Lindo Mindo: Basically a trip to Fern Gully

This past weekend I went with three of my classmates to Mindo, just two hours north but worlds apart from Quito. The cloud forest is absolutely incredible! Our first day we got in late-morning and headed to our hostel, La Casa de Cecilia. Cecilia is a very nice lady, and what’s even better is that she didn’t hike up her prices just because it was a holiday weekend (Guayaquil’s independence day was Friday). Jess and I got to share a lovely little number where the bed was basically outside on the 2nd floor with a roof over it. It was so beautiful and simple…we loved it.

Our lovely "bedroom"

Getting a move on, we headed to the canopy to go zip-lining. Zip-lining is where you get strapped into a harness and then clip onto a series of cables to cross the forest. We were pretty high up at times, but it was so thrilling to see the cloud forest zipping by underneath me! You can also do “tricks” where you go with a guide and they brake for you so you can hang upside-down or whatever. I only did one where I flew the last 500m as a “super gringa” through the pouring rain to our final stop.Even with the rain, which only came about [but with a vengeance] during our last couple of cables, it was absolutely amazing. The forest is out of this world…so beautiful and lush and expansive! It really blew my mind…if any of you are ever in Ecuador, Mindo should be one of your trips.

After riding back into town in the back of a truck because there was only so much room in the cab, we were all very much soaking wet and cold, so we washed/dried our clothes at the hostel because none of us had brought other pants (classic college traveling, huh?). While we waited we met some of our neighbors, about 11 students from around the word (the U.S., Denmark, Germany, Japan, etc) who are taking Spanish classes in Quito. They were all very nice and it was cool to hang out with them while we waited for our pants to dry so we could go get dinner.

Day #2 we woke up for breakfast and headed back out towards the forest to check out the mariposaria (butterfly farm). All the butterflies were very beautiful and it was impressive how many there were. We even got to see one hatch out of its cocoon! Overall it was a neat experience.

The next order of business was taking a tarabita (cable car thing that goes above the forest) to some waterfalls. We bought our tickets and were very much disappointed to discover that there was a two-hour wait to get on board! We waited since we’d already paid, but were on a time crunch hiking down to the closest waterfall.

It was indeed very beautiful and I want to go back! The water was freezing and rain was threatening so we opted not to swim (although poor Kristi and Lindsay fell in)...but, soon enough, it was time to hike back up so we could wrap up our stay and get onto the bus. Overall it was a successful trip I’d say. We got a lot in and I’m so glad we went!

Funny note on Ecuadorian buses: they fill them up completely, and when they get to a safety checkpoint the guy who takes the money turns back and tells everyone in the aisle to squat down. “When you drive, you’re also managing the lives of your passengers” is how the campaign goes. Oh Ecuador…

On a different note, Ecuador beat Chile this Sunday! It’s pretty exciting considering the fact that the record is something like 8-1 wins with Chile in the lead. We’re coming back for South Africa! I watched the game with my little sister and our cousin, which was pretty fun. I keep meeting more extended host family and they’re all so welcoming and always tell me I need to come back to visit again. It’s really wonderful to have a host family here.

I know I’m going to miss my host family here in Quito…we’ve bonded a lot over these past six weeks and I’m sure will continue to do so in the next couple. They’re great people and they’ve taken fantastic care of me. My host mom just knit me a green scarf as a surprise! So cute…AND they plan on visiting me up in San Clemente, which makes me excited!

I’m having a hard time believing that we’re already wrapping up classes! We’re gearing up for our internships, which, I won’t lie, is a bit nerve-wracking. I’m pretty nervous for how this is going to be—will I like the schools I’m working in? Will I get to do more than just teach English? How will my new host family be? The questions go on…

The weather has totally been a downer lately…so much rain (read: buckets of water dumping down from the sky)!! That’s been a bit rough since it makes me want to stay under the covers all day instead of go explore for my last two weeks in Quito this semester. But the pressure’s on so I’ll be getting some exploring in over the next little while.

Until next time, I hope you’re all doing well! Keep me posted on what you’re doing because I feel so out of touch sometimes! And DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!