I made it back to Lumbisi at 5am on Saturday. I'll work on posting pictures tomorrow or Wednesday!
Originally I started to write a day-by-day description of everything I did. I was bored of writing by day 3, so hopefully this way will be better for all of us:
Things I did/learned over Semana Santa:
(Wonderful Travel Companions: Alexis T. and Eboni H.)
1. We took 13 different buses (2 night buses), 1 boat, 1 moto-taxi, and over 10 taxis. We stayed in 5 different hostels all in our 10 days of traveling.
2. Major Places Visited: Cuenca, Guayaquil, Montanita, Puerto Lopez.
3. From Cuenca we visited... Ingapirca, Cajas National Park, and Sigsig.
4. From Puerto Lopez we visited... Isla de la Plata.
5. I snorkeled for the first time in my life at Isla de La Plata, we saw corals and I found Dory!
6. We learned en route to Montanita, that we should read what our bus tickets say otherwise we can be ripped off (which was what happened).
7. Sigsig is not worth traveling to if it's the weekend.
8. Sitting in the front "seat" with the bus driver is very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.
9. Guayaquil was the only place where we didn't run into someone we knew (well until we got on the bus to head to Montanita).
10. Walk around and see the hostels before settling for one.
11. Pack lighter. More insect repellent.
12. Ask at least 3 different Ecuadorians if you're trying to find something or if you're confused.
14. Spanish Bananagrams= Fun!
15. All the ups and downs in traveling are part of the adventure.
I had a great time, but I really looked forward to going back to Lumbisi. I can't say that I have a favorite part of the trip, everything was so different. I enjoyed the Cuenca portion a lot, and exploring Guayaquil was a thrill since it's the largest and supposedly most dangerous city in Ecuador. The beach was a different type of atmosphere. Isla de la Plata was another highlight :)
The three of us ladies really confused people. Eboni is African American, Alexis is Philipino-Polish-American, and then me the Asian American. A lot of people asked us where we're from, and when we responded the United States, often they would ask, "All of you? Even her?" It was kind of entertaining. But I'd like to think we also benefited by not standing out too much. In Guayaquil we only saw a few groups of tourists, usually in larger numbers and only in the very touristy areas. If the three of us were blonde and blue-eyed, I imagine we would've drawn a lot more attention (potentially bad attention). Sometimes blending in is good.
We certainly had some ups and downs. There were many times where we couldn't find the bus terminal, or the bus, or the hostel etc. However, that's all part of traveling. As helpful as my guidebook was (Lonely Planet, highly recommended) there were times when it failed us (such as when the street name was changed, or when the restaurant we wanted to go to had been closed for four years). Don't be afraid to ask, is what I learned. And when it comes to Ecuadoreans giving directions, ask many different people.
I'm glad to be back and my host family is happy to have me back. We went on a little day trip to El Quinche for mass in a beautiful colonial church and after we walked around their Sunday market. Now I have to finish the last bit of work for my classes and get ready to go back to the states. It's kind of bittersweet, I have less than 2 weeks! Hasta luego amigos.
[You may see in the news that Ecuador's largest volcano erupted/is erupting. I'm a safe distance away, so do not worry]
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