Unsurprisingly, my friends who told me that I would fall in love with Ecuador were right. At the time I wrote this I was sitting in the Quito airport, mentally preparing to leave the remarkable country of Ecuador, and readying for a whole new culture shock in Peru. Though my suitcase was packed, underweight, and …

Since my English-teaching course started last Monday, I’ve barely been able to breathe for fear of missing something. This past month was full of so many firsts and lasts in my college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from my final Eats 101 dinner to my last ever final exam and the graduation ceremony which …

Just a month after turning 20, I lavished in two Ecuadorian wine tastings, flew off to the Galapagos, and moved to rural Peru. Days Danced: 4  Days Sick: ~6 Finally Celebrating My Birthday in Angelic Ecuador I finally had my birthday cake, and it was probably the most Ecuadorian thing I have ever experienced. It tasted …

The best way to explain the stunning beauty of San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos is to show it to you. Even the best cameras remain unable to capture the isle as well as my memory has, but who would I be if I didn’t try? Below is a visual timeline of my journey across San …

During August, well-deserved protests marched the streets of Quito, all throughout the city. I made it to three other cities each weekend, and completed a monster of a hike outside of Quito. Just dance away the pain, kids; just dance away the pain. ​Days Danced: ​8​ Days Sick: ~5 Well-Deserved Protests There were protests in …

Salinas is a relatively small beachfront town on Ecuador’s southern coast, a 10-hour bus ride from Quito, with direct buses leaving from Quitumbe Station every night. You can fall asleep on the bus and wake up on the coast. What more could you need for a long weekend away? Coastal Ecuador Outside Esmeraldas Salinas blends into the …