The past few have gone so fast, and we’ve seen so much already. We arrived in Quito late at night and were greeted by the Bibi and the members of Nido de Vida in the airport. We were all so tired from a long day of traveling, so we all went to bed as soon as we arrived at our hotel. The next morning we got up early and headed out for a traditional Ecuadorian breakfast of rice, bread, chicken, and juice. Afterwards Bibi, Brandon, and Lenin showed us around La Mitad del Mundo and the Intiñan Solar Museum. We then traveled about 2 hours to Los Bancos and checked into our hotel, stopping for lunch on the way. After checking in and some downtime, we went to mass at a local church and grabbed some empanadas for dinner. After dinner we walked around Los Bancos and stopped for some ice cream topped with mozzarella cheese. After a long day of traveling, we finally got some much needed sleep.

On our second day in Ecuador, we had a tour at the beautiful Nido de Vida. This organization collaborates to provide meaningful connections to the community around them and help promote ethical sustainability of the environment. We got to see so many beautiful plants and animals; we even got to take a dip in the river! After an amazing lunch, we had the opportunity to meet with a neighbor and help make homemade cheese. Queso Fresco really is better when you make it yourself. We also received a very informative presentation on the history of Ecuador and San Miguel de Los Bancos. After another amazing dinner, we feel refreshed and ready for more service projects this week.

Stay tuned!

Sincerely, the Gannon University Ecuador ABST Group!