Southbound (but not for long)

Ceramic tile map with the city in the background.

Shannon, Quito-based Fulbrighter studying urban migration of Afroecuadorians, and I headed south to Cuenca, the country's third-largest city and temporary home to Lindsay, another wonderful Fulbright friend.  Cuenca is settled in an Andean valley near the south of Ecuador, about 8 hours (by bus) from Latacunga.  We flew there on the southbound journey, leaving Quito at 12:15 pm and arriving in Cuenca at 1:00 pm - just in time to share delicious almuerzo with Lindsay and shop for Panama hats.

Cuenca's architecture is unique to that of other cities in the country:  It has impressive churches, in-tact colonial remnants, red tiled roofs, and water throughout (in the form of fountains and rivers).  

One of several famous vendors of the Panama hat (which is, in reality, of Ecuadorian origin).

Cabeza electrica. "Electric Head." (In the "Panama Hat Museum") 

This is the electric head with her hat on.

This is what she looks like with it off.  And that's her other electric scalp on the table next to her.  Weird.

We met up with two lovely ladies from Bozeman (!!!) who met us in Cuenca for the a night of tapas and vino, followed by a day of exploring in Cajas National Park.

High paramo with hundreds of micro-lakes and streams - Cajas National Park, just outside of Cuenca.

Shannon, Lindsay, and Merry scooting down past a little waterfall.

So happy to see this girl in Ecuador - Miss T. Wells.

Merry, Tonya, and Chandra.

After yet another amazing day with amazing girls, the Bozeman team hopped on a Guayaquil-bound bus in order to catch their Galapagos-bound plane in the morning (lucky ducks).  Lindsay, Shannon and I headed back to Cuenca for Pilseners and pizza.  And the next day, after a too-short morning and an exchange of hugs, Shannon and I reluctantly boarded a northbound bus (in the future, we will fly in both directions - the bus option proved to be both terrifying and exhausting) and made it back to Latacunga sometime before midnight.

In eight short days, I will be on yet another airplane, this time heading north: heading home to my puppy and to the northern hemisphere summer.