Arrived in Ecuador

---

Hey everyone. Thanks for the messages and comments, they´re cracking me up! I´m now in Cuenca (sounds like ´kwenka´) in Ecudaor. The bus ride across the border was interesting, again, lack of Spanish was a bit daunting but I eventually made it through the handful of official ´shacks´ and got my passport documented properly.

The bus ride took a bit longer than anticipated as there appeared to have been a recent landslide in the mountains. There was barely enough room for the bus to get by so it was slow going for a while. The ride through the mountains was spectacular but some pretty steep drops on the side. There was one point when the bus driver had to back up around a curve to let a cement truck pass, I swear one of the tires was on nothing but air -- a few prayers left my lips...

I arrived late in Loja after the bus ride, a sleepy little town that I managed to cover all the sites in about four hours. No need to stay there so I moved onto Cuenca. This is a neat little place too, some awesome churches and great little streets. No ruin sites here, at least nothing so far. In Peru, I was so used to getting up and going so early to see whatever Incan ruins were around the town I was in. Now, I just wander around and people watch, which that is pretty interesting too. I think I might leave here tomorrow and venture up to Riobamba. There´s a cool train ride down the ´Devil´s Nose´(a very steep ride) that you´re encouraged to ride on the top of the train. My guide book suggests renting the cushion if you´re going to sit on the top, I´d like to know if I can rent a seat belt, that seems like a safer choice than a cushion. It will make for some great pictures, though...

By the way, I´m now back up in the mountains so the weather is back to a bit on the chilly side and even better, I feel like I´m on the verge of a cold, nice....

Wanted to tell you one story about my time in Cuzco. I attended church services in this church that I think Hugh Hefner would have loved, it was mirrored everywhere. The front, the altar, the pulpits, even the ceiling had mirrors, super interesting. It is part of a convent and the nuns come in, set up the altar, then as all the people file in for services, the nuns are sequestered behind this floor to ceiling iron gate at the back of the church. There is not a single mirror back there, by the way. So you can see them, hear them but the iron gate keeps them from being part of the rest of the church. Then when I´ve typically heard the congregation sing the hymms, the nuns sang instead and they sounded so amazing in that church with the accoustics. It was really an awesome experience. I wasn´t able to take any pictures, they frown on photos taken inside the churches (understandable) so I have only my memory of the mirrored church but I tell you, it defied anything I was expecting.

Okay, that´s it folks. I´d like to send out a happy birthday to my sister Amanda, tomorrow is her big day.

Take care,
Cheryl

---