From Amarongachia to Shangri-la

This tale of a trip through the Amazon will take you on a journey from Amarongachia (Indigenous Quichua word meaning "hunting ground of the boa") to Shangri-la ("a remote paradise where life approaches perfection, ideal for relaxing and developing a connection with the natural world").

Quick timeframe:
Departure - November 15th, 7:00 AM
Stay at Cabanas Amarongachi - November 15th-16th
Stay at Cabanas Shangrila - November 17th-20th
Return - November 21st, 4:30 PM

Prestart: November 14th, 9:00 PM
Hiking pack sits in the corner of the room behind the Samsonite wheeler. A steady supporter that usually takes a back seat to the smaller bookbag, needs a dusting before being summoned back to the front ranks. Repellent 32% deet CHECK. Impenetrable rain shells CHECK. Arsenal of quick drying gear CHECK. Headlamp CHECK. Freezer size Ziploc back of medications - Epipen included - that the influenced son of two doctors would not enter the Amazon without CHECK.
It's go time.

November 15th, 6:00 Am
While I struggle to rouse myself from the horizontal to the vertical, Stan, the 63 year old adventurous student from Colorado, also going on the Amazon trip, frightens his Japanese compatriot, Shige, awake with his energetic outbursts of excitement. It's unknown how the profs, Fredy and Sylvana, or the fourth student, Kat, meet the morning light. Regardless, we, the crew manage to conform to appropriate time schedules, unite at the language school at 7:00 AM, and are aboard the Amazonas bus line at 8:00 AM. After six hours, we arrive in Tena, our outfit point for getting boots, eating lunch, and signing away our rights on the waiver forms. The evening ushers in a fitting rainstorm just as we begin our hike to our cabins, but, thanks to the impenetrable rain gear, everybody arrives safely and commences on the evening medicinal hike. Our first taste of the Amazon is quite literal. A plant that helps repel mosquitoes, another for blood circulation, and a third for headaches. Naturally medicated, we all drift to sleep ready for the beginning.

November 16th and 17th
The morning view is absolutely gorgeous. Banana leaf palms skirt the left while lush greenery gives way to the Rio Jatunyacu in front. Amarongachi, quite the place to sink into one of the many hammocks. Unfortunately, the hammock is not on schedule for the morning. Instead, we endure four hours of classes in the heat and humidity (started almost every morning of the week like this). The cascadas hike is our first test scheduled for this balmy Sunday. Surprised to hear that Stan is planning to attempt the climb, we exit the protection of the lodge in our rubber boots. The plan is to follow a creek up a nearby slope and ascend three waterfalls along the route. Unlike earlier, we are now thankful for the sunshine and the refreshing climb to come. The hike is gorgeous as expected, from the highly unnatural, but greatly appreciated tree ladder, to the occasional collection ponds that call for refreshing dips. Stan, remembering his college days in climbing club, manages to climb each of the waterfalls, obtain a battle scar while submersing himself in the water hole , and traverse the intertwined vegetation blanketing the entire descent to the cabins. Thankfully, the following morning calls for a relaxing float down the river while our professor, Sylvana, recovers from the hallucinogenic afterthoughts of a Shamanic Cleansing Ritual.

Necessary excerpt on Stan:
A true inspiration for anyone. Age 63. Height 5 foot 10. Of average build, slight gut, and sparse hair. The same individual that startled Shige awake with his triple-threat stance and enthusiastic bellow on day 1. A man from Colorado who can teach us all an important lesson about living. I was strongly impacted by Stan's presence and could not resist telling him how much I appreciated having him along. He exuded a positive and youthful glow, ripe for experiencing new adventures. I was naturally curious as to what would motivate a retired 63 year old to travel alone to Ecuador and enroll in a Spanish language school with no past knowledge of the language? His explanation..."I was in Wal-Mart one day with a good friend of mine shopping for some household supplies. Observing the bi-lingual signs written in Spanish and English, I casually joked about some of the Spanish words. I did not know what I was talking about, but thought there was some humor in the writing. My friend, however, who was well-versed in her Spanish ability, told me that prior to joking I should think about learning the language and understanding the culture...and so...here I am. A month in language school in Quito followed by a couple weeks in Peru, all interspersed with some travels. Ideas?" Fabulous. Truly living life knowing life can only be lived once!

