Guest Blog: Our Ecuadorian Escapade

Adventure- simply put, this is the one adjective I would choose to describe the trip my husband, Matt, and I took to visit Alea. All the guidebook reading I had done did little to prepare me for our trip off the beaten tourist track. Yet moving beyond the pages of the tourist guidebooks is precisely what makes a trip to visit Alea so wonderful- besides the fact that Alea is just an all-around awesome person whom we should all want to visit no matter which crazy part of the world she chooses to make home.

Remember way back (say, in October 2008) when Alea posted a blog entitled “Reasons to visit your favorite PC volunteer in Ecuador”? Well, I thought I’d report back to all you blog readers on how such a visit actually went for two of us who’ve made that journey. So, here it goes…

1. You don’t have to worry about currency change- true, but make sure you have a good deal of cash on hand at all times. Arriving at the beach in San Jacinto after a two hour taxi ride from Portoviejo, we (Alea included) were surprised to learn that we were two hours from the nearest ATM (guess where it was). The hotel we were staying at treated credit cards like FPOs (foreign plastic objects) so we were left to scrimp and save for the next day and a half.

2. Experience big lizards and giant tortoises up close and personal- the iguana park in Guayaquil really is something to be seen. It’s just plain weird to see so many prehistoric lizards wandering around freely. We all wondered what keeps them in the park since there’s nothing to prevent them from leaving. As for giant tortoises, that’ll have to wait for a future trip to the Galapagos.

3. Beautiful snowcapped volcanoes- maybe these exist at some other time of the year but I never saw anything that even closely resembled snow on our trip. The best we got was being sprayed with soapy colored foam during Carnival.

4. Become familiar with delicious costal food!- Sorry Alea, but this might be a bit of an overstatement. The mangos and coconuts growing in your yard were delicious. As for coastal? Well, Matt’s from south Louisiana and had never met a fish he didn’t like until he came to Ecuador.

5. We can “banarse”(bathe/swim) in the river that trails through my community/ Horseback riding up to the waterfalls near my house- while we didn’t venture into the river, some members of Alea’s youth group took us on a trek through the jungle to a waterfall that was great for swimming. Where are those horses you speak of Alea? We got the mud and water “death march” instead (just kidding).

6. Beach trip- wow, all I can say about the beach is OMG! There was no better place for us to get a feel for Carnival in South America. Huge street parties, dancing through the night, getting doused with ice water and beer. What more could you ask for? I can now check Carnival in South America off my lifetime to-do list.

7. You can experience the breathtaking views of Ecuador from the back of a camioneta (truck)- just be sure Alea actually knows how far you’ll be going before you hop in the truck. We wound up going on a three hour 4-wheeling adventure. Without sunscreen, Matt and Alea were slowly beginning to resemble lobsters. Need I mention, Alea was still in her pajamas!

8. You can say you stood on the equator at “La Mitad del Mundo”- I think all would agree that it’s a cheesy tourist spot but when else will you get the opportunity to have one foot in each hemisphere?

9. You can bargain for colorful jewelry, ornate rugs and indigenous artwork in the largest outdoor market in South America, Otavlo- Okay so most guys (including Matt) will probably not be uber-thrilled with spending the day shopping but there really is no better way to get all your souvenir/Christmas shopping done in one spot for so cheap. Plus, the bus ride there and back is pretty amazing at $3 r/t for seeing the countryside. Just be sure to pack the Dramamine for all those mountain switchbacks.

10. Me!- Spending time with Alea (who we will forevermore lovingly refer to as T’Alia) truly was the best part of the trip. She is an excellent hostess and tour guide, not to mention interpreter.

So what are you waiting for? Come join Alea’s exclusive club of Visiting Adventurers.

-Signed (with love),
Ariana Landry