Fulfilling a Childhood Dream
If someone had told me that at the age
of twenty I would be walking in the Andes jungle, I would not have believed them.
Christmas morning, Wilfred and I set
off on a leisurely 10km hike to “some nice waterfalls, mate”. This was my
first experience of the jungle. Bamboos and ficuses growing wildly, with palm
trees poking through the undergrowth like skyscrapers. Birds, bugs and amphibians
flying, crawling, jumping and buzzing around, which made even the air feel like
it’s alive. Seeing these plants and animals in their natural habitat was enchanting.
After a five-kilometer stroll, we took
a cable car over a valley, which gave us a chance to view the scenery from
above. A narrow river ran along the bottom of the valley which prevented us
from crossing on foot, but little did we know that the river was the home to
some of astounding waterfalls. On the other side of the valley, we walked
another 4-5 kilometers, during which we saw six different waterfalls, each more
captivating amd riveting than the last. Wilf and I even went barefoot, knee-deep
into the chilling river, which subsequently made our feet quite toasty in our
shoes.
We experienced a little bit of rain on
our way back, to the cable car. We could hear the drops pounding on the wide
leaves and see them when there was an empty patch in the greenery, yet not many
actually fell on us.
On our way back to Mindo -- the town we
are staying in -- we toasted to Christmas with some fresh sugarcane juice, with a
touch of lemon, that had been squeezed right in front of us.
Yes, I miss my friends and family
quite a bit, but this was definitely one of the best Christmas days of my life.
hi again
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