Moving on

Jonathan:
Our final days in Quito were a hectic mix of cramming in as much quality time with our Ecuadorian family as we could, and checking off the last few museums and sites around town we'd somehow managed to neglect throughout our time there. One of the highlights was an afternoon we spent exploring the museum & gallery of world renowned Ecuadorian painter and sculptor Guayasamín. We were fortunate enough to be accompanied by a thoughtful and articulate guide who provided fascinating insights into the haunting style, and politically charged subject matter of his work.

Our last afternoon was spent at home with our family making homemade humitas - a rich and flavorful Ecuadorian version of the tamale, and something Guadalupe (our "mom") had been promising to teach us to make since we arrived. We shucked corn, cranked grinders, laughed and played together, savoring the final few hours we had to enjoy each other's company. Megan's and my departure that night brought with it a heavy mix of tears, hugs, fond wishes, and heartfelt promises to stay in touch.

After a long trip on a rough night bus, our first stop was the southern Ecuadorian city of Cuenca. We enjoyed exploring the richly textured cobbled streets, and we did our best to readjust to finding restaurants and hotels again after almost six weeks of not having to fend for ourselves. The primary reason for our stop in Cuenca was to allow a trip into Las Cajas national park - a wildlife reserve that is home to some 2000 lakes and a surreal landscape of high Andean tundra.

From there we made brief two-day stop to bask in the lush greenery and supremely laid back warmth of Vilcabamba, before heading down across the border and onto the northern coast of Peru. We've spent our past few days in the northern coastal town of Trujillo, giving ourselves a break between long overnight bus rides and a little time to check out the pre-Inca ruins that abound in this part of the country.

It's been interesting to move on from Quito. We had been there for so long, I think in a lot of ways it was starting to feel like home. We had work, we had a schedule, we enjoyed nights at home with our family - we gained a real sense of familiarity with everything we were doing there, and it was comfortable. It was great to let ourselves dig in, but at the same time I think that sense or regularity left us with a lot of space for our thoughts wander onto the things we desperately miss about home. The things we usually rely on to help us ground ourselves and regenerate are tough to find down here - downtime and happy hours with friends, Saturday mornings at home making coffee and breakfast in our pajamas, my bike... We are elated to be doing what we are doing, and we feel a great sense of appreciation for the adventures and challenges that each new day brings, but it is starting to sink in that a year is a long time to be away from the people and places we hold closest to out hearts.

So, with a mix of fond recollections of our time in Quito and subtle sense of longing for the things we love about home, we are continuing to make our way south through the Andes. Our next stop is the mountain town of Huaraz which we plan to use as a base camp for exploring the dramatic glaciated peaks and jade valleys of the Peruvian Cordillera.