Intag: Goldilocks Hot Springs and Invisible Bears

On Thursday, 9/14, I went with Fanny and 5 of her college friends (who are all retired teachers) to Intag. I had done a little research ahead of time and found that Intag is a semi-tropical region in the Andes. It's famous for its hot springs, cloud forest (which we drove through), plantations, and community resistance. This region is also home to the Andean Bear, also called the Spectacled Bear. Everyone I told I was going to visit Intag brought up the bears, making it sound like they were ubiquitous; they even joked about me being eaten by a bear (though I wasn't too worried. I used to being teased). Although there is a reserve for these bears, the closest I've come to seeing them was this mural in Itag and this statue in Cuicocha.

"One result of the environmental conflict is that Intag's communities have organized a remarkable variety of economic alternatives that support their fragile ecosystem as well as their rural livelihood. Visitors can experience the result by visiting coffee farms, artisan groups, natural soap makers, agricultural co-ops,and community-run reserves. The region sits at the edge of the Cotacachi-Cayapas Biological reserve and has some spectacular examples of pristine cloud forest, where visitors can birdwatch hike and swim in waterfalls." (http://wikitravel.org/en/Intag)

We got lost on our way there, so what should've taken about an hour and 20 minutes took us 2 hours. The road was constant hairpin turns and I was incredibly happy to get out of the car, even if only for a few hours. Once we arrive in Itag, we walked around the river, ate lunch at the Nangulvi restaurant, and swam in the hot-springs-fed pools. There were 7 different pools in varying degrees of hot and cool water! I felt like Goldilocks, as Fanny and I tried each of the pools until we found the one that was just right. I mean, how can you go wrong with a hot-springs-fed pool? They claim the water has restorative/healing properties, and I have to admit my sunburn finally stopped hurting after our swim. Looks like I have to go back again for more "research." There was a sort of mini zipline you could ride over/into the pool (I say mini because it was only over the length of the pool). One of Fanny's friends saw me eyeing it and dared me to do it. I made him and another friend try it first to make sure I wouldn't die, and then it was my turn. It was actually really fun, but standing on top of the tower waiting for them to take my picture was agony. Scared of heights, people. But, I have the pictures to prove I did it! Look at me, breaking out of my comfort zone and making memories.

Because we got lost on the way and were just visiting as a day trip, we didn’t have time for anything else. I was really hoping we'd visit a plantation so I could see the agro-activism in person, and let's be honest, so I could buy some coffee and chocolate (as gifts, of course). I also thought it would be neat to see the spectacled bears (also called Andean Bears) at the reserve. You can see them in zoos around the world, but how cool would it be to see them in their natural environment?! Alas, we didn't have time for any of that, which means I'll just have to go back next year. Betsy, I think you'd like Intag or Chachimbiro (another hot spring).