Celebracion Estilo Montañas

I'm back in Lima after spending some time at home and in Ecuador.  It was lovely to be in California for the holidays and see my rock star sis graduate from Berkeley!  It also gave me a chance to catch up with some wonderful friends (you know who you are!).  I was grateful to be home participating in our Xmas traditions, like making over 200 tamales. Plus I enjoyed plenty delish Cuban pastelitos and saw family and friends!

The few days at home were a blur, but I flew back to Lima on the 28 and left for Ecuador on the 29th. Ecuadorians reminded me of Peruvians, but don't tell them I said that ;) It makes sense given Cuenca and Cuzco were capitals of the old Incan empire.  However, that doesn't keep these countries from engaging in war, as they did in the mid 90s over a land/oil dispute.

Mary (a Fogarty Fellow/internal medicine physician) and I started off in Puerto Lopez, which is part of the "Ruta del Sol" beaches on the Ecuadorian coast.  We went there because it's the only location in Ecuador with a National Park on the coast. I love it when the ocean is surrounded by mountains, especially in a small, non-touristy fishing town. We woke up early on our first morning and saw squid, fish, and a even a shark being gutted.  They said they don't fish to target shark, but sometimes it's byproduct (I secretly hope it's true).  We spent the day at Isla de Plata (aka Poor Man's Galapagos), which is about an hour off the coast. Tons of blue and red-footed boobies, frigate birds, albatross, and pelicans.  Off the coast there were tons of sea turtles! I suppose it'd be a good place to dive, but I didn't get a chance. I need to go to the Galapagos one day...

The next morning we headed to Montañita, which is absolutely the most redunkulous surfer/hippie party town I have ever seen.  The 3 day taste I had of it was enough.  I liked it, but it's turned into a town with no purpose other than partying, and I tend to seek a little more than that when I travel ;)  It was a great place to ring in the new year because of the diverse crowd and the ambiance. At midnight, fireworks were going off everywhere, people were burning their "Anos Viejos" on the sand, and surfers went to catch the midnight waves...simply incredible to witness this spectacle under the moonlight. I thought Puerto Lopez was more beautiful and I loved that it was deserted compared to Montañita.

From Montañita we headed to Guayaquil, where we spent a day exploring the city.  It was a Sunday, so like most Latin American cities, everything was closed. We walked along the boardwalk and went for a ride in the river, which brought flashbacks of our September raft race.  Guayaquil is known for its mangrove mud crabs, so we tons of fresh crab at a hole in the wall place that night. It was yummy, except for the part where we almost or might've accidentally tasted guts...yuck.

I then traveled on my own to Cuenca, which is absolutely breathtaking.  In its colonial nature it reminded me of Arequipa and Spain, except I think it's more picturesque, because it's surrounded by  amazing mountains.  These rings of fake looking clouds form during the day, adding to the magical look and feel of the city.  During the day I'd explore and at night I also enjoyed the city because one of my fellow scholars has a friend living there. It's so much better to experience a new city through the eyes of someone who loves it and knows it. Thanks for showing me around Dorothy--you ROCK!  In addition to exploring Cuenca and it's unending magical views and beautiful churches and yummy food, I also took trips to Baños, where I spend a half day at a spa, to Chordeleg where I was tempted by beautiful and cheap silver jewelry, to Gualaceo where I explored the orchid reserve, and to Cajas National Park where I did some awesome hiking among the 250+ lakes...

On my return to Lima I'm happy to announce that Summer has finally arrived. The beaches are capped. The boardwalk is so full, I can't go running unless it's early or late in the day.  It's awesome to see families out and about. I spent this weekend at a beachhouse ~80km south of Lima, which was a wonderful escape from the city. I can't wait for the wonderful summer sunsets and my second surf class this week! Oh yeah, and I got a haircut. New year, new hair for mar. Besos y chau chau! *Next update will be about work/frustrations/research in Lima since that's the reason I'm here*