Churrascos and Cheese

Day 53
Finally we were able to get away from the cold rain and made it to Canoa on an overnight bus. Although the weather may not have been ideal it was a def pick me up from Quito's dreary mountain climate. We were happy to be in a pleasant little non-touristy beach town where we were able to relax in hammocks and cruise through our novels. We had the company of Ned's friend, Hans, and his travel companions, Alex and Rob.

Day 54

This morning the 5 of us went on an adventure to some cove side caves. The sun came out that afternoon so we spent the majority of that day watching the waves and lying on the beach. That night at a local surfer bar we heard about this shot known as "la uña de la granbestia" (the fingernail of the beast) which only one person in the entire world makes, it consists of coca leaves, marijuana, centipeds, and scorpians, and is soaked in a sugar cane liquor. The men who told us about it spoke so highly of it and said that they would take a shot of it everyday. Obviously we needed to try this local concoction, but the bar was closed that night, so the 5 of us made a pact to try it the next morning.

Day 55
We quickly learned that a) it is not an everyday thing, and b) it is not ideal for breakfast. But live and learn, right? We had plans of spending Thanksgiving in Baños, but had to make, what we thought would be quick stop, in Quito. That night we bid farewell to our new friends and took the night bus back to Quito.

Day 56
Arrived in Quito at 5am with no place to go besides a 24 hour coffee shop, and unfortunately, Kristin was sick as a dog. We revised our plans to stay the night in Quito so Kristin could get some much needed rest. Thanksgiving was completely uneventful but at least we got to skype with our families.

Day 57

 Arrived in Baños that afternoon wanting a light lunch because Kristin was still not 100% and Molly was beginning to get a bit of a bug too, so the idea of some soup and rice sounded perfect. However, the serving of chicken soup was complete with chicken beak, chicken feet, and black hair which really didn´t help our stomach situation. Horrified and still feeling icky, we went back to our hostal to rest. That evening we were able to get our share of relaxation in at the thermal baths for which baños gets its name.

Day 58

We woke feeling better and ready for a day of adventure. Although we didnt get to bungee jump and zip line as we had planned, we were able to have a tour of many of the local waterfalls and got a 1.5 hour massage and facial for $20! So by the end of the day we were feeling good, but things were unknowingly about to get even better. To our fortune, we got to see Volcan Tungurahua erupt with lots of smoke and molten hot red magmay lava!! It was so glorious and def a highlight of the trip, especially after the let down of the daily erupting Volcan Arenal (volcano in costa rica) failed to show us lava. This one was way better anyway because it only erupts once every 10 months, so in your face volcan arenal!



Day 59
We were legally locked inside the hostal all day due to it being Ecuador´s census day where they go around to every house in Ecuador and physically count the residents, besides us. So, we sat inside, played lots of cards, and slowly became infected with cabin fever. Once we were free, we went for a walk and ate a delicious dinner. We were scheduled to leave early the next monring for Cuenca.

Day 60
Arrived in the late afternoon with a couple hours of daylight left to explore the neighborhood around our hostal. Then got to sleep early to prepare for a full day of exploring Ecuador´s 3rd largest city.

Day 61
Spent the day wandering around the majestic streets, exploring squares, churches, and markets. We really enjoyed Cuenca because even though it has a population of 400,000, everything seemed to be very close.

Day 62

We embarked on our 4th border crossing today into Peru. While that part was relatively easy, 13 hours of sitting on a bus was not. We arrived in Piura, a crowded city with very little tourism, famished. The only restaruant we could find was Chinese (which seems to be relatively popular in Peru) and almost as bad as the chicken soup meal. We had no intention of spending more time in Piura than necessary so we booked a midnight bus to Trujillo.

Day 63

 Arrived that morning, checked into a hostal, where we got our own room equipped with a tv and private bathroom, and napped for a bit. Then we took the bus to the beach town of Huanchaco, where we laid in the sand and felt the sun. Here we had an amazing lunch overlooking the beach of ceviche and beer. That night back in Trujillo, we wandered around the quaint little city and stumbled upon a John Lennon tribute band. Then we got onto another bus that would take us to Peru's capital, Lima, the next morning.

Day 64
Got to Lima around 10am feeling surprisingly very well rested. We checked into a hostal in the Miraflores district of the city, the new european-like part of town, and wandered around the area for the day stopping at cafes to sip coffee and people watch. That night we went to see the new Harry Potter movie and were bribed by the doorman of a restaurant with free drinks if we ate dinner there (actually a very common thing). It was an easy choice.

Day 65
Had plans of exploring the center of Lima where many historic sites are, unfortunately these plans were spolied due to bank robbers in that area with lots of guns, big guns. So our day turned out to be similar to the previous. This night turned into one of our most interesting and definitely memorable nights. We were serenated by a man who would only sing Mexican ballots and songs by America, because he said Peruvian songs were ugly. Then we went to Barranco, another district of Lima, where after walking into a bar, were immediately hustled on stage for an apple eating contest. Molly and her partner won the great prize of a bucket of beer. Kristin was then entered into the next competition, but wasnt as willing as the other young ladies were to, shall we say, get dirrty with her dance partner. Then, overwhelmed, we left that bar and were standing outside trying to figure out our next move when two men approached us. Unknowingly, we both chose the same tactic of pretending to not to understand a word of spanish, and that we were lovers. Though it may have not have been the fastest working tactic it was hilarious for us.

Day 66
Kristin got her yellow fever shot, again, but this time she has an international card to prove it, so that she can enter Bolivia. Leaving on a bus for Nazca in 1 hour.