Leaving Cuenca, we headed south for about five hours to Loja, an overnight stop on the way to the Peruvian border. The next day bus ride would be ten hours, so we hit the sack earlier and caught an early 7 AM bus for Piura, in Peru. All was well until an hour out of Loja when our bus broke down. We made it up a steep grade but finally conked out at a non descript town where both drivers went to work repairing the vehicle. After several yanks, cranks, and prayers, the engine would not cooperate so the driver declared our trip a bust and to find other means. What a bummer. We learned the next bus to Piura would be leaving at 1 PM, putting us into Piura at an ungodly late hour. But ... read more

A four hour bus ride from Quito rewarded us with Banos, a laid back town wedged among green mountains, a snow capped volcano and a river flowing fast to the Amazon. The surrounding peaks, valleys, forest, rivers and waterfalls makes Banos a perfect place to trek, bike ride, river raft and a host of other exciting outdoor activities. Our base was the Hostel Chimenea, which got us a nice comfortable clean room with hot showers, wifi, TV and friendly service for a total of $17 a night. Adding to our comfort was Chimenea's full American breakfast which included two eggs, coffee, fresh squeezed juice and three breads for $2.75. At these prices we made ourselves get stuck here for five nights. On our first full day we choose to rent bikes and head mostly downhill through ... read more

Entering Ecuador was a breeze, passing through customs without even a bag check. Strange, agents were not checking anybody's bags or possessions. Ecuadorian customs seemed either extremely negligent or trusting, especially considering we were leaving cocaine Colombia. I made a mental note that if desperate times arrive, smuggling could be an option. Opps! I'll take that thought back. About five minutes away from the bus stations, drug agents were checking bags thoroughly. Any rate, we were happily off to our next destination in the northern highlands of Ecuador. The bus ride from the border to Octavalo is around volcanos, down canyons, up hills, and through mountains. Simply spectacular. In between we rode through towns with entire black populations, hillsides completely tamed by farming and milk cows crowding the roadway. A really active countryside that seemed well ... read more

We've been enjoying ourselves immensely in Colombia that writing seemed distracting or just too demanding. But with Amei laid up with the flu, I've found time to catch up on our trip from Cartagena to Bogota. In the kitchen of our peaceful hostel Adanandyami in the Candalaria section of Bogota, I'll recap the past few weeks as briefly and futile as that might be. Mompox being about a ten hour bus ride away, required and early morning departure from Cartagena. No problem. Up at five, out the door by five thirty and into a taxi to the bus terminal by six. Typical travel timetables. Colombian bus companies compete fiercely for your business, yelling from their cubby holes to choose their line.With a little time, I discovered direct service as opposed to multiple changes and stops, pick ... read more

Limited transportation choices from Panama City to Cartagena, Colombia has most travelers choosing between flying one hour(US $400) or sailing five days (US $500). Sailing is the more economical and romantic choice for sailboats include food, lodging, three days of island hopping and swimming amongst the 365 San Blas Islands, and two days of open sea sailing. There are lots of sailboats to choose from. We went a little higher end and paid $550 for a large 41 foot catamaran. Luckily or trip included only three other passengers so our trip departed with plenty of room for our five day passage to Cartagena. From Panama City it was a three hour drive to the coast through thick mountainous jungle. The road was rough, up, down and around which our driver could care less about slowing down. ... read more