Adventures in Ecuador

Well, we are already one month into 2016, can you believe it?  I'm feeling extra lucky this year as I've already had an amazing adventure!  My dad moved to Ecuador three years ago & my older brother & I just got back from visiting him for a week.  It was truly magical...come along for a peek at our adventures....

I don't know what's going on with me & foreign countries but for some reason my arrivals have been getting off to a bit of a rough start.  The Paris Metro took my suitcase hostage in October & let's just say I had a "high energy" experience upon my arrival in Ecuador...

My brother & I arrived at the Guayaquil airport at 3:45am, it was pitch black out & raining.  We proceeded out the exit to catch a three hour van ride to Cuenca...it seemed a little shady, like something from the movie Taken but we had been told it was ok to take the vans & hopped in...

Well the van driver turned out to be a complete maniac, we had to go over the mountains so it was three hours of switchbacks at excessive speed, trying to pass every car on the road (many close calls with oncoming traffic), no A/C & all the while he's blaring 80's disco  (I couldn't get that "High Energy" song out of my head for days.)  & to boot, every time he saw a pretty girl he would completely turn his head around to get a look at her!

I was totally nauseous the whole trip- I had to hold my shirt over my mouth to keep from smelling the fumes & told my brother we may have to pull over if I had to toss my cookies.  I was indeed a "greengo" by the time we made it to Cuenca...  

But sure enough the clouds parted, the sun came out in all its glory & I had to keep blinking at the paradise that was before my eyes....

the Tomebamba River & three others wind through Cuenca, they are so tranquil & other-worldly...

me & Dad...

Parque Calderon...

Santuario de la Virgen del Rocio just outside of Cuenca, this was one of my favorite spots (the church is built into the side of a mountain!)...

Something strange & wonderful happened to me in Ecuador.  Have you read the book Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander?  I saw him speak at a near death experience symposium in NYC a few years ago & he gave the most beautiful description of his experience in heaven- he was riding on the wing of a butterfly, looking down at a lush valley with brilliant colors & blooming flowers.  The people of the village were dressed in beautiful, colorful clothes- children were playing, dogs were jumping & birds, hummingbirds & butterflies were flying through the air.  I've had this mental image in my head ever since I heard his description & guess what?  I had never so much as googled Ecuador but right before my eyes was the paradise I was dreaming of!  Ecuador is truly heaven on earth (view from the top of the church).... 

Dad in a field of llamas & sunshine, what more could you want out of life?...

 my first llama ride! :) :)...

 I was so inspired by the embroidery & the gorgeous color palettes the women wear...

  Cathedral in Saraguro....

 Bano del Inca waterfall...

 we couldn't resist a family selfie... 

Shamu Co- amazing Ecuadorian restaurant with a French flair....

My brother & I saw the "Mousse de Coco" (thinking it was chocolate mousse) on the menu & were like, Just give me two of those & a glass of wine & we're all set!  Well to our surprise, this was the "chocolate" mousse- coconut mousse & sorbet with rum liquor inside a coconut shell!  Not what we were expecting but a very pleasant surprise :)....

 beautiful angel in Turi overlooking Cuenca...

 ferocious Ecuadorian wildlife ;)...

delicious al fresco lunch at a friend's house our last day in Cuencafornia ;)...

there is such an abundance of fresh, organic fruits & vegetables, I was in cuisine heaven as well...

I had been dreaming of the paradise that is Ecuador- the only thing is I didn't know it actually existed.   Like I said I hadn't so much as even googled Ecuador before this trip but the my dad & the universe brought me there.  My dad is so happy there, he has a circle of friends that are the most beautiful kindred spirits you could imagine & I feel so blessed to now be part of that circle as well.  Even though I'm in NY a part of me is now connected to Ecuador, my new friends there & the time we shared together.  It was a truly magical gift & I'm already planning my next trip back! :)

photos: me