Exploring the City of Puyo

Hola blog followers! I have spent the last day uploading photos, so most of the next few posts will be pictures!

My morning started early! Magus asked her brother if I would be able to tag along with him to his trip to Puyo, a city in the tropical part of Ecuador. He agreed and so him, their tia (aunt) and her friend and I all went on our trip! It was about a two hour drive to Puyo from Ambato. Here are some pictures from our drive there! Per usual, the pictures don't do it justice. It's quite frustrating...

When we arrived in Puyo, we had to do some work for Magus's brother first. He was checking out a farm to purchase. We spent an hour or so doing that and then we went into the city! Puyo is the capital of Pastaza, a province in Ecuador. The Puyo River eventually leads into the Amazon River. The area is very tropical and it was raining on and off all day, but that didn't stop us!
Here is a picture of me with a statue of the indigenous people.

And a snapshot of the little shops and such near the river!

The river! 

This is a picture of Magus's brother, aunt and I! 

Us on the bridge over the river!

And some photos of our walk on the river!

This cool tree!

Me sitting on the cool tree...

We then headed into the jungle for a tour of the jungle! This specific tour was for learning about the indigenous people, their lifestyle, medicines and weapons! Check it out!

The view inside a teepee

Our hike in the jungle. There were several plants used for medicines. I tried them all (and I'm still alive after eating random jungle plants...lucky break I guess...).

A sweet, super tall, jungle tree. 

This was a sugar cane tree. The leaves tasted like a piece of Big Red gum...

Selfie in the jungle!

Inside another indigenous home. 

These leaves were used to help digestion issues. You roll them up in your palms and then squeeze and a red liquid is created. It tastes super bitter. 

Inside the indigenous home.

We finished our hike and headed to lunch! Check out my amazing meal of shrimp!

Cool pictures from the car ride to our next stop!

Then we headed for one last stop! The family park of Baños! Check out the amazing landscapes and flowers(most know how crazy I am about my flowers). 

This one is for David!

There were also animals in the park...Including this sweet turkey...

Who attacked me the second I turned off this video....

Our last stop for the day was to get some jugo de caña or sugar cane juice. I thought the process was so cool. Check out the video! It also tasted delicious! 

I arrived back home, tired as ever, and my new friend, Maria Paz(the daughter of Magus) gave me the cutest gift for El Dia de La Mujer or Women's Day, which is actively celebrated in Ecuador. Translation of the note: "Happy Women's Day. I love you very much"

It was a great day and I am so blessed to be learning so much and exploring with wonderful friends. 

Teaching in the Chibuleo!

Today I woke up very early this morning to go to school with Magus. She works in a school in Chibuleo. It was a long drive to get there and I was able to see many sites. Here is a picture of Chimborazo(the white top), a large mountain we saw on the way to school.

The Millennium School in Chibuleo, where Magus works is a government school for the indigenous people who live here. The government closed all the local schools and opened this one school with teachers who are highly qualified and have upgraded books and technology. I was able to teach several groups of students today and I absolutely loved it. Here is the first group, our morning class. Most the students were around the age of 15 and are learning English.

 Here are some photos of what the new building for classes looks like! It is very crazy with all the children, especially during breaks!

 Here is a picture of my second group of students for the day! They are in 7th grade! They had so many questions for me, including whether or not I had a boyfriend or if I was married.

 Here are so photos I captured of the view from the school! You can see why I've fallen in love with the landscape.

And here is our last group of students! They are in their last year of school (about 18 years old).

 After school, we visited the business of Magus's brother. There I was able to have a firsts! Check out my new friend, Pancha!

And I even got to ride him! 

 I also got to meet the 1,000 chicks that her brother is raising! Look at how cute they are!

 After my excursion with animals, we had the chance to head up on the roof for a scenic view of Ecuador. I promise these pictures don't do it justice. 

 After our visit, we headed home and I pretty much headed straight to sleep! I am headed on another adventure tomorrow and need to be up bright and early! Hope all is well wherever you are! Sending love from Ecuador.

My Return to Ecuador: Spring Break 2015

Hello blog followers! I am so glad to be back traveling and sharing all that I am doing with everyone! 

Today began my first day back in Ecuador. It was a pretty uneventful day! I arrived in Quito at 1AM and drove in a taxi for three hours to Ambato to the home of my wonderful friend, Magus. I arrived at about 3:30AM and pretty much headed straight to sleep. I was smart this time and did not check any luggage, so I had all my things! 

I slept pretty much all morning(and afternoon) until about 2:00pm (I know, I'm a tad lazy, but I am on vacation!). I showered and waited for Magus's daughters to arrive home. She has the two sweetest daughters, Maria Paula and Maria Paz. They are 13 and 7 and are the sweetest girls imaginable! When they arrived home from school, they took me down the street and we had lunch together. I sure did miss Ecuadorian food. 

The city of Ambato (see picture below) is much calmer than Quito. It is not as bustling and is more like a suburb. Plus, it is a little warmer than Quito! :) 

After lunch, the girls and I came back home and I helped Maria Paz with her homework. After we finished, we went upstairs on the roof to play with Barbies! The sun is wonderful. I can't get enough! We played for a bit and Magus arrived home around 4PM. It was her birthday today, so she received many gifts and flowers. Her family came over too and I was able to meet them all and talk. 

When her family left, we went to downtown Ambato for a tour. They city is much smaller than Quito, but just as busy. There were many beautiful parks and restaurants. We went out for a unique Ecuadorian ice cream (Ponche) and walked around. We drove around too and saw Ambato at night! I forgot my camera so I unfortunately don't have too much to share tonight! I will be sure to take lots of pictures the rest of my time here! Just wanted to check in and let everyone know I am safe and having fun!