The Daily Show, Starring Mendy and Me

Mendy and John arrived just as I was dozing off on a park bench outside their quaint little French/Ecuadorian home away from home. It was so great to see familiar faces! After not seeing John for nearly 16 months and Mendy just over 12, it really doesn't seem real that so much time has passed us by! We shared a nice dinner and a few Ecuadorian pilsners talking about all that has changed back home, all that hasn't. All of us being exhausted by a day of traveling, we hit the proverbial hay relatively early compared with what we are all capable of!

We ventured out into Quito on Friday. John and Mendy particularly enjoyed the exhaust fumes and crazy driving. I guess there are some things I've gotten immune too since being in Asia for so long! We climbed a steep hike up Itchimbia, a great viewpoint overlooking the city. We walked through some parks and to La Basilica cathedral, a stunning place that reminded me of St. Andrews, where Diana & Charles wed a long time ago. After a set lunch at a very local cantina that cost us a whopping $6 total, we gave up on sightseeing and decided to prepare Mendy for her upcoming South American Wine class by sampling bottles of Chileans finest. We talked politics, insurance, global warming, religion and other topics which I have not discussed in depth with anyone in a very long time...how I have missed that!

Saturday, I gave Mendy and John a taste of a foreign bus system as we boarded a local bound for Otavalo. They were impressed with the food, drink and ice cream salesmen and ladies that boarded the bus periodically selling their goods. Also, I fed a baby pull and peel twizzlers (one of my favorite candies that Mendy brought me!). In Otavalo, we ate, drank and shopped at the absolutely massive market, half targeted for tourists, half for locals. We ate fantastic tres leche at a small coffee shop...that might be my favorite dessert, next to my Grandmother's key lime pie (hint, hint: Grandma, I'm coming to visit you on November 1st or 2nd!!) and June's chocolate cake (hint, hint: June, I'll be home whenever you and Bob get home!). We had dinner at the Hacienda Cusin, Mendy and John's amazing hotel in a small village called San Pablo. A great day outside of Quito!

Toured San Pablo, rode the bus, walked through Old Town in Quito on Sunday. Sunday night, we went to a fabulous restaurant up the hill overlooking the city of Quito - breathtaking views of the cityscape...the lights twinkled like golden stars all over the place. The hot wine, red wine, brandy, whiskey and amaretto was good too, we thought.

Monday we woke bright and early and rented a car to make the trek to Mindo. Mindo is a small village tucked away in the Andes Mountains with beautiful views of the cloud forest along the way. We toured a butterfly garden. It truly is fascinating how many sizes, shaped and colors of butterflies there are! After that, we went zip lining through the cloud forest. It was so fun! Mendy and John stretched their comfort zones and strapped up along with me, helmet and all. We did 10 lines total, very far, very high up. We went backwards, forwards, upside down. It was awesome!! On the way home, we ate ice cream at the equator and took some silly pictures at the Mitad del Mundo. In the one I uploaded, I was trying to get Mendy and John to pretend like they were lifting the world - like John Galt, sort of. It didn't work out so well! We had a lovely dinner in La Mariscal, the new town of Quito, to wrap up a great few days together! Mendy and John - thank you so much for making the trek south of the equator to hang out with me...I love you guys!

I made my way to the Galapagos Islands this morning as Mendy and John made the trek back to Winston-Salem. I rented a bike today and hung out with a sea lion on the beach while watching iguanas surf in the Pacific. This place is simply amazing. I'll be diving the next two days, then I board a boat for a 5 day cruise around the Galapagos. Keep your fingers crossed that I see a boat load of hammerheads tomorrow at Gordon's Rock! Ciao from the Galapagos!