quayaquilian life

From Quito, I met up with Cheryl Clark and her husband Moises. We headed down to quayaquil for 8 hours the next day through mountain highlands to hilly forests out into coastal plains of banana trees and other fruits. The trip was long but we stopped to pick up some baby trees for their garden. And man it was really hot and humid. Definitely a step up from Santos Domingo. Their house had a flare of animal rescue sanctuary to it. They have t,, wo very talkative parrots, a cat (was stray), two dogs (one was stray), a large pool of prawns, and a large pool of tilapia. They previously had an iguanas and other animals as well. They really have a heart for helping animals out as well as people. Moises is a pastor and civil engineer. Cheryl is a full time missionary who also runs music at the church and teaches theology classes at the seminary in quayaquil. The first day, we went to the church to help with a mints or volunteer work day. So we helped repair fans and light bulbs, paint some walls, unclog a few drains, and stock up on supplies like toliet paper. It was a good time and I really enjoyed working and learning more about the city. It feels a lot like Tampa bay really except a bit more dangerous. We went to the boardwalk and all the way up to the top of the lighthouse. We also went to parquet historico which is a Guyaquil of yesteryear complete with remodeled houses and buildings as well as the local flora and fauna. A cool glimpse into the tradition of the city not easily seen in the modern areas. The next day was church day which starts early with Sunday school at 830. After Sunday school, there is a long break tip 730 in the evening when the service starts. They do this to have a cooler time for the service as more people are willing to come. The youth group is always held Saturday nightfor the same reason. I really enjoyed my time there especially talking late into the night with Cheryl about life and experiences in Ecuador. She has a lot of wisdom and was able to share some of the differences between the coast and the highlands. Little things like common phrases and when people go out to do things. Its very common for people to set up soccer goals in the street or even large swimming pools at night for the kids to play in. Everybody is out from 630 to 9 because its just too hot otherwise. They have very passionate services with loud music and such. I'm beginning to see just how different the world is but there is still only one God. The problems may be very different and contain their own nuances but its still the same solution in Jesus. Too be honest, I didn't have any spiritual breakthroughs or really hard hitting moments these last couple days. That's alright though. I shouldn't expect to be hit hard with new revelations everyday but learn to trust God that God is still present and living all out for him is not a one time deal but a habit grown over time. After quayaquil, I began a little touristy adventure back up to Quito. I left quayaquil to head for cuenca. It was probably one of the more impressive bus rides as we drove through cajas national park. Look it up. Its pretty cool. Then I arrived in cuenca to find my way ti a hostel in nearby centro historico. Made it there alright and just laid low in the hostel chatting with some of the other people on their journeys. The next day, I grabbed a bus early to head for ingapirca which is the foremost Incan ruins in Ecuador. After a two hour bus ride, went and toured the park with a guide. It was an old city with a temple for the moon and a temple for the sun. Not as big or impressive as machu picchu but still very cool. Made some friends with two other guys from Belgium. They were nice to talk to and even invited me to "do party in Quito" if I wanted to. That afternoon, I returned and wandered around old colonial cuenca visiting catherdrals and open air markets and such. Saw a lot of old church and a lot of fresh food :) the next day was off to banos which is closer to Quito. The bus ride was 7 hours long. Half of which I had to use the bathroom so not the best experience. I got off the bus at a stop in ambato and ran across the highway with all my big backpack to catch a bus to banos on the other side. From there it was about another hour tip I came to rest in banos. I found another hostel and got dinner with a git who was also in the same room. He was 29 from Switzerland and called yannick. He was traveling the world for 18 months which I thought to be amazing. He was doing this all alone as well. We was going to inherit his dads company and knew this would be his last great chance for a long adventure. He was fun to talk to and face both of us some company. This morning I was awoken by two hes cabin buddies as they arrived at 5:30 am. In the morning I began to hike up to a spot that overlooks banos. I didn't know how far it was going to be but I figured it couldn't be far. So I went for it and it was only about 3 km. So feeling good I decided to hike to casa. Del arbol which is one of the iconic plaves in banos. How hard could that be? It was another 6 km to the top. I made it fine following the road waving off taxis and such. The place was cool a big treehouse on the edge of a bluff with huge swings underneath. The swings were a blast and it feels like you are swinging over a huge cliff but its only like 20 or 30 feet. It also would be cool to see the active volcano nearby and the mountians around but sadly today has been very stormy. So no views but lots of rain. I then tried a different trail down which probably wasnt the smartest move in the rain. It was a tight gully of a trail between barbed wire fences and a creek running through the middle. I got soaked and muddy sliding down the trail. I abondened that one and took the road. Got back alright but am very tired. The trip overall was about 18 km with a good amount of vertical. Banos is super touristy and not very much fun to me. There is a ton of cool things to do like rafting biking hiking etc. But they lose a lot of Ecuadorian real life when its replaced by trinket shops and piazza parlors. I'm not a huge fan of the city. Tomorrow I head back to Quito for a week of working at the covenant church offices with the president and I get to stay with his family. Thanks for hearing my ramble. Have a great day or night depending on when you read this. Chao from ECU.