Another week has gone by and we have reached the half way point! After leaving Achupallas with a tearful goodbye, we arrived back in Otavalo for some hot showers and retail therapy! We were really successful, especially Kai who is now the proud owner of 2 hammocks and a hammock chair. The next day we took about a 2 hour bus ride and arrived in Quito to explore the city for a couple days. It was definitely a shock to arrive in such a huge city after living in Achupallas where the whole community welcomed out us with open arms. On Thursday, we had the day to explore, with many of us checking the Basilica in the morning and the botanical gardens in the afternoon. We also had a girls night where we went to a cuban restaurant which had amazing food and some salsa dancing, while the boys stayed in a played card games. The next day we visited the center where Megan volunteered for 2 years in 2003 and 2004 and then headed to the Mitad Del Mundo where we learned about the effects of being directly on top, to the north, or to the south of the Equator. We then checked out a shopping mall and the headed back to the hostel. With today marking our last day in Ecuador, Megan and Kai booked us a reservation at the Secret Garden while we devoured some delicious food and reflected on our time in Ecuador and got excited for the next 7 weeks in Peru! We then woke up at a very early 3:20 am to board a plane to Cuzco where we settled into our homestays, checked out the Plaza de Armas and began our Spanish Classes at Fairplay School! During classes our teachers took us out to explore a little bit and see a market where we bought Tuna Fruit (which has no relation to the fish), which was super tasty. Ecuador was amazing time and we are looking forward to Peru!!
Much Love,
Drew and Katie
(photos to come!!)