Ingapirca

Kevin, Will, Lindsay and I visited Ecuador's best preserved archaeological site, Ingapirca (Wall of the Inca) at the beginning of our trip.  Ingapirca was built at the end of the fifteenth century for a place to worship and for a place on the Inca Royal Road to connect Cuzco to Quito.  The remains are limited because the Spanish took many of the stones to build nearby cities. Although these ruins are not as big as Machu Picchu, they do illustrate the precision of the Incan stonemasonry.    

Dancing

My school offers salsa dancing lessons twice a week.  They were always a blast.  How can you not love that Latin music?  Francisco, the salsa instructor was a great teacher.  It was a challenge because every class had newcomers mixed in with those that had already attended some classes.  And then there were those that could dance and couldn't dance, and those that could hear the beat and couldn't hear the beat.  Francisco taught us many basic salsa steps that were great fun and a bit of a challenge.  Just as many of us were "getting it" our hour was up.  It was so lively and entertaining that our hour always flew by.

Parque NacionalCas

  

I was fortunate to hike in Parque Nacional Cajas, about 35 km from Cuenca.  Cahas is a gorgeous wilderness with hills, valleys and over 235 lakes.  The beauty of all the flora and fauna made the hike one to remember.

Rio Tomebamba

  

  

The riverfront of the Tomebamba River is beautiful and I have been fortunate to enjoy it multiple times every day.  The river separates the historical and the modern city.  Those that live on the more modern side, as does Lindsay, have to cross the river to go into the historical, or main part of town.  The Barranco is a residential area and cultural district and is located on the lower side of the river.  There are grand houses hanging over the steep riverbank.  The lower floors are at the base of the river and the top floors are five stories up where the historical city is. There are many walking and driving bridges that take you up to the city.  I walk up the steps pictured above and to this day, my body has not adjusted to the incline.  Cuenca is over 8,000 feet above sea level and I am reminded of that every time I climb those steps.  It is always busy at the base of the stairs as people are coming and going.  Venders are usually situated in the area for the afternoon crowds.  Many people relax in the grassy areas along the river and some use the river for washing clothes.

Pausa

A 20-25 minute break was built into each school day.  It was a time for coffee, tea or hot chocolate and bread and a time to be with the other students.  Everyone always looked forward to our pausa as it was a much needed break from studying.  It was during our break that we made new friends and found out information about traveling, sight-seeing, restaurants and bars.  It was also a time to make plans with one another.  We were supposed to be talking in Spanish but we rarely did.  It was just one of the many great things offered by our school, Simón Bólivar.   

Friendships in Ecuador

New Zealand, Maine, Florida, D.C., Georgia, St. Louis, 

Norway, Germany, Canada, Japan, Mexico...

 

Something totally unexpected about this trip has been the ease in making friends.  Perhaps it is because we have a commonality that brought us to Ecuador.  I think these bonds have been so easily established because of the shared love of traveling and adventure and that we all seem to love experiencing new things.  It has been extremely rewarding and interesting to share experiences and to spend time with these great people.

As I contemplate my return to Louisville, I wonder how this could carry over...???

Mis Clases Terminan

Terminé mis clases de Español pero todavía tengo que aprender mucho.  Lindsay compró un libro de gramática, entonces puedo practicar.  Tengo que hablar mucho también.  Mi profesor fue maravilloso.  Fausto me enseñó mucho.  Hablamos mucho de las cosas que hice.  Me preguntó muchas preguntas.  Contesté las preguntas y tuve que preguntarle preguntas también.  Fuimos en muchas excursiones.  El me enseñó de la historia, la cultura y los costumbres del Ecuador.  Por supuesto, hablamos todo el tiempo.  Enseñé Fausto un juego de cartas, que se llama, Oh Hell.  Fue dificil enseñar.  Todas mis clases de Español fueron perfectas.  Entonces es necesario continuar de estudiar y hablar.

Saludos!