The Hills are Alive

Jan. 15th

Waking up to the cool mountain air, we had our first full day of San Jorge Eco-Lodge. The morning began with a medicinal plant walk through the foothills of Quito where we found plants to fix all of our ailments. From bruises to hangovers to prostate problems, there seemed to be a plant to fix everything. As part of the hike, we went along an ancient Inga trail that has been used since 1000 B.C., most recently used for smuggling sugar cane alcohol across the mountains to the coast. We made our way through this gulley to the top, stopping along the way to enjoy the waterfalls, and did our “Sound of Music” reenactment at the top of the hill (well maybe just one of us did).

Upon our return to the lodge we were able to take part in a service project planting native hummingbird plants around the eco-lodge. These plants were saved from being destroyed from a construction site. Most of the plants at the eco-lodge were collected in this way. The staff at San Jorge didn’t realize that they were working with a team of speed planters, so we finished the job much sooner than expected. Dr. Cruz, the director of the eco-lodge then took us on a reconnaissance mission to save native plants from an area that was to be clear cut. We collected native bromeliads and transplanted them to a protected area.