Shell and the Amazon

Happy Thanksgiving! Well at least that’s what you’ve been celebrating in the US. We just got back from our Amazon trip today so I’ll go over some of the highlights:

Sunday we left Riobamba, but we had to make a lot of stops including the doctor. A lot of people forgot to bring sunglasses to the mountain so they needed their eyes checked afterward. Yoan’s eyes were the worst, and I feel bad that his first snow experience included a few days of snow blindness. (On this trip all of the guys got really sick at one point, and my stomach hated me after a big burger from a street vendor in Riobamba.) We drove east to Shell, which served as our base for the rest of the trip. We had a wooden hostel that was really cool looking, but it was frustrating when our bathroom light broke and we ran out of water.


Left: Eating Jungle Ants. Right: Yoan and I.
---More pictures can be found here.

We had no idea what our schedule would be like in the jungle because everything was planned around our flights into the Amazon. Monday the weather prevented us from flying, but it was really nice in Shell. Instead we rented a nature guide and headed into the jungle by car. We started off at an Arapaima fish hatchery, then we went trekking into the jungle. We headed out along a river and did cool stuff like tribal face painting, eat ants off of leaves, and make clay masks from river mud. Along the way we say a lot of cool plants and wildlife, including giant spiders). Finally we reached a tall waterfall at the end that we could swim under. Afterward we floated down another river in handmade wooden canoes, and visited an indigenous tribe that gave us some chicha (the fermented corn drink). Then we went to a monkey refuge and got to see a bunch of monkeys. This was scary at first because some were demonic looking, but I eventually gave in and played with them.


Left: Holding. Right: Petting.
---More pictures can be found here.

Tuesday was our day to fly into the jungle and after being weighed and sorted into two groups, we were set to head out first. We got in the Cessna and went through the preflight check with the pilot, but after he started the engine we weren’t cleared for take off. The weather was too cloudy out where we were headed. We were disappointed but headed into Puyo, a nearby town for shopping. There were a lot of tourist stores there, but we were able to kill some time. Our next attempt took us through the whole process again, but right before we were cleared to take off, one of the gauges in the plane wasn’t working. So instead of two planes flying out into the Amazon together for a few hours, we had to resort to one plane flying each group out for just a few minutes.

This was still really fun though, and we got to visit a Waorani village that wasn’t too far away. Our Cessna flight took us just over thirty minutes each way and all we could see were green trees and scattered villages. Our group was the second to go, and when we landed a bunch of villagers came out to greet us. They painted our faces and put grass crowns on our heads, and we met their leader, Dyuwi (pronounced ‘Dewey’). Dyuwi was one of the original men from the spearing party in 1956, during Operation Auca. This was the first attempt for outsiders to reach the isolated tribe, who were known for brutal violence. It’s a really touching story and was also made into a movie: The End of the Spear.


Left: Waorani Villagers. Right: The Children.
---More pictures can be found here.

Wednesday was a more adventure filled day and we started out river rafting nearby on the Pastaza. The Rio Pastaza is a river that runs through Ecuador and Peru and is a large tributary to the Amazon. There were some pretty sweet rapids, including one called ‘King Kong’s Hand’. I was put in a group with Jenna, Kelsey, and Amy and we had a crazy guide. During one of the small rapids he called his mom on his cell phone and at one point he just jumped out of the boat for the heck of it. He let us tip the raft too which was really fun.


Left: Getting Ready. Right: Padding Downstream.
---More pictures can be found here.

Afterward we visited the Paillon del Diablo (the devil’s cauldron), a huge waterfall we hiked down to. We were also able to crawl up to the top in a small cave, where we got soaked! Then we rode a terabita (gondola) across a valley to another waterfall. (I forgot my camera on this trip.) We also had some free time in Baños so Thad and I walked over to the famous thermal baths. But we were bummed out when we found out they were closed. (The only hour they close each day was the hour we were there!) So we just walked around town and visited the big cathedral.

Well, that’s the gist of what we did. We left early this morning and got back in time for a Thanksgiving meal with some of the other missionaries. That was really cool, and better than the food we ate in the jungle. Tomorrow is graduation (and Yoan’s birthday) so we’re just going to hang out here in Quito. Apparently we are going to have a feast too (hence the live sheep tied up outside of my dorm room). Saturday morning we fly out to Guayaquil (a coastal city) and then we head for the Galapagos on Sunday. I am really excited for that. It’s so crazy that I’m already flying home in nine days. Well, hasta luego!

