Cascarilla and Las Grietas

Author: Clara
Location:
Still slightly asleep, we walked to the local high school. When we arrived, it was evident that the mood between the locals and lifeworkers was slightly awkward. We played the "nose-tape" game, which Laura was reigning champion. A few of us, me included, got a ride up to the highlands in the back of an open chicken-like-carrying truck. Knowing my lack of Spanish skills, I smartly sat myself next to Thomas, one of the few kids who spoke some English. After arriving at the bottom of a hill, we prepared ourselves for a rocky hike. After huffing and puffing for a good 15 minutes, we learned about the task at hand. We then set off into the dense woods and ruthlessly pulled out hundreds of invasive cascarilla plants. In total, the numbe we pulled was around 8000. At 2pm, we met for a trip to las grietas, a crack in the earth filled with salt and fresh water. Everyone was awestruck, both by the beauty of the landscape and the insane cliff-jumping by the local people. We all realized how amazingly lucky we were to be in a place this unique. Once out of the water, Daniel stupidly took out his lunch in front of 12 hungry teens. We soon learned the magnitude of teenage hunger. After we were all sufficiently full, except Daniel, we headed back and tried to inform Theo on the correct way to pronounce "pillow." We then showered, stuffed our faces with delicious food, and headed back to Hotel Castro for an early night to prepare for the adventures that lay ahead on our next day of Lifeworks Galapagos!
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