Today, December 19th, has been both bittersweet and exciting. It was bittersweet because I had to say goodbye to most of the friends I met who also studied abroad this semester. It felt weird having our very last day of final exams on campus, and it was hard to say goodbye to all the friends that I made from all different parts of the world, especially since I probably won't get to see a lot of them ever again. But at the same time, today I have been a mixture of excited and nervous as I have been anticipating my camping trip (and first trip) with el club andinismo, which is the hiking club here on campus. After saying all of my goodbyes, I went shopping to buy all my food and water supplies, borrowed a sleeping bag and other camping necessities from some of my Ecuadorian friends, and met the other members of the club on campus to head out for El Altar, an extinct volcano in the Sangay National Park in the Chimborazo province of Ecuador. After about a 4-hour drive, we arrived at La Hacienda Releche, which is a small farm that most people stay at the night before completing the long trek to El Altar. Bright and early the next morning, we packed up again and got ready for the long hike ahead of us. The second we walked outside, it started pouring rain so we had to cover our backpacks and sleeping bags with rain ponchos and garbage bags. I was so glad that I remembered to throw in an extra bag! The hike started off with a pretty steep uphill ascent, then eventually leveled out. Unfortunately, this did not last the whole hike, nor was any part of it easy because the constant rain that comes down in this mountain region makes it insanely muddy. Pretty much all of us fell in the mud several times, but it was fine because it just made the adventure more exciting haha! On top of that, all the gear we had to carry really weighed us down because we had to have all the food and water, clothes, sleeping supplies, etc. that we would need. My shoulders eventually became numb from all the weight. Over 5 hours, an elevation gain of over 2,000 ft, and 10 miles later, we finally arrived at the Refuge Collanes! Most people stay the night in the rooms and rest up before hiking the crater lake of El Altar (called la Laguna Amarilla) the next morning. However, our group decided to just set down all of our equipment, eat lunch, and rest up a bit before heading straight to the lagoon. A little bit later we were on our way! The hike to the crater started off with an extremely swampy marshland that was hard to navigate. As we began the steep ascent to the lagoon, we could start to see the incredible waterfalls coming down off the side of the mountains. At last, after trekking up the steep volcano for about 2 hours and increasing our elevation from a little over 12,000 feet to over 14,000 feet, we made it to the lagoon! We were all so exhausted from doing both of the hikes in one day. I remember just pushing through it all as I hiked up, telling myself that it is all mental and that you just have to keep telling yourself that you can keep going. I ended up making it all the way up to see the lagoon first. This was a spiritual moment for me as I got to sit and view that breathtaking lagoon in complete peace and silence. All that hard work to climb up the volcano had seriously paid off. I was in awe. Words cannot even describe how amazing and spectacular the sight was, and photos can't do it justice either. About 30 minutes later the rest of the group caught up and made it to the top. We rested a bit and enjoyed the view before the trip back to the refuge. Unfortunately, the hike back did not go according to plan. After being warned by another tourist from Spain to get back quickly before the sun set, a few of us were determined to walk back as fast as possible. Unfortunately not everyone could keep up which caused our group to fall behind. The sun ended up setting as we were walking through the marshlands again. And let me tell ya, if the marshlands were difficult to navigate in the daylight, I can't even explain how insanely difficult it was to return back to the refuge in the dark. Only two people in the group had headlamps to guide us through the swampy marshes, and every single one of us got our feet soaked because we could not see properly and slipped into the water-soaked areas as a result. I got the worst of it when at one point I sunk knee-deep in the muck. It was like I fell in quicksand, and I had to pull myself out using a patch of grass near me because otherwise I would have just kept sinking- it was insane. After that, everyone else in the group was extra careful with where they placed their feet. After about another hour of walking back in the dark, we finally made it back to the refuge. It was one of the greatest reliefs of my life. We all cleaned ourselves up as best as we could with the hose outside, changed into our warm pajamas, and gathered around the campfire for a while to stay warm. The freezing and rainy weather continued throughout the night, and unfortunately the sleeping bag that I borrowed from my friend was not warm at all. I didn't sleep a wink, which is saying a lot considering that I was incredibly exhausted from the day's hikes. The next morning we packed up our belongings one last time to make our way back to our first stop on this journey, la hacienda releche. I might have had a bad luck curse on me during this trip because on the hike back, my entire boot fell apart due to the mud. The whole bottom rubber material separated from the top part of my boot, and my friends had to tie string around my boot to keep it together. This made the hike back even more challenging, which at this point I didn't think was possible haha! This picture is me after being almost completely finished with the hike. No matter how many things went wrong and made it difficult, I would not change a single part of it all. It made for some hilarious memories and pretty cool stories, and the experience of seeing El Altar was unforgettable. El Altar holds a very special place in my heart, and gave me an experience that I never imagined I would have, but am so glad I did.
