Life on the Runn...

I'll be the first to admit that the prospect of heading into the rainforest was anxiety-inducing.  It's rumored that I even made mention of being the only white people in all of Quito's airport heading to the Amazon on the day we departed. Everyone else, I (supposedly) said, was going to the Galapagos. You see, I worried immensely about what I'd eat, what we'd do, and what would happen when I was swarmed by malaria-carrying mosquitoes.  I mean think about it: What if everything was onion-laden?  What if we didn't see a single animal?  What if I got bites all over, itched like a fiend, and then contracted that damn yellow fever or malaria?  I was right to panic... Actually, I was wrong, very wrong.  The Amazon was an amazing experience, one of my favorites ever.  Despite being dressed like Jane Goodall for four days straight, and despite having humidity hair that was so large it made small children cower in fear, I had a blast. Our trip to the Sacha Lodg

With any of our international trips, there is an initial settling in period, a time when we (well, I) adjust to the schedule, the daily pace of life, the food.  It's the gray between the black and white, the point where I'm neither entirely immersed in the foreign country nor entirely detached from my daily life.  Ecuador was different. Part of this may be due to the fact that we did not have any jet lag to deal with. Part of it was due to our accommodations, part of it was sheer luck. We spent three nights in Quito, which was phase one of our three phase adventure, and jumped right into life in Ecuador.  Quito, like many European cities, is laden with history.  Quito is lovely and peaceful, but it's bustling and gritty.  It's busy and loud and worlds away from anything we are used to.  I loved it and I was ready to leave by the time we packed our bags.  In short, Quito was a unique experience. We spent our first full day in Quito exploring the old town; we visite