We had some very nice experiences. Allison left a note and some literature with a return visit of hers. Damaris was able to place a Bible Teach book with a young woman. Amanda and Stephanie had a chance to study with a man, that Stephanie got to give her first Chinese magazine presentation since arriving too. Preaching wise, we felt very sucessful!
In between preaching, we took some food breaks and tried some of the best authentic Ecuadorian food. For those of you who don't know me or don't know me well, I am a huge foodie! There is barely anything I won't eat (Black licorice and fish/seafood are the only things that come to mind), so food has been one of my favorite things here. We tried humitas, a corn and cheese bread rolled like a tamale and steamed, quimbolitos, a sweet corn cake with raisins cooked inside a banana leaf, and bolones, fried plantain with cheese, shaped in a ball. My tummy was very happy.
Also on the menu....leg jam? Some things should not be translated.
After preaching, the four of us girls had decided we would head another hour and a half south to Zamora, the rainforest, where Wendy's family(Wendy is a sister in the Chinese group) own a hotel. The other three girls headed back to Cuenca. To get to Zamora, we hired a furgoneta to take us. The didn't have one available so one of the drivers took us in his personal SUV. His name was Leni, and we actually had a very nice drive with him. When we passed an amazing waterfall, he let us stop to take a picture. He also helped us make our reservations with the company to return to Cuenca.
Once in Zamora, we checked into the hotel and headed out to get some food. We decided(rather we were directed earlier in the day by the other girls) that we would try this roadside food stand that some Witnesses own. They are famous for their encocados(meaning food cooked in coconut). The chicken was the most amazing thing. We all vacuumed our plates up. If they would have been open on Saturdays, we would have had lunch there to the next day.
One of the rooms! Love the expression Kaitlyn. ;-)
After dinner, we went back to the hotel and tried to get ahold of Wendy and some others who had also came to Zamora that day to do Chinese preaching there. Unfortunately, we were so tired, we fell asleep before they arrived.
The next morning, we woke up early and went down to breakfast. Afterwards, we caught a cab and headed to the park to hike in the rainforest! As soon as we got there, it started sprinkling, but the rain went away quickly.
We hiked to the river first to take some pictures. Hiking down towards it, there were so many ants!!! One of my phrases I've learned here is, "Tengo un temor irrazonable de hormigas." It means, "I have an irrational fear of ants." The walk to the river very much involved screaming, and Stephanie dragging me through the trail because my eyes were shut tight! It was worth it though, as the river and the rocks were beautiful.
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| Ashley chilling by one of the many signs |
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| Not the big river, just a stream |
We checked in to the welcome center, and began our main hike to the waterfall! It was pretty hot and humid at this point, but we all trooped up the hill and after 45 minutes, were met with a beautiful sight.
We had worn our swimsuits under our clothes, so into the water we went! It was cold, but it felt amazing after the hike. There was another group of hikers, native Ecuadorians, that came up after us. They thought we were crazy and couldn't resist taking pictures of the crazy Americans. I think we all agreed that it was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. Never did I think I would be in a rainforest, let alone go into a waterfall!
We had to jog back to the entrance of the park to meet our taxi driver in time. After getting back to town and changing, we walked around looking for a place for lunch. This proved to be quite the task. We eventually found a restaurant that Steph and I braved. Ashley and Kaitlyn didn't want to take the chance of getting sick, so they snacked on some food we had brought from home. Which is funny because they ended up getting sick and we didn't!
Our drive home, we had the craziest driver we have ever experienced in Ecuador. I was scared that we were going to careen off the sides of the mountain but thankfully we didn't. Even I became car sick, which only happens maybe once a year. When we arrived in Cuenca, we couldn't get out of the van quick enough! Even with the traumatic end, we wouldn't replace this weekend for anything. ;-)
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