November 18th-20th
Morning. Sun rises to lift the shadows from our new home, Shangrila. We arrived yesterday under the double-cover of night and a thick, leafy canopy that rendered our attempts at orientation useless. The face-lift at dawn, however, gives way to an unbelievable view below. Situated on a cliff overlooking the Rio Anzu, we can the see the "S" of a river carrying the browns of the jungle floor along its path through the lush greenery. Indescribable beauty yet to be explored. As quickly as we have absorbed our surroundings we are placed within them. An hour hike and we find a new creek to follow through the rainforest of my imagination. Terraces of spider webs, spade shaped leaves the size of my torso, lemon ants for a snack during pause, slippery black rocks, beady-eyed bats peppering the canyon walls, innumerable vines growing upon vines, the constant drip-drop of droplets, this is the Amazon.

The next day we stay at water's-edge to travel in tubes to the local indigenous community of Santa Monica. We meet Monica, the village's namesake herself, and share an afternoon sip of the traditional drink, chicha de yuca. Here, where the village elder is the doctor, the advice giver, the shaman, the store owner, the trader, and more, life slows down to a peaceful pace, kids invent games without electrical foundations, and animals pick at bananas growing on trees. Everything ticks to the clock of nature in harmonious melody. On return, dusk creeps in inviting the evening ecosystem of insects that builds itself around the lights near the outdoor sinks. The glow attracts a swarm of flying bugs that naturally cease flying and become food for the larger crawlers. These crawlers then attract the insects that had never before entered my imagination. Cockroaches best kept yards a way, grasshoppers with spikes on their legs, tarantulas with furry protrusions, ants the size of my thumb, butterflies that could pass as leaves, tree branches that walk the wall, this is the Amazon.

From Amarongachia to Shangrila we shared in many a card game of Capitalism, did not let a moment pass without laughter, enhanced an already strong appreciation for nature, and experienced a new world of life. This was the Amazon!

Note: Many more pictures in the slideshow below!

Listo (Ready)

Ready to write following a long absence. There is much to tell. The blog dropped off the face of Earth prior to an adventure filled weekend in Ecuador's outdoor thrill town, Banos. Knowing that the feriados (public holidays) are great weekends for travel, we had been patiently waiting for a three day'r to approach to allow for a trip to Banos. Finally, with one in our sites we booked our hostel for the first weekend of November. We left at first light on Saturday morning, so we could arrive as the sun switched directions, with time to set our bearings and go for a nearby hike. Spotting a cafe set into the ridge overlooking Banos, we quickly decided that that would be the ideal destination for the evening. A couple hours uphill and dripping from the afternoon showers, we sneaked, well out of place, into the Cafe del Cielo (Cafe of the Sky). The cafe, technically open to the public, is in actuality a main snacking destination for residents of the nearby Luna Runtun hotel, a pricey vacation spot for classy travelers. Without hesitation though, we took advantage of the open to public policy, took our seats, ordered our cappuccinos, and enjoyed a nice game of cards with Banos unraveling beneath us.

The next day called for an early start. Rented mountain bikes beneath us, we pedaled out of town and onto the 21 km Ruta de las Cascadas (Route of the Waterfalls). A common route taken by many travelers, this largely downhill ride was fabulous, aside from the one pitch black tunnel we were required to pass. We enjoyed coasting down several hills and stopping intermittently to hike waterfalls that caught our eye. Baked from the heat we finally arrived at the prize waterfall of the route, the Pailon del Diablo, a twisting waterfall that comes crashing down into a rocky basin.

While this day was a day of views, the next gave way to a entirely new experience... cascading. Surprisingly able to fit into a size too small wetsuit with a happily purple front face and stylish over the shoulder buttons, I harnessed myself in on the misty Monday morning. (Thankfully, the yellow flack jacket covered my humorous suit, leaving only my shoelace tied glasses to laugh it). We made our way to the first of four waterfalls, the baby eight meter practice one and I quickly fell on my way down. That led to the rise of subconscious concerns regarding the upcoming 40 meter decent. Climbing to the next cascada, however, quickly sent the intermittent thoughts back into the subconscious as I regained a feel for the footing. The subsequent parallel walks went uneventfully and we proudly returned to Banos with a strong desire for nothing but hot chocolate and a return to our favorite restaurant, Cafe Hood, for the third time. One of three hoods and goods (Cafe Hood, Casa Hood, Cafe Good) in Banos, this quickly emerged as a keeper. With a variety of tasty twists such as Indian Chola, Chicken Curry Sandwiches, Ginger-Lemon Tea, and Chocolate Cake, we were more than satisfied.

