http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/JameyL/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from JameyL en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:22:34 +0000 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:22:34 +0000 I have felt weird since I woke up this morning. There is excitement to return home to be around familiar surroundings and see friends and return to a more normal life with it's benefits. I have to admit I am ready to speak English and hear English regularly again the last three weeks of being so challenged due to my lack of Spanish has worn me out it gets quite tiring. I was told at an early http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-351653.html Well I need to keep this entry short I have to catch a bus to Papallacta to soak in some hotsprings just outside of Quito I know this trip is sounds aweful but such is the way of the traveller.Puerto Lopez was absolutely perfect I made a concerted plan to do as little as possible when I arrived and with much effort I pulled it off. I had few goals the first was I wanted fresh coconut juice I http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/West/Puerto-Lopez/blog-351222.html I cannot describe adequately the beauty that exists in Cajas National Park it was truly a soul stirring and mind bogglingly amazing natural wonder. I have seen so much natural beauty in my life which is so difficult to compare. I would easily line up Cajas with Zion and Glacier and the others that are tied for top places to be stunned into awe. As usual none of the pictures come close to capt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/South/Cuenca/blog-350477.html I am pleased to report a couple of great days have passed here in Cuenca Ecuador. On Thanksgiving day morning I woke up about 5am which still gave me the needed 8 hours of solid wonderful sleep I had been dreaming about so many puns. Got checkouted and to the Riobamba Train station at quarter 'til 6am. I just walked along the line of buses getting ready to leave the first guy yelling Qu http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/South/Cuenca/blog-349477.html I am exhausted thoroughly worn out which is too bad because I have to say I really dig Riobamba its a really interesting energized Metropolis with lots to see do and most definitely to buy.Let me start with yesterday which turned out to be a suprisingly beautiful and long bike ride. Having ridden thousands of miles in the past couple years of my life I can now truly appreciate my biking shor http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Riobamba/blog-348870.html Well Baos was a small quaint little mountain town absolutely saturated in touristy gimicks shwag hostels go carts tour companies taffy and most of all gringos. I am really going to miss it. It suprised me how quickly I just enjoyed myself there though it shouldnt. The hostel Platos Y Blanco was really nice. 5.50 for a bunk bed in a room full of solo travelers. They had a sweet te http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Banos/blog-348290.html Hello I made it out of the jungle safe and sound completely absent of Anaconda Piraa or Caiman attacks. The jungle tour was a really good time weather treated us well and I got to hang out with a gaggle of Germans. Before I left I was supposed to be picked up at 830 at my hotel. I had been using the clock on the bottom of a local channel to tell time I woke up at 7am about 815 I started lo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/East/Cuyabeno-Reserve/blog-347606.html This morning worked out well I woke up and did short but tough up hill hike that looked over Baeza and the highway passing through nice way to begin a day. So now Im in Lago waiting for tomorrows pick up by the jungle tour company. Another interesting day of bus riding which was for the most part easy considering I just strolling down to the road to Lago Agrios saw a bus yelled Lago got http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/East/blog-345713.html So Ive made it to Baeza with a bit of luck okay with lots of luck. I ran into a guy at my hostel last night in Quito that I saw getting on my plane in Denver what are the flippin chances. Then this morning as I was getting up for the 3rd time I love sleeping in I ran into him at breakfast. Long story short he and another guy from Boulder are doing volunteer work in the south and their inte http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/East/blog-345392.html Okay so I am about to leave. I'm pretty nervous and excited but mostly I just want to stop worrying about the trip and be on it. I've got a pack full of stuff some tour books camping gear which may or may not get used and a growing intense regret that I didn't take the time to learn Spanish.Nothing to do but jump http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/blog-344893.html