Last day in Quito and our visit to majetic Maquipucuna Cloud Forest

What an awesome place we visited today for our last excursion. The place is called Maquipucuna and it is a beautiful rainforest with an incredible biodiversity. First, before getting there, we had to battle Quito traffic.

Sings like this one made it easier to be patient with the traffic. 

After we got out of the city, we went into the mountains. Up and down, curves here and there. 

The scenery was beautiful. Nothing like MN. 

We finally made it to Maquipucuna and our host Luis (on the left) was so welcoming. He told us about their mission which is to save and preserve the cloud forest. He told us about the many different species of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects found here. 

We later took a hike to the waterfall where we were going to go for a swim and eat some lunch. 

Mr. K. was in seventh heaven! 

Our hike was awesome. We were not able to see any bears or pumas, but we got to see amazing plants, insects, and a beautiful waterfall. 

Some places were very slippery. Yea... there were a lot of wet shoes. 

We finally made it. I for sure went in the water. I was the only crazy one I guess. 

The required selfie with the gang. 

Our visit to Otavalo

Otavalo is a small town north of Quito that is famous for the beautiful handmade articles from the locals. The plan today is to find some souvenirs for our families. I also gave the students a task. I told them that they had to videotape an bargaining interaction in Spanish  and who ever got the best deal would get the Ecuador jersey. They were pumped. 

Distances are short in Ecuador but traffic makes it feel long. Either way, we got to see very cool parts of the city and the road from the bus. This is Plaza Argentina.  

On our way to Otavalo we made a quick stop to check out the volcano and the San Pedro Lake. The group made good friends with this little puppy. 

The clouds made it hard to see the top of the volcano. 

And they are off in search of the best deal and some awesome gifts. 

The main plaza in Otavalo is used by street vendors to sell their handmade products.

Towards the end of our time, students gathered to share with each other their finds. 

Ben here in search of a little wooden cuy, trying to get a better deal than what Cate got. 

Our group is specially excited for this meal. We were told that we are going to have Cuy (guinea pig). This is a very traditional dish in Ecuador and they have researched it and are anxious to try it. 

There it is. 

The Cuy went around the table for the photo opp. 

The cuy seemed to be deep fried. The skin was crisp and had a fish like taste. The meat was tender, moist and gamey. It was served with steamed potatoes and a delicious white creamy cheese sauce.  

Yea... Ryan (one of the students from the Oregon group) tried (unsuccessfully) to make Meridith to try the brains of the cuy. 

As you can see, it was a feast. The students eat, talked, and just hung out. You will be surprised how much they can talk about when wifi is not available. 

After our meal we had an hour to walk around, explore this charming town before going back to 

Quito. 

My self, I found a great coffee shop where I relaxed, enjoyed some nice brewed coffee and people watched. 

On the way back, our bus became a party bus! We were singing, talking and laughing. 

It was a great day!

Good bye Galápagos

The morning was interesting for Mr. Kolehmainen and I. Two more of our students came knocking on our door with the same symptoms as our previous one. After giving them some medicine and Pedialyte, we were able to conclude that the culprit of the stomach bug was the black berry ice cream they have been eating at the gelato place close to our hotel. At least we knew that this would only be a 24hr thing, they just needed to plow through this travel day. Not ideal for resting. 

On our way back to the Baltra airport, we made a stop at the Gemelos. These are two huge holes caused by volcanic activity in the island. It was impressive to see. 

The airport is in a different island so to get there is a process. First we need to bus to the hardbore. 

Then we put all of our luggage on top of a small ferry that will take us across a little channel to the other island where the airport is.  

After crossing the to the other side. We all grab our luggage, put then on another bus packed with passengers and ride for then minutes to the airport. 

We finally made it back to Quito where we stayed at a small charming hotel called Sierra Madre. What a beautiful place. Decorated in a rustic style and incredible paintings made our stay there cozy. Not very good wifi though. Oh well, a chance to sit back and enjoy the moment. 

San Cristobal Island

During our third day in the Galapagos the group took another speedboat to a different island.  This time the destination was  San Cristobal island. I was not able to join the trip because one of our travelers came down sick with a stomach bug, and I had to take good care of this particular student.
Here is the side story of that:
The night before the San Cristobal excursion, I got a knock on my room around 11:30pm. It was one of my students informing me that they were suffering from stomach aches, and light headedness. I then asked more questions to try to understand better the illness. Mr. Kolehmainen and I concluded that it was some kind of stomach bug but could not identify the source of it. It could not have been dinner because no one else got sick from it. We all went back to bed and suddenly around 4:30am there is another knock on the door. Unfortunately, there were more symptoms, now diarrhea and vomiting was part of the equation. For sure now we know it was a stomach bug and we controlled the diarrhea with some medicine.
The morning came and this student was in no conditions to go to San Cristobal so I stayed back and made sure to stabilize the situation and start the recovery process. After much rest and some pedialyte, things got much better, by noon the worst had past this student was well on their way to recovery.

So, I don't much specifics about the day at San Cristobal. In fact, the pictures below are courtesy of Cate and Gabe.

I do know that there was some hiking involved. In fact, I was told that they sun was brutal and the UV index was really high. 

I was also told that the snorkeling this day was even better. The students said that they were chasing after some marine turtles and that there were some sea lions swimming along them. 

After the San Cristobal trip we all met back at the hotel. Our sick student was back up and running for our night exploration of the city. We all hung out, walked down the boardwalk and experience the city lights.