Post Banos adventures, the body was due for a break and adventure travelling was shelved for the following weekend. Instead, Priyanka and I took a trip to Otavalo in search of indigenous family friends of a Professor couple from UNC-Chapel Hill. Priyanka was provided a highly interesting set of directions, but we somehow trusted they would lead us to the end point. Following the cobble stone roads that went right, left, and u-turned before merging with bigger cobble stone roads that crossed bridges and Coca-Cola signs, we fortunately found are way into the store front of the family we were searching for. Gloriously gobbling vanilla wafers, chocolate biscuits, and coca-colas purchased from their store, we happily took our seats amongs the pigs, chickens, and dogs to share a moment with our new friends hanging on the thread of a 1,000 mile plus connection. It was fascinating to imagine that that same house was where a twenty year old college student, now a professor at UNC, had once spent his summer pursuing his anthropological calling.

Refreshed from a worldly visit, a week of subjunctive tense studies in Spanish School quickly passed marking time for insertion into the Amazon...

Random Tidbits:

1. My second cousin arrived in Quito to work on her doctoral research!

2. I received a crisp one dollar bill in change for potentially the first time in three months!

3. Endured a new style of torture personally deemed, "absurdly inappropriate public display of affection." Highly perturbed by the couple in front of me on the public bus, I began to count the number of times they kissed in 15 minutes. The result of my empirical study showed that with 74 kisses in 15 minutes, it was probable that I was forced to endure the sound and sight of approximately 222 kisses in my painful 45 minute ride home from Salsa Class...WHY?!?

P.S. Due to my long absence from blog world I will be making an effort to double up this week and provide you all with a second blog post by this coming weekend. By way of the mere fact that I am typing this blog, you at least know that I survived a week in the Amazon, but the rest will be shared soon! (Pictures are already up though, with captions included!)

Novedades (New News)

I am afraid of writing any more about cookies because my last blog post definitely jinxed my luck, but I must recount the happenings. The Monday after I posted I arrived at school to sadly find that Villa Colombia had been closed by the government for not having payed their taxes. On the brink of devastation I stumbled into school unable to put words together. Colombia...por que...no entiendo...galletas...Colombia? Unsure of the future of my cookie provider, I continued aimlessly through the morning and was forced to settle for a piece of chocolate cake at the fast food restaurant across the street. Sadly observing this new dessert in my hand I started to drag myself back towards school when good luck returned in the form of one of the regular employees from Villa Colombia. Having exchanged glances he could easily read the forlorn expression on my face and without me having said a word, he filled the gap, "No te preocupes. Las galletas van a estar listas el jueves." (Don't you worry. The cookies will be ready Thursday.) Needless to say, I no longer take the cookies for granted.

On a non-gluttonous note, this Tuesday marks two months and I don't know where the time has gone. It's amazing how fast time is passing as my days always seem to end before I am ready for them to. When abroad my senses are satiated with new experiences, cultural differences, stimulating conversations, welcome inspirations and more; and, each day only ends with me being unable to absorb everything, but ready to squeeze the sponge and reabsorb more the next day. I am having a fabulous time here and have been very fortunate to find fulfilling volunteer work at an organization called CENIT. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I now go to CENIT in the morning (and take my Spanish classes in the afternoon instead) where I help co-run the Clinica de Calle (Street Clinic) program with Priyanka. We are still in the organizational stages as we have only been working for CENIT for a week and a half, but we are really excited about the potential this program has. Our basic role is to develop relationships with the workers in a couple markets in Southern Quito, try to identify and take progress notes on the people who need medical care, and ensure that those people receive free medical appointments as well as take the appropriate medications on a regular basis. Going to the Camal Market this past Tuesday was both exciting and overwhelming. It was so nice to talk to the people and learn about the wonderful work that the past nurses who ran this project were doing, but it was equally trying to return to CENIT and learn of the budget crunch that may make it difficult to fulfill their needs for diabetes, hypertension, arthiritis, and cholesterol medications among other things. Nonetheless, we are optimistic that we can fundraise for supplies as we continue to build relationships and provide health care for our friends in Camal!!

