Welcome to Southern Ecuador

I have to begin this post by explaining my last one. When I sat down to begin the last post I was full of colorful ideas of what to write about, including the fact that all three of us happened to be wearing flip flops when we rather unexpectedly went hiking in the Andes to overlook the giant crater. When we talked to the tour guide about the trip at Mitad del Mundo, he told us there was an option to go for a hike to get a better view of the crater and we immediately thought that wasn´t going to be possible because of our amazing choice of footwear. He assured us that it was a ¨grassy path¨ and that we would be fine. Well, it was a bit more than a grassy path and the hike started by us climbing under a barbed wire fence and scrambling up a steep rocky hill, dodging cow dung as we went, but we all agree it has been the best part of the trip yet! The views were stunning and we were so high that we were litterally in the clouds, watching them as they quickly moved around us. So anyway, that´s the story. We went ¨hiking¨ in the Andes in flip flops and had a great time!

Now that that is out of the way, let´s cover the last day or so. I am writing this from a little internet cabina in Cuenca, Ecuador after finishing up a really great meal at a local Pizzeria topped off with delicious helado! But before I get ahead of myself, let me cover last night. Mary and I had every intention of actually getting more than a few hours of sleep last night so we thought we would just have a beer or two at the hostel bar. After the second beer, we got into deep conversation with the owner of the hostel about everything from the costs to start and maintain a hostel, to Ecuadorian culture and its fiery women, all the way to a heated yet incredibly interesting international discussion about American politics. The owner, Matt from Queensland Australia, and his volunteer helper, Sam from the UK, were great to talk to and drink with and they ended up treating us to healthy pours on the house the rest of the night. To make a long story short, we headed up for bed at about 3:00 AM! Awesome time, pero a serious lack of sleep is starting to set in!

We were up around 8:30 this morning to get packed, grabbed desayuno at the local fruitaria and jumped into a taxi for the airport to see if we could find our way to Cuenca today. Our original plan was to get to Cuenca via bus but the bus ride is about 12 hours and our guide book made mention of a flight from Quito for about $60. We were not really sure what our chances of getting to the airport and actually buying a ticket for that day and at such a low price, but after a 20 minute cab ride that included a hilarious driver and his marraige proposal to Mary in Spanish, we were able to immediately buy tickets for the three of us on the 1:15 flight from Quito to Cuenca for just over $60 each. After about an hour waiting around the in small domestic terminal at Quito, we walked out on the runway to board out turbo-prop bound for Cuenca. It was actually very nice inside and was run just as efficiently as any US airline. The ladies were not super fond of the rough turbulence that comes with being in a small turbo-prop plane flying over the Andes, but it was a quick 45 minute flight to our newest destionation.

Now in Southern Ecuador where it is a littler warmer, a little lower and a lot more colonial with a Spanish feel. Cuenca reminds me a lot of Granada and some of the smaller towns in Spain, the influence is everywhere in this town. It is also the third biggest city in Ecuador yet has a completely different and non-commercial feel compared to the massive sprawl of craziness that is Quito. Cuenca is really just a stop over on our way to Mancora on the coast of Peru, but it is an interesting historical town with lots to explore. We may try and take a tour to the jungle or something tomorrow morning, but we will probably just use this time to relax and get ready for our next bus journey to Mancora. We are about 4-5 hours from the Peruvian border here and should be able two hours from the border to our beach destination. I only hope we get across the border in one piece and all of our money still with us!

My Spanish is improving rapidly and I am able to learn a lot from Claire and the many interactions we have with the locals, none of which involve any English. I have entertained the thought of coming here for a while to live cheaply and finally tackle becoming fluent in Spanish as there are many Spanish schools around for gringos. I will have to give it some thought...but again with the job thing.

Back to the hostel in Cuenca now, my next post will probably be from Peru. Maybe even after having a meal of fried Guinea Pig!

Adios.

Karl