TheExpatJournals.com

Been a little busy here folks. Went away to Quito (again) for a week and went up to Cotacachi and Otavalo for the weekend. Had no time to do anything but work and sleep in Quito, but had a wonderfully relaxing weekend in Cotacachi…I even left my computer in Quito so I wouldn’t be tempted. Must get some photos so you can see for yourself. Cotacachi, about 2 hours north of Quito, sits right in the center of two huge extinct volcanoes, Cotacachi and Imbabura. Pretty amazing views when the clouds let you have a peak. (more…)

(Note: First…at the end is a link to photos that you absolutely should not miss!)

There is a valley outside Cuenca that has become my dream.  Nestled between mountains, yes, a river runs through it. I have been out that valley about 8 times now, each time going a bit further. The further you go, the more the landscape changes…from lush green to paramo where the handful of residents plant bushes around an area to use as a garden because otherwise, the wind is too harsh and the nights too cool to grow anything. (more…)

When I first came to Ecuador to peruse from the perspective of a possible move here, I had done almost a year of research, felt as though I no longer wanted to live in a big city and was certain I didn’t want to live that close to an active volcano that has already once caused the city to be evacuated due to ash cover…so I can’t say I’ve ever been very focused on Quito. (more…)

Yesterday, I was invited to have lunch with an Ecuadorian family. It was quite an experience for me as we spent roughly 4 hours together between lunch and conversation afterwards…in Spanish. While quite a bit of time was dedicated to American politics, quite a bit of time was also dedicated to discussing various events and tragedies in various powerful families in Cuenca. (more…)

It took two days of bureaucracy to finally get my Ecuador driver’s license. The main reason for me to do this was two-fold: A. A driver’s course is mandatory and cost $160 up until May 1 when it was rumored to shoot up to $900. B) My US license expires in July and I’m not so sure I’ll be back in time to get it renewed. So the double whammy added up to ‘just do it.’ And boy did I ever break it in! (more…)

In no particular order:
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