Hey peeps. Hope you´re all doing as fabulously as we are. We once again spent the last we separated. The Blink 182ers headed to the forest to spend a tranquilo week in the Bosque Nublado. Much like the last group we spent the days teaching English in two different schools (with super cute ninos). Once our work was done we were able to take some time to explore the beautiful bosque. We hiked to 3 waterfalls and bathed in the river on many occasions. Each morning we practiced our yoga and each night we morphed into card sharks. Our wonderful chef Carlos taught us a couple cooking tricks (bread, soup, jam) and we loaned him our recipe for the best guacamole on Earth. He also took some time to read our elements. After feeling each of our energies he would tell us which one of four elements (earth, air, water, fire) we were. This of course was super bacon (short for baconsisimo) aka awesome in Espanol. Our week came to a close with a grande bonfire and some sad goodbyes. Luckily we were able to reunite with the rest of the group FOR GOOD.
Back at the ranch (Otavalo) the other half, recently named Ratatat worked on their spanish skills each morning. Some students even learned a new card game, Cuarenta. Similar to the Blink 182ers they took a grand journey to the parque Candor and Lechero. At Parque Condor they were lucky enough to see the bird show where they watched majestic birds such as the Andean Condor (largest bird in the world) and Bald Eagles spread their wings and do special tricks. Much of the time was passed in their individual homestays bonding with the families. Once again being forced to part at the end of the week was extremely sad, but being greeted by long lost friends was well worth it.
Tomorrow we will continue our journey to Quito and plan to eventually end up in the big bad Amazon. QUE BACON! Anywho, we send our love back home and will catch up soon!

Mucho Amor,
The SAMsters.