More Adventures!

Sadly, we had to leave our families in Ecuador. Our final night we had a small fiesta with a great meal, special cake, and an exchange of gifts. Maura, Menardo, Paula, Johana, and the kids are definitely my second family. I hope to return and stay with them.

We loaded the bus and headed to many more places. . . .

One day the group took the bus to Ibarra then transferred to a train to travel into the mountains. We road on top of the single car train. As we passed through the city passengers yelled "duck" and we bent down to miss the overhead wires. As we entered the mountain regions we would duck for tree branches and as we traveled through at least a dozen tunnels. The scenery was breathtaking.

We arrived at the Golondrinas Ecological Reserve after a challenging ride us the mountains on dirt and mud roads. We were stuck several times, but the expert drivers got us to the top. We were in the rainforest/cloudforest at the top of another mountain. We visited two very small schools, one room, limited supplies. Saw a dead Fer de Lance snake on the playground. Then we continued our hike up the mountain on a very small and steep path following a river. Finally we reached the waterfalls and went swimming. The magical part of the waterfall is once you bath in it, you must return to Ecuador before you die. Another travel opportunity!

Another day we visited the El Angel watershed and paramo. Our bus trip up the mountain ended with a crunch. As we traveled through potholes the radiator hit a rock. We made it to the top in a pick up truck and another smaller bus. Of course, we were all wondering how were we getting back. The park guides took us on a hike to the two lakes at the top of the watershed. We met the first women to become a park ranger and heard her story. The path was stone covered. The rest of the paramo was covered in grass and frailejones, a unique plant found only in this region. The area is like a gigantic sponge holding all the water for the region. It is like walking on a mattress. The final challenge of the walk was the final climb to the highest peak, about 13,000 feet up. We made it! It was cold and wet in the area. We were in the clouds, so no view of the area that day. In the end, another bus was sent to pick us up, and we made to our next stop, Valle de Chota and the Hosteria de Palmira.

In Valle de Chota we visited the village of Mascarilla, home to AfroEcuadorians.
These people were descendants of slaves brought over by the Spanish to work. Even today they depend on the agriculture. Approximately ten years ago the papaya crop was wiped out by disease and the group needed to find an alternative source of income. Now they are farmers and artists making masks of clay and jewelry.

When we arrived in Valle de Chota the children were at the local summer camp. We took time to teach them songs and games. They taught us their songs and games too.
The middle schoolers easily beat the teachers at soccer. Some of the best Ecuadorian soccer players are AfroEcuadorian.

The group had a relaxing afternoon and evening at the Hosteria de Palmira. We went swimming, did laundry, read books, played cards and had a wonderful meal of Sea Bass. In the evening, we watched the full moon appear over the Andes Mountains.

In the morning we returned to Quito. On the way we stopped at Atuntaqui for ice cream and returned to Otavalo for some final shopping. We arrived in Quito for lunch and an afternoon exploring the city. This is also our time to RE pack for our trip to the Amazon. We are allowed one back pack for our week stay at the Yachana Lodge on the Napo River. Don´t know if we will have phone or internet access, maybe by satellite. Can´t wait to get there. We fly from Quito to the city of Coca. From there we take a three hour ride in a boat to the lodge. Wow, what an adventure.