En vacaciones!

Hi friends!


I've just returned from a fantastic spring break! It was some much needed down-time after last week. I didn't really have an itinerary, reservations, or plans in general. As many of you know, this is kind of my style, and I dig it. 


I started my adventure at 7:30 a.m on Saturday morning. I walked to the airport in Quito, checked in, and went through security all in a half hour. You'd be surprised at how efficient things go at airports when there are no restrictions. One of my classmates, Sam, had happened to have the same flight, so for a few days we traveled (more or less) as a pair. I flew from Quito over the Andes to Manta, Ecuador, which is on the coast. The airport in Manta, like the one in Coca, is about the size of my living room and kitchen combined (if that). I caught a cab to the bus station in Manta, and bought a ticket for the 3-hour bus ride to a small fishing town further south on the coast called Puerto Lopez. As always, there were dozens of buses lined up, and we picked the one whose driver was shouting the name of our destination the loudest. 

Not-so-great picture of the bus station

The ride through the countryside down the coast was beautiful. The bus made a stop in Jipijapa ("hippy-hoppa", also the name of my neighborhood in Quito), where dozens of vendors get on the bus, ride for a few minutes trying to sell you their goods (coco milk, sandwiches, pop, freshly baked bread, etc.), and get off.  I also noticed that it seemed like every little town we went through had a "specialty" item they sold, like shells, gold statues, pottery, or wood carvings, for example.

The coastline of Ecuador

Shops like these line the roads; this one 
sold painted vases and mirrors

Since I didn't have reservations or a hostel lined up in advance, I went with Sam to the hostel with which she had made reservations, hoping they'd let me sleep on her floor. They did me one better--they gave us a room with a twin bed for each of us. The hostel was called Hostería Mandála, and it was probably the most beautiful, incredible hostel I've ever stayed at, for 19 dollars/night. The owners are a couple from Switzerland and Italy--the guy spoke Spanish like an Italian, which was hilarious. There were dozens of small buildings for the rooms, each of which had its own bathroom (and hot water!), and one main building for the restaurant, kitchen, music room, book exchange, cactus garden, TV room, and safe-box room.  The grounds were also covered in plant life, and there were even a couple of botanical gardens with paths running through them. The music room had a couple guitars, a marimba, a bunch of drums, and some other random instruments for guests to play at their leisure. And at my leisure I did play. I spent 3 fantastic days reading, playing guitar, swimming in the ocean, playing with their 5 huge dogs, and relaxing in a hammock. They also had wireless internet--it was great to talk to you, family. :)  The only downside to this paradise was that the mosquitoes seemed to enjoy it as well. The food was fantastic, of course, and I enjoyed a few pasta dishes, fresh fruit, and drinks.

Entrance to the hostel

Beach at sunset

The room key awkwardly attached to a pelican, because
the room was called "Pelicano"

You can't go wrong with a caiparinha on the beach...

"Pasta al Aurelio" (Aurelio is the Italian owner's name)
Shrimp in a white wine sauce, with ham, nuts, and parmesan.

The music room

Huge dog

A small section of the multi-lingual book exchange

The beach at sunset with the thatch-roofed shelters to hang hammocks

In town in Puerto Lopez

Signs pointing to the world's major cities.

The fishing boats off the beach in Puerto Lopez

Random giant corn cob I thought you'd all appreciate.

Sam and I hesitantly left Puerto Lopez on Wednesday morning to head south toward Guayaquil to catch a bus to Cuenca, Ecuador.  After a 4 hour bus ride from Puerto Lopez, we arrived at the mall-sized bus station at Guayaquil, the largest and most heavily populated city in Ecuador. There are over a hundred places to buy a bus tickets at the bus station in Guayaquil, so again we just listened for somebody to yell "a Cuenca!" at us. It took less than 30 seconds--5 minutes and 8 dollars later, the bus pulled out of Guayaquil toward Cuenca, which is in the mountains.  The 4 hour trip from the coast to Cuenca was incredible. From one of the lower elevations in Ecuador (sea level) through some of the highest mountains in the country, there were so many unique landscapes.

From the coast...

...to the cloud forest...

...to the high sierra...

...and everything in between.

Beautiful mountain freshwater lake.

I fell in love with Cuenca as soon as the bus hit the outskirts of town. It is one of the most charming, beautiful towns I've ever seen! I had found out the day before that my best friend Tracy Turba from Platteville has relatives that are living in Cuenca for the next couple months.  Hoping for some suggestions on what to do in Cuenca, I contacted them the day before we left the beach.  Instead of giving me suggestions, they opened their home to me for a few days! Dave, Annika, and two of their boys Hans and Anton live in a 9th story apartment overlooking the amazing town of Cuenca. Not only did I take up a mattress on their living room floor, but they were my gracious tour guides to the city. 


