One of the most unique things about la Universidad San Francisco de Quito is that they have locations in both the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon jungle. This month I had the opportunity to visit their base in Tiputini. This is a set of cabins where scientists from around the world go to research biodiversity and rare specimens. The trip was one of the most intense things I have undergone, we left Quito at 10 pm on Thursday and didn’t arrive until 6 pm on Friday. In total, we had a 6-hour bus, two two-hour canoes, and another three-hour bus. Upon arriving we spent the next two days hiking in nature, seeing presentations on the area, and hanging out with other students.
In total, 10 international students went along with a group of 25 students from the biotechnology faculty. Being in this environment for four days was definitely intense because we didn’t have wifi, service, or reliable electricity. We only had electricity for two hours a day and we rarely had running water which was freezing when we did have it.
However, despite the millions of mosquito bites and discomfort, the food was amazing and the company was great too. My favorite activity was when we swam in the amazon river and looked for different animals in the trees. I liked swimming because it was a nice break from the hot sun and walking near tarantulas, banana spiders, and cockroaches. Overall, it was a great time and although I’m not an outdoorsy person, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to experience the Amazon rainforest.
Un Abrazo,
Salma Galvan