A Weekend of Mountaineering

This weekend Thad and I had our trip to Cotopaxi and it was an amazing experience. We decided to climb this mountain for a number of reasons. It’s the second tallest mountain in Ecuador at 19,348 feet, but it’s not as technical as other huge mountains. (You don’t have to know a whole lot about mountaineering, you just have to be in really good shape.) It’s one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, and because of the equitorial bulge, it’s also one of the farthest points from the center of the earth. Also, it’s an Ecuadorian icon and the most climbed mountain in the Andes because of this and it’s easy accesibility.


Volcán Cotopaxi: (Not my picture, it was too cloudy.)

Saturday morning we met up with our guide in Quito and headed down to the national park. Segundo was cool but he didn’t really remind us of a mountain guide. He spoke barely any English (except for swear words and glacier commands) and talked more about hot girls than anything else. But he was hilarious and fun to be around.

First on the itenerary was to climb Volcán Rumiñahui, a fifteener inside the park for more acclimation. We drove up to a lake at about 12,600’ and started trekking uphill toward the mountain. It was cloudy and we could barely see the peak but the surrounding area was still really pretty. We hiked through a lot of páramo grass and wound our way up part of the crater rim, but unfortunately we had to turn back at the rocky part of the mountain (just over 13,800’). It was raining pretty hard and there were some thunderstorms, which are dangerous in climbing that kind of rock. Originally we were going to rope up and scramble to the top, so that was disappointing.


Left: Nearby Rumiñahui. Right: Hiking.
---More pictures can be found here.

During the hike Segundo kept asking us if we needed any breaks, but we felt fine with the altitude. He told us we were in a lot better shape than most people, and our first forty minutes of hiking can take others up to two hours with the elevation. Meanwhile our clothes were getting soaked and I realized the jacket they gave me was really cheap because it was soaking wet on the inside. The last part of the decent turned into a slippery swamp and it was hard getting back to the car.

Afterward we headed for a lodge in the park that was just over 12,200’. We had our own cabin, but there was no heat or electricity and it got pretty cold. We tried to dry our clothes with a fire in the fireplace but this didn’t work out too well. Finally we resorted to sleeping with our wet clothes because we didn’t bring very much. That wasn’t too fun, but at least they were somewhat dry in the morning. The lodge had good food and we were served coca tea along with our meals. (It’s popular in mountanous countries and apparently it can help altitude sickness.)

After breakfast we took off for the José Rivas Refuge, on the side of Cotopaxi. It’s really popular among park visitors but it’s mainly for climbers staying the night. We parked the car in a parking area at about 14,700’ and then we made the hike up to the refuge, which was over a thousand feet higher. This took about forty minutes, and we had to carry full backpacks with gear and full summit packs. This was a lot of weight and it felt good to get to the top. There were a lot of interesting people there from all over the world who were really into mountaineering. We were supposed to hike up to the glacier and learn some techniques for crampons (spikes for ice and snow) and ice axe, but there was a rainstorm and we weren’t able to. We didn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of wet clothes again. Segundo told us it was easy enough to figure out, so we felt alright about it. At least we'd have a guide with us on the mountain.


Left: Finally Made It! Right: Refuge Trail.
---More pictures can be found here.

It was cool staying at the refuge but insanely hard to sleep. On top of trying to sleep in really high altitude, there were probably 40 people staying in the same room and there wasn’t a whole lot of personal space. Plus we had to go to bed super early so we could wake up around midnight, which is the best time for climbing before the snow starts to melt in the sun. By the time the first alarm clock went off around 11 pm, I barely got over an hour of sleep and I couldn’t get much more with all of the noise of people getting ready. We stayed in our sleeping bags until Segundo woke us up around midnight, and after breakfast we found out we would be the last group to leave the refuge.