And other news of the past couple of weeks is that:

1. I went to Canoa, a small beach town where I made chocolate on an organic farm and attempted surfing for the first time (Thanks Peter)!!
2. Endured a miserably cold and rainy day at the soccer stadium to be warmed by a fabulous 1-0 victory for Ecuador against Chile.
3. Celebrated two friends' birthdays on one day!
4. Finished reading my first book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
5. Rode the Teleferico up to 4100 meters atop the volcanic mountains of western Quito.
6. Had a successful Skype conference call with my mom and dad at home, brother in Wisconsin, and grandparents on another computer!

Las Galletas En La Esquina (The Cookies on the Corner)

Everyday, when the clock hits 10:30 AM, the time for a respite between classes, a sudden urge wells up from deep inside. An urge to splurge on something yummy. An addiction, yes, an addiction. An addiction that can only be counteracted by post-indulgence exercise, because it is an addiction I cannot mentally resist. An addiction whose foundation was laid many a year ago and is only now coming to full fruition. An addiction that friends and family will definitely understand. I cannot, however, accept blame. The culprit is a small tienda on the corner of my street that incessantly breathes flavor into the light breeze, warming and wafting through the vents and windows of my fifth floor classroom. The smell, the picture, the thought of just one more cookie is too too good. What can I do when the smell of fresh baked cookies and chocolate teases me for two hours straight. Tell me if you have a solution, because in the month I have been here I have come to accept that there is no solution but to indulge. A fresh baked cookie everyday is absolutely necessary thanks to Villa Colombia, the tienda that produces a steady supply of galletas en la esquina. The consequences of this addiction are a steady intake of carbs and a new nickname...goloso (sweet-toothed).

In the last two weeks much has happened. The weekend immediately following my last post I travelled to Mindo, an outdoorsy town nestled amidst cloud forests. It was a refreshing weekend that included many firsts aside from getting drenched without a spare pair of shoes:
1. Having a butterfly rest on my hand
2. Literally ziplining through the clouds
3. Hiking past waterfalls in the cloud forest
4. And eating fresh-baked brownies three days in a row!
(Just in case it is necessary to clarify I have definitely had brownies three days in a row, but never fresh-baked brownies three days in a row...highly recommend it.)

The following week ushered in one of my proudest school moments to date, successfully cooking Onion Bhajis (Indian Onion Fritters). Each Friday we have a different presentation we are asked to deliver, and this Friday, the 26th of September, each of us were asked to prepare a dish representative of our respective home country and give some background to our country and the dish we prepared. Devoid of access to the numerous Indian spices and slightly daunted by the idea of attempting a lavish dish, I decided to do my best to prepare an Indian appetizer. Jesse and I co-invaded our friend Peter's apartment and set to work on our deep-fried artery blockers, in effect, destroying any hopes Peter had of maintaining a pleasant smelling habitat. Fortunately, our guinea pigs at school the following day did not have to see or smell the operation that led to the production of Jesse's Chile Rellenos or my Onion Bhajis, but I would like to believe that, the fact that everything was finished was proof of a successful day in the kitchen!

The following Saturday, September 27th, our Ecuadorian friend (an indescribably nice girl) Maria Fernanda, took Peter, Leigh, Priyanka, and I on a splendid excursion to Papallacta. Lonely Planet describes this place as the perfect reward "after a sweaty jungle expedition or arduous hike." After my experience, however, I think it would be appropriate to add that it is also the perfect way to start a lazy Saturday. The soothing water of these natural hot springs was a timely treat for my twenty-two year old bones. All of us enjoyed moving from pool to pool spread out on different levels and even took part in the tradition of taking a frigid dip into the nearby river for photos (that I don't as yet have...sorrry). Peter, fitting to the Latin definition of machismo insisted that the water was not cold even as goosebumps began forming. Regardless, all of us enjoyed the tingly sensation one feels upon returning to warmer waters.

Aside from these happenings life has continued to be very busy with a variety of pursuits. I am happy to have become good friends with several of the other Rotary Scholars and all of us are thankful for having found a local Rotaract Club.
This club's activities seem very promising and we intend on attending meetings every two weeks, granted we are in Quito, to discuss relevant topics for our generation as well as assist them in achieving their major goal, the construction of a school about an hour outside of Quito. Work with Priyanka's Rotary Club is also looking good as this past weekend both of us had the opportunity to volunteer at a mobile clinic run by her club. I also finally began taking Salsa lessons last Thursday, went to another soccer game that was unreal (Liga - The Best Club Team in Quito vs. Boca Juniors - Potentially The Most Famous Club Team in South America),


watched the first set of presidential debates with a slew of other politically charged American students, visited the emotionally moving museum of Guayasamin, felt like I hit my second wind learning Spanish and am highly energized to keep it going and, as of now, updated my blog!!!

