Ecuador: Llamingos

By Sarah Small

Today we started our day by visiting the third volcano of the trip, Chimborazo. After a couple hours of the most terrifying and uncomfortable bus ride I’ve ever experienced we finally reached the snow line of the volcano. By terrifying bus ride I mean going really fast on a 50 person bus through crazy twisty roads that were literally on the edge of mountain cliffs. I may have saw my life flash before my eyes a few times. It’s funny because our driver is so casual about these frightening adventures, which I guess only adds to the experience.

The volcano was extraordinarily beautiful. Sitting in the middle of tundra the volcano was coated in a soft powdery snow and at about 15000 feet- not even halfway up the volcano, we were freezing! I made a few impulse purchases at the top of the mountain consisting of an alpaca scarf and hat to keep my blood circulating! Everywhere we looked on the mountain there were little Vicuñas running around. Aka baby llama type animals- the cutest things ever! Keshet and I did some yoga and enjoyed the views while trying to stay warm from the shivering winds. After the volcano we traveled to the town of chocolate and cheese where I went a little crazy with my chocolate purchases! Mom, dad, and Nicole I hope you are all reading this because you better get ready for a chocolate overload when I return to the states! I also bought some goat cheese with oregano to bring on our picnic at the inca ruins tomorrow. The town of cheese and chocolate was called salina and it was a beautiful old salt mine town. The buildings were so bright and vivid against the blue sky. The entire town was tucked between towering green mountains with hills that seemed to roll on for forever. It met every picturesque idea of a Latin American town I had ever composed in my mind. There were children running and laughing in the square and fresh puppies tumbling around with them. Families walked along the streets gathered close to keep warm and dogs wandered aimlessly. On our way back to Ambato from salina we stopped at a road that lead to the volcano because the sunlight hit the mountain with the most perfect amount of glittering light possible. We had to jump out to snap a few pictures of the magical view. It’s honestly hard to grasp the fact that natural creations this beautiful exist all over the world and I haven’t even seen half of them! I’m laying in bed missing sushi and American food more than I thought was humanly possible…love it here but can’t wait for a familiar bed, a salad that wasn’t washed in potentially parasite infested water, and convenient access to clean bathrooms. Vibrating to the frequency of love! Buenas noches mis amigos xo