We started the climb at about 1:15 am and trudged uphill in the snow with our headlamps. It felt good to get going, but it was hard on such little sleep. We had a pretty good pace though and even passed a couple groups in the beginning. After about an hour, we arrived at a glacier where we had to put on our crampons and a lot of other people were there too. We roped up quickly and passed them while they were still starting on the ice. It wasn’t too hard walking in the crampons, but it got more and more challenging as the mountain got steeper. It got really steep, but we didn’t need a whole lot of rest and kept passing groups. The glaciers and crevices weren't too hard to navigate, but I lost my balance a couple times trying to toe in with the crampons. Finally we passed the last group and were leading the way. I was sucking air big time at the top, but kept plugging away. It’s crazy how hard altitude gets as you keep getting higher and higher.

We finally got to the summit at 5:45 am, just as the sun was rising. It was cloudy though and we couldn’t see much. (I made a snow angel at the top too.) Our ascent only took four and a half hours, which was crazy fast. (My guidebook says that route takes 5-7.) I still couldn’t believe that we passed everyone because some groups left almost an hour earlier than us. This felt really surreal and we had no idea we would do so well. Other people were impressed and congratulated us as we were coming down, and that felt really good. A couple of guides were even surprised too. There were people with a lot more mountaineering experience than we had, but we were in better altitude shape. It helps living at over 9,000 for three months and running and hiking a lot.


Left: At the Top! Right: Snow Angel at 19,348 feet.
---More pictures can be found here.

The descent wasn’t so fun though. I got altitude sick on the way down and had a horrible naseua headache. (I figured this was a combination of the fast ascent and little sleep.) Because of this I had to take a lot more breaks going down. It was cool to see everything in the daylight though and there were a lot of ice crevices that we couldn’t see at night. I wanted to take a lot of pictures, but my hand went numb everytime I took my glove off. Finally we got to the bottom of the last glacier and decided to slide down to the reguge. We did this sitting down with our ice axes as brakes and we were able to go pretty fast. Afterward we hiked back to the car and drove back to Quito. We got back at noon and still had the whole day!

It’s crazy how fast the semester has gone. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our last day of class and we have our final presentations on Wednesday. After that we have a field trip on Thursday and two weeks of travel after that. The first week will be to Riobamba and the oriente (Amazon), and the last week will be in Guayaquil and the Galapagos. This will be a lot of fun and it’s hard to fathom that I’m flying home in 18 days. Anyway, hasta luego.

Five-Day Break

This past weekend we had a five-day break! The first two days of November are Ecuadorian federal holidays to celebrate the Day of the Dead, but President Correa declared Wednesday off as well. Actually, we pretty much had a six-day break because Friday we just made traditional holiday foods: colada morada is a thick, delicious drink with a bunch of fruits and spices cooked together, and guaguas de pan (bread babies) are small loaves of bread that are rolled with filling and decorated to look like little people.

Last Thursday, Thad and I booked a guided tour of Volcán Cotopaxi, which we’d been talking about doing for a while. At 19,347 feet, it’s one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and an Ecuadorian icon. Also because of the earth’s shape, it’s one of the closest points to the sun. It’s not as technical as other huge mountains, but it will still be a challenge and we’ve been trying to get ready for it. Our tour is the second weekend in November, so we still have a week.

Sorry this post is late…we’ve been without internet for a couple days now. I’m uploading this with wifi at the mall. Anyway, this past weekend can pretty much be summarized with two activities. First, Thad and I went up north and climbed Volcán Imbabura and then we headed south with Josué to a rural hostel in the middle of nowhere.

Volcán Imbabura

Left: Over 15,000 Feet! Right: Heading back down.
---More pictures can be found here.

Thad and I wanted to climb another mountain and we decided to go to Volcán Imbabura, a fifteener a couple hours north of Quito. It’s not as tall as a lot of the other volcanoes, but it’s a really physical hike that appealed to us. According to the internet and our guidebooks, La Casa Aída was the only hostel by the mountain so we decided to go there. Originally we were going to leave on Saturday morning, but Thad’s roommate convinced us to stick around for an indigenous wedding that was happening on campus. (The seminary shares a campus with a conference center, so there are often interesting events.) The wedding turned out to be really similar to one back home and we were the only gringos there.

