The UVA Wise Winter Trip to Ecuador

From left to right:

Joy Bryant, Nicole Fones, Joe Gallimore, Prof. Ponce, Bruce Blansett, Jamie Herman, Allyson Craft, Marshell Bradley, Courtney Hammond. On the back the Chimborazo Mountain.

 

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Chimborazo is a beautiful mountain several hours outside of Quito.  It is the tallest in the country and we had the opportunity to climb it. Some members of the group were able to climb it, but a few of us struggled with the altitude.  Chimborazo’s grandeur is breathtaking and unforgettable. 

 

We had the opportunity to take a boat ride down one of the rivers that feed into the Amazon River.  Along the shore, there were communities and people were bathing and doing their laundry.  The views were spectacular and the weather was perfect. This specific day was my favorite.  The entire day was focused on nature and animals. 

 

Tungurahua is an active volcano in Ecuador.  It was spewing ash when we visited the area and is truly one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador.  At the time of departure, the volcano was extremely active and the road that we traveled to get to Banos was closed due to the volcanic activity. 

San Pablo was an amazing lake that we visited.  The communities surrounding the lake were composed of the indigenous populations of Ecuador.  The area was farmland and even the mountain had been divided into farming tracts. To this day, people bath in the lake and it is home to many stories and traditions.

We had the opportunity to visit several wildlife agencies.  We visited a bird sanctuary, a wildlife reserve in the jungle, and the Quito Zoo. Ecuador is filled with many different kinds of animals and  it embraces the importance of those animals and their habitats.

 

Other pics:

   

 

 

see also: Bruce's blog