AQHA youth exhibitor Gabriella Salamone of Scottsdale, Arizona recently came back from a once-in-a-life-time opportunity trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. GoHorseShow is excited to share journal excerpts and thoughts from Gabi about what she learned from this amazing educational opportunity.
For those of you that don’t know Gabi, she trains with Jim and Deanna Searles. In 2009, she won the 12-14 Hunt Seat Equitation at the All American Quarter Horse Congress and earned an AQHA Championship with Dont Ya Just Love It. At this coming AQHYA World Show, she is showing her gelding, An Honest Detail, in the Showmanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, and Performance Halter Geldings. GoHorseShow wishes her luck at the world show and appreciates her taking the time to share her thoughts about her exciting trip!
Gabi Salamone Journal Excerpts
This summer I had the opportunity to visit Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with People to People, a group founded by President Eisenhower. His mission was to send ambassadorial groups around the world to spread peace and understanding of other cultures. People to People sends national delegations of students from America to new countries as ambassadors, so it was not connected to my school. I read about the Ecuador trip on their website and chose to sign up for it when I read the itinerary, and it definitely lived up to my expectations!
This trip truly changed me for the better because we were able help people and learn about other ways of life. I saw things that I never could have dreamed of back home in Arizona. I kept a journal of my experience that describes the great times, the not so great times, and everything in between. We went on long muddy hikes, got bit by strange bugs, and by the end of the trip, everything was slightly damp but honestly, they were the best two weeks of my life.
Day 1 (6/27/2011): I flew from Phoenix to Atlanta and met the group of 35 delegates for the first time. When we finally landed in Ecuador, we went straight to our hotel and slept like babies.
Day 3 (6/29/2011): We went to a small local village where we had the opportunity to try a local delicacy; guinea pig. I opted out because I have one as a pet at home! After lunch, we helped a local family carry buckets of water from their house to their garden. It was extremely humbling to see how hard these people had to work, and it made me realize that I take a lot of things, like running water, for granted.
Day 4 (6/30/2011): We flew from Quito, Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands. When we landed, we went to a reserve and saw tons of giant tortoises. It was really exciting to see them for the first time. We then visited an underground lava tunnel, and we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. It was definitely a great day.
Day 5 (7/1/2011): We arrived in Floreana and visited caves made by pirates many years ago. We took a short boat ride to our snorkeling site, where we saw a bunch of cool animals.There were sea lions on the beach, and right when we jumped in the water, I saw a sting ray. After we swam around for a while, we spotted sea turtles. We swam so close to them because they weren’t afraid of us at all. They were huge. I was bummed that I didn’t have an underwater camera. After snorkeling, we loaded back up on our boat and drove for about two hours to the island of Isabela.
Day 7 (7/3/2011): We went on a nature hike and saw hundreds of marine iguanas, sea lions, sally light-foot crabs, blue footed boobies, and penguins. Then, we went snorkeling again and I saw several amazing fish, including a lion fish!
Day 9 (7/5/2011): We drove into the Amazon Rainforest and checked into our hotel, which was composed of individual huts with grass roofs and hammocks out front. It was my favorite hotel by far. We hiked through the jungle, which was the highlight of my trip. I ate lemon ants, got stuck in thigh-deep mud, crossed a river multiple times, and even hiked under a waterfall. Only about five people in my group chose to hike under the waterfall, but it was the coolest part. There was a point where I had to jump off a slippery rock into the water to get across, and the water from above was pounding on my head the whole time. It made me understand why the itinerary had described the hike as “refreshing.”
Day 10 (7/6/2011): We drove to the Napa River, which has the fastest current I’ve ever seen. The water was also a disgusting brown color, so we were less than enthusiastic to get into the motorized canoes to get to our hotel. We drove for a while, and when our hotel was in sight, the motor on my group’s canoe shut off unexpectedly. We went flying backwards and hit a tiny island and then we spun out and hit a bunch of shallow rocks. The canoe was completely out of control. We almost hit another group, and I turned around to see the driver in the water frantically trying to start the motor. He finally got it started, but not before I was convinced we were going to have to jump out and swim for it. When we started towards the hotel again, the canoe began to fill with water from hitting the rocks. It was a scary experience, and we were not too eager to get back onto the canoes the next day.
Day 11 (7/7/2011): We drove to the Cajabamba community, which is a rural town of about 80 people located deep within the Amazon Rainforest. While there we planted 300 trees, which will be sold in about five years to pay for the local children’s education. My friends and I talked to two little boys named Eddy and Anthony while we walked to their village. It was a challenge because they only spoke Spanish. I managed to tell them about my horses, and they seemed really interested in what our lives were like. We ate lunch and watched a dance that some of the younger kids put together. It was so cute! Then, we played with them on the playground and at the river; we ended up getting into a splash fight! It was a fantastic day, and we were all sad to say goodbye.
Concluding Thoughts: I learned so much from my time in South America. Seeing a whole different standard of living truly made me appreciate the opportunities that I am given and the things I sometimes take for granted. I never realized how much I rely on electricity until I saw the lengths people who live without it have to go to in order to do simple things, like water their plants or illuminate their homes. I had the time of my life in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; you know it’s been fun when the worst part is having to leave!
Click here to view the slide show of gorgeous pictures taken by Gabi during her trip!
