Jane's travels update

I thought I would write a quick update about what I have been doing since everyone has left me. Well, not everyone, but mostly everyone.

Gabriel and I had a great week-long trip and saw lots of Ecuador. We went to Latacunga, Riobamba, Alausi, Cuenca, Loja, Villcabamba, and Cotopaxi. Although there were some bumps on the road, we had a very good time. In Alausi, we went on a train ride through the mountains (that actually was kind of lame). In Cuenca we failed miserably at making it to the Incan ruins of Ingapirca because we had to make it to our bus to Loja. We literally made it as far as the entrance to the ruins and then couldn't go in. But I zoomed in on my camera for the photo so it looks like we did :) In Villcabamba (which is famous for the residents there having extremely long lives) we experienced a bit of their heaven. We got there, ate, went on a horseback riding trip, got massages, and then ate some dessert. When we got to Cotopaxi the next day, after a trip from the very south to the northern part of Ecuador, we were pretty tired. We were definitely not in the best of spirits there considering it was so cold and we got pelted with hale or snow or something sharp in our faces as we unsuccessfully tried to hike up. We met up with Amanda and her parents in Cotopaxi and from there Gabriel left and I stayed with them for a night. The next day we went to a beautiful volcanic lake called Quilotoa. I wish I had pictures on this computer to show you how incredibly beautiful it was.

That same night my grandma and my sister arrived to Quito! I spent the next 10 days with the 2 of them. We went to Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world), the Historic Center, churches, museums, to Cuenca (which my grandma loved), Mindo, and Otavalo. I was having such a good time with them, that we decided to extend my sister's ticket. Andrew ended up going back to the US, so I didn't really want to go to the farm alone, so it worked out perfectly. I am currently travelling around Ecuador with my sister. We spent one day in Quito doing laundry, getting manicures and salsa dancing. The next day we went to Mindo for 2 days. In Mindo we went ziplining and canyoning down a waterfall. We came back to Quito for a night and left for Baños. Our first afternoon in Baños we wandered around, got summer sugar cane treats which are common here and got massages. In the evening we went on a tour in an open bus up to the volcano here and to see a view of the city. We enjoyed it, but we were very very cold. The next day we woke up early to go rafting. Right after rafting, we went to go paragliding, but unfortunately, this didn't work out as planned. To paraglide, everything depends on the weather. They had me go first and when I got down, the weather had changed and Annie couldn't go. I was so sad. If I had any idea it would change I would never have gone. We even stayed an extra day in Baños to see if the weather would work today, but it didn't. After the unsuccessful paragliding, we went to the thermal baths and then to dinner and then to sleep. Today we have done almost nothing except for some laundry. Tonight though, we are leaving to the beach for a couple days. Annie leaves to go back to the states this Friday and then I will stay in Quito with my host family for a few more days before my flight to Peru. I am so glad that Annie and I have had this time together. It has been so long since just the two of us have been together for such a long time and she is the perfect person for me to spend this time travelling with.

It has been so strange being in Ecuador without any of the people that were here for the last 5 months. Amanda and my grandma left on the same flight and she was one of the only people still left here. When I first got here, I really missed home and felt that it would be impossible to become accustomed to Ecuadorian life. What I am certain of now is that Ecuador has become somewhat of a home to me. I don't want to leave and I love my life here. Even though all of my friends are gone, I still have my own life. I have met people all around and I feel comfortable with the culture of Ecuador. But I am also ready for my next adventure. Next update will be from Cuzco, Peru!