Day 12!
Today was a big travel day. We were supposed to fly from the Galapagos to Guayaquil to Cuenca, but instead we flew to Guayaquil, then to Quito, and finally arrived in Cuenca. From all the readings and talking about this city I was excited to see how old and beautiful it looked. I feel like this city may be my favorite structurally. It was very late when we got to the hotel and dark so I was unable to fully see what the city had to offer. We got dinner together at a dive bar type restaurant. The food was cheap and good. It was the perfect end to a long day.
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Day 13!
Cajas National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! This is where we went today. It was so peaceful and breathtaking. One of the differences between Cajas and a National Park back at home is the price. It is only $10 to get into Cajas National park and $4 to stay the night while in the US it can vary based on the specific park (Parque Nacional Cajas, 2009). I feel like $10 is rather cheap however not everyone has the funds to come and visit much like back at home. We had Diego as our tour guide, he by far has been my favorite tour guide on the trip. He was so knowledgable and knew what to say to keep us intrigued. This was a four mile walk on a trail 14,000 feet above sea level. Cajas is part of the Andean mountain range. This is the continental divide of Ecuador. This means that these mountains are the dividing factor for the flow of water. Water flowing to the west will go to the Pacific ocean while water on the east will flow to the Atlantic Ocean (Continental divide, 2011). Cajas is the highest wetlands in the highlands with seven lakes, and 160 species of birds. The most interesting thing Diego told us was about the Cajas Fishing Mice. These mice dive into the water to find and consume food. Over time they began to develop webbed feet. This helps them with swimming and diving. Towards the end of our walk there was a forest that looked like a scene out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The trees were polylepus trees which sheds the bark to keep the moss from growing. There is one major tree and all the rest are interconnected through the roots. They need altitude and water to grow which makes Cajas the perfect place for these trees. On our way back into Cuenca we stopped at the Panama hat factory. It was really cool to see how these hats were made and the culture/tradition behind it. The Panama hat was the first export from Ecuador. These hats are made out of stalks, not leaves which I was unaware of. Depending on the price of the hat you can determine how long it took to make. A cheaper hat will take 1-2 days while a more expensive hat can take up to six months, sometimes even longer. When we got back, Professor Tait's friend Paul talked to us about his decision to move to Cuenca. After that, many of us went out to dinner and tried guinea pig for the very first time. I do not think this is the meat for me. I only took a little piece but it was not my cup of tea. But at least I can say that while in Ecuador I tried Cuy!
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Day 14!Today was our last full day in Cuenca! We went to the Inca ruins and it was spectacular. Before getting to Ingapirca we stopped at the Virgin of the Clouds church. This church was built in 1890 out of the rock that was believe to be magic. The town below desperately needed water for their crops. A priest would hold mass up at the rock and a miracle started to happen, the rains came and the crops began to grow. Unfortunately, the story goes that as the church was built the magic began to disappear. The ruins were the next stop. This area was inhabited by the Canari and when the Incas came they decided to live in harmony together. Only 34 years where spent here before the Incas were overthrown by conquistadors. They were doing construction on the tail part of the ruins where the virgins were buried. There was a rather large area for gatherings and festivals where the people from the surrounding town would come. I really liked the moon calendar we saw. There were 25 carvings in a rock which represented the different moons for each night. After walking around the ruins we went to lunch. We all sang happy birthday to Steve because is was in fact his birthday! There were some shops so of course we stopped in them before heading back into Cuneca. I got myself an alpaca because I had seen them all over the entire trip but never bought myself one. But now I have a cute little souvenir to forever remember this trip by!
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Day 15 & 16!
I am having such mixed feelings about leaving. I have loved every place we have been and cannot wait to come back one day! But at the same time I can't wait to get home and see my family. The last two days were full of vendors, and taking in the last few minutes of this beautiful experience. I will never forget the memories I have made and the people I have made them with. ~Ama la Vida~
Sources:
Continental divide. (2011). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-divide/
Parque Nacional Cajas. 2009. http://www.parque-nacional-cajas.org/index.html
Continental divide. (2011). Retrieved March 13, 2016, from http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-divide/
Parque Nacional Cajas. 2009. http://www.parque-nacional-cajas.org/index.html