February 25, 2010

The wake up call in the rainforest is somewhat more dramatic than a phone call. Thunder and lightening that lit up our thatch roof shacks. It was a spectecular start to the day. After enjoying this beautiful show we climbed out of mosquito netting and prepared for a long ride back to Quito. After enjoying a breakfast of fruit and banana bread we had a short visit with the village pet, a six foot Boa constrictor said our goodbyes then began the the trek back through the forest and over the bridge to the bus.

Once on the bus we headed back into Tena for a fifteen minute stop, we are not sure why, but so many hours on the bus led to a great deal of speculation. However, being the type of people that never fail to take advantage of an opportunity we headed out for cold soda and snacks to hold us over.

Beginning the climb to the continental divide we were in full view of the active volcano Antisana and many other beautiful sites we missed on the previous trip because of the weather. When we crossed over the continental divide the lush green rain forest gave way to a steep and stark environment.

The trip was not without its excitement. As you can imagine we encountered a fair share of blind corners even one with a truck making a u-turn in the middle of the road. As we neared the continental divide the driver had to jump out for a "tire pressure" check, once the pressure was relieved the driver hopped back into the bus seeming to feel much more refreshed. As we crossed the continental divide and headed down hill quickly, there was a fair amount of discussion about the road worthiness of the bus. The smoke rising from the transmission seemed to be causing some concern in the class. We discussed the possibility of making it down the steep grade without the aid of brakes or a transmission and the consensus was, things would be tough.

Reaching the bottom of the hill we made a stop at a rose plantation named Hacienda Santa Fe. We toured the growing facilities in the green houses. Spent some time in the sorting and packing facilites where we learned that many of the roses we were looking at were on their way to the US. Then it was off to the cold storage before shipping and after the past two days in the hot humid rainforest it was a truely enjoyable experience.

Then it was back through the traffic of Quito where once again the road worthiness of the bus was called into question. Not because of the fears of plummeting down a deep ravine, but wondering if we needed to call a cab. Not to worry the bus got us back to the hotel and after we used up most of the hot water in Quito we headed out to dinner recounting our experience in the rain forest.

Submitted by Mike Mendes, Joyce Jong, Erin Fields-Huston