Ecuador Day 3: Cottage, Crater, Cuties

March 21, 2024 Winston-Salem Fellows

You want more Ecuador? Say less !!!!

Welcome to Day 3 of our adventures in Ecuador with Dharma and Haley:

We aren't in Kansas anymore. Hostería Rose Cottage in the daylight was breathtaking.

And look at those cutie sheep. Jacob and Dharma went flying but gravity got the best of them.

We soaked in the sights (cutie sheep, cutie fellows, and a zipline).

Then we skedaddled back to the kids of Carmen Bajo at Pastor Fabian's property. Breakfast was a glorious symphony of bacon, pancakes, and enough fruit to make a smoothie bar jealous.

Enter Clara, the Michelangelo of fruit art.

Then, it was GAME TIME; glorious chaos.

To begin the games, we attempted the human chair- a little tricky due to height disparity.

We played 'grrr' 'chomp' 'ssss' and good ol' backpack, baby, bunkbeds.

After fun and games, we gathered together for worship and a message. Worship brought the reappearance of our one-hit wonder 'Solo Dios Puede Salvar!' It was still a smash hit.

Noah shared some of his story with the kids in Spanish, encouraging them to say thank you to people they love while they still can.

Joel preached too; he kept things simple and spoke with passion. The kids were reminded that they are princes and princesses of God.

Then, Gracie and Ian came through to perform their favorite song, 'You Forgive Me'.

Look it up. It's catchy.

The final game involved some suspense and a lot of laughs.

Let's just say it was a mystery we're not qualified to solve. But enjoy some fun faces.

We then enjoyed our final meal at Pastor Fabian's property.

After lunch, we headed down a big hill to find the bus and meet the kids at the Cuicocha Lagoon.

The Cuicocha Lagoon is an active volcanic caldera- 656 ft at its deepest part! Its name comes from the Kichwa indigenous language and means "Lago del Cuy" or Guinea Pig Lake in English! Legend has it, if you spot a golden guinea pig it will give you good fortune! But if it spots you first, you turn into a duck. So look out!

After an awesome boat ride, fellows had a (somewhat stressful) speed run at the Otavalo Market, before reuniting with the kids from Carmen Bajo for an epic dinner (pizza is a universal love language).

After dinner, saying goodbye to our friends from Carmen Bajo was bittersweet. (Stephanie and Dharma gave goodbye words!

The bus ride back to El Refugio was a dance party fueled by exhaustion and questionable dance moves. We learned a new dance called the Mayonesa (expertly taught by Chivita) and showed her some of our favorites, too. These sleepy muffins can party.

After all that fun we made it back to El Refugio, and let's just say Gracie was ready to hit the hay. We feel you, girl.

So there you have it. Another day in Ecuador! No time change here, still bedtime.

Dharma and Haley