From EcuadorWiki
Ready to Go!
The man who told us about Ecuador's 66 volcanos!
This morning Sarah and I woke up around 6:45. We got ready and finished packing for Bellavista... Our clothes were still damp from being washed last night (we don't have a drier, instead everything is dried on a line), so we put all of our wet stuff in one bag. We went back downstairs and had breakfast - grilled cheese-ish sandwiches and green juice. We loaded the car and Leo drove us to the Academia. We stopped at the panaderia on the way in case we didn't like the food at Bellavista. Once we got to the Academia, the bus was there so we loaded our bags on and headed out.
The group at the volcano.
The drive was pretty uneventful. People mostly slept, read, or listened to their iPod. We stopped along the way, by another volcano. There, a man talked to us about all the volcanoes, how they were formed, and what made this volcano special. We took pictures and bought some souvineers - I got a ring and some bracelets.
We got back in the bus and drove for a while, then stopped at a rest station so people could use the bathroom and buy a snack. Once everyone was back on the bus, we left again. We traveled on good roads for an hour and a half, then the last half hour was over bumpy roads... but they were still better than the roads leading to the Hacienda Porvenir!! As we drove, the trees, leaves, flowers, grasses, and other vegetation got bigger. Some of the leaves were as big as people! We drove by some waterfalls, rivers, and hills and it was all gorgeous!
Bellavista
Beds on the third floor of Bellavista.
The ladder we climbed to get to our rooms.
When we arrived at Bellavista, we went inside with our bags, but they told us not to take them to our room yet. As we went upstairs, the small, winding staircase turned into a ladder! We were put on the third and fourth floors. While we were checking it out, people from Bellavista brought our bags up. We decided that three of the guys would sleep on the fourth floor, while the seven girls slept on the third floor, with Dr. McNally and one of the other guys in the separate third floor rooms.
We got settled in, claimed our beds, unpacked, and explored for a while. Most of us went to look at hummingbirds at the feeders. There are so many! We got some good pictures and videos. Lunch was at 1:00... we had chicken, rice, carrots and cucumbers, beets, and figs for desert. After lunch, we got to relax until 3:30 when we went on a hike. The guide took us back down the road, showing us birds, plants, and flowers along the way. When we came to the trail, we hiked all way way back up to the lodge. The boys had their bamboo walking sticks to help them up the trail.
When we got back, everyone relaxed until dinner. Some people took showers, others read or napped, and TJ, Frank, Laura and I played euchre. We played for more than an hour before dinner... Frank and I dominated! Dinner was served, making us pause our game. We had broccoli lasagna-casserole-thing, mashed potatoes, and tomatoes, with an orange creamsickle flavored mousse for dessert. The dessert was really good. After dinner, the four of us played a few more games of euchre before Kirsten, Dani, and our new friend Margo from Reno, Nevada played spoons. We played with 2 spoons, 3 forks, and a knife because we couldn't find enough spoons. It was a bloodthirsty game! At about 9:30, we were asked to keep our noise level down (a difficult request when you're playing spoons!), so we settled down and went to bed soon after that.
