Days 17 and 18

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Day 17: Baños

Our hotel had some animals somewhere and roosters woke us up fairly early so there was no sleeping in here. We had breakfast at 8am buffet style. There were a lot of options (eggs, rice, fruit, meat, cheese, cereal, and bread). I wouldn’t consider all of the foods I would want to eat for breakfast, but I found some things I liked. A group of us went to the traditional hot springs. There weren’t naturally formed pools, but the thermal water naturally hot from below ground and the cold water was from the waterfall which was sourced in the mountains. It was a cool experience! The hot water had sulfur in it so it looked yellow, but it felt great. You’re not supposed to stay in the hot water for very long, so we alternated between hot and cold. Most of us went to the pool at our hotel after and then dried off in the sun. For lunch, we had pineapple juice, potato, and avocado soup, chicken, salad, potatoes, and a dessert that was sort of like jello. After some downtime, most of us met to do the seven waterfalls tour. We drove around on the bus and stopped at different locations to see waterfalls. At the last one, we got out to hike. We got to go so close that we could even stand behind the waterfall! We had to crawl and climb through a narrow space, but it was worth it. Then we came back down and walked across a swinging bridge to get a different view. Daniel, Ben, Rachel, and I went back across and were waiting for the rest of the group to come back. We thought that maybe they went on another trail, so we were just hanging out but after a while, we decided to just head back. Apparently, they had come back but went below a café and we were above it so we didn’t see them come back. We felt bad about making everyone wait! Once we got back, we changed and went to dinner. It was a tomato filled with beans and ham and some other things, spaghetti, and ice cream. I was really excited about spaghetti! A bunch of us went up to the lookout again, then some of us watched The Proposal before bed.



Day 18: Baños/Misahualli

The roosters woke us up again this morning, even earlier. Breakfast was the same yesterday. About half of us walked around the town and some people did some shopping. When we got back, we had time to relax and pack up. After loading up the bus, we had lunch (soup, pork, potatoes, salad, and fried dough that was like doughnuts). Then we all piled onto the bus and drove to the jungle! We had a few brief stops along the way to look at some views and I could feel it getting hotter and more humid as we moved down from the highlands. Our hotel was sort of in the middle of nowhere and more like cabins. There was a screen, no windows, no AC, and our rooms were like small houses amongst the plants. Thankfully there was a pool because we were all sticky. After a quick swim, we had dinner which was in a pavilion sort of enclosure. We had potato soup, spaghetti, and fruit. Then we got to see and help with the process of making chocolate! It was interesting to see each step and participate, then eat some fresh chocolate products (hot chocolate and chocolate-covered bananas). I was pretty tired by the end of the night. Kim and I were staying with Emily and Payton, and Halie, Brianna, Megan, and Heather were next door.



Social Level Reflection:

After staying at a few hotels, it has been interesting to see how the staff interact with us. We were always served a three-course meal. The staff brings everything out to us and clears everything away. They speak quietly when making their presence known. I wonder if this is the practice at all hotels no matter where they are, or if this was just because of the types of hotels that we stayed at. The latter seems less likely because the hotels we have stayed at over the course of this trip have all been so different. While I am used to being served in restaurants, it felt different to me here. It felt like a higher level of respect and more fancy, regardless of what the location looked like. Both the Culture Smart and Insight Guides books mention that Eudorians are very polite to each other. I think this plays into the interactions we had with the hotel staff. The books also talk about how a lot of meals are restaurants are 2- or 3-course meals. This appears to be more common in Ecuador than in the States. I enjoyed having the opportunity to try more food due to the different courses. I was able to experience different soups, meats, and sides. While it did also mean I was very full of so much food, I am glad it happened this way as opposed to the alternative. I think these interactions show the importance of treating others around you with respect and reflect the cultural norms for interacting with other people.

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