brutal. Then we met in the field house for breakfast. We ate these pancake-tasting tamale things with fruit and coffee. They were sooo good. After breakfast, it was time for pottery. Ellie and her aunt (who has been doing pottery since she was nine and it is her life’s work) lead us through the bowl-making process.
After pottery, we walked down to the Rio Napo (Napo River) and skipped a few rocks. We met two little girls who live here and played with them. They only spoke spanish so there was definitely a language barrier there. Then we got lunch, which consisted of watermelon, mashed potatoes, and chili. We then took a trip to a cacao plantation and harvested our own cacao. We were able to taste the cocoa beans straight from the pods. On our walk back to the Field School, it started raining, which felt incredible. It was so hot outside. We got dinner around 7 and then went on a nature walk once the sun went down. We saw some huge spiders, grasshoppers, and interesting-looking plants, to say the least.
The past three days have been so busy, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
