We arrive in Quito, la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), at night, only to awaken the next morning to a view of the Pichincha Volcano and the majestic contours of the Andes. Touring the city of Quito, we see that modernization has not robbed Ecuador of its uniqueness; this is largely because it is the people, not just the historic sites and natural beauty, that give this country its character.
We wind our way through the Andean highlands to the pueblos just north of Otavalo, two hours north of Quito, where we will live for the next nine days. The community of San Pedro is small and warm and provides a traditional glimpse into the people and culture of Andean life. There are no more than 75 families in San Pedro, with a schoolhouse accommodating roughly 60 students and a community center for gathering. Many of their local school amenities are in need of repair and this is where we lend our hands. Our project will be to transform a nearby structure into three rooms that address the needs of the community. One of the rooms will be renovated into a health center, providing medical attention for children when they are ill; another as a kitchen for the smaller children; and the third, bathrooms for the students. With traditional means, you might find yourself mixing cement, tearing down walls, plastering or painting. When not working, we teach English to the children who have been eagerly awaiting our arrival for nearly a year, and play basketball, volleyball and soccer. There is also ample opportunity to practice our Spanish with the community and each other. At the end of our stay, we celebrate with a farewell meal shared with the community, as we eagerly prepare for the next phase of our adventure.
Next, we visit the popular market of Otavalo where we are immersed in the colors, sounds and scents of the most famous market in the country. Andean pipe music and Quichua, the native tongue derived from the Incan language, drift across the square. This also serves as a great place to practice our Spanish, as we buy local artisan crafts and explore the village.
The Jondachi and Hollin Rivers originate in the Sumaco Galeras National Park and traverse pristine jungle. We access our route with an outstanding short hike into the Hollin gorge, winding our way into the jungle through the spectacular upper Amazon Basin. We tackle the upper Jondachi River, a spectacular canyon with over a hundred continuous rapids before setting up camp in the tropical cloud forest. On day two we enjoy the wider section of the river with big roller coaster waves as we hit the confluence with the Hollin and splash through big volume drop-pool rapids. We fall asleep listening to the sounds of the jungle and the next morning move to the Galápagos Islands.
Emerging from the rainforest, we head back to Quito for a wildlife experience of a lifetime. We head for the Galápagos Islands as Darwin did before us and spend six days exploring the islands of Santa Cruz and Isabella, hiking to the highlands, camping on a volcano, swimming, snorkeling and visiting the lava tunnels. We see century-old lava flows, swim with sea lions, their young pups and giant turtles, and stand next to blue-footed boobies feeding their young. We also witness giant tortoises lumbering through cactus forests.
Heading back to Quito, we enjoy a closing banquet and reflect on our new understanding of Ecuador and the words of the children we worked with, sigue no más — or “keep it going.” In the morning, we board our group flight and return to the Northern Hemisphere, taking with us a memory of a love affair with Ecuador we may never get over.
| AGES |
DAYS
|
TUITION |
DATES |
ARRIVE/DEPART |
| 15–19 |
24 |
5,495 |
6/26/10–7/19/10 [session 1]
7/22/10–8/14/10 [session 2] |
Miami, FL
|
