San Clemente, Hacienda, Otavalo

We have been in ecuador  for five days now and have seen and experienced so much. We are having an absolutely incredible time! The five of us left Quito Wednesday morning to drive to a few native communities north of the city - one spepcifically being San Clemente. The group learned about the community of 660 people and explored the forests with a guide who explained how the people use the native plants medicinally. Wednesday evening we stayed in a beautiful Hacienda with gardens and bridges. This morning we woke up and explored a lake by boat then spent time in Otavalo, the native market, viewing the handmade crafts and goods.  Everyone is doing well and enjoying all of the activities.

The three students are doing really well and eating all of this up. We will be spending tomorrow touring the museums under the foundation with the group then attending the exhibition reception on Saturday.

We asked the students to share a phrase or word that best describes their travels so far. This is what they shared:

I think it (Ecuador) is amazing. It is amazing because there are many different things to see like the waterfalls and different types of plants and birds. Also, it's because there are many different foods like hai (a spicy salsa made with native vegetables and spices) that has a really good taste. The volcanoes are beautiful and amazing too - Jenifer

The word that I would use to describe this trip is amazing. The food is amazing because everything is very fresh and delicious. You can tell that they put time into preparing it. My favorite thing has been the creamy soup with fesh avocado. The scenery is amazing - on our long drives, we are surrounded by the beautiful Andes mountians and at night the entire city is lit up. It is really breathtaking. The markets are very amazing because they have everything that you could want. The day trips that we have taken have also been amazing. The waterfalls, and the trip to the middle of the world were especially fun!
- Isabella

I love alpacas! When we went to San Clemente our guide, Tupac, had a cute baby alpaca. I have bought some nice things such as scarves, blankets, an alpaca, and slippers of alpaca fur. They are my new favorite animal. Breathtaking is how I would describe Ecuador. The peope are beautiful, the animals are majestic and their mountians are mind blowing. My favorite part of this trip was when Tupac's alpaca came up to me and let me pet him, then followed me. Isabella and Jenny said "Tara has a little alpaca!"
-Tara