The first day, we walked around for a few hours downtown. On the city square, there is an incredible cathedral, called Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral) originally built in 1885. The story goes that the Spanish settlers didn't want to finish it, because if they did, they would have had to pay taxes to Spain.  There is also a Catedral Vieja (Old Cathedral) directly opposite the square, which was built in 1567. The oldest tower on this church was used as a reference point for the French Geodesic Mission, part of which measured curve of the Earth, and established a meridian arc (a measurement between points of the same latitude). You'll excuse the nerd in me. 

A neighborhood in Cuenca, from 9 stories up

Downtown Cuenca

Catedral Nueva

The front of Catedral Nueva

A tower of Catedral Vieja

The front of Catedral Vieja

After seeing the cathedrals, we walked around town a bit. There were markets everywhere, and the streets were alive with people on a Thursday morning. We also walked through a flower market--one of the best smelling things ever. There is a river that runs straight down the middle of the town called Tomebamba (pronounced "toh-may-BOM-ba"). We walked down the river and back up. There is a bridge called Puente Roto, or Broken Bridge, just off the river. The whole riverwalk is beautiful, and the day was exceptionally sunny for Cuenca.  When we got back to the apartment, Annika made a phenomenal stirfry, with fresh everything-you-can-imagine. I felt like royalty.

Puente Roto 

Tomebamba River, with the mountains in the background

I met up with a few classmates on Thursday night at a really cool bar called Monday Blue. I had a fantastic margherita pizza and Bailey's Irish Cream oreo shake (I started St. Patrick's Day celebrations early, of course). We also stopped by a dessert/ice cream shop called Frutilado (a blend between the Spanish words for fruit ["fruta"] and ice cream ["helado"]). I must say, the ice cream in Ecuador will never rival Babcock's.  

Bailey's oreo shake.

La pizza! 

The inside of Monday Blue

On Friday morning, Dave and Annika took me to the biggest and best fresh market I've ever seen. Everything you can imagine, from beef, pork, and fish to fruits and vegetables I've never heard of were everywhere. The market itself probably took up half a dozen city blocks, and I didn't even see half of it. 

Cuyi (pronounced "koo-EE"), or guinea pig

A full cow

A hog's head. Delicious.

Chocolate!

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.

Honey, oats, nuts, and blocked sugar.

Lots of fish.

On Friday afternoon/night, I explored the city a bit more. I went to a free museum at El Banco Central del Ecuador (The Central Bank of Ecuador), and then met up with my classmates again for dinner. We had dinner (white wine and mushroom pasta) overlooking the river, with fireworks in the background. Afterward, we went to a free symphony orchestra concert in the auditorium at the Central Bank of Ecuador (I'm not sure why the bank seems to host so many attractions...). It turns out that the solo cellist was from Venezuela and got his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UW-Madison! Qué chévere!  After the concert, we stopped at a small Italian café, where I had some fantastic tiramisù.

On Saturday, I celebrated my favorite holiday by going ziplining. Dave, Annika, Hans, Anton, and I took a very jerky bus to the edge of the city, and caught a "mixta" or truck to the countryside. Fortunately, there weren't enough seats for all of us to sit in the cab, so Hans, Anton, and I elected the back of the truck. Not only is the countryside near Cuenca beautiful, but seeing it from the back of a truck going down a dirt road made it a great ride. For 8 dollars, there were 6 ziplines, a few of which crossed a huge valley. I was feeling adventurous, as usual, and went "Superman" style and "Mariposa" style (upside down). Ziplining is my new love. While waiting for our mixta to return, we shared a couple Pilseners, and went back to town.  We then ate at a really cool indoor courtyard restaurant owned by an American couple--my first burger since I left the States. 

Hans and Anton in the back of our mixta

Cuencano countryside

All suited up!

My friend Leo hooking me in.

Mariposa! (butterfly) They had me let my hands go too.

Coming in from across the valley

After lunch we walked home in the rain (another love of mine), and I packed up my bag to head back to Quito.  I opted for the 35 minute flight back home over the 10 hour bus ride.  It was equally as hard to leave Cuenca as it was to leave Puerto Lopez. I was so grateful to have had the chance to travel a bit inside the country. I can't thank Dave and Annika enough for being such gracious hosts and wonderful tour guides!


Here is a link to a map showing my travels. Mom, seeing as you're probably one of the first to read this, let me know if it doesn't work. ;)


http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm#/map/6635


Today one of my classmates, Adam, had a bunch of us over for a "Pre-Galapagos" get-together. I sauteed some onions, peppers, and portabellas, and we grilled some burgers on the roof of his host family's apartment building. It was quite the finish to a fantastic break, and a great start to my upcoming adventures. Sorry this one was so long! 


On Wednesday, my class leaves for the coast again (close to where I was in Puerto Lopez), and then to the Galapagos for an 8-day cruise and a 2-week homestay on San Cristobal island. I'll do my best to keep y'all posted. Until then, adios!