Wyoming One of the more interesting aspects of our lives as nomads is seeing where Keith’s work as an electrician will take us next. There are jobs all over the country and in the past 3 years since our wedding we have lived in Colorado, Louisiana/Arkansas (job was in southern Arkansas, but we started out…
Growing up in Mexico, we used to ride the bus a lot. The bus service got really nice in Mexico around 1990. You could still ride the chicken bus on the lowest price tier, but a first class bus didn’t cost much more and it was a really nice ride. Some even came with complimentary tea…
Nestled below the steep mountains of Southern Ecuador, a winding one-hour bus ride south of Loja, lies Vilcabamba, in the Sacred Valley of Longevity–that place made famous for its high percentage of centenarians (people over 100 years old). Researchers eventually found that this was a myth–Vilcabamba doesn’t actually have a higher percentage of centenarians–but overall…
James Michener famously said, “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” We loved living in Ecuador and highly recommend it to people who love the Spanish language (or are interested in learning) and love other cultures–particularly Latin American culture. Ecuador has so…
Wednesday morning, Feb. 12, we took the city bus to the bus station and bought tickets to Zamora for $2.50 each. No matter which direction you go from Loja, there is a steep climb out of the valley and usually a long descent on the other side, all on winding roads. This road drops into…
After several days of mostly cooler/wetter weather in Loja (it is rainy season, after all), I felt like getting out of town and heading for some warmth and sun. Malacatos is a $1 bus ride away, in a valley between Loja and Vilcabamba. So on Monday morning we walked out to the bus stop (2…
A few mornings ago I felt the itch to get out of Loja for a bit and do something different. “Let’s catch a bus to Vilcabamba,” I suggested to Keith. We threw a change of clothes into our daypacks and walked the 2 blocks to wait for the bus. Buses travel between Vilcabamba and Loja…
I love parks! Green spaces bring a bit of nature into the concrete jungle of the city, encourage people to enjoy the outdoors and exercise more, and provide a lovely place for friends and family to socialize in wholesome ways. As a traveler, parks are among the first things I seek out in a new…
January 23, 2014 The older man with a fat nose and a round, jovial face rushed forward into the vacant seat behind us. He had been near the back of the bus since we left Guayaquil several hours earlier. He dropped something as the bus lurched forward. I reached down to see if I could…
For our first day in Ecuador, we explored a small part of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. We are staying at Hostal Perla Real Inn, less than 2 km from the airport. I selected it because our flight didn’t land until close to midnight, so we wanted something lined up to go straight to rather than…
Well, I have good news and I have bad news… The bad news: I woke up at 3:14 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep–too excited about the trip to Ecuador! The good news: We were up, dressed, and had breakfast in time to catch the 5:30 a.m. shuttle to Kansas City Airport and breeze…
Imagine being invisible. You’re standing next to wild birds, giant tortoises, sea lions, and marine iguanas in their natural habitats, watching them fish, play, eat, preen themselves, and attempt to seduce each other with bizarre courtship antics, without a care that you are close enough to reach out and grab them. Because most of the…