Ecuador

Genny told us to ask for "el gringo alto" (meaning the tall white person) once we got to the blue church, we did, sure enough the locals knowingly pointed straight to their gate at the end of the road. The (very) tall German man, Ingo, welcomed us with opened arms, literally, and at that moment I knew things were going to be great. 

The days spent were with the family of 5, 3 exchange students (Belgium, Iceland, and Japan), 2 WWOOF volunteers, and later their own guest from Spain. And it wasn't just us, we also went out and bought a new cow (now named Ryo), which later joined the family of over 60 other animals (llamas, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, rabbits, turkeys, geese, ducks, and sheep) on the farm. 

Never had I thought life of over 80 living things sharing one great space would ever be so peaceful. Everyday was a good day because it was either the market for fresh vegetables, cooking large meals together, helping out around the farm, relaxing and conversing, or all 12 of us going for some ice cream. 


To live in the country like this, I'd say yes quick. 

can you say "fresh"

The Family (2 MIA)

2 weeks old

he's much more human than you'd think

We crossed our first border to Ecuador exactly one month later and headed straight to Genny's home (40 minutes outside of Quito) for several days, then decided to kick it in the city for a bit. Enjoying the warm and breezy weather while hanging with other travelers was all too good, especially when cooking or dining out was only a buck or two. 

Northern Quito

Centro Historico (Old Town)

A German guy back at the hostel said he had been traveling for 5 weeks in Ecuador, it was awesome, but he's ready to be home. At that point it had also been 5 weeks for us -- just that here it's only the beginning.

Where we are headed will be filled with long mountain bike rides, hiking, volcano thermal springs, rafting, and all the good stuff, as we explore a part of the Amazon... then the beach sounds good.