Getting ready for the meeting with the US Embassy did not mean that we could not have some fun. Last Sunday, Aadeel and I joined David Krupa (our collaborator who directs the Range of Motion Project) and his family and friends on a fishing trip to a small trout pond up in the Andes at Papallacta. Aadeel took a pretty cool panorama.
Definitely the cleanest, coolest fishing pond I have ever fished from. Also, definitely the coolest, pink hat I have ever borrowed from a 3-year-old.
The pond came complete with a bored, llama nearby. Just to remind us where we are - up in the Andes!
Aadeel, David, and I caught a total of 10 fish, which was enough to feed everyone.
Aadeel caught our first fish!
David's three-year-old daughter wanted her pink hat back.
After we finished fishing, we ate at a restaurant right on the pond.
If you ever make a trip to Ecuador, I highly recommend checking this place out.
For every fish we let the restaurant cook for us, we received a discount on lunch. We could not help but take advantage of this by getting a traditional Ecuadorean dish, pescado al ajillo.
Most. Delicious. Fresh. Fish. Ever.
After lunch, we went on a short stroll in the Andes and came across Pride Rock.
Me being super proud of the extreme extent of our climbing.
Black and white photo because The Lion King was from the olden days of 10 whole years ago.
Pretty soon, the high altitude and full stomach got to me, but I guess Aadeel was not completely full.
I can only sleep on pampas grass now.
Pampas grass is apparently not only comfy but delicious. At least, to Aadeel.
We soon left to see the Divide, where the rivers of the Amazon begin to form. The water here was so clear that we could see the individual grains of sand forming the riverbed.
The little rivulet follows the road...for now.
Of course, all good times unfortunately come to an end. After we headed down from the Andes, it was time to go back to work and get ready for our meeting with the US Embassy.
Aadeel photobombing David's selfie
Work hard, play hard, as people say.