Did you know that Ecuador consists of four parts: the Galapagos Islands, the Coast, the Sierra, and the Oriente? Currently, I am living in the Andes, which we consider the Sierra. However, many of the people here do not like to classify the Andes as a singular unit; rather, all four parts are seen as connected.
The Andes is one of the largest mountain ranges that extends across the western side of South America. There are a lot of different types of landscape here, ranging from glaciers to volcanoes, grassland, desert, lakes, waterfalls and forests. I am living at a very high altitude-- almost 10,000 feet! When I first came here, my body needed to adjust to how high up I was because I encountered a change in air pressure and oxygen levels. This can lead to something called altitude sickness. It is very important to slowly adapt your body to new environments like this!
When I arrived, I was simply amazed at all the mountains, volcanoes and waterfalls. Some reminded me of O'ahu, but others were covered in snow. Here's a fun fact: every town here is at least 20 kilometers from a volcano! Eek! However, the people living here do not fear this situation, as many of the volcanoes haven't erupted in a long time.