Mitad Del Mundo Y Mas (Middle of the World and More)

Friday, September 5, 2008

The line where water falls straight down, where an egg can balance on a nail, where the powerful feel powerless...welcome to La Mitad Del Mundo, the Middle of the World, the actual equator. For an afternoon activity with my language school, we took a local bus 15 miles north to the site of a fun museum called Inti-Nan. There we were able to literally walk along the equator and participate in different experiments that illustrate the unusual forces present at the equator. It is said that water flows down a drain counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and one experiment did in fact illustrate this. Our guide used a plugged sink full of water and a couple of leaves to allow us to see the direction of water flow after the sink was unplugged in each of three locations...north of the equator, on the equator, and south of the equator. The result was that water flowed counter-clockwise, straight down, and clockwise, respectively. Interesting?! Further research online indicates that this "coriolis" effect cannot actually be seen in experimental situations and is only urban legend, but I guess who really knows because I think what I saw was legit. So these experiments may not have settled anything, but it was a fun trip to the middle of the world regardless.

Saturday, September 6, 2008
I cannot tell you how long I have dreamt of going to an actual soccer game of grand magnitude. Fans going crazy for the love of futbol (not American football, basketball or baseball), but soccer, the true global sport. Having feasted gluttonously on delicious crepes at what is not surprisingly my current favorite restaurant in Quito, Crepes & Waffles, we happily walked over to the stadium more than an hour before game time to get good seats and get pumped. The scene was set and the stakes were high in this World Cup Qualifier, and Ecuador, seriously in need of a win against Bolivia, was poised to triumph. The stadium was virtually full and the fans went crazy as the Ecuadorian Jugadores finally emerged minutes prior to kickoff strangely ready to play without warming up. Fifteen minutes in, Bolivia lost a player to a quick red card and Ecuador took advantage with an upper ninety blast from outside the eighteen. Bolivia, responded with a goal of their own, however, and were looking to turn things around when the referee sent them packing again. Foul words from Bolivia's coach led to him being ejected under a storm of spanish curse words raining from the stands. The scene was spectacular and only became better as additional adrenaline was injected in the second half through the delivery of two more goals on the way to a 3-1 victory for Ecuador. Surround by the yelllow, blue, and red of Ecuador, we filed out of the stadium contently covered in celebratory cerveza (beer)!

Following the soccer celebrations and a weekend in Quito I returned to the routine of classes, which seemed to move monumentally faster now that I actually new my way around, had a cell phone, and was beginning to feel more comfortable speaking Spanish. I think more important than all of these things, however, was the fact that on Monday, when I walked into class my professor was wearing a UNC hat!! I already knew she was great, but this sealed the deal, I immediately went to the director of the language school and requested to continue classes with my professor, Sila, as long as possible.

Last Weekend
The first true getaway was a welcome break from the rush of Quito. A group of seven of us (Priyanka, Peter, Jesse, Beth, Alana, Leigh, and I) came together for a trip to Otavalo, a small town about 2 hours outside of Quito that is considered to have one of the largest artisan markets in all of South America. After a couple hiccups preceding our Friday evening travel, everything went smoothly. We made base at Residencial El Rocio, a clean family run hostal that was fabulous aside for the Saturday evening accusation we received for "supposedly" paying with a counterfeit $20 bill (counterfeit money is an issue here, and for someone like me that could be a problem because I definitely don't know the difference). We slipped out Saturday morning to explore the markets before taking a taxi out of town to the magical tree called El Lechero. Seeing this tree and the view from the breezy hilltop was definitely a highlight. The intertwined branches with smoothed knarls spoke of years of friendly existence watching over Otavalo. Quiet reflection under El Lechero gave way to the annual wooden go kart race we were lucky enough to witness as we were able to hitch a ride back down the mountain and join the town in cheering on the racers! And Sunday was more low key as a couple of us went for a breezy but beautiful hike around Laguna Mojada!

