#astoldbymelissa

A little over a month ago, I was blessed with a journey to the Choco Rainforest in Quito Ecuador. The night before, I drank so much wine and vaped at this hotel’s bar with a dutch guy and another journalist. To say the least, we were hungover and protesting to stay in the city of Quito because we didn’t want to take a 3-hour drive to a place called Mashpi. In the end, I’m glad I went because what I learned about myself after staying just 24 hours in the cloud rainforest will forever change my perspective on my life. 

When I arrived to Mashpi, the views were breathtaking. The lodge sits 4000 ft above sea level and on some days in the clouds. It’s truly a magical place because the calmness of the forest, the bird chirping the creatures that roam quietly, give it that mystery I didn’t know I was searching for until I arrived. 

At first glance, it’s a green forest filled with lots of green plants with mosquitos and gnats just everywhere. Look beyond that and things start to come alive. There’s huge colorful poisonous caterpillars sitting leisurely on leaves. Touch them and you will die. Tree barks are covered in thorns. Use them as a perching spot, and you will probably die. There are huge green leaves with pink spots, used by the nomads as a natural infertility. These plants are called mothers tongue, and they are just one of dozens from the forest medicine cabinet. There are vipers that patrol the forest’s floor, and pumas who keep a watch out for everything. The butterflies are huge! You can hear the tuscan birds singing in the morning. 

I felt like I’d been dreaming about this place since I was a little girl. I would have dreams about getting lost in the forest, and waking up in a different place. The depth of green will always excite me. 

When I was hiking to a 200 ft. waterfall nearby, I felt my sexuality being cleansed. I can’t explain the feeling but my insides were radiating and I felt sexy.  I stripped down to my purple bikini to swim in a lagoon. I dove into the cold water. I was baptized. I felt better about myself. My purpose in life was clear. I felt my goddess vibes recharging. I stripped down to my naked brown skin and meditated to the sounds of the waterful, as my Tarzan sat next to me staring deeply into the waterfall. I opened my eyes after a long moment and stared at him deeply. We were both wet and glistening.  I was tired and in the moment, felt worshiped.  That’s when I felt the forest’s energy, I felt calm and liberated. I went back to my room and took a selfie and hashtagged it #FreeTheNipple to post on snapchat.   I returned back to America soil on a whole new level. #TheStoryYouDidntReadThisWeek

Green Period: Everything that’s beautiful is not always good for me.