The Eberts Visit Ecuador: Part 2

Hannah arrived one week after my parents and more adventures followed, thus Part 2: Hannah's Visit.

After arriving at 6am on Saturday morning, we headed to Otavalo(the artesian market) for a day full of shopping.  We ended up buying about 10 different textiles - I guess that's what happens when you bring an art major to the market.  We spent Sunday exploring Quito's old town, visiting millions of museums, and eating lots of street food and ice cream! 

Monday morning, we headed off to the galapagos (yes - I've now visited the galapagos twice).  Upon arriving, we took a 2-hr boat ride over to Isabela island, the largest island of the galapagos.  There, we spent 3 days biking, visiting turtles and flamingoes, snorkeling through lava tunnels, and tanning on the many beaches.  On Thursday morning, we took the 2-hr boat ride back to Santa Cruz, the most populated island and where I stayed with my parents.  Here, we visited Tortuga Bay, snorkeled with lots of sea-life and fishes, and visited Las Grietas (look it up - it's a beautiful place).  

We left the galapagos saturday morning, and instead of returning to Quito, we headed to Guayaquil (Ecuador's largest city, about 2 hours from the coast).  We spent about 3 hours in the city and were more than ready to leave, so we got on a bus and headed to Olon, a small fishing town right on the coast.  We spent 3 days here, tanning (or more appropriately burning) on the beach and drinking lots and lots of fruit milkshakes.  One day, we went to Los Frailes, one of Ecuador's most beautiful beaches.   On Tuesday, we headed further up the coast to Canoa, another small fishing coastal town.  We spent another two days here before heading back to Quito, nice and fried from all the sun.  

We spent Hannah's last day in Quito, relaxing in the parks and getting $5 haircuts!  For her final night, we went to the same jazz restaurant that I took my parents for one last typical Ecuadorean meal.  She left early Friday morning.  

Now it's time for me to get out of vacation-mode and back to volunteering-mode.  I have 2 months left in Quito and I plan to make the very best of all my time left here!

Textiles at Otavalo Market