Off to the Rainforest

 

I woke up with the sun this morning, and went on a short photo tour of the grounds. Around 9, I went on the hike I missed yesterday because of the rain. Since everyone else hiked yesterday, I was the only one on the hike besides the guide. He was from Argentina, and was very patient with me when I asked him if I could practice my Spanish during the tour. Along the way, I took photos as he pointed out the different types of plants native to this area. We made it to the waterfall after jumping rocks in the stream and literally hanging from branches to climb down the muddy trails. After making it safely back to the lodge, the guide asked if I wanted to ride the horse for a bit. I did! I went horseback riding around the lodge for a while while the guide took the opportunity to have a photo shoot of me and Alfonzo (the horse) with my camera. It was great and now I have the 20 photos to prove it!

For lunch, the lodge made sandwiches, but I opted to make my own grilled cheese. Then, Kim and I headed back to the bus station to Quito, just in time to miss the daily afternoon rain. I apparently came to Ecuador just in time for rainy season. Luckily, it only rains in the afternoon, and it never rains too hard. According to the guide, the best time to come here is December. I'll just have to come back some day!

The journey back from Cotopaxi was quite interesting. We took the hostel van, which got stuck in the mud for an hour until another truck came to pull it out. Then the van dropped me off on the side of the highway, where the driver helped me catch a bus going to Quito. I got off at the last bus stop, but it wasn't that close to the hostel, so I needed to take a taxi. Taxis were hard to come by in that area, so I joined forces with a much older French couple who were going in the same direction. Finally, I reached the hostel, just in time to meet up with Liza, who just arrived from her flight from Cusco.

Tonight, Liza and I head by bus to the jungle, where we will stay at Guacamayo Ecolodge, but there will not be internet. We will be there for 4 days. After, we will be in Baños, staying at La Casa Del Mojido Blanco.