The first weekend in Ecuador was crazy! We did so much stuff it made me worry that there wouldn’t be much to do when we started classes. Each thing was exciting, even the drives from city to city. The first thing we did was go to Otavalo to go to the markets there. The markets have many textiles made by the Ecuadorians and I had never seen so much alpaca wool in my life. The experience was colorful and I would definitely like to go back! There is just so much I want to buy because all the wool is so warm and the other textiles just have so much color. I would recommend buying an alpaca wool sweater to anyone who visits they are well worth the expense.

We also got to visit two separate volcanoes. One was inhabited by people and the other was a national park (though people still live there just not in the immediate area). It was amazing to see how the vegetation would change from one side of the volcano to the other! Each one was unique and beautiful in its own right, but I had a hard time walking any distance because of the altitude.

At Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the world, or the equator depending on your preference, we got to see totem poles from all over the world! It was an impressive sight and with the clouds looming in the sky it gave them a sense of majesty that film could just not capture. The grave sight was a powerful experience as well, it kind of reminded me of the ancient Egyptians because of all the things that get buried along with the body (which is treated just like the ancient Egyptians).