Let Me Sum Up

I'm not quite sure what to say when people ask how our trip to Ecuador was. On the one hand, everything went well, we saw some interesting plants and animals, and we had some pretty cool experiences.

On the other hand, it was a pretty exhausting trip, and there were definitely some unpleasant moments. I wouldn't exactly say that it was a fun vacation.

On the plus side:

• Amazing scenery, both in mainland Ecuador and in Galapagos
• Fantastic animals -- birds, reptiles, frogs, marine animals, you name it!
• Pretty good food (Ecuador has some amazing soup!)
• Interesting people -- we met one lady as we were walking past her house and she came over to chat and ended up offering us a piece of fresh sugar cane from her yard. Everyone we met was friendly, even though I don't understand Spanish very well and had to have a translator to follow the converation if the person didn't speak English (although a lot of people do).
• Swimming with sea lions, sea turtles, penguins, and sharks -- incredible!

And on the minus side:

• Weather that ranged from super cold and windy, to warm but damp/raining, to blazing hot with no shade from the equatorial sun
• The previously mentioned unreliable plumbing
• The altitude -- we started in Quito at 9,000 feet, did some fairly strenuous hiking at 10,000 and then crashed, completely exhausted. We did move to a lower elevation after that, but the hiking was still pretty intense. Seems like no matter where we went, it was uphill. Both ways. Which is how you get the amazing scenery, but it was also pretty challenging, especially considering that we live in a place with very low altitude that is extremely flat. I spent the better part of a week gasping for air. Which is not what I personally consider to be relaxing.
• Food served with the head still on -- One night, we were served whole fish, which wasn't that bad, although I typically prefer my dinners not to look at me. The kicker was the night I was served 3 whole, huge shrimp. They were nearly big enough to be lobsters and their eyes were enourmous. Eew.

Now that we have been home a week, though, the minuses are starting to fade a bit, and I have really enjoyed looking over the pictures and remembering the good parts of the trip. Overall, I would say it was an interesting vacation -- and we got some great pictures.