Friday morning was the first time I got to see the lodge in actual daylight, and it was unreal. The whole place is built right into the rainforest, literally on the river, like someone took a treehouse fantasy and made it real. We had breakfast at the main lodge with the river running by below,…
Tag: Plus3 Ecuador
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Swimming Through the Jungle
Today was crazy. We were told that we were going on a river hike, but I thought that we would be walking through a little stream. I was very wrong. We got to the starting point, and I could already tell that this hike was going to be amazing. Before the hike, we were given…
Days 6/7 – The real Amazon
Day 6 – Iyarina Lodge, wow, first full day here, and the walk that felt brutal after travelling the whole day and lugging the luggage at night to the rooms was definitely worth it, it is an amazing walk back and forth between the lodge and tables in the day. We started the day pot…
Clay and Cacao
Day six started with waking up to the sounds of bugs and birds in the rainforest. Today’s breakfast was by far my favorite meal so far. They made us something that was almost like breakfast tamales. They were SO SO GOOD. They tasted like thick crepes, and they were wrapped in leaves. There were also…
First Days at Iyarina Lodge!!
Day 1 at Iyarina Lodge was a blast! We started the day off by having an amazing breakfast with tamales, fresh fruit, and fresh orange juice!! Then we had the opportunity to learn how to handmake our own pottery bowls. It definitely was pretty difficult and we had to start over a few times, but…
Through The Rainforest
Today is Friday, and our last full day before we begin the six hour canoe ride down the Amazon River to visit the Waorani community. I am excited, but a little nervous, and definitely trying not to think too hard about how long I am going to be stuck in a canoe tomorrow. The day…
From the Middle of the World to the Middle of the Clouds
Day five was a travel day but was also packed with many adventures. We woke up a little earlier than usual and had the same breakfast as days previous. Skip wanted to get one last drone shot before we left the hostel, so we all got on the terrace and did that. After we were…
Days 6/7: Swimming is fun
We started day 6 with a very good breakfast which was this long, thick, pancake type of thing, which was absolutely delicious. I still didn’t feel too good from my food poisoning but I still need to try the good food while I’m here. We then made some bowls out of clay which ended up…
I am Tarzan
As I come closer to the end of my second day in the rainforest, I am starting to feel like Tarzan. I woke up to the first real view of the jungle during the day, and I honestly don’t know how to feel, as I am still trying to comprehend what I am seeing. The…
Welcome To The Jungle
Yesterday morning we woke up around 8 am, and had breakfast. We were served crepes with jam, fruits, and coffee. Afterwards, we started our itinerary of making clay pots. An expert ceramicist walked us step by step how to make a traditional pot, and we each had the opportunity to make one. Afterwards, we walked…
From the Equator to the Amazon
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…
Crater Lakes and Hot Springs
To say our venture through Ecuador has been jam-packed would be an understatement. While our first day in Otavalo involved exploring the city, our second focused on the stunning nature that surrounds it. We started the day early, piling into the bus and heading up to the volcano Cotacachi, or as it is known to…
Road Trips, Rainforests, & Really Hot Water
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…
Exploring Nature and Traveling Ecuador
Wednesday started with a gift: waking up to completely clear skies and a direct view of Cotopaxi right from the hotel. After breakfast, we headed up into the volcano and visited a crater lake at the top of the mountain, getting a guided tour with views that made you feel like you were standing inside…
From the Andes to the Amazon
We have now been on our trip for almost an entire week. It has been going by very fast, but we are still having a lot of fun. We went to Cayambe, which is a lake inside an old volcanic crater, and we got a boat tour of it. The views were amazing, and they…
From Cotacachi to Cocoa
It has been a few days since I last blogged, and I have a lot to fill you guys in on. Wednesday, we woke up and headed to Mama Cotacachi. This is the name the locals call the volcano we climbed. Once we got up there, and were on the lake, it was incomprehensible. I…
Happy Travels
Time flies quickly when you’re having fun, and these past two days have flown by. Our travel day started bright and early, around 7:30 am, where we grabbed a quick breakfast. While I was sad to leave such a beautiful area of Ecuador, I was also eager to move on to this next section of…
Crossing The Equator
Going into this trip I told myself there was only one thing I wouldn’t try. However after learning about how important it is to Ecuadorian culture, I decided I could not pass up the opportunity to try guinea pig. I am glad I tried it, but I probably wont be doing that again. Thursday started…
Days 4/5 – Before the Amazon
Last full day in Otavalo and it was a busy one! We started off early with a bus ride to a volcano with a massive caldera lake, where we had a boat tour. We then went on a hike around the perimeter of the lake and got some pretty cool drone shots with Skip’s piloting….
Happy Travel Day!!
I took a break from blogging last night, and lets just say that was a mistake. Looking back on my past two days, we had jam-packed days with amazing stories! On Wednesday, we started the day by driving to the volcano, Cotacachi. There were beautiful views of the volcano and we even got to take…