During our last couple of weeks in Otavalo, two volunteers joined our group; Jackie and Jessie. We took advantage of our mornings off, before teaching in the afternoon, to go on short hikes to places close to Otavalo. That week, we went to visit a tree called Lechero that used to be a site for shamans to perform rituals, with Pablo as our guide. It took us a little less than two hours to get to the tree, trekking through farm fields, forest, and cobblestone roads. Alex, Daylin, and I attempted to converse with Pablo in Spanish, and we were successful, although he spent most of the hike snickering at us. As we approached the tree, we automatically understood why it was chosen by the shamans- it stood magnificently on top of a hill, amongst dry
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