Prologue
Ecuador...what can we say...from the Andes, to the Amazon...to Isla Galapagos...it has been a blast....😎....5+ weeks of bumping around the country on local transport...going up and going down...spectacular sights and wonderful people...warm, kind and so gracious...we've eaten well and slept just fine. Where else can one get a 1hour shave for only $8 (US)....high altitude walking left us short of breath...but the $3 (US) wine bottle size beers help get us through....Come and visit here under the shadow of the volcanoes...
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Enjoy the odds 'n ends of some of the moments that never 'made' the final edit of our Ecuador posts...Happy reading!
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Follow the Music...
...cause you never know what you discover...
(This ended up being our most memorable moment in Ecuador....and, it happened on our first day in Ecuador....)
Within an hour of waking up in the small town of Yaruqui....we come across a school/community folkloric music/dance festival...
Some are in costume/traditional clothing and others are just dancing in a large circle...
Of course...Yvonne gets pulled up to dance by the 'head hombre'
Once that set of dancing was over, conversations ensued and group pictures were taken for their benefit and ours...
That's Yvonne in the middle
...then later she's presented with a handmade waist sash from these two lovely women...
After several hours of watching...sharing....dancing.....
we leave...with flowers in our hands...and tears on our cheeks...
OMG....if this is Ecuador ...we want more...
Shaving (this is way better than any beach massage)
Shayne gets a shave in Quito after 4 days in the jungle...
old school ... with a straight edge
...takes 1 hour...costs $8 US....face is bambino-culo (baby-bum) smooth...at least that's what Yvonne says...and the female barber beside me.
The Train to Nowhere
In tiny Alausi, high in the Andes is a little train ride called ....the Devil's Nose (Nariz del Diablo). We arrive to ride the train; called one of the most dangerous in the world.
Tracks apparently run back and forth on what seems to be just a cliff face...
We say 'apparently' and 'seems to be', as we never did ride the train. We woke up to a rainy, cloudy morning. There would be no 'staggering' gorgeous views, or 'heart-pounding' moments on this dreary day...we do see the train though...
So, we saved ourselves $35 US/person ticket, hopped on a bus out of town and went in search of cuy. Next time.
Murals... Beautiful Murals!!
These murals were sometimes found in the oddest places but they still caught our eye...
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Epilogue
(....inspired by Sinatra, Anka y several other writers...)
.......And now, the end is near And so we face the final curtain Our friend, we'll say it clear
We'll state our case, of which we're certain We've lived a life that's full We've traveled (almost) each and every highway
And more, much more than this
We. Did. It.. Our. Way......
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Gracias.....Shayne y Yvonne
We'll state our case, of which we're certain We've lived a life that's full We've traveled (almost) each and every highway
And more, much more than this
We. Did. It.. Our. Way......
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Gracias.....Shayne y Yvonne
It is fun for me to see and read the blog after hearing some of the tales prior to the blog. You guys just seem to make things happen... is it magic.... maybe but it is definitely your positive energy.
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