This post was written by students: Taylor, Macy, y Emma.
On July 2nd we embarked from Quito to the quaint village of Las Tolas in the cloud forest. Our first pit stop: the equator! We were shown around a museum site that included historic aspects of Ecuador and also tricks that showed the changes in hemispheres. You may have heard of the toilet flushing the other way — we can attest that it is true.
Only a few miles outside of Las Tolas is a bigger town with a paved road and many restaurants where we socialized with our local contemporaries and ate a delicious meal. Our trek ended at the top of a steep and winding dirt road at a beautiful teal house. We were welcomed by a sign of flower petals spelling Bienvenidos, our two wonderful cooks, Gloria and Rosario, and a pregnant dog named Chocolata.
Our first night we were tossed into the vibrant culture with a welcome party that began at 10 pm. We all struggled to communicate and put our role plays into action. A few of us managed to be swept onto the dance floor by los chicos del pueblo. Before retiring to our cozy dwelling we chowed down on a new favorite: The Empanada.
Almost every day this week we have worked on La Casa Comunal. We’ve painted, sanded, varnished, and labored for hours. Included in La Casa is a bathroom (now pastel, with hinged and labeled doors, and working plumbing), a mural, a kitchen in progress, and a sturdier roof. Our hands are dirty and elbows greasy from all of our hard work!
On the 5th of July we all traveled to an Ecological Reserve, where we encountered a spiraling path down to an enchanting body of water bigger than a stream but smaller than a full fledged river. We jumped and pole vaulted like Amazon warriors into the deeper, teal-colored parts and wallowed on the rocks like merpeople while soaking in the literal jungle surrounding us. Then we hiked back and Angeline, an experienced mountaineer, watched and laughed as we sent echos of wheezing breaths around the surroundings mountains.
Wilo, the owner of the reserve, cooked a wonderful meal for all of us and then Brett and Lucia thought it would be a great idea to play Lobos (the Spanish equivalent of the camp game Mafia) before heading back to our warm beds. Many crucial minutes later, we all piled into the beds of two pick-up trucks as the clouds started to leak! Before we were in the right gear, the Kracken was released. As Brett and the other driver attempted to maneuver up and down literal mounds of mud that serve as a road when dry, we all got our shower of the week. For 75 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, our rain jackets were no longer shielding us, and the feeling of adventure started to wear off. Finally, we arrived at our casa pequeno. The leaders blinked and we were all in sweats and our sleeping bags. The fortunate few inside the cabs of the pick-ups doted around us fetching hot chocolate and draping our dripping clothes from make-shift clothes lines hung inside to avoid the ongoing downpour.
En total, we’re in love with where we are and what we’re doing here and are super excited to travel to Mindo manana por dos dias.
– Taylor, Macy, y Emma
PS – Ya estamos en Mindo! We are hoping to put up more pictures and videos of the rest of our adventures soon. There really has not been a dull moment yet! – Brett y Lucia
