Cascada Pailón del Diablo

Hello,
Today was Fun Day in which we went to a waterfall called El Pailón del Diablo, which is the biggest in Ecuador. As Líder del Día, I had to wake up at 5 am to get ready because I wanted to wake myself up so I could then wake up my peers at 6:15 am. We had breakfast at 6:45 am and then traveled to Baños, where the waterfall is located. The drive to Baños was LONG. Well… 2 hours, but it’s long considering that we’re sitting on a small bus (we had extra people so we had to take two buses instead of one). Once we arrived at Baños, we walked down the mountain to see the waterfall, which wasn’t too hard and was quite fun. Once we made it to the waterfall, it was so fun since the water was splashing all over us and got us wet, which cooled us down. The group took pictures together, laughed together, and even danced together while the water was splashing.

After seeing the waterfall, we had to walk up the mountain, which felt way worse than walking down. The group got divided. I stayed in the back with a small group who kept taking breaks, which was fine because everyone walks at their own pace. It was enjoyable walking with them, and while it might’ve been slow, it was still fun and I enjoyed talking to them while cracking jokes.

We drove for 10 minutes to a restaurant for lunch called Leprechaun, which was good and they had two people singing and playing music. It made the meal more enjoyable. I also got an extra piece of cheesecake thanks to Jandiel and Elise. Talking and laughing while listening to the music was so relaxing and fun, especially after that hike.

Enjoying lunch at Leprechaun!

After lunch, we explored the town to buy souvenirs and explore a little. Most people bought stuff and enjoyed viewing the little shops. While leaving, Elise gave me free stuff because she’s cool. After exploring the town, we went back to the hotel, which was another 2 hours, but the drive back was so fun because of Marjan, Lia, Gina, Kayla, and Mica. They made it funny because Lia and Mica were using my mp3 player and blasting music and they were singing. I sang a bit with them because someone had to do it, right? Marjan and Gina were cracking jokes while playing games with Kayla. There was also Melanie and Kaylany in the back but they were asleep, and it was funny the way they were sleeping on each other. Lia put a sticker on Kaylany’s forehead which made us all laugh.

After we arrived at the hotel, everyone went to their rooms for 40 minutes to do whatever while we waited to leave for dinner. Jonathan and I planned to wear formal clothes and convinced most of the guys to dress up. Once we were dripped out, we left for a restaurant called Nativa for dinner. The restaurant was nice and the owner gave us fresh local fruit for appetizers. Also, they had the best salsa in Ecuador. They don’t usually make spicy food in Ecuador, which meant that this was special and DELICIOUS. I had to have seconds because of how good the pork was!

Posing at Nativa

After eating some ice cream, we did the nightly meeting in which I passed my leadership role to Lupita and Angela.

Tomorrow’s Líderes

P.S. To all the mothers:  we are having fun and miss you!