Afterward, we had to buy bus tickets for Ibarra and we ended up waiting in line at the terminal for over two hours, which was almost as long as our bus ride. When we finally made it to Ibarra we caught a taxi to La Esperanza, a small neighboring village at the foot of the volcano. We ended up getting a crazy driver, who wasn’t too professional (dressed in sweat pants and texting) and drove really fast. He was all over the place, narrowly missing huge potholes in the rocky indigenous roads. Once we got to La Esperanza he didn’t know where our hostel was so he had to pull over and ask. He finally found it, but didn’t have change for a $20 and told me to go ask the hostel owner. The owner and the locals in the restaurant didn’t have smaller bills either, but they managed to scrounge together $5 in coins. That was awkward to ask for money, but they were super chill and said we could pay them back through the owner.

During our stay, the hostel owner was accommodating and a really good cook. After putting our packs in our room we had an awesome dinner of tomato soup, veggie omelet, and beef strips. The cheapest rooms were $7 a person and meals were only $3 each. When we told her our plans to hike the mountain she generously offered to serve us breakfast at 6 am and hired a truck for us to get to the trailhead.

Sunday we woke up early to a pancake breakfast and a truck picked us up afterward. Our hostel was just below 9,000’ and the truck ride took us through the scenic countryside to almost 11,000’. There we started the hike through a lot of parámo (tall mountain grass) that looked really cool but was hard to see around. We soon got lost and ended up wandering the wrong direction on an animal trail. (Note to self: buy a topographic map if you go to a mountain that isn’t climbed a lot.) After roaming aimlessly for a while, we finally figured out the right direction and saw the main trail, where a group of climbers caught up with us. With amazing luck it turned out to be a mountain guide who was taking his son and nephew up that mountain for their first time. He had made the trek over 100 times and offered to give us a free tour.

Ivan was really knowledgeable and pleasant to be around. He was able to answer every question we had and told us a lot about the native plant and bird species as well. Once we got above 13,000’ we lost visibility in the clouds and it was nice to know where to go. There was some fun scrambling (rocky sections where you have to use your hands) and we weren’t able to see a whole lot. Finally we made it up to the first summit at around 15,000’ and had lunch. There are two summits connected by the crater rim, and the second is only 100-200’ higher but it adds an extra two hours on to the trip. He said it was best to head back after lunch so we stuck with him. Overall our round trip was 8 hours and he gave us a ride back to our hostel.

It was funny because back at the car he said something I didn’t understand (about a coin jiggling in his glove box) and when I asked him to say it again he managed to describe it in English. I was surprised and commented in Spanish how good his English was, and then in perfect English he said: “Well I have to speak it to be a guide because a lot of clients are English speaking. I speak French too.” This was mind blowing to have known him so long on the mountain and we didn’t even know he spoke our language. He gave us an awesome experience and we were thankful for his selflessness and generosity.

Afterward we decided to stay another night in the hostel and wanted to meet up with the others in Otavalo the next day. But it was frustrating because we didn’t have cell phone signal to call them. We had perfect signal on top of the mountain, but none down at our hostel. Go figure. So we headed back to Quito.

Secret Garden Cotopaxi

Left: The NILI Guys. Right: Mountain Biking.
---More pictures can be found here.

We got back on Monday and decided to head somewhere with Josué. On the internet we found The Secret Garden Cotopaxi, a resort in the middle of nowhere near the mountains. Perfect. We caught a ride from The Secret Garden Quito, which we found to be a commune of European travelers. We shared a van with two guys from Ireland, a guy from Australia, and a guy from Germany, and they were interesting to talk to. The ride was beautiful and took us south on a rocky road through the scenic avenue of the volcanoes. The Secret Garden resort was in an awesome location at about 11,400’, however, the only people that spoke Spanish were the cook and the horse guide. Everyone else was from Europe and we felt like we were there too. (The other visitors were from England, Ireland, Germany, and France, and the manager was from Poland.) After spending so much time with other South Americans, we went through culture shock with so many white people and spoken English.

One of the traditions at the resort is taking the newcomers on a hike the first day. After lunch and orientation, we were fitted with a pair of rubber boots (which they could barely find in my size) and headed out to the river, where we waded upstream and climbed the ravine up to a waterfall. There we were able to jump into the freezing cold river water, and I made the jump with two guys from Ireland and England. I didn’t have my altimeter with me, but it was probably about 11,700’, and on a cold day too. I accidently dropped my towel into the river and it wasn’t too fun chasing it downstream.