Aside from these adventures life has been really busy as I have become accustomed to a schedule I never thought possible (rising daily at between 6:30 and 7:00 AM!!!). Long days are definitely the norm and I don't know where time goes. In the last week we also got the opportunity to see the Rotary International President as he was in Quito for part of his South American tour. And my Rotary Club gave me a contract for the construction of a school and asked that I translate it into English so they can present it for grants in the U.S. (Yikes!?!) I feel like that catches me up to today, Thursday, 11:08 PM and my eyes are closing. Ready to crawl into bed knowing that by the morning my bed sheet will have risen up to about waste level while my blankets will stay put. Strange phenomenon that I can't seem to prevent from happening...I think it's because they don't tuck the bedsheet under the matress in my house, but the one day I did that, it didn't change anything. Maybe next blog I'll have it figured out! Till then, I wish you all the best, and as always, look forward to hearing from you. Hasta luego!

Perdido En La Traducción (Lost In Translation)

Thank you all for your emails and comments (even the scolding for not writing from Carlos). It has been so nice to receive your good wishes for my travels and I'm happy to finally have some time and internet access to share some stories.

An uneventful flight landed me safely into Quito, the capital of Ecuador, nestled amongst the mountains and volcanoes of the Andes. Forty-five minutes max and after spotting the Ecuadorian Olympic Team, I had collected my bags and gone through immigration and customs to find a representative from my language school, the Academia de Español, waiting patiently to greet me. We climbed into a taxi and made it to my host family's house at about midnight. First impressions were great and off I went to bed.

Then came the mascotas...
Casual talk was going wonderfully with my host mom (Wilma) and we were getting to know each other well. I could tell immediately that I had seriously lucked out to be placed with such an amiable family that was ready to welcome me into their home. But as soon as Wilma and I reached the comfort point she turned to me with a slightly more serious expression. I thought, oh she is just going to tell me one more time how important it is to be careful. How I should carry my bookbag in front of me, not walk more than a block alone in the dark, try not to look too gringo, etc. but nope, that's not what she said. Wilma proceeded, in Spanish of course, "So Ameet, in your application to the Spanish School you said your only diet restriction is that you don't like mascotas. This makes me a little worried. Do you eat mascotas? Are you scared of them?" In general a mascota is a pet, but in this case Wilma was specifically referring to a little dog because she has a pet dog named Lucas. Poor Wilma had spent the better part of the last week discussing with her husband and son what to do to avoid conflict between her loveable pet dog Lucas and this strange American student that was about to arrive. Haha. Oh who knows how this happened, but I quickly explained that dogs are wonderful, I'm not allergic to them, and I definitely don't have any desire to think of them as a type of food. My only true diet restriction is that I don't eat beef. (The picture is of Lucas and Wilma's grandaughter, Nahia)

Aside from the mascotas, this first week has been fabulous. My Rotary Counselor, Claudio, took me out with 22 of his friends and family on Saturday and we enjoyed feasting on empanadas, touring the Teatro Bolivar, floating through historic Quito, and watching the start of the Ruta de Iglesias (a 10 kilometer run through the hills of historic Quito at an altitude of almost 10,000 feet). Sunday was more restful with time spent with friends before the start of classes on Monday. And now I'm settling into the class routine. My class schedule is rigorous as I wake at 7:00 in the morning to be at class by 8:30. I take one-on-one classes with my professor from 8:30-12:30, have a one hour break for lunch, and then go out into the city with another student and professor from 1:30-4:30 to visit museums, eat Ecuadorian food, and engage in the daily life and culture of Ecuador. Quito, my host family, and my Rotary family here have all welcomed me with open arms and I look forward to writing more as time and internet permits. I have internet at my house, but it doesn't have the best work ethic as it needs a two minute break for every one minute it works. No problemo though, internet is not hard to come by and I'll continue to be in touch.

Thanks again for your comments and emails. It's so nice to receive word from home!! And now I'm off to dinner. Chao!

T Minus 1 Day

One day till go time. Two flights lead me to the tarmac in Quito. The capital of Ecuador and my home base for the next six months. Six months that should be filled with intensive language training, cultural immersion, adventurous travels, and more. Following my stay in Quito, I will be joined by my good friend Hudson from UNC, and the two of us will begin our backpacking adventures in South America. And now, I will be blogging for my first time and I will do my best to keep the posts coming so the conversation can continue. I hope you enjoy reading and please do comment from time to time!