Today(5/13) started with the standard breakfast at the Hostel with eggs, bread, and juice. We then went down to Cotacachi to have a ride on a boat on the lake. The view of the lake was absolutely beautiful. The lake was so blue that it was truly breathtaking since I am so used to the murky waters in the States. After the boat ride, we took a hike up to one of the various ridges to get some views of the lake as well as some drone shots. Since we were very high in elevation, the hike was quite challenging, but it was well worth it once I saw the views from the ridge. After that, we got some lunch, and we were off to Parqueadero Cascadas De Peguche, which is the Peguche Waterfall Park. There we saw a very nice waterfall and got to feel the mist of the waterfall on our hot skin. Again, the view was stunning, so we got some more pictures. After that, we went to Parque Cõndor (Condor Park) to see the Condor, which is Ecuador’s national bird. Once we stepped into the park, I was struck by the number of birds they had. I saw and even got to hold a little falcon. I also saw various owls in addition to the condor. But the coolest thing was when we saw the condor fly, and the wingspan of such a majestic animal was awesome. After that, we ended the night with a dinner before going to bed, which is what I thought would happen, but we had a surprise waiting for us at the hostel. The owners then brought out a whole Gineau Pig!!! I tried it, and it was alright, but not my kind of meat. So that was the end of the day.

Today(5/14), we woke up early, grabbed breakfast, and got on the bus, where we would be spending the majority of the day traveling. The first stop was at the Quitsato Sundial, which is an equator museum. We got to see the equator line as well as some education on the equator from the tour guide. After that, we made a quick stop and took a picture in the mountains because we were over 13,000 feet in elevation. The air was quite thin there as well. Our next stop on the bus ride was at the Papallacta Hot Springs. We tried various pools, ranging from ice-cold to boiling hot. It was so nice to just be able to relax in the hot pool. We took a few pictures and grabbed some food after that. Then it was time to get back on the bus and travel to the cloud forest, where we took a short hike through the rainforest in the pouring rain. I only had Crocs on, so I got pretty wet, but it turned out to be pretty fun. We then made it to the Amazon Andies Field School. Here we met Ellie, Todd’s daughter, who led us to our rooms for the night. The first thing that struck me was how cool the rooms were. They were made out of stone for the majority of the room. I also got my first experience with mosquito nets above the bed to put over you while you sleep, so the bugs don’t bite you while you sleep. We ended the night off with a nice dinner before going to bed.

Today(5/15), we woke up, got dressed for the day, and put sunscreen on. Then we met for breakfast, where we had this pancake batter mixture wrapped in a leaf that was very tasty. After breakfast, it was time for pottery. Ellie’s Aunt (who is an actual stud when it comes to pottery) led us through the pottery process. I really was terrible at it, but it was still very fun. After pottery, we walked down to the Napo River and skipped a few rocks. Then we got lunch, which consisted of chili. We then took a trip to a cacao tree and harvested our own cacao. We were able to taste the cocoa beans straight from the pods.  While we were walking back to the lodge, it started raining, which was nice to cool us off. We got dinner around and then went on a walk in the dark to cap off the night. Everything here is massive compared to the States.

I can’t wait to see what’s next in this trip