I am saddened to say that this is my final blog post for Plus3 Ecuador. The last three days of our trip were more relaxed after the blur of activities and experiences we had with the Waorani, with whom we were all reluctant to part. On Wednesday morning, we polished our hardened pottery with rocks…

Sunday began bright and early at 5:30am, as we were finally traveling to see the Waorani! After briefly struggling to get out of bed, Nat and I packed the last of our things and headed over to the main tent. Unfortunately, we had to wait around a bit longer than expected after breakfast because we…

Though I did not know what to expect from our first day at Iyarina, it ended up being far busier than I imagined. After a delicious breakfast of fruit, plantains, and a sweet tamale that reminded me of a Dutch baby pancake, we sat with Ellie as she explained the familial Kichwa tradition of drinking…

Our second day in Quito contained our first introduction to genuine Ecuadorian chocolate. As we pulled out of the city’s old town, we drove north to visit the main site of Bios Chocolate. There, Davide, the grandson of the company’s founder, gave us an extensive history lesson on cacao. He explained the meaning of “fino…

Unfortunately, my first morning was not quite how I imagined it. I woke up lightheaded, nauseous, and with a pounding headache – all telltale signs of altitude sickness. While feeling this way is not uncommon at an elevation of 10,000 feet, I admit I did not hydrate nearly enough in preparation for our arrival (I…