It’s giving first international plane ride post pandemic vibes.
Travel companions 😀 Photo credit: Pablo, our alpine guide.
We picked Ecuador because of their epic New Years Celebrations!!!! Haven’t you heard????
Men who dress up like woman and jump over flaming effigies that are filled with stories of misfortunes from the past year.
And ‘widows’ who create road blocks and stop traffic — begging for money and candy in order to throw all-night parties for their village.
Yes, we will give you money to throw a fiesta, you playful revelers!
In fact, we will get dressed up, too!
And join in the festivities! Thank you for inviting us to stay with your family 💛💙❤️
This trip was rejuvenating. International travel! For the first time in year(s) I was able to sit in the backseat of a car, in another country, stick my head out the window, and watch country scenery go by. I didn’t want that 45 minute ride on public transportation to ever, ever end — it was amazing! “I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M IN ANOTHER COUNTRY”, I yelled inside of my own head. That feeling, being in a taxi with the wind rushing by and seeing parts of the world I’ve never experienced before, is a very specific feeling, one I’m incredibly accustomed to, and one that I had missed dearly. I took a deep breath.
Oh, the places you can go!
Novel things happened here. I had an entire period where I used pads only (they didn’t sell tampons where I was in Ecuador). We ate guinea pig, called cuy. It’s a short word for a delicious meat. My favorite wild meat, in fact. (alligator, horse, dog, ostrich, kangaroo, rat, et al.) Entirely unrelated, I made the amateur mistake of forgetting to look for toilet paper before I went into the stall (it had been too long!). We saw lots of stray dogs (a sight I don’t see here in the USA). Watched the Spiderman movie entirely in Spanish. Took cold showers, Patrick didn’t flinch. Again, with the incredible mask wearing here! (I see you, Puerto Rico). Ate ice cream with cheese. Drank hot chocolate with cheese. Drank wine with chocolate nibs sprinkled in the glass, sans cheese. Ate “one entire guinea pig (between us) and 6 ice creams, por favor”.
Post cuy bliss.
Helado con queso.
This is my best friend! He is impressively not scared of heights.
We became superhuman because of the air we breathed. Quito is almost 10,000 feet (2,850 meters) and the Andes mountains (pictured) are even higher.
Lulu Lama Mountain Lodge
“The Sum” of what travel fantasies are made of.
Taking an active bite out of our New Years Resolutions: Eat more food abroad.
Mirror images.
Destination: Alpine lake
Of course I’ll pay to milk a cow with you, ya weirdo! ❤️
New Year’s Day in Ecuador is spent in a park with mediocre food. IYKYK
The people are so friendly, kind, and the architecture is breathtaking! Or, was that just the altitude?
Still flying high.
My biggest take away from my first international trip post covid?! And now, this may surprise you:
Nothing says Happy New Year’s quite like eating an entire guinea pig followed by ice cream covered in cheese.
Feliz año nuevo,
‘mi
Adventuresam 
Perfecto!