To the West: Cloud forests, Superman, Beach Day, Surfing, Horses and Ecuadoran S’mores.

Bridge Ecuador Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain! Here’s our penultimate blog update, straight from the leaders in Quito. Be sure to check out the newly added pictures!

We descended down into the cloud and mist that surrounds Mindo and found ourselves zipping across cables and dangling over deep canyons. The views were terrific! Some of us tried the Mariposa technique, while others opted for the Superman. Mariposa is when you hang upside down, and Superman is as the name implies. The Canopy tour had 13 cables that went by all too quickly. Before we knew it we were back on terra firma and heading to the coast where the warm Pacific waters welcomed us. The beach was super tranquil. The town of Canoa was a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Quito. It's the kind of place that makes you feel right at home in a pair of flip flops and a t-shirt. The first day was all about the three R's...rest, relaxation, and recreation. We walked the beach and found beautiful shells, then scavenged the rocks for other signs of sea life. In town we bought our food for the night and made a great meal. The next day, the surf was up so we grabbed boards and got tips from a local, who happened to be the number three surfer in the country. Some of us surfed, others went treasure hunting, and still others went sea kayaking. On our last night on the beach we had a wonderful campfire, shared stories, roasted marshmallows, and made Ecuadoran s'mores. Chips ahoy cookies, marshmallow and chocolate (graham crackers are hard to come by here).

After our third night at the beach we went to Otavalo via a short overnight stop in Quito. Otavalo is a small town in the northern highlands. In the morning, we mounted up and took horses out on the trail. Otavalo is surrounded by volcanoes, lakes, and beautiful hillside farms. We also got a taste of the huge market that will take place on Saturday at Poncho Plaza. Tomorrow the shopping begins! Can you say haggle in Espanol?

Now for student notes:

Clarissa is excited to see the market place tomorrow and hopes she can find a great gift for everyone at home!

Harrison was happy that he was able to do the canopy tour. As the trip progresses, he is slowly transforming into Indiana Jones. He has the hat and bag and all he need now is a whip.

Sarah showed us what riding a horse is all about. She was so confident even the horse could tell.

Chris enjoyed his time relaxing on the beach and stood up tall while riding the waves. He persevered while rock climbing on Quito's famous Rocodromo!

Carol had the best time sea kayaking and is always excited for what's coming next; she loved horseback riding and can't wait for the market tomorrow!

Will made the best out of surfing and is probably going to pick it up the next chance he gets!

Karen finally got a chance to ride a horse and is laughing and having so much fun it is contagious.

Joe keeps sharing his jokes and enthusiasm non-stop! He hung ten and motivated us to see a wonderful sunrise in Otavalo.

That’s all, folks. The students will be calling home Saturday for a quick hello and to confirm arrival times. Please call us here in the office if you have any end-of-trip questions.

Best,

Angus, Kate, and the entire Windsor Mountain Team

Goodbye Friendship Camp, Homestays, and Quito; Hello Cloudforest and Pacific Coast

Yesterday was the last day of the Bridge Ecuador Friendship Camp and the homestay portion of the trip. Over the past four days we served over eighty children at the Friendship Camp. It was very tiring, but their bright smiling faces had an energizing effect. The students played games, American sports, ran relay races, learned to dance and created beautiful art. All along the way they learned bits of English, and we practiced our Spanish. It was truly uplifting to feel like we were bringing so much joy to their lives, and it goes without saying that they brought joy to ours. We couldn't have done it without our friends from the Liceo de Valle school. They have become our dear friends and we will miss them very much. Thank goodness for Facebook! The connections we made here in Quito have expanded our network to include this beautiful country.

We'd like to give a special thanks to all the families that took care of us during the homestay program. They fed us well, took us out for ice cream, and treated us like family. One family even made a birthday cake for Will, even though his birthday isn't until August. Thank you thank you!

Now it is off to the Cloud Forests of Mindo, then some surfing on the coast, and a whale-watching trip. We promise to bring home the memories of the past few days that have truly helped us open our hearts to the Ecuadorian Culture.

It was as if time stood still...

After leaving the Jungle we climbed higher and higher through the valley of Baeza until we reached Cosanga, where were met by Don Marco, the owner of a beautiful vacation home on the slopes of Vulcan Antisana. He told us the house was built in an exact location where positive and negative charges from the hemispheres cancel each other out and time comes to a stop. We're not sure if it is true, but we sure did sleep well in this beautiful house. The next morning we left to reunite with our friends from Liceo Del Valle, but before we arrived in Quito we stopped at a Hot Spring and enjoyed the soothing and calming theraputic waters. Ahhh! Talk about a relaxing way to go back up to 10,000 feet.

Yesterday was our first day running the Friendship camp. All the children were so excited to see us. They were entertained by games of futbol, basketball, pictionary, and all sorts of language games. The Friendship camp team poured all there energy into the day and the result was a lot of fun and excitement. The camp continues through Thursday, so as we move through the week the students will be tweaking the program to make it better each day.

The students are enjoying their homestay experience. Harrison's first words when we regrouped were, "homestays are the best part of the trip". He went on to say that he had great conversations and was happy that his family are runners so that he may get the chance to start training for the upcoming running season.

Carol was happy to be in a comfortable home and extended her language skills the best she could during the homestay.

Sarah was excited to be with a smaller group and enjoy living like an Ecuadorian

Will is eating up this experience. We don't think he stopped moving once yesterday with the children. He was also one of the first to jump up to help serve lunch at the restaurant. He speaks Spanish when ever possible, even when he knows the Ecuadorians he is speaking to can understand English.

