When I decided to go to Argentina 4 years ago and started the Part 2 of this blog, I knew there would be a third, and the third has come at last. Time has passed by so fast, it has been another 4 years since Argentina. I cannot believe it took me so long to go back to South America, which I love. It has become one of my missions to visit all the countries in South America, and blog about my experience and things I see there. This time I am going to visit Ecuador for 10 days. I am not going to Galapagos Islands this time because of the limit time I have. I will, however, stay close to the mountains and volcanoes. I plan to travel between Quito and Cuenca, and all the little towns in between. I want to take the Devil's Nose Train, and visit Guamote Market which is said to be one of the biggest and most traditional indigenous market in South America. I also want to join some local tours to see some lagoons and volcanoes, do some hiking perhaps. What else? Just to throw myself back out there, to figure it out how to get from place to place, to experience some completely different cultures, and just meet some new faces. I think deep inside, I don't only like to have those adventures, I need those adventures to keep myself motivated. It is a time for me to reflect and re-center myself.
I fell in love with South America ever since my first trip. People are generally nice, friendly and simple. I wouldn't forget their smiles when I tried so hard to say something in Spanish, they had no clue what I was saying, or the overnight bus ride on the Pan-American Highway from southern Peru to Atacama Desert in Chile. It was like I visited a different planet. The 3 weeks in Cuzco studying Spanish and sightseeing around the Sacred Valley, or the 2 weeks trip in Argentina. In both trips, I met some cool people and have become friends on Facebook. Occasionally, we see each other taking on new trips in their life. And it is cool to think at one point of our lives, we shared an experience in a foreign countries, whether we shared a meal, or a local tour to some penguins colony or the Inca ruins.
Still have two months I will go to Ecaudor, despite I have already booked all my flights and accommodations. Will continue to research and refine the trip in the next 60 days or so. So, stay tuned.
