In the summer of 2018 I embarked on a three week trip of a lifetime to Ecuador. After a gruelling 10 hour flight, we were met by our tour guide, Carlos and he took us to our hotel in Quito. After one night in Quito we travelled to Banos where the highlight was hiking all the way up a mountain to reach the cross at the top. After a few days we went into the jungle where we carried out our first community project. In the project, we had to clean and paint a small school in the middle of the rainforest and seeing the reaction of all the locals after we had finished was well worth all the hardwork. Whilst in the jungle, we learnt all about the wildlife and foliage and how all the locals lived. We ended our chapter in the jungle by going white water rafting down the Amazon River which was incredible.
Ecuador with LaSERIO
Written by Megan Boulton, 2018 LaSERIO participant
After leaving the jungle, we travelled to Otavalo, where we carried out our other two community projects. The first one was helping out in a kindergarten school and we donated many bubbles to the children who absolutely loved them. The second project was helping in a young adults' disabled home, where we did many things such as guttering, painting and gardening. Another highlight in Otavalo was the markets which were huge and sold everything you could imagine. Our final destination was Quito where we stayed for our last two nights. Our final surprise was meeting many Ecuadorian scouts who were all very friendly and welcoming towards us and we got to experience what it was like to be a scout in Ecuador. Finally, after an amazing three weeks, we set off back to England to share all our experiences with our friends and family. It really was an expedition of a lifetime and I hope I get the opportunity in the future to embark on another one of these life-changing experiences.
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