Travel Adventures

Over the past month, I have been blessed with abundant travel opportunities within Ecuador.

Prior to meeting my host family in Quito, I spent a few days in the lovely city of Cuenca. Cuenca is a southern city with lots of colonial charm. This city is known for its safety and there is even a large neighborhood of retired Americans ("Gringolandia"). Another student teacher and I spent time exploring markets, churches, the main cathedral, and restaurants. On the first day in Cuenca, I had been awake for about 36 hours. I slept extremely heavily that night after climbing the cathedral, walking by the river, trying some Indian cuisine, and watching a religious parade.

During one of our days in Cuenca, we took a day tour out to an Incan ruins site. It was extremely interesting. We were able to learn so much about the Incan and Canari cultures. We also visited two smaller towns - Chordeleg and Gualaceo. These two towns have excellent markets and shopping areas. I was more intrigued by the charm of these small towns.

Since arriving in Quito I have been able to see many sites around the city. The historical center of Quito is breathtaking. The mixture of antique Spanish architecture blending with the sounds of Latin music and the colors of indigenous crafts is truly remarkable. My host brother and his girlfriend (and many of their friends) were so kind and showed me around this area of the city. We even climbed to the top of the iconic cathedral, Basilica del Voto Nacional.

The following weekend a friend from Colegio and I spent the day exploring. We went up a cable car to the top of one of the mountains. This was an absolutely magical moment! On Sunday my host mom took me to the Mitad de Mundo monument, which was very interesting. We also visited an artisan market in downtown Quito. (My host mom saved me from having to pay ginga tax, haha!)

This weekend I visited a market in the nearby town of Cumbaya with my host mom and her cousin. It was a lot of fun! Today I was able to venture back to the historic center of Quito with the other student teacher. We even climbed to the top of a cathedral.

This coming weekend, my friend and I from Colegio are planning a weekend getaway to the nearby Mindo Cloud Forest! I am so excited to see the different types of plants and animals.

I am hoping to visit the Cotopaxi Volcano and possibly Quilotoa Lake before my placement is over.

Combining all of the travel experiences that I have had thus far, my biggest piece of travel advice that I could give to any traveler is that travel is about celebrating the things you are privileged to see, instead of dwelling on what you didn't have time for. It is so easy to get wrapped up into "bucket lists" and extensive travel plans. However, through my own experiences, I have found that it is best to take joy in what I have time to see and understanding that all travel is a blessing.