INTAG cloud forest- NW Ecuador

with this program we have these things called drop-offs where each student goes out into the woods for a couple of hours and just observes, takes notes, and takes it all in. for this drop-off i chose to hike up a small stream as far as i could. it only lasted three hours, way too short, but it was unforgettable. this was when we were in Intag in the NW of the country (it most likely won't be on any maps you check out, so i'll have to point it out to you when i return)

here's a photo of one of the numerous cascadas (waterfalls) along the river which i hiked along for a couple of hours before taking a dip in the cool waters upstream.










a speckled colibrí (hummingbird for the english speakers) which we got on our first day of mist netting in intag

















the youngest of the six children in the family that i lived with near intag. living with this family was a life changing experience as i learned a new way of life. i only wish everyone could be exposed to the things i was living with them. i was fortunate enough to help out with the harvest of beans and corn as well as milking the cow everymorning, and each was very different than any way i've ever seen, or even thought of before.

helping the oldest of the brothers get the last of the dried up corn in a field on a very steep hill overlooking the valley below.

insect trap in intag. THERE ARE SO MANY MOTHS!!!! AWESOME!!!! as said by Martín, the smartest 16 yr old i´ve met and will never forget. he was the son of Carols and Sandy, who started a co-op and sustainable, organic farm in intag. we stayed at their place and had classes at their reserve.

and there were so many moths that night with the cloud cover. some beautiful ones as well.

the intag cloud forest seen from the classroom.

the cassroom.

i know that is isn´t much but it taks so long to upload pics that i´m just going to post it anways. more to come later