Hello everybody! We just got back from our trip to the jungle! We were given a tour by a local and his family.  When we first arrived we set up our beds and the boys tried to claim dibs on the hammocks but were firmly denied by everyone else.  Prior to lunch we were taken to a view point on the Jatuyaca river and tried lemon ants! They were very sour, just like a lemon.  We also learned about all sorts of plants and their various uses (nail polish, tattoos, hats).  After lunch we hiked into the rainforest to climb some waterfalls. The first one we did not climb but swam around instead. Some people even stood underneath the waterfall.  Soaking wet, we climbed to the next waterfall where we used helmets, harnasses and ropes to climb up. On our way back to camp, we pretended to be Tarzan, swinging on one of the vines hanging off a tree.  For dinner we had fresh Tilapia although some people did not enjoy it very much. The next day, our guide took us to play soccer and volleyball followed by a refreshing swim in the lagoons.  They had a very strong current in some places so we were able to slide down the rocks like a slide. After a seemingly normal lunch, our guide brought out a huge local grub that some `people ate fried.  It was very, very salty.  Ben, being extremely adventurous, ate one alive.  He didn´t even throw up! After lunch we learned about the medicinal plants and the way the locals catch animals for food.  They then taught us how to pan gold in a small stream.  It was a lot of work for barely a fleck of gold! Also in this river, we found rocks that could be used as facepaint! The local family provided us with a ceremony.  It was hard to understand at times because it had to be translated.  We learned about local traditions, instruments and even acted out a traditional marriage ceremony! Today we had breakfast and headed back to Tena before starting our project phase in Puma Rumi tomorrow.
-Katie and Allie

Tena

Hello from Tena! After we finished our 5-day trek around Quilotoa, we headed back to Angie´s hostel near El Chaupi, where we were well-rested for our one-day volcano summit of Rumiñaui, which is in Cotopaxi national park and faces the Cotopaxi mountain (oh, and the name of the province is also Cotopaxi). The next day (yesterday) was a travel day, and we took a one-hour bus ride back to Quito and from there a six-hour bus ride into Tena, the capital of the Napo province and essentially the entrance to the Amazon. We went exploring the city in small groups to find dinner last night, and we all found some pretty decent restaurants and street food, but nothing extremely eccentric as far as I know. (No one besides Mr. Sansoni has yet had the opportunity to eat cuy, which is guinea pig, though Ben and I and I think a few others are on a quest to find some. Thing is, you can´t find that here in the Oriente region so easily. It´s more of a highlands dish. In fact, though they do have it here in Ecuador, I´m pretty sure it´s actually Peruvian. ... Close enough. Though I recall that here in the Amazon we may find lemon ants and cooked pihranna. YES.) Anyway, today we went whitewater rafting on the Napo River and it was fantastic! I think everyone had a blast and was also really happy to have a shower afterwards back at out our hostel. Anyway, tomorrow we are starting our 3-day Amazon trek, and after that our service project (which i believe is five days) in Puma Rumi!

-Marielle

Quilotoa and Chuccilan

It's been a few days since our last update, so happy belated fourth of July! Today is Day three of our main trek near Quilotoa lagoon. On Day one, we hiked from the town of Zumbahua, up over the crater, and then stayed at a campsite a few minutes from the ridge of the crater. Yesterday, we went to the observatory over the lagoon. It was absolutely beautiful, and it inspired us for the days to come! We then hiked around the crater for about five hours to the village of Quilotoa, where we stayed at the Crater Lake Lodge for the night. In Quilotoa village, we experienced a nearby artisan market, where many of us bought alpaca sweaters, hats, and other souvenirs for loved ones back home! Today, a few of us who were feeling a bit under the weather rode a truck to the next campsite site, where the whole team later decided to stay in the hostel for tonight. We're all thankful for warm beds and a nice meal or two! The rest of the team arrived later in the afternoon. Tomorrow is our last day near Quilotoa, and the next day we will be going back to El Chaupi, from where we will be going to Ruminaui volcano for our one-day trek. After that will be another travel day during which we will descend from the Andes to the Amazon, starting in Tena with white-water rafting. You'll hear from us soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their time at home!