Karen was a star during our big group games. She explained rules in Spanish to over 70 campers, translated when ever needed and used her strong voice to get the message across.

Chris taught in the art department and was very helpful with his creative ideas.

Clarissa was also in the art department and loved working with the kids.

Joe had a big vision of the camp and became the all around coordinator. He made sure we all stayed on a schedule.

Out of the Jungle

We survived the Jungle!!

We spent two nice nights at the Liana lodge, then went rafting which was great. The guides were professional and fun. Now we are on our way to Cosanga for a rural night out in the field. The kids really enjoyed the shaman ceremony. They had a blast on the river and learned a lot about the indigenous culture, including hitting the wooden monkey target with a blow gun.

Pics to come soon.

Standing on the Verge

Since our last blog post, we have traveled into the Amazon region of Ecuador where we´ve continued to learn and explore.
We have hiked through the snow (yes! snow on the equator!) on the Cotopaxi volcano, visited several beautiful, remote waterfalls, soaked in the Banos hot springs and gotten to know each other even better.
Now we have arrived in Puyo, the gateway to the Amazon, where we spent a day playing with monkeys and meeting up with our jungle guides. We are headed to jungle lodge where we will escape from civilization for a few days to enjoy the natural wonders that the Amazon has to offer.

Karen continues to be a huge help to everyone, helping us communicate with the locals. She braved it through the snowy weather and made it to the Cotopàxi mid-mountain refuge.

Clarissa also pushed herself to reach the highest altitude she´s ever been at on Cotopaxi. She is taking in all the Ecuadorian wildlife and constantly uplifting the people around her by helping out with chores and keeping a positive attitude.

Sarah is hitting her stride and feeling more comfortable each day, getting a feel for the Ecuadorian culture on our first Magical Mystery Tour in Banos.

Chris always has fun and makes the best of situations, Whether it means getting soaked to the bone hiking behind a huge waterfall or trying some local melcocha, he is game for any new experience.

Carol had to fend off a monkey that attempted to steal her glasses yesterday. Her upbeat personality has helped energize the group and allowed her to have several unique interactions with the locals.

Harrison is the outdoorsman of the group, and so far has experienced everything from having a Boa Constrictor around his neck to fishing lunch out of a small pond, with a little bit of knitting on the bus in between.

Joe proves his leadership skills through organizing the group and making sure everyone is doing their part—in between making jokes and telling hilarious stories.

Will is in his element during group meetings. He often adds insightful comments and helps raise the level of consciousness. He is enjoying the local culture and looks forward to more interactions.

First Update: Buenos Dias de Ecuador!

The first four days have been chock full of activities. It has been non-stop action since we walked off the plane on the sixth of July. We´ve walked up and down the charming colonial streets of Quito, were whisked up to the top of Vulcan Pichincha, witnessed the wonders of physics on the equator, and chilled out in La Ronda where the colonial culture of this wonderful land comes to life. Along the way we have been using Spanish speaking skills, experimenting with food that we´ve never seen before and enjoying the time spent to get to know each other.

Today was our first visit with the students from Liceo Del Valle. The picnic, games, laughter and food broke the language barrier and eased our inhibitions. At the beginning of the day it felt like we were from two different planets. The Liceo students were just as shy about their English as we were about our Spanish, but by the end of the day it was clear that those planets had merged perfectly and we had become a team dedicated to providing the best summer camp Ecuador has ever seen! We finished off with a hike to a beautiful waterfall and were awed by its power. We are ready to entertain and educate the seventy two first to seventh grade boys and girls that have signed up for the Friendship Camp.

Now, we are off to Banos and then its on to the Amazon, but before we head out we´d like to give a shout out to our peeps back home.

Clarissa says hi to everyone back home. She is enjoying the food and the chaotic atmosphere of the busy city. She also stretched her comfort zone as we climbed to the top of the Torres De la Basilica.

Will has been using his past Windsor Mountain experiences to start conversations and break the ice. He takes advantage of being able to practice speaking Spanish each day.

Chris' determination to get a grasp of the Spanish language is contagious. When it comes to speaking Spanish Chris jumps at every opportunity.

Carol turns lemons into lemonade. She really knows how to turn the group around when they are tired, grumpy or just downright mad. She makes each moment count and is an inspiration to us. She says ""hola mis tios y Eddie. I love you guys. I am safe, not quite great at my Spanish, but I´m getting there. Ecuador is beautiful I wish you were here to see it. With love in peace Carol Ann".

Sarah is having a blast and really liked getting to know the students from Liceo. Hanging out in La Ronda was right up her alley. Her comments take us far because they are thoughtful and to the point.

Karen is our Spanish lifeline! Like a great teacher, she has been ever watchful and steps in whenever we need her help. She says "Queridos padres la estoy pasando muy bien. Les Mando muchos saludos y abrazos. Luego les cuento todo lo que he hecho. Su hija que les quiere mucho".

Joe brings energy and humor to the group. His wacky jumping jacks and funny antics keep us laughing as we roll through the day. His ideas were instrumental while we were planning the Friendship Camp activities.

Harrison is a ball of energy and loves to discover new things. His outgoing personality helped break down barriers between us and the students from Liceo Del Valle. His ability to teach was emphasized when he taught several Ecuadorians how to throw a Football.

Ecuador families,

Everyone has arrived in Quito! They were all in great spirits when we went up to the Panecillio and were greeted by the city lights and La Virgen de Quito. We will be touring the city today and beginning orientation.

Matt and Tania