Off to Peru

We arrived back in Quito yesterday and are preparing to leave for Peru tonight. This past week was great, although Maureen, Katie, and Ashleigh have all gotten sick! My immune system is standing strong against the food, and I'm praying that it stays that way for 2 more weeks =) We spent the week in 3 different places: Puerto Lopez, Montanita, and Cuenca. Puerto Lopez is a little town on the coast where we got to see hump back whales (they are HUGE and amazing!) and we toured an island off the coast, the "poor man's Galapagos Islands". Then we headed to Montanita, a total surfer town with lots of night life and a great beach. After the coast we headed to Cuenca for 2 days where we toured the city, saw some beautiful churches, and then spent a day in a nearby indigenous village. In the village, the women cooked for us (I ate Guinea Pig!!), and they played music and taught us about medicinal plants. It was very interesting.

While in Puerto Lopez we met some Ecuadorian guys that showed us around a bit. Several have done schooling in Canada, and one of them is a doctor in Ecuador. It was fun to hang out with some of the "locals". Its funny because many times we get charged "gringo prices", meaning because we aren't from Ecuador almost everything here is more expensive for us. But when we were with the guys they were always getting the bills and entrance fees discounted. "Dame una discuenta" they would say and it worked every time! Very convenient =)

Tonight Ashleigh and I head off for Peru to see the famous Machu Picchu and the Amazon. I'm really excited to see it; I'm just praying for nice weather. We will be on the Lares trail for 4 days and camping so I hope it doesn't rain. Yesterday I met a family that just returned from Machu Picchu and they said it was great. Yay! Katie left this morning for Wisconsin, and I have to admit that i'm jealous that she will be spending tonight on the terrace!

Next time I write I will probably be done with my trip. I think about all of you often and I'm praying that your summers, jobs, etc. are going well.

Take care!
Katie