How do I even summarize the month we spent in Cuenca Ecuador? It is difficult to explain how quickly the city felt familiar. Our first month in Ecuador was spent figuring out how to live in a new place where we didn’t speak the language. When we got to Cuenca, we hit our stride. We …
The morning we left Salinas, I woke up early to take advantage of one last stroll on the beach. There had been a couple of young guys building an elaborate sandcastle on the beach during the month we were in Salinas. I had meant to take pictures of it multiple times, but just never made …
If you dream of a trip to the Galapagos, but your budget isn’t quite there, look no further than Isla de la Plata. The nature, wildlife, and wonderful people on our tour made this trip a highlight of our time in Ecuador. Isla de la Plata is an island off the coast of Puerto Lopez, …
Have you ever fallen in love with a place the moment you laid eyes on it? As our taxi driver headed down the road into Puerto Lopez, we knew this would be a special town to us. For a weekend, we traded the high rises surrounding Salinas beach for the lush national park surrounding Puerto …
Montañita is well known for two things: surfing and partying. During a normal year I am sure we would have experienced the bumping music, packed bars, and endless dancing. However, travelers aren’t out in full force yet, so the Montañita we experienced was more subdued. Lodging For this trip, we stayed at Hostel Esperanto. We …
“Mommy, I can’t believe it! I can’t believe we are going to see the country where you grew up” the squeaky voice of a young girl chirped behind us as we descended into Panama for our layover. Many people get annoyed sitting near kids on airplanes, but I tend to love it. I love seeing …
How do you pack for being away from home for 3 months? Well, my first recommendation is do not wait until the night before to pack causing you to stay up until 1AM when you need to wake up at 3AM to catch your bus to the airport. Not that we did that or anything… …
Why did you choose Ecuador? One of the first questions we get asked when we tell people we plan to spend the summer in Ecuador. Ecuador typically brings images of the Galapagos Islands to mind. When we mention that we don’t even have plans to go to the Galapagos, then the quizzical expressions really start …
