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It’s been a while since my last post. My original plan to stay in South America until May changed when my son Cody surprised me by moving his wedding date up to March 7. After attending his beautiful wedding in Kansas, I decided to escape the remainder of this cold winter by hanging out in Florida &...
Vilcabamba – what can I say about Vilcabamba – paradise, oasis, sanctuary? It was a place like no other that I visited in Ecuador or anyplace else for that matter. Nestled in the Southern Andes it is referred to as the Longevity Valley. It is unclear why, but there are stories of an uncommon number of...
Our next stop was Ingapirca, an Inca-Canari archaeological site. My guide David shared interesting facts about the history of the area along with details of the exceptional stonecutting done by the Incas. From Ingapirca we drove to Cuenca for a few relaxing days. I enjoyed being able to walk around the old town area of Cuenca...
On day 18 of my 25 day road trip in Ecuador, we drove from Banos to Alausi. Like so many other days on the road, it was full of amazing landscapes, beautiful Andean indigenous people, and interesting sites along the way. From Alausi I was able to take a train ride to Nariz del Diablo (The...
Baños de Agua Santa, commonly referred to as Baños, was the perfect place to rejuvenate and “clean myself up” after four days in the jungle. While staying at the Sangay Spa Hotel right next to a beautiful waterfall, I was able to send my clothes out to actually be laundered in something other than dirty sink...
In Ecuador the jungle area is called the Oriente. It is on the eastern side of the country and even though it encompasses almost half of Ecuador’s territory it has less than five percent of the total population. My trip to the Cuyabeno reserve in the Amazon began with a 30-minute flight from Quito to...
The atmosphere in Ecuador has been so welcoming, it’s really very nice. The pace just seems slower and people really take the time to acknowledge each other. Rarely do you walk past anyone who does not greet you with a Buenos dias, Buenas tardes, or Buenas noches. In restaurants, strangers will wish you Buen provecho...
On day 10 of my 25 day road trip we drove to National Park Cotopaxi. Unfortunately as we began the hike to the refuge from 14000 ft. to 15000 ft and then on to the glacier, I had my first problem with altitude since arriving in Ecuador. My head began to pound and I started having...
Soaking in the natural hot springs at Termas Papallacta was heavenly, especially after spending the past few days in damp chilly places trying to keep warm by a fire. The rooms surround the pools of natural hot springs on the property so you literally walk right out your front door and step into a hot...
From Tulcan we headed back south to visit Cayambe. When taking road trips, there never fails to be road construction and traffic delays, no matter what country you are in. One thing I love about Ecuador is there are always vendors available to sell you drinks and snacks while you wait. Cayambe is known for their famous...
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