For the rest of the day we relaxed at the picturesque resort, and it was really enjoyable to be out of the city again. We had some awesome burritos for dinner and than relaxed in the Jacuzzi. Our room was freezing cold that night because it didn’t have any heat or light, and all we had were candles. (The resort was self-sustaining and didn’t use electricity.) One of our favorite parts was the composting toilet that had an indoor garden and a view of all the mountains.

The next day, they offered lots of activities like hiking and horseback riding, but we decided to do something on our own. They had mountain bikes so Thad and I rode up to the entrance to Cotopaxi national park (up about 800’ to 12,200’). The bikes were among the crappiest I have ever seen, and that’s saying a lot. (I’ve worked on hundreds of bikes the past couple summers and know that these wouldn’t even be worth tuning up.) My bike was not even efficient to pedal uphill because the chain rings were bent and the bottom bracket was totally messed up. The axles were loose too among other things, and Thad’s crank arm kept falling off so we had to beat it back on with a rock. The cheap aluminum frames and the indigenous roads made for a rough ride, but overall it was good to get out and the bikes were free to use.

Afterward we shared a ride to the airport with a girl named England. And now that we're back in South America we've gone through culture shock again. But it's awesome having another weekend after only two days of class. Hasta luego!

Mindo

Wow, I have been getting behind on writing! I still haven’t written about the weekend yet, and there’s already other stuff happening. Anyway, I’ll try to catch up and I’ll start off with our trip to Mindo. Josué, Thad, and I wanted to do something fun this weekend, so we decided to return to the small touristy town, which is about two hours out of Quito. We had a brief stop there after our Santo Domingo trip and this was where we visited the amazing chocolate factory. There are a lot of outdoor things to do in Mindo and it is world famous for bird watching.

After class on Friday we packed our stuff and headed out. I’ve never been much of an ultra light packer, but in my 1000 cm3 Camelbak, I managed to fit a weekend’s worth of clothes and toiletries, along with my water filter, two liters of water, three oranges, and a jar of peanut butter (the only food I had left in my room). I was definitely proud of this packing job and the peanut butter turned out to be a good idea.

Every source on the internet said there was only one bus company direct to Mindo, but all of the locals told us otherwise. They said we could catch a bus every thirty minutes from the nearby terminal and this sounded good. However, we realized that these buses weren’t direct when we were dropped off in the dark at the crossroads about 5 miles out of town. A couple of locals told us to wait for a ride, and soon enough a small pickup truck with blasting salsa music turned at the intersection and offered us one. We hopped in the back and realized we picked the craziest driver. He sped down the winding road recklessly, passing other cars while we huddled in the back against our backpacks. Everyone in the cab was chain smoking and halfway down the hill the truck stopped so everyone could light up again. We were relieved when we finally pulled into town.

Finally we got to our lodging, which was at the chocolate factory, El Quetzal. The place is also a café and hostel and this turned out to be one of the best ideas ever. Our room had great beds and hot showers, and the whole place smelled like chocolate. That night we grabbed dinner in town (huge plates of food for $4) and we returned to relax with a brownie afterward. They were the best brownies I’ve ever had and our teacher always refers to them as the best in the world. Everyone raved about them in the guestbook and they are unexplainably amazing. We ended the night on a sugar high and had some good guy time. Haha, what happens in Mindo stays in Mindo.

Saturday morning we woke up and enjoyed an amazing free breakfast. My pancakes came with ginger syrup and tasted like donuts, and I also had a plate of fresh fruit and a batido de papaya, a fruit drink mixed with milk. Afterward we hit the town and found a travel guide to give us suggestions. There we hired a ride up to the hiking trails and were able to enjoy the outdoors with a variety of activities. We descended a steep slope, hiked along the river, saw some cool plants and wildlife, and went swimming under a waterfall. There was even a concrete waterslide in the middle of the jungle, and whoever had the idea to build that was a genius. But there was a sign in Spanish that instructed people to grab their feet and that confused me. I soon realized why when the slide went fast and momentum brought me on my back during the ten-foot fall into the river.



