Ecuador

It's about time! I have finally found some down time to tell you all HAPPY NEW YEAR and share with you our trip to Ecuador. It was not any easy transition back into the reality of our lives. I have told myself that next time we will have to try to have at least one day to decompress after a long trip.

We spent 16 days in Ecuador....

We got to spend time with family celebrating the marriage of two wonderful people; Giuseppe and Vivian. That night was beautiful (even if it was raining) and we had such a great time dancing the night away!

We celebrated Christmas Eve with some of Giovanni's family and Vivian's family. Then celebrated Christmas with Giovanni's family.

We were invited for a quick trip to the beach with Vivian's family. The hospitality of the Guevara family was amazing! We had such an amazing time. We ate lunch at this little place on the beach were they catch the fish right there from the ocean, cook it, and serve it to you. I normally don't eat fish or any seafood but I though I would give it a little taste and...it was pretty good. It was so fresh that it did not taste like any fish I have ever tried. After lunch we took about an 30 minute boat ride out to this coral reef to go snorkeling. The water was pretty clear and we were able to see a large school of fish. Giovanni's snorkeling excursion was cut a little short when he lost his snorkel. Luckily one of the guys hired to take us out there was able to somehow retrieve the lost snorkel. I can't take him anywhere ;) Then we drove up the coast to Montanita; a small town known for its surfing. It's a great place to people watch, a lot of hippies and world travelers. We ate some crepes and walked around the town looking at all the crafts and jewelry people were selling along the street.

Giovanni and I decided that we would take a little trip through the mountains to Cuenca. This is part of Ecuador I love exploring! It's so surreal, so simple. The drive took us through Cajas National Park. The views were breath taking. Could you imagine my excitement when we saw wild llamas grazing along the side of the road; one of which was a baby!

We spent a day in Cuenca exploring the city. It is filled with churches and history. We did some local artisan shopping and ate some of the local cuisine.

The next day we decided we were going to drive even further through the mountains to find Ingapirca. This is the largest known Inca ruins in Ecuador. It was not an easy drive to find this place, especially when its raining. There were many times were thought we were lost, stopped to ask for directions, or were just about to turn around and give up. But we finally found it and once we got there it stopped raining! We went on a nice tour of the ruins. At the end of the tour I could resist a chance to get up close and personal to some of the wild llamas that made their way up to one of the paths. Giovanni got some pictures before the guard came over to tell me to be careful because the llamas spit and it will burn your skin if it makes contact. I'm sure he was thinking this crazy gringa.

After Ingaprica we returned to Cuenca and went to the Toquilla Straw Hat Museum-Workshop. Here we learned all about the history and making of Panama hats. I know you might be thinking Panama hats come from Panama but no they originated and are make in Ecuador! Sorry no pictures....I forgot to take some while we were in there :(

On the drive back from Cuenca we stopped at a place called The Gardens of El Cajas and “The Virgin. As local legend has it, in 1989 a young girl from Cuenca supposedly received a message from the Virgin Mary. The girl decided to go to El Cajas in order to receive more messages. With time people who hoped to witness the “miracle” began to converge on the site where the girl is said to have received these messages. The “Virgin of El Cajas” is now officially recognized and venerated by the Catholic Church.

Driving through the mountains can be dangerous because of the dense fog. Coming home there were parts that were terrible I though were weren't going to make it!

Once we finally got home we had to repack our bags and head back to the beach. We were going to celebrate New Years there with the Guevara family. On New Years Eve we watched fireworks, ate 12 grapes at midnight (each grape signifies a wish for the new year), burned the anos viejos, and ate a wonder dinner.

The next day....we all went out to learn how to windsurf. Vivian's father is an avid windsurfer and agreed to teach us all. It's a lot harder than it looks. I got some pictures of Giovanni trying it...he gave up after about 15 minutes of trying. I on the other hand was determined to succeed. I think that I surprised everyone...even myself at how well I took to it. Sorry no pictures...my camera got taken back to the shore before it was my turn to try.

This trip to Ecuador was a little bitter sweet. It was great to spend time with family and explore new parts of Ecuador. But at the same time it was very difficult for me to be away from my family this Christmas. I also spent a lot of time thinking about our adoption while I was there. It was hard to see the women on the streets with their babies begging for money. It was hard to not empty out my pockets every time a young child came to me selling candy. My heart broke thinking about the life of these children. Think about how they are out 'working' instead of playing or being in school. My heart broke thinking about how this is the life my child could be experiencing right now. I went to bed many of nights with a heavy heart thinking about this.

I look forward to many more wonderful experiences and memories from Ecuador....I hope that 2011 will finally be the beginning of our new family.