Day 10: Travel to Otavalo

A split decision was made to extend our stay in Mindo by a few hours in order to rest and further enjoy the cloud forest. We took advantage of this opportunity to sleep in, enjoy a delicious breakfast, and gather as a group to share our first video projects! While our group varies in video experience, we enjoyed sharing and critiquing the video projects. Each individual’s interests, personality, and experience in Ecuador shined through every video. This helped make our group more intimate and the video projects more personal. The project’s assignment was to compose a two-minute video about a particular person, place, or process. Although the assignment was a bit limiting, each individual made the assignment their own. Some individuals revisited sites the group travelled to while others took the chance to get lost in Quito. The videos varied in focus from children shopkeepers and tiny hands to hula-hoopers and street musicians. With the success of Video Project 1: City as Studio under our belts, we are excited to further explore visual storytelling through film.

We finished the video screenings around 2:15 pm and was soon on the road towards Otavalo. After our minor battles for a window seat, we all settled in for the four-hour ride. Most of us used the trip to further catch up on sleep but the rest enjoyed the beautiful views. Leaving a dense jungle and venturing towards a desert allowed for a very interesting transition in environment. We soon arrived to our cabanas located on a huge lake. The group was very excited about our heavenly accommodations only to be told we were only staying there for one night. After a delicious dinner, we met to discuss culture in Ecuador and get a brief introduction of APAK. The lecture was interesting, but it did not end until 11 pm! Tired but excited for the day ahead, we all retired to our rooms for a good night’s sleep.