Viajes

While most of my WorldTeach friends started teaching immediately after orientation ended, three of my friends and I had close to a month of vacation. We decided to take advantage of this time off and do some traveling in Ecuador and Colombia.

Our first stop was a town just a few hours from Quito called Baños. Baños is known for its adventure sports, hot springs, and spa treatments. After a nice, easy hike, hot springs, and facials/massages the first day, we were ready for something more challenging. We biked 60 km, from Baños to Puyo, a town in the jungle. The ride was difficult but well worth it; it was amazing to see the change from mountains to jungle. A trip to Baños wouldn’t be complete without a rafting trip, so we spent our third day on the Pastaza River. And what a rafting trip it was! I was one of two people who had to be rescued after falling out of the raft, and the van taking us back to Baños broke down not once, but twice. We had to hitch a ride back on a double-decker tour bus.

After some quick stopovers in Ambato and Quito, we set out for Colombia! Though everyone in the US warned me to be careful, I actually felt much safer in Colombia than I do in Quito. Arriving in the Cartagena airport, we saw a sign saying, “Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay.” So true!! It is a beautiful country with wonderful people. Our travels began in Cartagena, a romantic colonial city on the Caribbean coast. This was my favorite place because of its unique Afro-Caribbean culture, warm climate, and incredible beaches! We spent two days on an island off the coast with the clearest blue water and whitest sand I have ever seen. Sleeping in hammocks under the stars was the icing on the cake. We then spent a few days in Medellín, a modern city most famous for being home to Pablo Escobar. Salento was our final stop, a peaceful town located in the coffee region. I was not ready to leave Colombia and will definitely be back sometime!

I am back in Quito now but will set out for Manta in a few days, where I will be living for the rest of the year. I’m excited to get settled there with my new host family and start teaching!