Guayaquil: A huge, humid, and busy Metropolis
I was only able to spend a few days in Guayaquil: the biggest city in Ecuador. My friend Andres Rodriguez offered to have me stay with him and his family. Even though Guayaquil is considered unsafe, I was always at peace next to Andres. He's just a peaceful, calm person in general, and his parents were incredibly sweet hosts!
Las Peñas y El Malecón
There is a famous neighborhood in Guayaquil called Las Peñas. I knew I wanted to visit this area of town because of all the pictures I had seen of it. It has bright colored houses all grouped together on a tall hill towards the northern center of Guayaquil. Andres took me to see Las Peñas and the boardwalk below one evening. We had a great time meandering around- walking up some 400 steps to the top of Las Penas hill, seeing a great view of the city at night, and checking out some amazing monuments on the boardwalk!
La Playa Salinas: An unexpected blessing!
As soon as I got to Guayaquil, Andres and his parents quickly explained that they have a house in Salinas and that if I wanted, I could join them at their beach house! Of course I said yes. Besides only being a block away from the ocean, the best part of the house was the wide balcony where we set up hammocks. There's nothing more relaxing than being in a hammock swaying from the ocean breeze. True to the experience, while in Salinas, I ate 2 delicious seafood meals: one with crab and rice, and another with fish and rice. 
Even better than the food and the hammocks was the surprise waiting for us as we headed to the beach. After about 1 one minute of arriving, vendors came up to us explaining that they were having tours to see the whales. My excitement could not be contained! After about an hour of swimming in the ocean, we grabbed life jackets, hopped up into a small speed boat, and headed out into the deep blue. Not 30 minutes off shore, humpback whales were putting on quite a show. Every 5 minutes or so, another one would slap it's long fin on the water, flip it's tail, or twirl out of the water! I felt so incredibly blessed to see them in their habitat making their long journey south. It was an incredible experience! One bucket list dream complete!
El Mall del Sol
My timing to see the whales was spot on. It wasn't so great when it came to seeing friends in Guayaquil. Many had work or family plans. However, I was able to grab lunch with my friends Monica and Rocio my last day in town. It was lovely to catch up with them. I'm glad they could spare a couple hours to hang out with me. Love you girls!Cuenca
Many friends had said that I would love Cuenca for it's architecture and culture. They were right! It's a beautiful city with red roofs and deep blue flowing rivers. For the first part of my week in Cuenca, I stayed with Jose and Veronica. They were incredibly good to me, and at the same time, they gave me a lot of freedom to be my independent self. Sometimes I feel like they're way too cool to be friends with me, but still they accept me. I'm very grateful for their friendship! The second part of my week- I was blessed to stay with Pati and her 2 year-old daughter Fabiana. Pati is such a sweet friend and she insisted that I stay an extra day longer than I had planned. I just couldn't say no to her.
Turi: During the day and at night
Cuenca has a famous lookout called Turi. My first day in Cuenca, Jose took me to Turi so I could see the whole city during the day. It was a spectacular view. Later on in the week, another friend-Andres Peralti took me to Turi at night. Both times it was breathtaking. I especially loved reflecting on our stage of life with Andres. As we sat on the edge of the Turi lookout, we lost track of time chatting about the struggles and simple joys of being single in our twenties. Andres is always good for a deep conversation.
El Centro Historico y El Rio
One of my favorite things about hanging out in Cuenca, was my free afternoons. Before Jose would head off to work, he would drop me off in the Historical Center of town. There I had about 4 hours to check out the churches, enjoy lunch, draw by the river, read, and just walk around. After so many busy days during this trip, simply sitting and thanking God for the wonderful fact that I'm in Ecuador was very special to me.
Las Ruinas and Amaru Zoo
The Amaru Zoo was definitely a highlight of Cuenca for me. Jose barely made it on time to work just so I could explore this Zoo. Thanks man! Not only did it have many kinds of rescued animals, it was also placed on a hill so that we were required to do quite a bit of hiking as we explored. Unlike any other zoo experience I've had, we arrived at just the right time to see a large family group of lions who were awake and playful. Just a few feet away from these magnificent creatures, I was ecstatic to see them up close! They are, after all, my favorite land animals.
Hanging with Pati, Fabiana, and Lorena
Pati has her hands full being a single mom and a full time teacher. She is truly a devoted mother to Fabiana. That little girl is so loved! Unlike some of my other friends who are moms- Pati also lives by herself. I felt blessed that she would make room for me in her hectic world. Since Pati had so much going on already, she passed the torch to another dear friend Lorena to come up with some fun plans for me in Cuenca. Lore did not disappoint! Lore used to be in the Scouts so she knows about all these neat places nearby Cuenca where people can go hiking and exploring.
One morning Lore, Pati, Fabiana, and I headed out to Chapanahuasi. This is a tall but small mountain that just seems to shoot up into the sky while being surrounded with shorter hills. Many people head there for rappelling and rock climbing. We didn't have the gear this time, but I don't doubt that Lore would do some climbing with me if we get another chance. This time, we settled for hiking to the top. The nearby town quickly shrunk in size. It was wonderful! When we headed back down, we had a mini-picnic.
Lore and I also had a few more adventures. We went to another less-known lookout of Cuenca. She showed me the best place to get morocho and empanadas. We enjoyed pan de yucca and yogur in the afternoon. While walking around town, we spontaneously stumbled upon a group of break-dancers. It was like we got a little show just for us! Lastly, we went dancing together. Lore has got some moves! When I came to Cuenca, I wasn't sure I would even see Lorena. Now I feel like I know her so much better, and I'm very happy to be considered her friend.
There you have it- the last of my recap posts! Yesterday, I arrived in Loja: the last destination city of my trip. Aside from seeing friends, the job search, church search, and the apartment hunt have begun. With the help of my friends, I have two interviews set up for this week. Tomorrow I go to check out an apartment, and I'm expecting a call for a third interview. Prayers are especially needed right now for peace as I talk to possible future employers, and wisdom as I decide where to live and work.
