Cocoa Planation and Over the Andes

After touring the coco plantation I will appreciate a chocolate bar so much more. I could not believe that everything is done by hand from the cutting of the coco guords off the bushes to cutting the beans out, cleaning them up, and drying them. Once the pictures are added you to will have a better idea. In fact neither Bob or I realized exactly where coco beans came from.

The workers on this farm are all over the age of 18, they recieve $15.00 a day or more if they pick more, benefits, lunch, transportation, retirement benefits plus their children are schooled free. At $15.00 a day these workers are lower middle class. I guess the chocolate from this plantation would be concidered free trade chocolate.

From here we headed over the Andes and I can tell you that was an experience!!! We started out in rain, mist and fog, at points along the lower portion of the road we could not even see the road!!! The worst is that government roads are not maintained property, they are often full of pot holes, broken pavement, no guard rails and slides are a common factor. After sitting on the steep slope side of the bus and passing a washout on the road which put the bus very, very, very, close to the edge I had to change places with Bob my stomach was turning back flips. We kept going up, up, up to over 13,000 feet with many switch backs. We made three stops on the way one at a lake with the mountains surrounding it, really quite something to see. The second stop was at the summit which was 13,500 ft. approximately. Here we got out and walked to a little peak where we could take some stunning vistas of the Andes - the trip up was worth it. On the way down we were to stop at the national park and hike for about 2 hours. We all got ready to go when around the first corner there was a hugh black muddy area which those of us who only had one pair of shoes and one pair of sandles decided not to traverse. One of the gals that went on slid right into the mud completely covering her shoes and falling onto her backside. The rest of us went back to the area the bus was parked took pictures and chatted until it started to rain. A few of the hikers came back but the rest hiked on for another 20 minutes or so and then they too returned.

We made it to our hotel which is a converted mansion in the middle of the Old Town of Cuenca. The ceilings in our rooms are about 12 feet tall and the doors would even accomodate Stephen without a problem. We had dinner in the hotel and were in our rooms by 9 pm.