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Humantay Lagoon was the last trip we went on during our time in Perú, so it was really bittersweet knowing that it was all going to end soon. But it truly was a beautiful way to say goodbye to this amazing country. Our bodies were incredibly sore from all the hiking we had done on the days prior, especially after hiking Machu Picchu just yesterday, but it was 100% worth it. This lake reminded me a bit of Laguna Quilotoa in Ecuador because of the turquoise waters that are nestled inside the mountains of Salkantay and Humantay. What I loved about this one, however, is that it was completely hidden from view until we trekked up the steep mountain which is at about 13,000 ft above sea level, and takes the average person about 1-2 hours to climb. Some of the people in my group found it too difficult and decided to rent a horse to take them up, but this option is pretty expensive so it should only be used if absolutely necessary. I struggled a bit but had to keep reminding myself that everything is mental, you just need to convince your mind that you can do it! We were all super proud to make it to the top after our bodies were so sore from a long week of hikes!
Machu PicchuThe day I have been waiting for has finally come! Today I fulfilled a dream that I have had since high school, which was to visit Machu Picchu, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. And let me tell you, this site did not disappoint. I was absolutely awe-struck when I saw it, almost in disbelief. It is seriously one of the most beautiful and incredible places I have ever visited, and everything about the trip went perfectly. Our group woke up very early to get on the first bus to go up the mountain, which took about 30 minutes, plus waiting in line for about another 20 minutes at 5 in the morning. When everyone gets off, people usually immediately start hiking up the mountain to get a view of the sunrise over it. Our tour guide, however, decided to go on a different path to start off, which allowed us to get a view right in the heart of this fortress built into the side of the mountain with literally nobody else there with us. Our small group got to experience the beauty of this place without a single other soul there with us. It was unbelievable!! Here is our group posing with a llama! Fun fact: llamas have longer faces with banana-shaped ears, while alpacas have straight, pointed ears with a more smushed in face. Also, alpacas look fluffier and have much more fur (which is the soft wool that is used for sweaters, blankets, and more). So if you have trouble telling the difference just know that alpaca are much fluffier and have a shorter face! After looking at Machu Picchu and getting the tour close up, we hiked up "Montaña Machupicchu" (or Machu Picchu Mountain). It is a 1.25 mile hike, but all ascending straight up so it gets pretty difficult. The elevation gain is about 2,000 ft, and the approximate walking time is 3 and 1/2 hours round trip. It was a demanding hike, but absolutely worth it once you get to the top! Here is a picture of some of us once we reached the top!
This lagoon is located in a volcano in the Andes mountains of the Cotopaxi Province. It was formed by the volcano erupting in the year 1280 (over 700 years ago), and is now filled with beautiful turquoise rainwater that falls off the downward slopes towards the crater. I fell in absolute love with this beautiful place, so much so that I decided to come back the next week with a different group and hike it all again, this time on a different path. The hike back up does get pretty tiring, but once you get more used to the high elevation it gets less difficult! It's incredible to see how the lagoon actually changes colors throughout the day from the shadows that the clouds cast over it. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in my life. The first time I visited Quilotoa, our group stopped at the Saquisilí market on the way. It was cool to see all the fresh produce, art, jewelry, and clothing. I even got to meet this adorable little alpaca on the hike! :) Here is a picture of the second group I went with. Most of them were Ecuadorians that we met at USFQ, which was great because we were able to carpool with them rather than worry about the bus schedules. Plus, it was so much more fun to go with a small group of friends because we were able to goof around and do everything on our own time! This was one of my favorite trips my entire time in Ecuador and a great way to start off the semester!
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Ashley KoboldMy amazing experience studying abroad in Ecuador. ¡Qué chévere! Archives
December 2019
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