Cuenca – Rivers, Gringos, Health Care and Good Grub

We arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador feeling a little under the weather and suffering from travel fatigue.  Four months of rental apartments, budget buses and unfamiliar things were taking their toll.  At home in the upper midwest, Fall had arrived.  The pictures and descriptions of the changing colors and football games and all things pumpkin flavored…

Magical Baños

We found ourselves chatting at one point or another with at least one person from nearly every table in the cafe.  The room was sun drenched and the atmosphere was extremely friendly, almost weirdly friendly.  The decor was “bohemian backpacker” meets “intellectual hippie”.  Subconsciously I was waiting for all of the customers to stand up…

A Whirlwind Trip to Otavalo

  Otavalo is a market town high up in the Andean mountains north of Quito, surrounded by volcanoes and inhabited mostly by indigenous tradespeople.  The Otavaleños are Quichua-speaking weavers, woodworkers, leather workers and artists, and their market has existed since before the Spanish arrived in this country.  Its popularity with both Ecuadorians and visitors from…

Keeping the Kids Happy in Quito

I’m here to tell you – traveling with young children is not for the faint of heart. Exploring foreign lands can be stressful even without kids. You are faced with struggling to communicate for everyday necessities. You don’t know where the bathrooms are, or if there even are bathrooms. You’re not sure what to order…