Top Left: Jungle Waterslide. Right: Our swimming spot.
Bottom Left: Leap of faith! Right: Josué going for it.

My favorite part of the day though was ziplining (in Spanish they use the English word ‘canopy’). There are huge canopy outfits in Mindo, but they are packed full of tourists and for this reason we decided not to do them. However we were lucky to find a privately run canopy in the middle of the jungle, which only charged $3 per run. It included a running leap of faith over a cliff that was super awesome, and the lines took us back and forth across a valley. I ended up doing it three times and the guy running it was super cool and didn’t charge me for the last one. The equipment was a lot less professional than ziplining outfits, but was still really safe to use. I think most ziplines go way overboard in safety measures for insurance purposes.

Afterward we each bought $1 chicken kebobs and fresh squeezed orange juice from a vendor at the trailhead. We were going to go tubing in the river, but once it started to rain we returned back to the hotel. There we split another brownie and found some more cheap food in town. We decided to relax and found a spa to get massages. Josué and I split an hour for $15 each and that turned out to be great. I was so relaxed I almost left without paying. (The masseuse was an American from Washington and I was surprised when I found out that her boyfriend’s family lives on my island and she travels there all the time. What a small world!) That night we each got another brownie with ice cream and mixed them with the peanut butter I brought. That was seriously the best dessert I’ve ever had! Pretty much in a nutshell our trip consisted of adrenaline and sugar highs.


Left: El Quetzal. Middle & Right: Enjoying Amazing Dessert!

Sunday we woke up and went tubing early in the morning. The cost was only $6 each and this included transportation to the top of the river. The tubes were tied together in a honeycomb shape and included two guides who rode with us and steered our makeshift raft. I was surprised how many huge rocks there were in the river, but we still were able to go through some class II and III rapids on our way down. A couple times we got stuck and the guides jumped out to move us.

Afterward we relaxed for the rest of the day and bought our return bus tickets, which was a good thing because we were running low on money. After paying the hotel for our room and brownie tab, we were left with about $8 combined. In our quest to find the cheapest lunch, we found a section of town that served cheap lunches to locals, and for $2.25 we each got a bowl of cow’s hoof soup, a plate of rice and meat, and a glass of juice. Sadly, we couldn’t bring any brownies home, but after our final bus transfer we made it back to campus with 31 cents to spare. Talk about cutting it close!



Top Left: Before the game. Right: Roommates.
Bottom Left: Cheering on the Liga. Right: Game action.

On Tuesday a group of us went to watch a local soccer game between LDU Quito (the local team known as the ‘Liga’) and San Felipe de Chile. This was part of the South American Cup, an annual tournament between the best pro teams in the continent. A few days before, the Liga lost to the Chilean team on the road and this was played on the day of the miner’s rescue. I imagine there was a lot of emotion involved when they pulled the upset. But at the game we went to, the Liga gave them a 6-1 beating and it was a lot of fun to watch. Also, our tickets were only $9 and we could sit near the field! The crazy section of the stadium (known as la muerte blanca, the white death) was so fanatical and passionate and I want to watch another game from there. Yoan and I were originally planning on being there until we decided to go with a bigger group.

Finally, yesterday (Wednesday) we had a field trip to La Capilla del Hombre, a local art museum that showcased the work of Oswaldo Guayasamin who was a humanist and expressionist influenced by Picasso. He worked to promote peace and indigenous rights and he reflected the hurt of misery of humanity in his artwork. The paintings were impacting and we learned about the history behind them. There were also some powerful quotes, one of which has still stood out to me: “I cried because I didn’t have shoes, until I saw a child who didn’t have feet.” On a lighter note, we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant afterward that had amazing food and served habañero sauce. I ordered the biggest burrito I’d ever seen, and the ‘Super Machote’ was 50 cm (20 in) long and extremely delicious.


Above: El Super Machote!

Later there was a two for one deal at the cinema so a group of us went to see Piraña 3D (Piranha 3D). I was expecting to see a good horror movie about piranha attacks (a good thing to see before travelling to the Amazon), but the movie turned out to be kind of a joke and was more about teens partying over spring break. I found it sad that other cultures get their view of US youth culture from media like this.

