¡Buenos días! Today was extremely hectic but, all in all, it was definitely the best day so far (probably because the Líderes del Día were so fun and amazing). The day began with a delicious breakfast and a melodic hour long drive to the main entrance of Chimborazo. Chimborazo is the closest point on earth to the sun, but don’t worry we all wore a superfluous amount of sunscreen to protect our pretty faces. We were accompanied by two tour guides, Olga and the familiar Carlos Real. Carlos gave us a detailed description of the three ecosystems that can be seen from the summit of Chimborazo. First, there is the green valleys that are home to lush forests and farmland. Second there is the mossy highlands which are studded with low growing brush and small wildflowers. Lastly, there is the summit, a snowy, sandy, and sparse environment which is home to the vicuna. Vicunas are small llamas with deer eyes.

The sun was shining throughout our drive up and the conic side of Chimborazo was clearly visible (from Riobamba you can see the three peaks of the mountain, but from Guaranda it looks like a cone). Once we reached the first refuge, Olga and Carlos led us in a prayer to Taita Chimborazo to grant us safe passage, and as clouds began to cover Chimborazo’s snowcapped peak, Olga sang a traditional Kichwa song to pray for good weather. We then began our very short but purifying hike to a monument commemorating Simón Bolívar.

After enjoying the majestic view, we began the journey back to Guaranda for lunch amongst the misty clouds that descended upon the mountain. By the time we got to Feroz for lunch, we were an hour behind schedule. Lunch was pretty fishy: we had tilapia, which was fresh from the coast. Immediately after lunch, we had to begin preparing for our next English tutoring session. Despite the time crunch Glimpsers worked very hard to make their lessons a success. Some Glimpsers even played a riveting game of basketball with their students after class.

However, our day was not close to ending, as we had our Community Action Project (CAP) presentation for the representatives of Fundacion Betesda. Glimpsers Luna and Brandon, presented our project plan triumphantly and we will be buying the materials for our project during our next Free Day, which is Friday (so get ready for some calls on Friday).

Dinner was finally served and our chaotic day came to a close. Even though our day was packed and stressful, our delegation still kept their heads up and maintained their energy. Today may not have been “fun” in the conventional sense, but we made the most of it and made every moment unforgettable.

 

“Wanderer there is no road, the road is made by walking” – Antonio Machado