Ecuador So Far

Please excuse my lack of blog updates over that past week.
I´m slacking majorly.

The first (almost) week here has been pretty low key, with its ups and downs. Eric and I haven´t traveled for 2 years, so we were feeling pretty out of practice with the language and just feeling comfortable in another country in general. Things are getting so much better now though. I am finally feeling at ease and enjoying my time here and the Spanish is coming back to me.

To begin, the trip started off an extremely rough foot. On the way to the airport last Sunday night I noticed a headache coming on, and as the night progressed while we were waiting for our flight to Miami, it turned into a horrible migraine and for the first two hours of the plane ride I vomited non-stop in the bathroom and in those tiny paper bags in my seat. It was some of the most uncomfortable, painful hours I´ve ever experienced. I was finally able to keep some water down and also took an Excedrin and fell asleep on Eric´s shoulder for a few hours. A HUGE thanks goes out to that guy for helping me through those hours on the plane. He´s the best.
We found a sunny spot in the Miami airport, and while hugging our bags, we fell asleep on the floor for a good and much needed three hours.
That kind of sleep has been a pattern ever since. We are really struggling getting sleep here(especially me); hostel life is tough right now. Between loud people coming and going and staying up talking all hours of the night, roosters, barking dogs (last night a dog next door barked nonstop from 2am-3:30am) construction, and god knows what else, we can´t seem to catch up on sleep. Tonight will be no different - it´s a holiday and there will probably be fireworks going off all night.
On a positive note, we are in Baños, Ecuador right now and absolutely loving it. It´s a gorgeous little town, where everything is within walking distance and so many fun outdoor activites to offer. We have done a ton of walking, went on an awesome hike, rented a little go cart to tour the little city with, went rafting today, going repelling tomorrow, and who knows what else! The weather is sub-tropical here, it´s very warm and you never know when the rain will suddenly come pouring down.
We are so excited for our next adventure, too. For those of you who are interested in looking it up, it´s called the Quilotoa Loop. We will be spending about a week walking village to village and seeing a ton of amazing scenery.

Here and Alive!

Eric and I made it safely to Ecuador...we are currently in Baños, Ecuador and will write soon.

We just ate unidentifiable meat and soup with chicken guts in it. So yum.

Tomorrow!

All packed.
Feeling slightly anxious.
60 days on the road is now only one day away.
In our past week's boredom, Eric and I have watched countless episodes of Dexter, and have taken our Angry Birds and Words with Friends addiction to an entirely different level.
I can't help but reflect that soon pads of paper, books, and a deck of cards will replace all of this technology we've been consuming. I like the thought of that.
I accidentally dropped my cell phone in the toilet three days ago. I think it was a sign I wanted to be shut off sooner than I thought.

Seattle > Miami > Quito = 16ish hours of traveling.
God help us.
Here come delirious and bonkers Eric and Laura.
Might have to get out the video camera for this one.

Our Friday Night

and

pizza and wine!

I also pulled out my journal from our trip to Guatemala a few years back. Tonight, in anticipation of our upcoming trip, we are reminiscing about countless hours of bus rides, early morning rooster calls, amazing horchata and huevos rancheros, hilariously painful horseback rides, suspension bridges and monkeys, sketchy ziplining, tree houses, volcano hiking and lava smores, waterfall and bridge jumping, bat caves and tarantulas, Mayan ruins, and much much more. 

23 more days until we create more memories like these!

guatemala 2009 - improvisation at its finest

Travel South America 2012

After years of hoping and wishing and saving money and talking and planning, I'm so excited to announce that Eric and I FINALLY bought our plane tickets to South America!
We will be going here:

Source: google.com via Laura on Pinterest

...and seeing things like this:

Source: google.com via Laura on Pinterest

...and this:

Source: flickr.com via Laura on Pinterest

I CANNOT WAIT! It's going to be the most beautiful trip of my life.
Eric and I will be cheersing tonight to pisco sours, high altitudes, cuy and ceviche, the Amazon Rainforest, and many many adventures to come!