Cotopaxi National Park Day Trip: Jose Rivas Refuge Hike
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Cotopaxi National Park Day Trip: Jose Rivas Refuge Hike

Ahh, Cotopaxi. The volcano I admired most from my Quito bedroom window since my first day in the country. Snow-capped, majestic, imposing. And, a quick day trip from the city! It doesn’t get any better than this. Jose Rivas Refuge Hike Hiked: mid-December Distance from Quito: 2 hrs Accessibility: Difficult. While the first part of…

Condor Machay Hike
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Condor Machay Hike

It’s hard to believe, but while I was living in Ecuador for four years, I didn’t do all that much hiking. The main reason was accessibility. Though I lived in the Andes, and there are ample trails within a fairly short radius of Quito, the problem was that you can’t easily bus to many of…

Cuyabeno V-Log

In March, Gonza and I had the opportunity to visit Cuyabeno, a wildlife preserve in the Amazon. It involved a seven hour bus ride, two more hours in a car, and two hours in a motorized canoe to arrive at the lodge. There was no cell service, electricity from solar panels, and plenty of hammocks….

Pollen in the Wind

Pollen in the Wind

My time in Ecuador is slowly but surely approaching its end. Never did I imagine when I set foot in Quito on September 18th, 2015 that I would still be here almost four years later. But here I am. We have completed what we set out to do. Gonza graduated last month from university after…