"There are no laws...only suggestions"

This is how the driving works down here.  Totalmente loco!  This last week I took the bus with Chio to Quito, its about 8hours-so we took the bus at midnight and arrived in the morning.  Quito is a really beautiful city.  The buildings are from the 1600s and in the old city there is a church on every corner.  In Quito we visited with some friends of Chio between walking around and going to the Teleferiqo <a 20min ride in a gondola up to an area at 12,000+ FT.>  After 3 days here we took the bus to Ambato then continued on to Banos.  Banos is in the valley of the Andes and is magnificent.  It is a major tourist area, being full of extreme sports including, biking, hiking, rafting, bungey jumping etc.  Chio left after our first night, and on my second day I took a 3-day tour into the jungle.  This included going to a animal reserve to play with monkeys, taking the most intense 4 hours hike ever, jumping into a waterfall from 20ft, tubing down the river, staying on a indigenous village, looking for crocodiles at midnight, singing around a campfire, and seeing breath taking views. Amazing!  Upon returning to Banos I met up with a new friend to check out the Leprechaun bar and dance salsa. Then I woke up at 415am to swim in the hot spring pools and grabbed a 6am bus back through to Ambata and finally made it back to Guayaquil at 1:30pm.

Yesterday I went to Rogelio's graduation from med school!  Rogelio in the boyfriend of my host sister, Valeria, and was number 1 in his class, smart boy.  Last night we all went to a class party, which was really fun.  I love all the salsa music and all the men are such good dancers!  Tonight is a more formal party which I'm sure will be good too-I'm not getting picked up until 11pm.

Im really having a great time here.  In my free time I study spanish and do yoga... life is good*  My spanish is coming very very slowly, which continues to be frustrating;  it is a bit isolating at times. But my host family are extemely wonderful and I am sad to be at the halfway point of my stay.  So much to see, so little time!  Hope all is well!

Besos <3