I can hardly believe it is almost time for me to say goodbye to Ecuador. The last 1 week has been a whirlwind of fun, travel, incan ruins, an infected toe, fun, and some spanish help! Last Tuesday, after fully recovering from the weekend of graduation parties, I set off for Cuenca-on a 5am bus. But after a few hours of sleep-I woke up to the most beautiful scenery...once again I was being driven (too fast) down a twisty road in the middle of the Andes! Totally spectacular. On the side of the mountains are farms and houses and villages that seem impossible to get to. I tried to take pictures but this was also impossible!
Cuenca is the 3rd largest city and in my opinion the most beautiful. Similar to Quito there is a church on every corner, but the city feels much more laid-back. It is also small enough to walk around almost everywhere. My first day there I took a bus to Banos, (a diff Banos) which is just outside of the city, to check out the geothermal pools. La Piedra de Agua is where I went upon recommendation of the guy who checked me in at La Cigale (my hostel.) It was the perfect way to pass the rest of the afternoon. There is a long, shallow pool with warm water, a hotter tub next to it, and a cold dunk next to that. I also got to try the mud treatment! After chatting with the manager a bit I got a long standing offer to come back and do massage! maybe?!?! The next day were the Incan/Canary ruins which are really interesting. There is too much history to get into but you should read about it :) And that night I even made it too a yoga class! A very nice vinyassa flow. Unfortunely, I wasn't feeling too great at this point-maybe the altitude-maybe my sad infected toe, but I retired to my room at 8:30pm. The rest of my time in Cuenca was spent enjoying the weather and relaxing.
Oh yeah, And last weekend we went to the beach for Rogelio's Bday. We went to Montanita which is usually a really fun time, but due to a surf competition and rainy weather the place was overrun with people, mud, and trash. We still managed a good time tho... :)
And here I am just passing my last few days with the fam. I have made a friend, Luis "Chicho" who does a yoga/spanish lesson trade with me. And I've also been helping Chio with some clients. Although today, she performed a really amazing ceremony for me!! This has really been an incredible way to start this trip. *Next stop India (with a short layover in NY)*
No comments:
Post a Comment