Last weekend the boys set off on a jungle adventure six hours away from Quito. Since I was working and unable to join them, on my days off I decided to explore one of Quito’s closer destinations: the tranquil village of Mindo. I’ve been drooling over Freddie’s pictures of his trip to Mindo, and it did not disappoint.

My friend Amy arrived with our new video camera the night before and I had been carefully observing her to see whether she was experiencing any signs of altitude sickness or jet lag (and nagging at her to keep drinking water). When she professed that she felt fine, I set our Mindo plan in action. Amy, Laurene, and I raced to find a bus to take us the 2-hour drive to Mindo.

The bus ride to Mindo was nearly as beautiful as the town itself: a windy hilltop road snaking through the lush forest. The surrounding mountain range was draped in fog. (more…)

This weekend Ryan and I along with a great new friend took a red eye bus from Quito to the beach town of Atacames in the province of Esmeraldas.  The bus ride was about 6 hours long and we arrived to our destination about 5:45 am and totally bleary eyed and catatonic from our long overnight ride. We boarded a rickshaw taxi and checked into the first hotel listed in our trusty travel guide. We climbed into our bunk beds and proceeded to sleep into about 10 am when we were awoken by the Reggaeton music that is ubiquitous in Atacames.  We started off our day with a bowl of delicious Ceviche de Camaron, which was a refreshing dish consisting of shrimp, onion, and lime juice paired with a bowl of fried banana chips and an appetizing tall glass of chilled coconut milk.  I am a huge fan of breakfast foods and this dish will definitely give llapingachos a run for their money as my current favorite meal in Ecuador.  Atacames is your typical little beach town complete with vendors, thatch roofed huts serving cold drinks, and tour guides offering boat rides to the surrounding beaches.  For only about 1o bucks a person per ride we were able to visit the beaches of Sua and Same, the mangroves and the Island of Birds that was home to dozens of blue footed boobies.  Atacames was a much needed change of pace and is definitely a good time for those visiting the Northern coast of Ecuador.

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My experience in Quito thus far can be summarized in the 2 words that comprise the title of this post.  I have had the pleasure of traveling all over the globe in my life time and never have I adjusted so quickly to living in a foreign country .  When I first arrived here 3 weeks ago today I had no idea that this city and country would win me over so quickly.  I think it’s the colonial architecture that reminds me of my time in Mexico, or maybe it’s the Spanish that is beautifully spoken all around, the music, or the food that is so delicious. Something makes me feel that  I have been here before and I probably liked it back then too.  To be fair though it hasn’t been all perfect for me here, we have been repeatedly warned about the safety concerns in around the city, I have yet to find a job and am still trying to make sense of the Ecuadorean way of life.  I am making a trip along with a friend to Mindo which is an awesome little town about 2 and a half hours from Quito.  The place is supposed to be in a cloud forest and be full of animals and amazing plant life for me to photograph. I can’t wait. Hope to have some good shots for this weekend.