By Camille Clarke, Emmett Wainwright, Gail Pyne, Gracie Paul, Kelsie Huss After our 6:30 AM hike from the Santa Lucia ecolodge, we got on a bus and headed farther west, away from Quito and the mountains. The land got flatter and the landscape was increasingly filled with monoculture plantations of cacao, palms for palm oil,… Continue reading Chicao Cacao Farm Visit
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Santa Lucia Ecolodge in the Andean Cloud Forest
By: Rachel McLeod-Warrick, Kip Wadsworth, Alana Tessman, Japhet Hoff, and William Johnson Hike To the Eco Lodge We started our ascent at 1,500 meters above sea level at 10 AM. We began by hiking on two-track past hilly pastures and coffee bean plantations. This road led to a single file trail that entered into the… Continue reading Santa Lucia Ecolodge in the Andean Cloud Forest
Our First Days in Ecuador
By Garrett Sheets and Herman Trout Casa Ilayaku By Garrett Sheets After an efficient experience at the Quito airport, we were greeted by Carla, our program contact from the university. She led us to where we got picked up by our bus driver, Henry. We made our way up the bumpy roads to Casa Ilayaku.… Continue reading Our First Days in Ecuador
A Day in the Life of Home Stays
By Haley Martin, Sanaya Baldauf, Fletcher Burbee, Mallory Saylor and Spencer Christiensen Haley & Sanaya We were fortunate enough to be placed with a family who speaks decent English and loves to talk. We have bonded quickly with the mother and son duo, and quickly learned that though the son is our age (21), he… Continue reading A Day in the Life of Home Stays