Day 5

The day started off with an early breakfast of eggs and bread at the Coraza Hotel in Otavalo. The bus ride to the hot springs took around 2 hours, with our arrival at 10 AM.

The springs were tiled and filled with families and children, all swimming around with inflatable tubes. The land surrounding hot springs were adorned with lush green shrubs, calla lilies, and geraniums. The first pool was warm tempered, which many of the kids enjoyed. They swam around, had contests on how long they could hold their breath underwater, and generally showed off swimming prowess to their peers. After some goading by Jen, the teens were encouraged to move to other pools. The second pool was steaming hot, drawing hesitant reactions from some, while others greeted it with enthusiasm. Eventually though, everyone did try their hand at the hotter pool. Jen and Ms. Weinwurm were not swimming that day, so they took photos of kids doing handstands in the water and of the eager to pose students. The third pool we tried was icy cold, but we were informed by Jen that the cold water was good for health and circulation. Jen took photos of our shocked faces as we sprinted across the chilling pool. The fourth pool was around the same temperature as the first pool, but shallower than the previous three which were at a depth of around 5 feet. A few students lied down on the foot deep pool while Ms. Weinwurm took photos.

As our stay at the hot springs drew to a close around 12 PM, we changed into our regular clothes and bought snacks as some grew hungry after swimming. We piled onto the bus and most kids either slept or played cards. Around 2 PM, we reached our lunch destination which was just outside of Quito. We had empanadas, chicken and rice, beans and potatoes for the vegetarians, and sweet breads for dessert. After the very filling meal, we returned to the bus. On the way to Banos, we took in the gorgeous scenery, filled with volcanoes, mountains, and other geologic outcroppings. Javier talked to us about the invasive plants in the area as we neared Banos. Pine trees and eucalyptus trees were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s as part of a reforestation project. The pine trees are particularly detrimental to the nearby environment—they take in a lot of water, and their needles are acidic.

He opened up the talk to general questions, and we learned about the Ecuadorian governmental system, voting system, early history, and women’s rights. Ecuador has a presidential government, and the president can stay in power for 5 year terms for an indefinite period of time, which was set in place by the new constitution by the current president. The current president is a socialist, and has been increasing healthcare benefits, education, and infrastructure all around Ecuador. He has especially been focusing on bettering the livelihoods of the poor. The city of Guayaquil is the largest outcropping of opposition to the president, because they are the financial capital of Ecuador, and the capitalist tendencies of the country are clashing with the socialist views of the remainder of the country. Javier talked about the 13 political parties, and the recent change in currency that Ecuador underwent. In 1998, it was having severe inflation, from the exchange rate going from 3000 sucres to 1 USD to 25000 sucres to 1 USD in 2 years. By 2000, the government phased out the sucre and introduced the USD for greater economic stability in the area. The USD raised the price of living in Ecuador, though wages had not yet caught up with the change in cost of living, throwing the country into a recession. With time though, Ecuador has recovered and is opening up its ports to greater exports.

For the rest of the time on the bus, we listened to Adonis’ iPod, and sang along, off key, to classic songs from the 50s all through the way to the 90s, much to the dismay of the cars and passerbys who were subjected to our singing. We arrived at Monte Salvo at 7 PM, and had a buffet style dinner at 8PM.