Well that’s the gist of what went on the past few days. I also added some more pictures to my Andean Adventures album on Facebook. I will try to not get too far behind on blogging in the future. Hasta luego!

Weekend in Otavalo

Left: Lake Cuicocha. Right: Horseback riding through the country.

This weekend we had a group trip to Otavalo, the largest outdoor market in Ecuador and one of the oldest and most famous in South America. Most of our weekends here are free, but we have some scheduled trips to see things that we shouldn’t miss. And I am so glad we didn’t miss out on this area.

Friday afternoon we got out of class early and made the trip north, with a few stops along the way. The drive through the country was beautiful and the bathroom we stopped at even had stalls built for viewing the scenery. First we went to Lake Cuicocha, a volcano crater lake at 10,000’ elevation. There we had a motorboat tour and the guys went swimming. It wasn’t super cold (for the gringos at least) and it was really refreshing. Afterward we explored Cotacachi, the nearby town that specializes in leather goods. We walked through the stores on the main road and saw a crazy amount of leather merchandise (no underwear though, I asked). They even had cow’s feet that were hollowed out and molded into water bottles. After leather town we went to the wood town in nearby Ibarra. Later that evening we made it to the hostel, and the guys’ room turned out to be the love nest: all pinked out with bright pink walls and bedding.

With the suggestion of the hostel manager, a few of us woke up at 5:30 on Saturday and hit the animal market on the other side of town. We were bracing ourselves for a lot of killing and slaughtering, but there wasn’t any to be seen. Instead we saw lots of animals being paraded around a large field for all the locals to see. Most were under control with the exception of the occasional pig chased around by its frustrated owners. After this market, we wandered through the food market and clothing market, and eventually made it to the main market, which dates back to Spanish colonization in the 1600s. Here the indigenous were taught to make textiles for export to Europe, and the tradition has continued ever since.

This is where we learned to bargain, which I found to be really fun. As another hostel resident put it, bargaining is a competition between the local trying to rip you off and you trying to get a good deal. My first purchase was a $25 leather hat (Indiana Jones style) that I whittled down to $11. I also bought a lot of gifts and a couple of paintings for $13 and $19 (originally $17 and $25). The local artwork was amazing and I loved scoring on the deals. One thing we realized was that anytime we commented about something in Spanish, the vendors targeted us. We switched to English and everything became so much easier. We also realized that it was bad to ask for a price if we weren’t interested in something because that gave the vendors the right to pester us about it. I frequently had to try on sweaters just to prove to the vendors that they didn’t fit me.

Afterward we had breakfast at the hostel and decided to go horseback riding. The night before we saw a sign that advertised cheap tours through the area: $25 for a 3-4 hour tour and $35 for the full day. The hostel manager told us that they needed two hours to prepare the horses so we decided to hit the streets again and shop some more. For lunch we went to a famous pie shop and had deli sandwiches that were literally the size of our heads for less than three bucks. Ironically two of the people ordered a hot dog because they weren’t too hungry, but they ended up getting several wieners sandwiched between enormous pieces of bread. The pie afterward was incredible and I had a huge piece of papaya pie for just over a dollar.


Left: My horse, Negro. Middle: Josué and Thad. Right: Our guide.

The horseback tour was an awesome experience, and it was good to get out of the city. We went up through the mountains where we visited a small park on a hill and a waterfall. My horse, Negro, was good to me for the most part and never complained. But at one point we were going down a steep hill and he ran up to another horse and testosterone started to flare. Luckily I didn’t get thrown off, but I got pulled through a nice sticker bush. I had never ridden a horse before and after a rough four-hour introduction to saddle life, I was sore for the next few days.

Sunday morning was mostly spent traveling, but we went to an indigenous church before we left the area. That was an interesting experience, because the service was mainly in Quechua, a common indigenous language of Ecuador and Peru. The other half was in Spanish, but it was still the most lost I’ve ever been in a church service. It was really cool to see their style of worship and speaking though, and it really reminded me of Native American culture back in the states. Afterward the ladies invited us next door and gave us all homemade sweaters.

Well that’s the gist of the weekend, but I’ll add another blog post in the next few days to fill up some holes. I also started a new Facebook album too. Hasta luego!