Ecuador: Iguana Update

Yesterday an iguana fell from the sky and landed just a few feet from Ryan. I heard Ryan's shriek from up in our cabaña.

This is Ryan's "iguana face"

Ecuador: A Visual of the Adventure

I realized this morning how long it has been since we've made a post, so here are a few photos to give you some clues about how things have been for us and where we have been in Ecuador.

More details later!

Ecuador: Week One

We have been in Ecuador a little over a week and it's been so great! We have been staying with Anne's childhood friend's family the Chiribogas, Pepe, Connie, Maria Victoria and little Sophia, on their farm just outside of Machachi. Pepe won't let us take a photo of him, claiming we'll break the camera of we do...

Sunset on the farm

grass bales wrapped in plastic to ferment--it makes good cow chow after 21 days-and the beautiful farm behind

The external heating system the Chiribogas are adding to their house

It's been so nice to have them as tour guides and family away from home. The first few days they took us on various driving trips around the Quito area and beyond. We saw the center of the world monument exactly on the equator, Cotopaxi volcano in a hailstorm, and the Otovalo craft market. 

Last Sunday we went to mass with the Chiribogas and then to the local produce market which you could try to compare to a farmer's market in Portland or Seattle, but it's bigger, better and far more energetic.  You can buy anything from fruits, medicinal herbs, tools or pig faces...

Pig heads at the Market in Machachi

Berries

Hot Peppers

Chicken, not a rooster

Bananas

Then we finished off the day by taking a steep hike up Pasochoa mountain and eating ceviche on top which was a total luxury and amazing.

View from part-way up Pasochoa

Now we are in Quito at a beautiful hostel called Casa Bambu, with an awesome rooftop terrace where we have been hanging out and taking in the epic view of the city (thanks Lapomas for the recommendation!).

The rooftop terrace at Casa Bambu, our Quito Hostel

We saw the changing of the guard at the presidential palace which Presidente Correa attends every Monday, so we got to see a President from afar. There are some really interesting and sad environmental issues going on around oil extraction in the amazon (specifically from Yasuni National Park) so there were demonstrations in the square after the changing of the guards.  We also visited three beautiful churches, la Basilica del Voto Nacional, where we climbed to to top of the torres, La Iglesia de la Compania, a Jesuit church dating back to 17th Century, covered in gold leaf from top to bottom throughout, and la Catedral Metropolitana, all in the historic area of Quito.

La Iglesia de la Compania

La Iglesia de la Compania

Today we decided to take the TeleferiQo (cable car) up above the city and from there started walking.  We initially thought we'd just hike a little, but ended up doing over 5 miles up to pretty near the summit of Rucu Pichincha.  The elevation kicked our butts (well over 14,000 ft), but we kept pushing on and it paid off!

on the way to Rucu Pichincha from the Teleferico

4,100 meters, looking over Quito

Rucu Pichincha

We are also posting pretty regularly on Instagram at djrybrow and annemhaywire if you're into that kind of thing...

We love you all and miss you!

Ecuador: Cotopaxi

The day started out bright and beautiful, but the closer we drove to Cotopaxi, the more stormy it became. Connie, Pepe, Ryan and I enjoyed the hail storm and lightning strikes from the car, as well as a few little peeks of the base of el Volcán Cotopaxi.

As we drove further from Cotopaxi, the clouds began to part. 

Tomorrow Connie, Pepe, Victoria & Sophia are hoping to take us to Volcán Antisana. We hope for a clear sky, although we have no complaints from today!

Ecuador: Hemos llegado

We have arrived in Ecuador and despite the fact that my bag stayed in Miami an extra day, we're very happy to be here. For now we are staying with the Chiribogas at their farm near Machachi, south of Quito.

From here we'll explore Quito, Cotopaxi Volcano, and the surrounding area. The journey has begun!

Packing

Look at the medical supplies... And the packing list. Hope it fits!

USA: Obsidian Basin Backpacking

No, we're not in South America yet, but we did just have a fabulous time backpacking in Oregon with my dad and brothers Lloyd and Trevor! We hiked in to  the Obsidian Basin on the PCT and had a great time exploring the area. Whew, it's nice to be in the wilderness with people who WANT to be there!

The countdown is on as we only have 5 full days until our flight takes off to Quito! I'm excited, are you excited?