COUNTRY: Ecuador
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Roxanne Vuurman
Hola! With two weeks left of our time here in Ecuador for 4 of us, things are becoming a little bit of a mad rush. Today we sadly had to bid farewell to Emma, the next two weeks will not be the same without her.
Volunteering has been going fantastically. The children participated in a play depicting stories and the traditions of All souls day, and it was incredible to see the way in which this culture celebrates their dead, and how vastly different their view of mortality is when compared to that of Australia. In addition to their small celebrations and plays, normal class time has been going well, however witnessing Emma’s farewell just reminded us that our time here is rapidly coming to an end. None of us are really ready to stop travelling, but fear not parents (of Katharine and I at least), we will be returning soon, not extending our return flights.
Our weekend travel saw us once again returning to the beach town of Montañita for Halloween. There was never a boring moment!
For three of our volunteers (as mentioned many times before) the appeal of the beach was much too great, and they remained there for the entire weekend. For Katharine and I however the town of Baños was still calling, and we made our way from the coast to the Andes for more thrills. While 60% of our volunteers made the most of the surf the other 40% spent their time cycling the route of the waterfalls, and getting their water bottles stolen by cunning small shop owners.
The following weekend, Emma’s last in Ecuador, allowed us to see the stunning Mt Cotopaxi, as well as Lake Quilotoa, the crater of a dormant volcano that filled with water and minerals from the volcano, resulting in its stunning blue colour. The diversity of Ecuador never fails to astound, one day you could be surfing on the coast, the next cycling towards an enormous waterfall, whilst in other parts of the country it is snowing too much for climbers to see the glacier topped mountain, and yet you would only need to drive for 2 hours to see the sun shine across a volcanic crater lake. This country is so rich in beauty; it is nearly impossible not to fall in love with it.
With our remaining time here there is so much still to see and do, it is going to be so hard to say goodbye. This trip has given all of us so much more than we could have ever imagined, and although this trip has already ended for one of us, those of us remaining will continue to make the most of the time we have left.
Adios
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