Day Off

I have not written in oh so long. Today was an ideal day off. I arose early in the morning and ran around Loja. I have concluded that I like Loja but I do not love Loja. The people here are not super friendly, the streets are crowded and it is not very clean. However, I still am obsessed with Ecuador. After running I read and wrote in my journal. I then enjoyed the complimentary breakfast ordering scrambled eggs, mango juice, and coffee with milk on the side. Yum.

Sj, Margaret and I then caught a cab to the terminal and hopped on a bus to a small town called Vilacabamba about an hour away that is known for it’s inhabitants living abnormally long lives. Many people crest 100 years old and this long life is attributed to the relaxing nature of the valley and the clean water from the mountains there. The town was gorgeous. We got in the back of a truck to ride up to a gorgeous hostel we had heard about called Izcahluma, nestled in the mountains with a breath-taking view of the valley. After checking out the maps we choose a 5-hour hike around the mountain ranges. This hike was harder than we had anticipated and after an hour we were sweaty and exhausted, wandering on random pathways, roads, and near houses. At one point we popped out on a paved road and the trial pointed down. We proceeded to walk on this road for over an hour feeling like true backpackers. Much to our surprise we encountered the hostel where we began after under 3 hours. This was a welcomed happening. We joyfully walked to the back porch and sat down enjoying a delicious meal and fantastic conversation with an unreal view. We were surrounded by people of different nationalities and speaking different languages. Ecuador is colorful and full of life. We walked back into town, caught a bus home, and are now preparing for a 5:40am departure tomorrow morning. Oh what a day it was.

Hasta Luego,

Cate