I want to
remind you that this is not just an experience
It is an opportunity where one
didn't exist before.
If there is one thing that a dreamer can do,
It’s create
an opportunity and new possibilities from nothing.
Continue to press on and be
fearless,
Because you've already captured everything you need to succeed.
-Anonymous
At 9,350 feet elevation, you hit the Andes as
if you were going to crash right into them. Almost abruptly mountains and
clouds surround you.
Astonished by the view, my gaze was focused down at the valley of
buildings crawling up the mountains, forming the highest capital city in the
world, Quito.
For a trip that took but four hours, it felt as if I had arrived in a far far foreign land.
So it begins, my journey through Ecuador.
In Quito, I was greeted by my friend Pamela.
With an Hola and a kiss on the cheek, she explained to me where we were to stay, The Community
Hostel. No sooner than we arrived had I found what awaited me there.. a new group of friends, the boys of the currently established microbrewery in Quito, Bandido
Brewery.
Several days were spent in Quito and I had already
created relationships that would last far throughout my time in Ecuador.
Although, getting comfortable can be easy. A
traveler must continue to travel, and once Pamela and I had learned about the
Surf Competition of the World in Montañita, how could be
resist?!
So with high expectations of this escapade, we
grabbed our packs and began.
Although almost immediately we came to an erupt stop in Quito as I began to comprehend the structure
of the notorious bus system’s in South America.
Extremely crowded lines led to extremely
crowded buses...
With an overwhelming twenty-four hours of
travel on four different buses we finally reached the coast of Ecuador.
Montañita was fabulous, a beautiful beach full
of parties and surfers!
However, a funny realization we encountered to
our surprise and perhaps one I am a bit hesitant to tell… was when we began to
notice that many of these surfers were a bit older than we assumed. Yes, far
older than the hot young bodied surfers we expected.
This is when we saw the sign, ‘World Masters Surf Competition’ Masters implying surfers over the age of forty or so..
As funny as this realization was, it was an amazing time and some of the most delicious fresh squeezed cocktails that have ever
been presented to my taste buds!
This next adventure that awaited us was even
more pleasing,
10 days in the Galápagos became 20 once
we discovered that you can extend your flight ticket free of charge.
Migrating through
three of the Galápagos Islands we enjoyed snorkeling, hiking on volcanoes, horseback riding and observing the many marvelous animals that are unique to the Galápagos.
The extension of our stay was mainly settled on the incredibly
beautiful island of Isabela, the biggest and most remote island of the
Galápagos. Here we created many friendships, especially with the two Ecuadorian
boys, Bryon and Jose, who worked at the hostel, Posada del Caminante. Also the Australian
traveler, Alex, which we had met wave surfing in the ocean, along with the mother
and daughter whom owned the small shack we visited daily to relish in ceviche, empanadas
and fresh juice and then after enjoy football (soccer) and Ecua-volley by sun-set
on the beach with the locals.
As difficult as it was, we had to finally
convince ourselves that we really did have to voyage back to the main land of
Ecuador and that our Galápagos life had to come to an end.
It was time for the next travel in Ecuador..
After a very long journey back to the main land
of Ecuador, we embarked on an even longer journey to the jungle.
8 hour bus ride to Quito, 6 hour bus ride to
the out-skirts of the Amazon, 4 hour jeep ride into the Amazon and a 3 hour
canoe ride on the narrow Amazon Rivers in the pouring rain.
The four days in Cuyabeno were spent canoeing through the rivers and the large lake; fishing for piranhas, watching the caiman and swimming with the pink dolphins. Then hiking through the deep Amazon Rainforest, acknowledging what our guide had taught us.. that for every leaf you see, there are a set of eyes.
It was here where the spark of enlightenment
started to shine inside me for the love of the deep and wild Rainforest.
Ecuador has an impressive diversity of terrains
enclosed inside a small country the size of Colorado. I was fortunate enough to
visit all of these beautiful terrains within just one month of landing in
Ecuador.
The volcanic islands, The Galápagos, famously known through Charles Darwin’s discovery
of evolution.
The pacific coastal plains, which are known as
the Costa, the Coast.
The Sierra, the
Andes, central highlands running north and south through Ecuador.
And the jungles of the Oriente, The Amazon, accounting
for a little less than half of the country's total surface area and populating less than 5% of Ecuador's population.
The month of May was now upon me, and after
saying Ciao to all the friends I had made (ciao is the adios of Ecuador), I was
finally on my own.
My volunteering experience was to begin and I
was to start my work with the organization Maquipucuna.
How little did I know of what I was about to
get involved with and the impact it would have on my life…
Quito
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The view of Quito from The Community Hostel
|
El Panecillo
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| Quito at sunset |
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| The Boys of the Bandido Brewery |
Montañita
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| Surf Competition of the World |
The Galápagos Islands
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The Galápagos Islands
|
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| San Cristobal Island |
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Blue Footed Boobies
|
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| The Galapagos Turtles |
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| Sierra Negra Volcano |
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The Galapagos Iguana
|
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| Isabela Island |
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| Ceviche and Empanadas (I had already eaten all the seafood :) |
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| Pamela and I |
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Football with Jose and Byron
|
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Coconuts with Alex
|
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Late night Jam session
The Amazon Rainforest |
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| Vine Swinging |
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bullet ant
|
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The Indigenous tribe in the Amazon
|
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Parrot
|
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| Amazon Sunrise |
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Amazon Sunset
|
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| Pamela and I swimming at sunset |
