Being back in a city after such an amazing rural experience has been shocking to the system. The first day back I was overwhelmed and even being online was such a foreign feeling because the simple living had been such a shock to the system in a different way entirely.
As I´m slowly re-adjusting to seeing the excess all around me, and missing my host family back in Achupallas, I have come to appreciate Quito´s cuisine. Crepes & Waffles= best restaraunt EVER. Although the Cuban place we had girls´ night out was pretty amazing too. We only ordered 12 plates for six of us...
Reflecting back on our time in Ecuador, there have been both highs and lows. Lows include discovering your rain jacket isn´t actually waterproof anymore during a nine hour hike about an hour in, getting violently ill, bug bites, a week of group disfunction, missing home, not having access to bathrooms or showers for long periods of time, etc. But the highs- meeting amazing new people, discovering a new family to love and belong to, surviving weird illnesses and coming out stronger on the other end, learning Spanish, dancing in the rain on a beach during Carnival, having my breathe taken away by the sheer beauty of the landscape around me, becoming more in touch with the world and how people in developing countries live, and discovering more about what´s really important in life- so outweigh any negatives.
Tomorrow we leave Quito and to Ecuador and start a whole new adventure in Peru. (or should I say tonight because we leave at 4am? it´s sad that i´m getting used to these horribly early departure times). I can´t wait to meet my new host family in Cuzco, get settled into language classes again, and learn what Peru is all about.
Ciao Ecaudor, mucho gusto Peru!
-Emily
So now will it be a viable question if I ask if you've been to Machu Picchu lately? Where did you hike to?
ReplyDeleteOur Machu Picchu trek will be the four days before we head back to the USA, so you´re a little early. We hiked to a Volcanic lake near Otovalo called Lago del Dios and then around the perimeter. It was really gorgeous but took nine hours and we got lost, it was raining, and Ivy had two asthma attacks so we were a sorry looking group upon arrival at our homes.
ReplyDeleteOur Machu Picchu trek is a glamping trip though- we´re woken up in the morning by the guides with coffee in our tents and they set up lunch canopies ahead of us so we can eat hot food half way through the day... I´m almost looking forward to it! Haha.
Haha. That sounds like sherpas.
ReplyDelete