Mind-Bending Bio-Diversity, Indigenous Communities, and Difficult Adaptations
In the first of two multi-region treks, this week we headed up through a freezing cold mountain pass at nearly 14,000 feet east of Quito and descended quickly down the eastern flank of the Andes mountains into the beginning of the Amazon rainforest. As we descended out of the mountains and into the jungle we watched as small rivers and waterfalls merged into ever larger rivers until we reached the Rio Napo, Ecuador’s largest river near the city of Tena. We immediately loaded up into covered canoes powered by outboard motors that fought the powerful current of the swollen river to reach an animal rescue sanctuary.
The following morning we headed back down the river to visit an indigenous Quichua (Kichwa) community to partake in ceremonial Guayusa and Chicha drinks as well as learn some of their weaving and ceramics methods. We made it back to our canoe launching point just in time to avoid a torrential downpour that beat so fiercely on the tin roof above our heads we couldn’t hear one another speak.
After just over 24 hours in the Amazon rain forest, we headed back up into the Andes through deep gorges to the city of Baños with its volcanic thermal pools and one of the largest waterfalls in Ecuador, El Pailon del Diablo (The Devil’s Cauldron). After beholding the wonder of the waterfall, we headed further into the mountains to another Quichua community at a high altitude this time (almost 12,000 feet). The community held a special welcome ceremony for us and treated us to a traditional meal of fava beans, potatoes, other unique tubers, and Guinea Pig. The change of environment and altitude from the Amazon 24 hours earlier was dizzying (literally and figuratively).
Our four-day trip ended in a high-altitude region southwest of Quito that surrounds a turquoise high-altitude crater lake at Quilotoa, yet another Quichua community of modern-day shepherds and subsistence farmers in the Andean Alpine Steppes. Students marveled at the surreal landscape, a mind-bending difference from where they had been just two days before.
This week was also marked by health challenges for a number of students, both travel-induced and otherwise. When our physical bodies falter, our mental state often quickly deteriorates as well. As SST leaders, we are deeply thankful for the way in which everyday Ecuadorians and Ecuadorian healthcare professionals stepped up in a big way to care for our students this week. It was yet another example of the way in which human beings work together to support one another in this journey we call life. As we enter our final week of the “Study” portion of SST and transition into the “Service” portion, our focus will be developing resilience. Stay tuned for more from this beautiful, stretching, exhausting, exhilarating experience known as SST…
