Getting Ready
24 июля 2022 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F
Ten Longwood students, two faculty, and a local area teacher will travel to Ecuador to explore life in a developing country and the debate about drilling for oil in the Amazon jungle. We will exploreЧитать далее
Airline stress
1 августа 2022 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F
After rounds of flight cancellations we are sitting in the Miami airport killing about nine hours before our flight to Ecuador. Fingers crossed that we get there tonight. We will make up for lost timeЧитать далее
ПутешественникThank You to the families that housed our travelers during a chaotic time!! I appreciate what you did and your hospitality!! It means a lot to me!!
ПутешественникWe were happy to help! We are so grateful for the leaders' efforts to get all the travel challenges sorted out! Thank you so much for providing such an amazing experience for these students!
Puerto Lopez
2 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
After arriving at the airport, we drove through part of the night to get to a small coastal town called Puerto Lopez. In addition to being a fishing community, the whales come here during our summerЧитать далее
Isla de la Plata
2 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
They call this place poor man’s Galapagos, and it doesn’t have all of the species you would find there. But it still is pretty awesome. You literally step over blue footed boobies, and theyЧитать далее
Whale watching
2 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
In our summer months, whales come from Antarctica to give birth. Calves are born with little body fat and cannot withstand the temperatures. Until they fatten up, the babies will play with their momsЧитать далее
ПутешественникThis is amazing!! I’m living this thru my daughters eyes!! Thank You Sooo Much!!
Snorkeling with Parrot Fish
2 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
The group had the opportunity to snorkel with the most beautiful gosh today. My pictures are not doing these fish justice, but you get the idea.
Some local color
2 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
Salsa starts in 30 minutes. I think the rest of the pics are self explanatory. Don’t worry parents, I’m not letting these kids loose on Puerto Lopez. But a couple of drinks and dances with ourЧитать далее
Cocao farm
3 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
Visited a family-owned farm that is part of a cooperative to learn about cultivation of pods and the fermentation and drying process. The farm is organic, producing the national variety, which isЧитать далее
Delicious bananas
3 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
Stopped at a roadside stand for bananas. Tried two types new to the students. I probably bought 13 pounds (entire stalks) for like $2ish dollars.
Over the Andes
3 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
To get to our next destination we had to cross the Andes mountain range. Amazing, beautiful cloud forests and lots of fog. Spectacular views.
Cuy asado
3 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F
Guinea pig is a popular dish in Ecuador. They are not the cute little animals we had as children… Much larger. It is a relatively expensive item on Ecuadorian standards. These are not great picturesЧитать далее
Sights of Baños
4 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
We are in the small town of Baños which is beautiful and very walkable. There is a nice central park, central market, and lots of recreational activities. In the picture you see the only waterfall inЧитать далее
Rafting
4 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 63 °F
We hot some class three rapids on the river today. Of course, my pictures do not show this because I was hanging on for dear life with my camera in a dry bag once we took off. The group did great, andЧитать далее
Candy factory
4 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Baños has a community candy factory specializing in guava paste candy. The students were able to see how the candy is produced, taste samples of both guava and taffy, and see how sugarcane juice isЧитать далее
Zip lining
4 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
Students all took advantage of the opportunity to cross the river by cables. It was impressive that they were willing to tolerate a little rain and cold. Note the cave at the end of the zip. And yes,Читать далее
Flowers
5 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
We are now in the cloud forest of Ecuador and you say beautiful flowers. Everything is so green and very wet.
Devil’s cauldron
5 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Devils cauldron is an impressive waterfall that is the biggest one I have ever seen, and I have seen them all over the world. The sheer force of the water is truly incredible. There are two sides toЧитать далее
ПутешественникThat’s huge!! And so beautiful!!! The pictures are wonderful but to be there, gosh I can’t even imagine!!!
Freshwater crab
5 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
This is a species of freshwater crab that lives in Ecuador. Unfortunately, locals are harvesting them and it is threatening the species. We were fortunate to find one in the beautiful valley you seeЧитать далее
Thermal springs
5 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Last night we took the students to relax in the thermal Springs. This is a local hotspot and it did not disappoint.
ПутешественникIt’s hard to believe it’s only 63 degrees there?? Is that true?? We dieing in 95 degree weather and monsoon rain and thunder storms!! Too funny and strange at the same time!!???
Melanie MarksWell it is winter here in much of Ecuador. We are in 40 degrees right now at the top of the Andes mountains.
Got more rafting pics
6 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
These were just sent to me! You can see the big rapids.
Trek into Yasuni
9 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
Students and professors had to trek an hour into the jungle to reach our destination. Because of rain, it was muddy and messy… And the humidity was probably different than anything the students hadЧитать далее
Indigenous culture
9 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
Students got to experience some activities of life for the indigenous. During a trek, they were taught about indigenous medicine, how to climb trees, make baskets, and later about how they hunt, makeЧитать далее
Waorani face painting
9 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
Indígenas tribes paint their faces with achote seeds and you see the group modeling here in these pics.
Indigenas rituals
9 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
NUDITY WARNING!!!!
The last night we watched the family do some indigenous dancing with chants around the campfire. This is a tribe that does not traditionally wear clothing. And some of the time weЧитать далее
Oil and the Amazon
9 августа 2022 г., Эквадор ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
One of our purposes for coming to Ecuador is to explore the more recent drilling for oil in the Amazon jungle. For science students, the effects on the environment and ecosystems are clear. ButЧитать далее