Greg's Ecuadorian Adventure

Usually, my favorite part of traveling is associated with the actual act of going from point A to point B. For this particular Bolivian adventure (which was almost four months ago at this point), the jury is still out. The sunrise on Isla del Sol My last day in Cusco was where I hiked out of the city, since my bus was not leaving until late. It gave me a chance to relax at my hostel for a while and interact with some of the other guests, too. The only person I even remember talking to was this woman from Turkey who teaches English. This was right after the coup in Turkey... and Brexit... and the terror attack in Nice, France... and the mass police shooting in Texas. July was kind of a terrible month. But I enjoyed my conversation with her, before she left to her next destination. Actually, that night there were a lot of people who were checking out and going somewhere else. Enter the French. There were these two guys who stayed in the same hostel as me in Lima. And Arequipa. And C...

All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. Kurt Vonnegut,  Slaughterhouse Five Plaza de Armas, Cusco I decided early in the planning of my summer trip to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, simply because I was going to spend a huge chunk of time in Perú and not because I desired the experience. This is the point in my trip where I began struggling with the constant pick-up-and-go itinerary, and the disconnectedness of travelers with eyes affixed to their laptops, iPads, and smart phones. While I was in Arequipa, I was "shopping around" to different tour agencies to find the best deal on an all-day tour to Machu Picchu because my itinerary was very tight, and I needed to be in Santa Cruz, Bolivia by a specific date, to fly to Paraguay. After arranging and paying for a tour in advance for which I thought I was getting a great deal, I found out shortly thereafter that all tours were booked. This meant that I needed to scramble the minute...

In my time in Lima, I crammed as much as I could within a few short days. Honestly, I was feeling kind of exhausted already in my trip. Between just finishing the school year, going back to Milwaukee immediately after, and then beginning this trip right after returning to South America... I hadn't had proper time to relax and recover. But, I was on a high after my time in Lima and seeing as many sights as possible. I also felt like I hadn't made the effort to get to meet other people while in Lima because I was constantly on the go. A goal I had for Arequipa was to begin branching out and meet other backpackers in my hostel. Plaza de Armas I honestly don't know why I chose Arequipa in the first place beside looking at a map and trying to figure out the logical way to wind up in Cusco while still being able to visit southern Perú. After "blindly" selecting Arequipa as my second destination, I soon found through my research that this was a great selection. It...

I struggled with figuring out how to begin this series of posts, seeing as my ideas and plans of travel changed as my summer progressed. I had ideas of how I wanted to structure these posts... by city, or by country, or on my observations and frustrations in a singular post. The ending is not surprising for those of you following me on the FacePage. The reason for this ending is also not a surprise to those of whom I maintained contact with as I moved further south. This trip would bring me to some rather interesting places, allow me to reconnect with myself, and learn more about the continent I have chosen as my home. I accomplished each of these by any measure, but not in the same sense that I originally thought. Enter the cliché:  TRAVELING CAN AND WILL CHANGE YOU.  It has changed me most definitely, and now I just need to do something with that change to continue moving forward. I feel like I am finally ready to begin writing and reflecting on this trip now. Street A...

“Stare and see that this is me And I will be just what I need to believe That something is what I’m going to be” --The Rocket Summer, “This is Me” (2003) The week or two before going back to Milwaukee was the busiest I felt in a long time in Ecuador. It involved paying bills, buying some last minute gifts, packing, and saying goodbye to some people who will forever have a special place in my heart. One of these people being my expert-teacher (among many other things), Italian-American New Jerseyan friend, Carmela. The past two years in Ecuador become so transformative for me. One of my motivations of becoming an international educator was to find myself and really see if I was meant to be a teacher. I was hoping to travel and see the world. I wanted to discover who I am, and hoped that this major life event would facilitate my personal journey. One year ago, I reflected on this and already felt like I changed so much… this was nothing near what I went through in the year...

First of all, I am safe. Nothing in my apartment in Quito has been damaged. I haven't lost access to clean water, electricity, or food. The roads are all good. But, again, this is in Quito. In Canoa, December 2014 I am nearing the end of my second year in Ecuador , a place that I have been comfortably calling my home for quite a while now. This may seem like not a big deal to you, but for me it is. Since my parents officially proceeded with their divorce in 2003, I have lived in fourteen houses, apartments, dorms, duplexes... Whatever. Eleven of those were between 2003 and early 2011. These are places I lived at for at least six months, and it doesn't include the countless other couches I've slept on in between, while I waited to move into the next one. In my final apartment in Milwaukee, on Marshall Street, didn't feel like home until my third year living there. For me to instinctly call Ecuador my home is a big deal for me. Zumbahua, April 2015 Ecuador...

The entire week of Semana Santa was vacation for us, which was a huge change from last year. Previously, we had two weeks off in a row in February, which seemed foolish because we barely returned from Christmas break. This school year brought us a formal spring break and, boy, was it needed. At least for me. In true fashion, I saved making any official plans until after school on the Friday when vacation began. My destination: Puerto Lopez, of course. I hadn't been here in what seems like forever, and I was missing my little piece of paradise. Find this office here , if you want to purchase ahead of time but not at Terminal Quitumbe:  I purchased my ticket, direct to Puerto Lopez from Terminal Quitumbe , at the office for Reina del Camino . This office is relatively easy to find, just west of the junction between la Mariscal and Parque el Ejido . I had two options: leave at 7:15 A.M. or 8:00 P.M. Seeing as how I have a difficult time sleeping during trips, I opted for...