¡Las Aventuras en Ecuador!: Hiking and Biking in Quito

This past weekend was a very active one. Most weekends I travel to other cities to spend time with friends that I have but for the first time in about a month, I stayed In Quito for the weekend because I wanted to spend some time with some friends here in Quito and I also wanted to do a bike ride around Quito that I have heard a lot about and have wanted to do for the past few months. On Friday, the kids from the orphanage and the kids from the school were able to take a day off school to hike to a cross that sits upon a hilltop. All of the kids in the high school were able to participate if they were behaving in school and getting their homework turned in on time. All of the teachers from the high school also came. I went along too and had a lot of fun. It took about two hours to hike to the top where the cross sits. The view was amazing and it was a blast to spend some time with the older kids from the orphanage.

Cotopaxi valcanoe

One of the many beautiful lookout points along the hike

The ending point of the hike, where the cross is

After the hike getting ready to head back to the orphanage

The bike ride around Quito was even more fun and possibly the most fun day that I have ever had in Quito. Ever Sunday in Quito, they close down a main road that stretches from the north to the very south of Quito so that people can ride bicycles. I have wanted to do this for a few months now but like I said, I am rarely in Quito on the weekends so I have never had a chance yet! My roommate Amber came along with me and we had an amazing time riding our bike through Quito on a beautiful day full of sunshine and warmth. This bike ride is a great way to get a tour of most of the beautiful parks in Quito and just a great way to get a tour of Quito in general. Quito has really grown on me and I just adore this city so much so riding through it on a bicycle just made my heart so happy. After we rode bikes through Quito, we spent the day at my favorite park as the sun continued to shine. The park was busy with families and children playing, everybody enjoying the beautiful day.

Lately I have been having many moments of panic where I can’t believe that I will be leaving Ecuador in about a month and a half. I do not want to leave at all. I love Ecuador so much and my life is here now. I have so many amazing relationships with wonderful people here and this country is just so fabulous in so many ways. It is a small country that has such a diverse range of climates and so much nature and beauty. It has beaches, mountains, the desert, the rain forest, the jungle, the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands and so much more. And there are so many wonderful people that I have met here that have shared their culture, their family and their lives with me. I am so not ready to leave yet! Don’t worry though, I will for sure be coming back to the US on November 22^nd. I have to finish school and get my degree. I know that I will be back to Ecuador someday, hopefully in the near future to work and maybe live here :)