While I was in Ecuador, we stayed in an ecolodge/property in the Pichincha province called Maquipucuna. Maquipucuna, or “Maqui” for short, was perched high up in the cloud forest, and was my first exposure to the true rainforest. It was a gorgeous location without internet or any connection to the outside world, and even though it was almost always cloudy, it never felt unhappy. While all of Maqui was gorgeous, my favorite place was a small waterfall that splashed into a gorgeous pool and rushed down to a larger river below. The waterfall was one of the most idyllic and perfectly beautiful places I have ever been in my life. With rock walls and greenery that stretched up twenty feet on either side and a base of sand in the pool, it was a wonderful place to swim and relax. Also, for the first time, I was able to go underneath a waterfall. The sensation was the reverse of a sensory deprivation tank; all of your senses were engaged and in this way it was peaceful. Under the waterfall, it was so loud that I couldn’t hear anything else, the water pounded on my back, I tasted the water in my mouth, and I could see only the white of the rushing water. I returned to this spot several times with multiple people simply because it was so mind-blowing to me.