-Marielle and Kelleigh

On the Mountain.

Our first hike and camping!

The past few nights have been spent outdoors. We camped outside for the first time in a little hostel owned by a nice women named Cecila who has set up a great deal of our trip. We ended up in this hostel late Saturday night, and we set up tents before it got dark. We were also treated to a lovely dinner, in fact all the meals here have been delcious.
Yesterday we went for a nice long hike around a mountain in five hours. The scenery was absolutely beautiful; there were tons of cows, dogs and chickens and it was a clear day so we could see lots of other surrounding mountains. The hike was difficult, but we all made it around, up, and then down the mountain. We passed by very few houses, and fewer people but the houses that we did see, it was amazing that they could live so far from a city. The landscape was beautiful and the hills were quite stunning. And even though it was an enjoyable walk, we are all happy to have gotten back to base camp.
Currently, our group of 16 students and 3 adults are spilt into three groups each in charge of a different task. Tomorrow we will start our five day treck, and to prepare for that one group is purchasing food, another is taking care of a phone that won´t charge and the last is updating the parents!
So much has happened, and there are so many little details that <i could go into. In one instance a bus so quite full but we all piled in. The sign on one bus (we´re learning how to read and speak Spanish) said that the maximum occupancy standing is 25 people.....and there were 19 of us just standing alone. The roads are bumpy, some houses have a single wall with a door that goes no where and lots of stray dogs. Even so we have enjoyed our time here, we still have lots more good times to come.
People have climbed a mountain, even when they didn´t think they could, people are learning to Speak Spanish and communicate, and we are learning how to read maps and navigate around a city. Our group has made a lot of progess, and I can honestly saw that we have gotten so much closer. I will end this blogpost, but we will be on our main treck for the next five days and have no access to internet cafe´s and thus there will be no blogpost for a few days. Wish us luck on the next phase of our journey!

Our view of Cotopaxi yesterday morning.  This is not a postcard, amazingly.

WE MADE IT!

 The Group sin Skilleto.

Skilleto en la ventana.

We made it to Ecuador! Yesterday was an entire day of travel and today is our first full day in Quito. Even though there were some confusing flight changes and a near-mishap with the skytran in Miami, everyone made it safely to Quito and checked into our hotel. After a whopping 4 hours of sleep, we were up again to plan the rest of our trip. We met our in-country agent, Gary, who gave us helpful tips for the rest of the expedition. He talked about making phone calls to organizations we´re plaññing to meet later, such as Sharksky, the company in the Galapagos. Around noon, we split into three groups: one to buy food, one to buy a phone and sim card, and one to go to an internet cafe to confirm our reservations and write a blog post (this would be us).

Most of us can feel the difference in altitude already, but everyone is doing well.

-Maggie and Marielle (with Skillet watching over the shoulder... by the way, this keyboard has both an Ñ and a Ç... this is awesome.)

Quito

When we land in Ecuador, we'll be in Quito, the capital! Here's some useful information for our stay in the area.

• Elevation: 9,350 feet (highest functioning capital city!)
• Quito's closest volcano is Pichincha, looming over the western side of the city (which is also active)
• Quito has a fairly constant cool climate, with spring-like weather year-round
• Quito is divided into three areas, separated by hills:
1. Central: houses the colonial old city
2. Southern: is mainly industrial and residential, and a working-class housing area.
3. Northern: is the modern Quito, with high-rise buildings, shopping centers, the financial district, and upper-class residential areas and some working-class housing areas.
• The MetroBusQ network, locally known as "Red Integrada de Transporte Público", is the bus system running in Quito, going from south to north. It's divided into three sections- green, red, and blue

Overall, Quito is more practical than interesting, though it is incredibly beautiful for a city! Pictures have been enclosed below.

Artwork that shows the city in the mid-18th century.

Cotopaxi! (19,347 ft.)



Gold leaf interior of the Church of the Society of Jesus in the The Historic Centre of Quito.