Mindo Trip: Planting Trees, Hiking to the Waterfalls, and Tasting Chocolate.

May 22, 2024

Our first trip was to Mindo, a small parish about two hours Northeast from Quito, in the middle of the cloud forest. There, we meet with our enduring partner, Kléver Tello. He is the head of the parish and has been working on reforestation, planting fruit trees, educating farmers on sustainability, and inviting the general public to be friendlier to nature.

After planting trees at the entrance of Mindo, we had to take a picture with the cloud forrest behind us.

Kléver explained to us that fruit trees provide a great environment for pollinators, insects, and small mammals that are native to the cloud forest.

I was doing my best to keep up and translate for Kléver Tello as he explained his reforestation efforts.

Student were interested in learning how to do the job well.

Look out, there is something going on there!

We helped Giovanna, an FAO representative, find new homes for these new trees.

After planting trees, we had some Venezuelan arepas, which are THE BEES KNEES!

After a day of planting trees and exploring Mindo, we had a nice dinner together.

One of the many highlight of our trip to Mindo was the hike to the seven water falls.

Some of us needed a bit of a rest, but we did enjoy our time there.

We also had moments of peace and reflection.

The cool water felt nice in the heat and humidity of the cloud forest.

The group leader was’t confused, just needed to ponder the way back.

We made it back to the head of the trail!

Historians, archeologist, and anthropologist believe that cacao was first grown and used for human consumption in what we now know as Ecuador. It was the Aztecs who processed it to obtain a nutritious but bitter beverage, consumed by the imperial elites as a source of energy and comfort. In times of conquest and colony, Europeans added milk and sugar, thus creating an international craze for xocolatl, aka chocolate. Faithful to this history, Ecuadorians take pride in the quality of their chocolate and gave us a little taste of it.

By the chocolate tour facility, we found a toucan!!

Sergio, our chocolate expert explained the process and flavor profile of chocolate.

Between Mindo and Quito, we stopped at Cloud Coffee farm, a facility operated and co-owned by Kléver, our local coordinator. There, we learned about coffee processing, preparing, and enjoying.

We learned about growing coffee plants from seeds.

“Listen to coffee, it wants to talk to you”

This is how coffee gets dried and shelled before roasting.

An hour north from Mindo, we found Tulipe, a small town with an archeological site and tolas . Tolas are indigenous constructions that were used for ritual purposes and for dwelling. At Complejo Arqueológico Tulipe, we learned that the northern Ecuador haven been in habited for thousands of years, and that many Ecuadorians moved, migrated, left, and repopulated the area due to natural disasters, conquests, and other events.