As we set up our tents in the misting rain atop a mountain, the clouds begin to sweep to the side just enough for us to look over the edge into a vast valley, made up of other green valleys, culminating into one huge valley, ending with more valleys ahead. Each steep pitch is green and creates a slope for humble mountains which kiss the heavens and are often engulfed by the sky's hug, the clouds. This area we have been in is the Cloud Forest, a pristine area unlike any other in the world. It is where the jungle covers the mountains and converses with the clouds. It is our first time staying in Yungilla with The Traveling School - we have been welcomed like family into this small community who is working toward sustainability in an area they are starting to realize is more than the common neighborhood they grew up in. As a group we have shifted from tents inundated with dew, to a small wood cabin like attic, and into the main house of the eco-lodge where daily meals and classes take place. We are learning how this community works together, making the tastiest marmalade in the whole ding-dang world, watering orchids in the nursery, planting starter trees for reforestation programs, and taking part in the cheese making process produced for visitors, community members and buyers alike.
The night we arrived our guides, now good friends, Guylindo and Deisey shared, “Manana vamos a caminar para ocho horas mas o menos” to our surprise our schedule unveiled an eight hour hike for the next day, timid although excited we rose to the occasion at 5 in the morning. Straight off the trucks, we spotted a green parrot and several toucans! “Fuerte Suerte” we began to repeat, strong luck! As we climbed down the steep slopes of the jungled mountains we covered each inch of our body, shielding our skin from the poisonous plants and trenches of mud. The “trenches” are narrows, similar to those you might find in Southwest Utah, except made of mud and clay covered in fauna and roots, moss and interesting patterned leaves and flowers, looking up to see glimpses of the sky through layers of mother nature's timeline. Nowhere near the dry and smooth narrows of the desert in actuality, although just as jaw dropping! We ran down slippery crevasses of sorts and hung onto vines as Jane might in her search for Tarzan. Shrieks and screams came down the line, I turned to Guylindo in the back and we both acknowledged, “Tenemos divertido”, we're all having fun, and smiled! We ate a lunch of banana chips, apple, another banana, and bread on a covered bridge looking down at a raging river. We hiked back in the rain, singing songs from the Jungle Book and feeling mighty hard core. The following day we stumbled with sore glutes and calves through another misty and muddy hike, this one is well-known to be a pre-Inca trail, used for contraband of sorts. The crevasses on this hike were even deeper, the depth we are told is from the construction, erosion and years of use-some 20 ft deep in spots.
We are happy to be returning to Otavalo as our clothes are covered in mud and our skin has been damp now for several days. This weekend we will take Spanish immersion classes in groups of two with local teachers, and next week we will jump into home-stays and a long awaited service project. The send off of our much beloved student who departed last week has been an incredible gateway for many girls. Our group has decided to use this unfortunate event and truly reflect on it as a blessing. Many girls have reported back to us how they have reengaged themselves in every opportunity keeping in mind how it could change in an instant. One can just observe the changes in the group- the sense of adventure and flexibility, the wide eyes when they wake up and the stoke for each moment is palpable. Our fingers are crossed our dear student resting back home in the States will be able to rejoin in a couple weeks!
Oh, classes: In History I just gave a presentation on the pre-Incan cultures of Ecuador and tomorrow we move into the study of the Incan Empire. In Math Concepts we have started the Game of Life, each girl has a family and or pets and a life they must budget for and take care of. We have a billionaire surgeon in Napa, School Teacher with three kids in Santa Fe, a Manicurist with a dead beat boyfriend and two dogs in Denver and a party girl in Burlington VT. Tomorrow we are learning about Credit Cards and we will soon go into resumes, cover letters and interviews! In Global studies we are talking more and more about the gruesome details of the Chevron/ Texaco case in the Amazon and its effects on the cultures and people in the area.
Thank you for your lovely thoughts and smiles. Sending cloud forest love your way... lots and lots of green hues, huge leaves and tiny mosses!