Early the following morning, the students had an incredible opportunity to see first-hand a few of the rarest birds in the world. Waking up at 4 AM, the group headed off into the early morning air to a bird sanctuary not far from the town of Mindo. The highlight of the morning was the chance to see and hear the famous and endangered Gallo De La Pena. With its bright red coat and unique call, the students sat in awe as they watched the bird that people from all over the world travel specifically to Ecuador to see! Other highlights were seeing two species of Antpita, Great and Yellow Breasted, that are endemic to the country, as well as the Tucan Barbette and the Tucanette.
The day was topped off with an afternoon of community service where the students helped renovate the local health clinic as well as clean up Mindo's main park. Working hand in hand with local people, the students got the chance to work on their Spanish, interact with Ecuadorians and give something back to the town that we've all grown to love. That night after dinner the students met up with some active members of a local NGO (non-governmental organization) that has been protesting the oil pipeline that cuts across some of their protected lands as well as the proposed mining plans for the town of Mindo. With an interpreter in hand, they got the chance to ask questions and view a video that was created to show the world about the environmental challenges Mindo is facing.
On our final full day in this tranquil town, we went on a beautiful hike through a private reserve on the outskirts of town. Students got a chance to explore, take photos and learn about the primary and secondary cloud forests of the area. They also had the opportunity to stand on the very ground that was cleared for the pipeline to pass through underground. As National Geographic Expert Dr. David Scott Silverberg demonstrated the importance of understanding structure, the edge effect and the natural disturbance of a particular forest, the students listened intently and interjected their own thoughts and ideas in open discussions as we walked through the cloud forest.
The afternoon was filled with time to focus on On Assignment projects as Colby and Rachel's Photography teams gained a better grasp on their projects as well as spent some time wandering the streets of Mindo taking photos. Hannah's Wildlife and Conservation team got the chance to explore a local rescue and rehabilitation center. Started by a Belgian man and his sister 15 years ago, the center started out with just domesticated animals and now works with endangered birds, monkeys as well as a number of other fascinating species. Dr. David Scott Silverberg topped off our last night in Mindo with a presentation that detailed our time here in the Ecuadorian cloud forests and prepared the students for life in the páramo around Cotopaxi.
We left Mindo early in the morning and arrived at the famous Mitad de Mundo (Middle of the Earth) when it opened at 9AM. The students enjoyed themselves as they took photos of each other jumping, hugging and straddling the Equator line. Although it was recently found out that the monument is actually just slightly off of the actual equator, this didn't deter the students' enthusiasm in the least. Some of them had their passport stamped stating that they had visited the equator.Next we headed south to the wonder that is the Andean páramo, home to Volcano Cotopaxi. Also known as the Valley of Volcanoes, the area is surrounded by eight massive volcanoes that give the landscape a surreal feeling. With rolling hills, high altitude mountainous terrain and Ecuadorian cowboys running the show, the páramo is different that anything our students have experienced. Our adopted home here is the Hacienda de Porvenier which was built in an Ecuadorian ranch style. From wild horses to sheep, alpacas and cows spotted on the grounds, the students instantly fell in love with the Porvenir and its gorgeous location.
We ate a delicious lunch before breaking into our On Assignment teams. Hannah's Wildlife and Conservation group got a lesson in geographical location by using GPSs, compasses and local topographical maps. Colby's Photography group took to the trails for a short hike and photography lesson-- they were lucky to catch breathtaking vistas of a snow capped Cotopaxi as a backdrop to beautiful golden rolling hills. Rachel's Photography group also explored some of the surrounding area and then settled into a student critique session on photos that they had taken throughout the trip. As the sun set that night, the entire group met up at a look out point to capture the beautiful colors that danced across the sky.
The next day, we built a pair of compost piles and helped to clear some trails, and later ventured high into the páramo by horseback. The horseback ride offered a unique opportunity to see first hand the beauty of the high altitude páramo region. From rolling hills to active volcanoes, the students learned about the important biodiversity of the area and just how vital the páramo regions are to the rest of Ecuador. These threatened ecosystems provide water to a vast majority of the population of Ecuador, on both sides of the Andes.
That night, Dr. David Scott Silverberg gave a presentation on ' Evolution and the Galapagos' in preparation for our next destination. Talking about the differences between natural and sexual selection, Dr. Silverberg taught the students how a species form is directly linked to its niche or 'job' in the animal world.
On our last day in the páramo, our group left for the Cotopaxi Volcano after an early breakfast. With packed lunches in hand, we headed to the Cotopaxi National Park for an amazing hike up to the volcano's base camp. We arrived at the parking lot (a height of 4600m) and the students made their way up to the high refuge, a cozy wooden house located near the foot of the glaciers. At an altitude of 4900 meters we paused as a group to take a photo with the National Geographic Society flag and a beautiful view of the summit of the volcano.
After our decent, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to an amazing lagoon in the Cotopaxi National Park. We spent the next hour helping pick up trash in the area before we spotted a large group of wild horses that offered our students some very special photography opportunities.
We headed back into Quito exhausted. Our students poured over photography shots, talked about the experiences of the day and even found some solace in catching some shut eye on the bus. Charles Darwin said in Origin of Species that, "There is a grandeur in this view of life…that whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Soon our last and final adventure of this expedition will commence and we will be walking in the footsteps of some of the great biological minds of the past in the Islands of the Galapagos.
¡Saludos!
Colby, Hannah, and Rachel
