Mindo is a region in the north of Ecuador, only 80 km northwest of Quito. Known for its natural beauties including exotic butterflies, hummingbirds, and the production of REAL chocolates, Mindo is for sure one of the most beautiful places I have visited!
Day 1: We arrived in Mindo around 4:00 pm in the afternoon, and checked into our cabins. The cabins were wonderful, and a special treat was listening to the frogs as we went to sleep that night. Anyways, once we were settled in, we headed off to the chocolate factory to observe how chocolate was made from locally grown cacao beans. what a treat!
These were our cabins for the duration of our trip:
The chocolate factory! Now when I say factory, don't think machines...this chocolate is made naturally!:
Cacao Beans make me happy:
This is a photo of the beans themselves. We got to taste them. You simply put them in your mouth and suck the outside coating off of the beans. The taste is extremely sweet! Who would have thought this fruit would make such amazing chocolate!:
Cacao Tree: It takes 5 years for a Cacao tree to start producing cacao beans:
STEP 1: They naturally ferment the beans for four days, rotating which layer of cacao bean is on the bottom daily:
Cutting open the inside of a cacao bean during fermentation shows a dark purple color, the chocolate still has a long process ahead!:
STEP 2: After fermentation, the beans dry for 20 days:
You can tell by the shades of brown on the inside which have been dried the longest but also the shortest:
STEP 3: After the beans are dried, they are deshelled and roasted. From their, the chocolate is mixed and grinned into a liquid which is poured into a mold and set to harden for three days:
Not only do they make pure chocolate from the cacao beans, but they also use their shells for cacao tea. The oil pressed out of the powdered cacao beans is used for the production of lip balm and lotion. So many natural wonderful products!:
STEP 4: Taste testing, duh! The total duration of the naturally made, naturally grown chocolate is one month!: Pictured is cacao team, (amazing!), cacao chocolate brownies, (even more amazing!), and PURE LIQUID CHOCOLATE! (MOST AMAZING!):
Day 2: After a wonderful nights rest in the jungle, we woke up early to make the most of our day!
The interns:
The beautiful jungle. Behind me are natural banana trees! How cool!:
BUTTERFLIES EVERYWHERE!:
Enjoy the chronological pictures of me experiencing butterflies EVERYWHERE!:
How great is our God; look at the detail and precision on the butterflies:
My dream come true, see a natural monarch butterfly!:
It was amazing to view these interesting creatures up close!:
Ladies man ;) :
Sadly we could not stay and watch butterflies all day. Our next activity was zip lining!
We are ready!:
This is called the superwomen! What is a better way to see all of the jungle than on your stomach?:
My new found hobby-Bird Watching! We were able to see real humming birds in their natural habitat. We visited a local man's backyard. He was thrilled to show us his "hijos"!
Now folks, do not worry, I am eating!
Although it was a quick trip, I enjoyed every second of it! Ecuador is a beautiful country both due to the local people and the natural irreplaceable beauty. Thank you Mindo for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone in order to be a superwomen, Thank you Mindo for showing me God's beautiful creation, and thank you Mindo for blessing me with such incredible travel partners. Until next time!